


CRISIS: Equestria

by GanonFLCL



Series: CRISISverse [2]
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-08
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 08:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 41
Words: 710,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21012605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GanonFLCL/pseuds/GanonFLCL
Summary: A mysterious portal appears in the Everfree Forest one afternoon, and Twilight Sparkle and her friends are sent to investigate. The portal transports them to another Equestria, one full of evil and darkness, where they have to fight to survive on the long journey home. A pony named Tick Tock, a guardian of this new world from forces of chaotic magic, offers to find a way to take them home. They make other new friends along the way, but also new enemies, primarily six evil counterparts out for blood.





	1. Inception

**Author's Note:**

> The central story of the CRISIS-verse. This story takes place just before Season 4 of canon.
> 
> Thanks to Devnator, BeeAre, and The Living Couch who assisted with editing and as creative consultants.
> 
> Cover Art: https://www.deviantart.com/starlightspark/art/CRISIS-Equestria-Cover-253303517  
Artist: https://www.deviantart.com/starlightspark

To my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

Surely by now you have begun to sense the strange magical force coming from the Everfree Forest. At first I suspected it was nothing more than some of my more ambitious subjects, practicing their spells in a place where they could use their full power without fear of harming others. But now, the energy levels there are beginning to approach or possibly surpass even that of the Element of Magic. You, my most treasured pupil. Further complicating things is the nature of the magic itself. It feels somewhat chaotic in essence but I am not completely sure, so I cannot precisely determine just how much of a threat it may be. I regret being unable to look into this personally.

I must ask for a favor from you and your friends, the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, as I have done on many an occasion in the past, and it is with a heavy heart that I must do so once again. I wish for you to travel into Everfree, and uncover the source of this strange anomaly. If the Elements of Harmony are indeed required, inform me so that I may retrieve them from Canterlot Tower for you. If they are not required, and if at all possible, I give you permission to do something about it as well, but please do not put yourself in any undue danger for my sake. If you feel it is beyond your ability, please, just return home and contact me. I will handle the rest. I have the utmost confidence in you, my faithful student.

Yours sincerely,  
Princess Celestia

Twilight Sparkle hummed as she finished dictating the letter. “Well, everypony, what do you think? Are you all up to the task?”

She stopped pacing back and forth on her rug and turned to her friends, who had all gathered together in her library to discuss the situation. Fluttershy and Rarity sat together to the side, whispering to each other in anxious tones; Rainbow Dash lounged lazily on the nearby sofa while Pinkie Pie bounced in place beside her; Applejack stood dutifully near Twilight, scratching her head and visibly pondering what to do about the letter.

Twilight felt an odd mix of anxiety and pride as she rolled the letter’s contents around in her mind. Princess Celestia’s tasks were always a joy to complete, but they were typically very straightforward and intuitive, or at the very least contained useful clues. This new task laid before Twilight and her friends was pretty much mud.

“I reckon if the Princess needs our help, it's our job to do so, ain't it?” Applejack said, replacing her hat. “As users o’ Elements of Harmony an’ whatnot? If this were somethin’ anypony else could do, she wouldn’t’ve asked us.”

“Well put, Applejack.” Twilight walked over to the nearby bookshelf and pulled out the familiar copy of The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide, and immediately set to flipping through it. “Let’s see... the Princess mentioned the magic feeling ‘chaotic’. That sounds familiar. Hmm... chaotic... chaotic...”

Rarity jerked her head up sharply, causing Fluttershy to squeak in alarm. “Twilight, you don’t think this has anything to do with Discord, do you?” she asked. “I’d really rather not go through all that again.”

“Chaotic... Discord. Hmm... you might be on the right track, Rarity,” Twilight said, pulling her nose out of the book. “Still, I’m certain if the Princess knew that this was somehow related to Discord, she would’ve mentioned that specifically. It must be something else. But what?”

“How do you know for sure it’s not, though? This really could be dopey ol’ Discord, trying to escape or something.” Rainbow Dash yawned and crossed her hooves behind her head. “Maybe he learned his lesson, and this time he isn’t blowing his cover with a bunch of cotton candy clouds and exploding corn and stuff.”

“A possibility. Still, if it isn’t Discord...” Twilight tapped her chin. “Changelings, maybe? I didn’t think they’d try anything again so soon. No... this doesn’t seem the type of thing they’d be involved with. King Sombra? No... it’s unlikely he’d come all the way down here to the heart of the Princess’s power.” She sighed, out of ideas. “Perhaps this is some new threat to the kingdom. That just makes me more uneasy.”

Pinkie Pie hopped over to Twilight's side and proceeded to bounce around in tight circles, accidentally shoving Applejack away in the process. “What are we arguing about what it is for?! This is a call to adventure! To excitement! Ooh ooh! Like the time when we had to go throw that cursed ring in a volcano! Or when we had to go looking for the seven pieces of the evil wizard’s soul to destroy them! Or when the Princess asked us to find that Golden Fleece! Or—"

Twilight sighed and stuck a hoof out, causing Pinkie to run into it and stop moving. “Pinkie Pie, I don't recall any of those things. At all. In fact, those sound made-up.”

Pinkie rubbed her nose, then instantly perked up again. “Oh... well maybe I just read those stories and imagined they were staring us... but it sounds the same! Epic adventures, starring the greatest heroines in all Equestria! Doesn’t that sound neat? That is what we’re doing, isn’t it?”

“We're just going to investigate a strange magic disturbance, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “It shouldn't take us more than a few hours to look into things, maybe a little longer if I think we can fix it without involving the Princess or the Elements of Harmony. It’s all right next door in the Everfree Forest, not on the other side of the world or anything. This isn’t an ‘epic adventure’. It’s a little job.”

“Aw phooey.” Pinkie pouted and swung her forelegs down in dejection. “I'll never get that Vorpal Sword...”

“Riiight...” Twilight lifted her book back level with her nose. “Well, if it’s not Discord, and it’s not Changelings, what could it possibly be?”

“Anomalous magic with a chaotic nature... hmph. Is that all the information we have to work off of here, darling?” Rarity tapped her chin. “I should think that the Princess would have given you more information than this.”

“All I know about it is what's in this letter,” Twilight said. With a faint glow of her horn, she added, “And, what little I can sense about it from this distance. I can’t get a really solid feel of what it is, but I at least know where it is. We should get moving though. The longer it's there, the more likely it's going to cause some damage or attract curiosity. We shouldn't need supplies, since it’s only a few hours away. So if everypony's ready?”

“Do... do we really all need to go?” Fluttershy gulped and began to nervously inch towards the door. “I mean... it doesn't sound too dangerous... but... well, you know... if you don't need me I'll just—"

“The Princess insisted we all go. She mentioned our Elements of Harmony.” Twilight gave Fluttershy a reassuring glance. “Perhaps she thinks that our Elements may prove useful? I wouldn't want to find out they are necessary and not have one of them along with us. You should at least come to investigate with us, just in case.”

“R-right... I guess then... if that's what you want...”

“Well then, let's get going!” Twilight stamped her hoof and grabbed her handy map of the Everfree Forest from the nearby desk. “This shouldn't be too hard, and if it looks like it is, we can just contact the Princess and everything'll be just fine. No problem at all.”

***

“This... might be a problem...” Twilight gulped. “Oh dear.”

The giant circular vortex of flowing energy encompassed the vast majority of the tiny clearing, roughly a mile from Zecora’s home. Rivers of golden magic, each wrapped in bands of green or blue, streamed their way through a vast, ethereal void. The deep expanse of black and purple was pin pricked with glowing white stars, all faintly twinkling in and out of existence. No matter what direction they looked at it from, the same view followed: total chaos.

“This is inexplicably bizarre,” Twilight said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m going to need to run some calculations, try and figure out exactly what it is I’m seeing here.” She lit up her horn and set to work.

Pinkie pulled a camera out of her mane and snapped a few pictures, giggling between clicks. “Neat! I bet I can sell this to the National Equinerer! They dig juicy supernatural stuff like this!”

“It certainly is a most intriguing sight,” Rarity cooed. “It's so... beautiful. Why, I'm getting all sorts of inspiration for some new outfits for when we get home! Hmm... though the colors will be dreadfully hard to manage. I wonder if—" She trailed off, muttering to herself about things that none of the others understood.

“What in tarnation is this here thing, though?” Applejack circled around the anomaly. “If y’all ask me, it looks kinda like a... window? A window inta... somethin'. What’s all that weird stuff on th’ other side? Magic?”

“It doesn’t look very inviting...” Fluttershy gulped from behind the nearest boulder she could find. “All that magic... it looks... scary...”

“A window, filled with magic. An astute observation, and it brings to mind descriptions of strange phenomena I’ve read about before. If anything, this thing is a ‘portal’.” Twilight frowned and dimmed her horn. “Whatever this portal is, it's what's causing the magical disturbances. Rarity, I'm sure at this distance you can feel the magical radiation too?”

“Beg pardon? Oh! Y-yes, of course darling.” Rarity skewed her eyes and nodded in understanding. “It's making my horn feel... tingly. Not really in a bad way, just... strange. I feel like my magic is being amplified, or altered, or something, but it doesn’t feel dangerous. Where do you think it leads? Just into that void there? Heavens, that doesn’t look at all pleasant.”

“I don't know where it goes exactly, but I'm not too eager to find out, either,” Twilight said. “I’m going to close it off with a sealing spell, nothing fancy. I can’t really tell what kind of energy this thing is made of, but I think I can handle it by myself. Everypony should probably stand back, though.”

Pinkie groaned. “Awww. Do you have to? I was thinking of setting up a booth and charging admission! 'Come see the mystery window into the WORRRLD OF TOMORROW!' Five bits to look, ten bits for pictures, twenty bits to stick your hoof in! And I’d have a banner and sign posts and a concession stand right over there and—"

“I doubt it's a portal into the future Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “That’s science-fiction junk. This is magic. It’s completely different stuff, right Twi?”

“Girls, please,” Twilight said, as she channeled her magic through her horn. “I need to focus. This might not seem too difficult, but one little errant calculation and I might break the portal, instead of sealing it. I don’t know how much damage that might cause to the surrounding area... or to us, and I’d rather not find out.”

A soft purple glow formed on Twilight's horn as she concentrated. She grit her teeth and hardened her expression as the the magic took shape. After a few seconds of focus, a brilliant flash, followed by the blinding light of a sealing spell backed by all the magic Twilight could muster, shot from her horn. The shining bolt of magic struck the portal and engulfed it in a deep lavender glow. Slowly, the portal began to shrink.

“See? No problem at all,” Twilight said, smiling and sticking her nose in the air. “It's all in the—"

The portal exploded outwards, destroying the seal in a blinding flash of purple and blue and knocking everypony to the ground.

Before, it bathed the clearing in a dull grey glow. Now, it brimmed with a prismatic sheen that coated the entire area in the full color spectrum and then some. With startling speed, the anomaly steadily began devouring the surrounding area with a increasingly more powerful gravity field that had sprung up from nowhere. Everything it touched was yanked towards the portal's surface and into the void beyond. Dirt. Twigs. Boulders. Ponies.

“Who-ho-hoooa!” Pinkie shouted as she, the closest, began to get sucked in. She tried to gallop out of the field, but the portal’s pull was too strong, and despite what was clearly her best effort, she inched towards it. “Ahhh! I don't want to see the future yet! Heeelp!”

“Hang on Pinks!” Rainbow charged forward and grabbed Pinkie's hooves. She beat her wings in an attempt to force herself backwards. For a moment, it worked, but as soon as she had any headway, the portal increased its suction, pulling the two hapless ponies in. “Oh... not good!”

“Hold on!” Applejack snagged Rainbow's tail in her mouth. “I gotcha, sugarcube, just hang on!”

Applejack dug her hooves into the ground as she tugged against the pull of the portal. Slowly, but surely, the gap between Pinkie and the surface of the portal widened, causing Rainbow to sigh in relief.

“Phew... thanks AJ,” Rainbow said.

The portal pulsed. Applejack’s hooves cut grooves into the dirt as she was once again yanked forward by gravity.

Applejack tripped and lost her footing. “Aw, horseapples!”

“Rarity to the rescue! I've got you, darling!” Rarity grabbed Applejack's tail in her magic and started tugging.

“Oh my goodness... oh my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she attempted to help by grabbing Rarity's tail with her mouth. “Oh... I just knew this was a bad idea!”

“Girls! Hang on!” Twilight used her magic to grab Fluttershy, pulling her as hard as she could outwards and away from the portal’s grip.

The ponies all breathed a sigh of relief as the group slowly exited the grip of the field. Twilight was thankfully far enough out of its pull to concentrate fully on her spell and getting her friends out, rather than worrying about getting sucked in herself.

The portal quivered, and absorbed Twilight's spell. Its gravity doubled in strength.

Twilight’s jaw fell. “Oh by Celestia, you've got be kidding—"

The portal pulsed with light, and in the process, sucked Pinkie past its inner rim. Rainbow was unable to keep her grip without the risk of getting pulled in too, but she loyally held firm to Pinkie. She gave a panicked shout as she too began sliding forward into the portal. The two opened their eyes and looked into the abyss that awaited them. From up close, the rivers of gold resembled pure energy, not liquid or vapor, glowing all the colors of the rainbow. It would’ve been a beautiful sight were it not threatening to suck all the ponies into it.

“Consarnit!” Applejack blurted as she too fell into the vortex.

Rarity panicked. In a futile attempt to strengthen her grip, she wrapped her magic completely around Applejack, but that only seemed to fuel the portal’s energy field. She followed Applejack into the portal against her will.

“Waaahaahaha!”

Fluttershy whimpered as she was pulled along by Rarity's tail and into the darkness. “Oh d-d-d-dear...” 

Only Twilight's magic prevented the five ponies from falling into the abyss. The portal fed upon this energy, sucking it into the abyss like thousands of fireflies drifting down on a breeze, adding to the splendor of the magical rivers below.

Twilight tugged as hard as she could, but her friends were too far into the field to get out without risking serious injury to her steadily depleting magic force. For a fleeting second, she thought that if she stopped trying to save them, maybe she could get away. Maybe she could find Princess Celestia and let her know what happened, and she could help. Twilight dashed those thoughts aside and stood firm, and with a fierce pull that made her horn sputter and fire off errant sparks into the wind, Fluttershy's tail lifted back out of the portal's rim.

“Almost... there...”

Using all the magic she could muster, she heaved upwards, digging her hooves into the dirt and grass beneath her as her horn blazed with magic. More of Fluttershy appeared. A purple tail, followed by a panicked Rarity, emerged from the portal.

“Just a... little more...”

She locked her jaw, making it ache - there was Applejack! The pain in her horn was bordering on unbearable, and it was glowing with such intense fury and firing off so much rampant magic that she worried about a possible explosion. She could just see Rainbow's tail.

The portal pulsed once more.

“Oh come on!”

Twilight could handle no more. With a weak flicker, the light of her horn died out. With a final, powerful pulse of energy, the portal ripped the six ponies down into the abyss. Aside from the magical fluctuations of the vortex, the clearing was silent.

***

A dirt brown earth pony with a chocolate-colored mane galloped towards the Everfree Forest, cursing to himself the entire time. His pace was brisk and erratic, as if fleeing a predator. He was exhausted and not able to run as fast as he would like. His breath was heavy as he swung his gaze around in a panic.

He chanced a glance behind him after he cleared a small hill, then said to himself, “Blast it, she's still following me! Of all the bloody annoying—"

“Heeey! Wait up!” A wall-eyed gray pegasus trailed behind him in the air, saddled with a pair of drooping saddlebags and carrying a brown package in her hooves. “Come on, I've been trying to give you this package all day! Stop running away!”

“It's not mine!” he shouted back. “Sod off!”

“But Mister Turner, I—"

“Doctor!”

“But Doctor Turner, I—"

“It's not my package! It's not my package! I didn't order anything from the Muffin of the Month Club! It’s not mine!”

She’d been at his tail the entire day, quite literally since he had awoken. That had been a rather disturbing experience. Ever since then she’d been enough of a distraction that it was beginning to affect him more than just mentally. It had taken him a great deal of effort to get far enough ahead of her that she couldn’t barricade his path and attempt to get him to sign for a delivery that wasn’t his no matter how much she insisted it was.

“It’s not?” She blinked, one eye at a time. “Why didn't you say so before?”

“I did say so before! At least a full hundred times, you bleedin’ featherbrain!”

“Heeey, that's not very nice! Fine! I won't give you your package then, if that's the way you want to act! Jerk!” she said, sticking out her tongue.

“It's not mine!” But, the pegasus was already fluttering off. “Blast it all, bleeding mailponies... fantastic, now I'm late, and now I’m talking to myself. I do hope that portal hasn't caused any damage...”

Time Turner came to the clearing where he detected the space/time distortion, and as he caught sight of the pulsing portal his face became an incredible scowl.

“Oh brilliant. Brilliant. Somepony has been tampering with this portal, and now it's just gone all sorts of haywire. Doesn’t anypony these days know how to just walk away from really strange fields of magic that can tear you apart at the molecular level? Honestly! Blast it all, if I hadn’t been late none of this would’ve happened. Ugh... when I get my hooves on that bloody mailpony...”

He pulled a plain-looking silver stopwatch out of his saddlebag, then carefully balanced it in both hooves as he sat on the ground. With a click on the top, the portal stopped churning, its magical energies frozen in place. He wound the watch counterclockwise, and the portal shrunk bit by bit with every turn until he got it down to a manageable size, safe from any errant gravitational forces.

Satisfied that the rift was safe to observe, he approached it, with his watch held between himself and the portal. The watch began to glow a bright neon green, and now instead of displaying a clock face on the front, it displayed a set of wavelengths, numbers, and a tiny list of objects that had been sucked into the portal. Time Turner was glad the list seemed small at first. Animals could sense Void magic pretty well and typically tried to avoid it, so it was usually only stationary objects that got caught up, or poor critters that happened to be right in precisely the wrong spot the tear appeared in when it manifested.

“Let's see... tree, rabbit, badger, mushroom, snake, rock, yadda yadda yadda. Phew, nothing too—" His face contorted in concern. “Oh bugger, looks like some ponies did get sucked in. Fantastic. Six of them as well! This just keeps getting better and better. That will not be, in the least, an easy situation to patch up.” Time Turner sighed. “Well, not much I can do for them from this end, sadly. Better find out where they ended up...”

***

Twilight Sparkle and her friends screeched through the ethereal flow of the strange void they had fallen into, desperately seeking a way out and coming up short. They found that they could not directly control their path through physical force, and were merely drawn along by the currents of magic as they flowed around them. Twilight discovered she could use her magic to steer them, but wasn’t sure if they’d fall off the river if she tried to steer them out of it. Considering that “off the river” meant “into a bleak, endless abyss where no light shone forth”, she felt it really wasn’t worth testing that theory.

They had managed to huddle together, clinging to one another in desperation. Wherever they ended up, they were confident that at the very least they’d end up there together.

“Hey guys, look up ahead!” Pinkie pointed further up the river. “Betcha never seen a river do that!”

The others followed Pinkie's outstretched hoof and instantly noticed it: the river cascaded upwards. And, to top it off, the flow veered back into a loop that ended in a sharp downward spiral. Twilight was immediately reminded of the roller-coaster she and her friends went on during their visit to the new amusement park outside of Fillydelphia. She also remembered not being able to walk straight for nearly an hour afterwards.

“Aw horseapples...” Applejack gulped and gripped her hat tightly.

“This won’t end well, I can feel it.” Rainbow clung tightly to Pinkie. “Normally this would be no biggie, but normally I’m in control!”

“Hang on, everypony!” Twilight shouted.

Pinkie cheered and lifted her hooves in the air. “Yaaay! Everypony put your hooves up! It’s so much more fun!”

They hit the bend and soared up and through the magical field. At the apex of the climb, they flipped backwards along the river, and they found themselves falling upside down at a breakneck speed through the rest of the flowing aether.

“Aaahhh!”

“Wheee!”

The magic careened off the side, slowing the riders down enough for them to collect their wits, and their lunch. Applejack seemed almost tempted to remove her hat, but decided against it and replaced it upon her head. Rainbow didn’t seem too much worse for wear, but was clearly not eager for a repeat performance.

Pinkie giggled and snorted into her hoof. “One more time! Let’s go again! That was so much fun!”

“Oh I think I’m going to be ill,” Rarity mumbled, holding her stomach. “Yes... definitely going to be ill... oh dear...”

Fluttershy trembled in a terrified panic, clinging desperately to Twilight’s legs, while Twilight in turn was holding onto Applejack for dear life. This would be no time to fall overboard and become separated.

As they bounded through the river of magic, Twilight looked out alongside and saw other windows zooming past. Each appeared to vent out into other worlds, though most of them went by too quickly to make anything out. One thing was for certain though: if she and her friends wanted to escape, they'd have to get into one. Twilight only hoped whichever one they picked led back home. Using her magic to latch onto another fork in the river's path, she and her friends found themselves flowing directly towards a tiny ripple in the distance, barely large enough for them to fit through and growing smaller as they got closer. Wherever it led, Twilight thought, it had to be better than here.

***

“Oof!”  
“Eep!”  
“Ah!”  
“Ow!”  
“Ugh!”  
“Wheee! Let's do that again! Can we, can we? Huh huh huh?”

The ponies dropped unceremoniously out of the aether and into a pile of garbage. Above them, the portal slowly faded away until it disappeared with a faint hiss.

“Ohhh... my aching head.” Twilight coughed as she warily got to her hooves and looked around herself for her friends. “Is everypony okay? Where are you, girls?”

“Over here!” Rarity called from nearby. “I’m alright, darling. I think I landed on something, though.”

“Yeah, that’d be me,” muttered Applejack. She shifted herself out from under Rarity, sending the unicorn sliding down the pile of trash to the concrete below.

They cleared themselves out of the garbage, Twilight being the last to get to solid ground. She peeled a damp newspaper off of her flank, and glanced at the front page headline:

“SMOG LEVELS REACH RECORD HIGH!”

“Well that’s.... wait, ‘smog’? Huh?” Twilight blinked in confusion and flipped the paper over, searching for the “smog”. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she glanced upwards. Her pupils shrunk in alarm. “Oh dear.”

The others in the group followed Twilight’s gaze skyward, and their jaws dropped.

A dark haze filled the few parts of the sky that could be seen through the crisscross of clotheslines and metal railings. Buildings covered in strange, unrecognizable metal colored in dull shades of brown, gray, red, and black, reached for the light above, their tips disappearing into the smog. The bright glow of the city filtered in through the occasional gap in the skyscrapers, contrasting with the relative darkness of the alley.

“Pfh, see Dashie, told you it went to the future,” Pinkie said. “This is just like that movie where the stallion drove a car really fast and ended up in... no wait, he ended up in the past. Um... hey Dashie, which movie was it where the pony goes to the future?”

“The hay if I know. You’re the movie buff around here, not me,” Rainbow said. She shook her head in disgust. “I'm stickin’ with my opinion though. I still don't think this is future, Pinkie, at least not our future... I hope.”

Fluttershy poked her head out from behind Rarity, who was busy shaking garbage out of her mane. “W-w-where... are we?” 

“I don't suppose anypony has any theories as to where we are?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie raised a hoof into the air.

“Other than Pinkie Pie? It's obvious where we're not at least.”

“Not a clue.” Applejack stepped forward and adjusted her hat carefully. “Reminds me of Manehatten though, just... grittier and a whole heck of a lot bigger. Golly, even I’ll admit this place needs a bit of sprucin’ up, though. I couldn’t imagine livin’ ‘round all this here junk.”

Applejack swept her hoof around, emphasizing the grime and garbage that littered the alley surrounding them: broken bottles leaking oddly colored fluids; scraps of rusted metal; shards of old, discolored cement. The one remaining wheel of an old, tattered stroller squeaked as it spun haltingly in the foul smelling breeze.

Speaking of which.

“Oh my.” Rarity covered her nose and waved a hoof in front of her face. “It smells like somepony's been burning... something out here, too. Who burns garbage, really? Ugh... how horrible.”

Fluttershy shuddered and huddled in closer to Rarity and Applejack. “It’s so... dirty... I don’t like this new place...”

“Aw don't be silly! It’s always fun to be in a new place!” Pinkie laughed and threw a big hug around Fluttershy, causing the pegasus to yelp in surprise. “Oh, just think of all the new ponies! Ooh, ooh, I bet I could throw a million new parties! Oh gumdrops, but I don't know where there's any party supply stores around here. Can we look for one of those? Ooh! And I’m starving! We need to find a sweet shop or an ice cream parlor or a bakery or something! I need three hundred cc’s of chocolate and sugar, stat!”

“Pinkie, we’ve got more important things to worry about than if there's enough balloons for a party,” Rainbow said. She dejectedly looked skyward again and shook her head. “Ugh... Rarity’s right though, this place is a dump. Look at all that. Don’t they have any kind of weather patrol here? You can barely even see the sky!”

A murky orange, not like a sunrise or sunset, but rather a menacing glare, showed itself through the sparse breaks in the smog layer. It churned with an angry agenda, seething back and forth like a stormy sea.

Fluttershy sniffed and shuffled her hooves. “Oh... I do hope the little birdies up there are okay... if there even are any...”

Rarity coughed and continued to wave her hoof in front of her nose. “Heavens, let's just get out of this dreadful little alleyway and into the streets, at the very least. Perhaps if we ask around, we can find out where we are?”

As they rounded the corner, they could see neon lights adorning large billboards, advertising goods and services they’d never heard of. Something called “Dolor” was prominent on most of them, with each billboard advertising a different color. The closest one had a slogan reading: “Introducing new Dolor Black! Great for a meal, or even a snack! It’s hip, it’s cool, it’s not wack! Better than White, it’s Dolor Black!”

Down at street level, a chaotic stream of ponies swarmed along the busy street. Higher above, a good hundred yards up, oddly straight formations of pegasi flew, orderly avoiding each other despite their sheer number. Rainbow and Twilight each shook their heads in disbelief. There were enough pegasi in the sky alone that Cloudsdale’s population paled in comparison. How many ponies could possibly be in this city?

Twilight moved ahead, seeking out a pony that hopefully wouldn't be distracted too much by their own tasks. She found a dark blue pegasus mare that was taking the ground route, likely to avoid the heavy air traffic high above, wearing a bright green jacket adorned with the same image as her cutie mark, a white cup with a big, red scoop of shaved ice.

Twilight cleared her throat and introduced herself. “Um... excuse me, but—"

“Yeah, what do you wa-aah!?” The pegasus leaped back in surprise mid-turn and nervously scooted away in obvious panic. “G-get away from me! Help! Police! Poliiice!”

She flew off in a rush, leaving Twilight stunned and confused. Had she said something wrong? Did she startle her? Was it her breath? She didn’t think she smelled funny, even if they had all landed in garbage earlier. And even so, police? What would warrant that?

Rainbow came over and patted Twilight on the shoulder, while glaring upwards at the retreating pegasus. “Well what the hay was that about? Rude much?”

“Hmm...” Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin. “Very peculiar. Was it something I said?”

“Ya didn’t even get ta say anythin’, sugarcube,” Applejack said. She shifted her hat forward a little. “I already don’t like this place. Ain’t got no sense for welcomin’ visitors.”

Rarity brushed a hoof through her mane. “Let’s try another pony. Hmmm... aha!” She pointed her hoof across the busy street. “There, that dashing unicorn.” Twilight made to start towards him, until Rarity coughed rather too loudly. “Ahem. Perhaps we should let me do the talking? A little charm goes a long way. Leave it to Rarity, dear.”

She trotted over to the stallion, a reddish-black unicorn wearing a tuxedo vest and a matching tie. He was busy reading a newspaper as he waited beneath a sign with the word bus written on it in big, bold letters. Rarity fluffed her mane and tail, checked her coat, and brushed off any traces of dirt or grime she could see. Seemingly satisfied that she looked her very finest, she cleared her throat and introduced herself in a rather sultry tone..

“Pardon me, my good sir. So sorry to interrupt, but my friends and I seem to be in a bit of a bind.” She gave her very best pout and fluttered her eyelashes. “Would you be so kind as to—"

“Ugh... get away from me,” the stallion said, scowling. “Have you no shame at all?”

“I beg your pardon?” Rarity exclaimed. “Oh! Of all the ways to greet a lady! Well, I never! You should be... ashamed of yourself? Hello? Are you ignoring me now? Hmph!”

She decided, perhaps wisely, not to pursue the matter any further. With a huff, she returned to the others, disgruntled and slightly dejected.

“Any luck?” Twilight asked, despite knowing the answer.

“Not at all. That stallion clearly has some grave vision issues.” Rarity snorted and double-checked that she was totally clean. “No manners amongst these ponies, none at all. You’d think someone dressed so dapper would be a little more courteous. Even... ugh... Prince Blueblood at least had the decency to act polite at first.”

“Aw, don’t get discouraged, sugarcube.” Applejack patted Rarity on the shoulder. “Maybe the stallions ‘round these parts just ain’t affected by that patented Rarity charm?”

“Yeah, maybe you’re just not his type,” Rainbow said.

Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly, pushing the three out of her way to address Twilight. “Ooh! Can I try next? Huh? Can I? Oh please oh please?”

“I don’t know Pinkie,” Twilight said, hesitating. “I mean... Rarity and I couldn’t get any answers, what makes—"

Pinkie held her hooves together in a pleading gesture, sank to her knees, and forced her eyes to widen and fill with tears. 

Twilight stared for just a minute, her mouth curling into a nervous smile. She balked. “Fine...”

Pinkie immediately leapt back to her hooves. “Yaaay! You’ll see, I’ll get some answers! Sherlock Pie is on the case!”

She began scouring the nearby crowd, then snapped her hoof towards an off-white earth pony with a curly orange mane. She wore a simple blue blouse. 

“Aha! My first suspect!”

The pony in question was focused on fumbling with something in one of her saddlebags, so she didn’t notice Pinkie’s approach.

“Hi!” Pinkie had somehow had made the statement from the interior of a nearby ponyhole cover.

“Ahh!” The other pony jumped, not seeing where the source of the voice came from. “W-w-who’s there?!”

“Hey now, no need to get all jittery. I just wanna ask you some questions,” Pinkie said from the far side of a nearby lamppost. A lamppost that happened to be no more than six inches thick.

The other mare nervously twirled in a circle, trying to find the source of the voice. “W-who’s there? Show yourself!”

Pinkie's head popped out from inside of a covered trash can. “I just want to know where we are!”

The profoundly disturbed mare curled up into a tight ball, her eyes darting around in panic as she stroked her tail with a hoof. “Oh no... this is just like that one dream! Make it stop...”

“You’re not being very helpful you know,” Pinkie whispered into the white pony’s ear, leaning in from out of one of her saddlebags.

“AAAHHH!!”

The mare leaped into the air and shot off down the street in a cloud of dust, leaving Pinkie to tumble around in the air before landing in a heap on the ground.

“Pinkie, how was that supposed to help?” Rainbow asked as Pinkie bounded back over with a pleased grin on her face. “You scared that pony half to death!”

“Aww, no way Dashie. I can’t scare anypony! Scaring isn’t my thing. She was just surprised is all! Glad to see everything still works, though. I was worried that maybe being a totally new place would ruin all my fun!” Pinkie shrugged. “It’s okay, she probably wouldn’t have helped either. I just wanted to make sure I was still me!”

“Pinks... you... you are so random...” Rainbow sighed and patted Pinkie’s shoulder.

The group continued their fruitless trek through the city streets. Every so often, they would try to ask any passing strangers, but they were always greeted with one the same three reactions: a scream followed by mad dash in the opposite direction, a cold shoulder, or perhaps worst of all, absolutely nothing. Eventually, even these three responses died down and were replaced by a new and slightly unsettling response: open staring.

Now that they were in a much busier part of the street, it was becoming difficult for the group to not be the center of attention. Ponies with young colts or fillies present shielded their children’s eyes. A few odd ponies ran off, away from the offending mares. Others pointed in earnest, and either muttered amongst themselves or chuckled at the sight. The six mares of Ponyville shrunk a little under the judging gazes of everypony in their immediate vicinity.

“Does anypony else feel as if, well, everypony else is watching us?” Twilight asked.

“Why’re they all starin’ at us?” Applejack whispered back. “We don't look that outta place, do we?”

“It’s giving me the creeps though, that’s for sure,” said Rainbow. She sneered in the direction of a pair of large earth pony stallions that were pointing in their direction with wide smiles on their faces. “I don’t trust these ponies. Something’s up.”

Rarity huffed at a random catcall from nearby, and shot a sharp glare in the sound’s direction. She defensively moved herself in front of Fluttershy to protect the pegasus from the gazes of as many ponies as she could. “For once, I’m with Rainbow Dash. There’s something rather unscrupulous going on here. I’m used to attracting a lot of attention, but this is ridiculous!”

Twilight shook her head. “I don't know, but I- oof!”

As Twilight rounded the nearby corner, she slammed into another pony that had been doing the same thing going the opposite way.

“Owww...” Twilight groaned.

“Twilight! Y’all okay?” Applejack rushed over to Twilight and immediately began helping her up.

“Yeah... I’m fine,” Twilight said. “Thanks.”

“Oi! Watch where you’re walking!” said the other pony.

She was a mint green unicorn with a sky blue mane and magenta eyes. A beige sweater vest over a white, long-sleeved shirt and a tiny blue bow tie covered her upper torso, leaving her cutie mark, a plain-looking silver stopwatch with actual ticking hands, exposed. She gasped, and hurriedly lifted a stopwatch identical to the one on her cutie mark off the ground that had been knocked aside when she’d bumped into Twilight. She carefully scrutinized it for damage, and after a brief moment of examination, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” Twilight said. “We’re all in an awful hurry. Oh! Maybe you can help—"

The other pony snorted and brusquely swept right past Twilight and her friends. “I don’t have time to be buggering about with a bunch of... nudists! I’m late! Bloody tourists.”

“Sheesh.” Rainbow sneered in the departing pony’s direction. “Somepony’s got their tail in a knot.”

“You okay there, Twi?” Applejack asked. “Y’all look like ya seen a ghost.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open in realization. That pony had just called them something. It was a word she hadn’t heard used before in conversation, but she did know its definition.

Nudists.

As she looked around at the crowd of ponies surrounding them, she noticed something she hadn’t really taken notice of before: all of the ponies were wearing clothes. Except, of course, for her and her friends.

“Oh dear...” Twilight’s face turned a bright pink as she nervously shifted in place. “Girls... perhaps we should try and find someplace a little less public to discuss our situation?”

“Whatever for, darling?” Rarity asked. “I know these ponies so far have been rather rude, but—" 

Twilight hurriedly whispered her discovery to the others.

Rarity's face turned brighter pink than Twilight’s, and she frantically began to look about for something to cover herself. “Good heavens! Scandalous! Oh goodness, I knew I should’ve packed... well, something!” She grabbed a nearby newspaper with her magic and hastily set about trying to mold it into something wearable.

“What’re we gonna do, Twi?” Applejack asked. She removed her hat and started trying to use it to cover up what she could.

Twilight gulped. “I... I don’t know. C'mon, before we get into any... trouble...”

Twilight's worry turned to panic as a siren roared to life off in the distance. It was close enough to a fire alarm that she knew it meant trouble, but given the reactions they’d been getting she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t firefighters coming this way.

“Aw man, beat it! It’s the fuzz!” Rainbow grabbed Pinkie and tried to fly off, but was caught by Twilight’s magic.

“Hold on, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Running away isn’t going to help us any.”

Within moments, the six ponies found themselves surrounded by police ponies—pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies alike—all dressed in neat black uniforms and sporting bright gold badges.

Fluttershy crowded herself into the center of her group of friends. “Oh... d-d-dear...”

“Halt! New Pandemonium City Police! You are under arrest!” called one unicorn, a white stallion, who was levitating a megaphone in front of him.

With a flashy wave of a hoof he signalled to a few of the other officers to move in. The six Ponyville mares were soon surrounded by a few earth ponies menacingly wielding their batons with their mouths, and a pair of unicorns that levitated what appeared to be hoofcuffs.

Twilight sighed and stepped forward, offering her hooves in surrender.

“Twilight...” Applejack murmured.

“We should just cooperate,” Twilight said, turning to her friends. “I wouldn't want this to get disagreeable. Besides, they're authority figures here. Police? They can help us...” She gulped. “Right?”


	2. Imbalance

Police Chief Smokestack grumbled as another pile of papers plopped down onto the podium in front of him. He stared at it as if it were an unwholesome pest, his face making a pretty decent impression of a disgruntled dog. With a sharp grunt, he shooed away the intern that had delivered the annoyance. After a moment of deep consideration and puff of his cigar, Smokestack resigned to his task, and after removing his cap with his magic, he ran a kerchief across his brow. This case load was heavier than usual, and considering the leaflets hanging out the sides, it was a great deal messier too.

This was going to be a long day.

Smokestack lazily ran a comb through his mane and replaced his cap as he took a brief look throughout the empty courtroom, which lacked many of the proper necessities of a courtroom: there were no chamber seats for the public or interested parties; there wasn’t a jury box; instead of two tables meant for the attorneys and parties of the defense and prosecution, there was just one long table meant to hold all of the accused in the case. He still had a bailiff, a thick, cherry red earth pony stallion with a short, golden blond mane that stood just below the podium he himself sat behind.

At least, Smokestack thought, this wouldn’t take too long even if it was a rather large casefile. In New Pandemonium City, the police upheld the law, carried out the law, served as both judge and jury, and even provided attorneys that worked for the police department and had an obvious vested interest. It made things quicker and easier for all parties involved. So, the accused would come in, he’d charge them, question them, deliver them a verdict, and finally sentence them. They’d be done in time for lunch.

He took another puff from his cigar and gestured to the bailiff. The bailiff nodded, adjusted his own cap, straightened his uniform, then signaled to the other officer standing near the door. This one opened the door and signaled to another pony outside, then held the door open as three other police ponies led in a group of six mares they'd arrested only an hour before.

All six mares were now wearing gaudy bright orange jumpsuits, typical for all ponies the police arrested while they awaited their speedy trials. Chief Smokestack noticed that the white unicorn in particular did not look pleased with the outfit, but honestly, none of them looked all that content to be in this situation.

The other officers all left the room so that the only ponies left were the six jumpsuit-clad mares, Chief Smokestack, and his bailiff, the latter of which remained at firm attention just below the chief’s podium. The bailiff looked very imposing compared to Smokestack, who was rather chubby and out of shape. His cutie mark, a pair of hoofcuffs, only added to the image of a stern, hard-working pony.

“Right then.” Smokestack stroked his bristly mustache with a hoof. He lifted the stack of papers and began to read. “Let’s see here. Case File dated the twenty-eighth of winter quarter, year three thousand and fifty-nine. Case File labeled: The People of New Pandemonium City versus...” He squinted at the paper in front of him. “Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena Diane Pie. The honorable Judge, New Pandemonium City Police Department Chief Smokestack, which would be me, now presiding. How do you plead?”

“We don't even know what the charges are!” Twilight said. “We were just walking about, minding our own business, and nopony explained anything... your honor. We don’t even know what we did wrong.”

Smokestack raised an eyebrow and hummed thoughtfully to himself. He wasn’t used to accused parties actually taking the time to ask any questions. He was supposed to be asking questions. They did usually plead Not Guilty though.

Smokestack shrugged and shuffled through the papers again to get to another page. “Hmph, I suppose if you’re that interested, we may as well do this one professionally. It’s been a slow day, so I could use a break in the monotony. Let’s go through these one at a time, shall we? Maybe you can explain to me what excuses you have. Oh, I can’t wait to hear these.” He breathed a dreamy sigh. “I hear that some of the patrol officers are making a game of the most creative excuses they hear. Isn’t that right, Flathoof?”

The bailiff continued to stand at attention, and shook his head. “Wouldn’t know, Chief. Haven’t been on the beat since you promoted me.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right,” Smokestack mumbled. He put his hoof under his chin and rested his elbow on the podium. “I suppose that even if you were, you wouldn’t have been invited. Well anyway, let’s hear these excuses.

“Okay ladies, we’ll start at the beginning.” He read from the papers again. “First charge. Public Indecency. That is, wandering around city limits without proper attire as stipulated within New Pandemonium City bylaws. The orange one, Applejack?” He glanced over at Applejack, causing her to gulp. “Her charge on that count is reduced by half because she is at least wearing a hat.”

Rarity groaned.

“Second charge,” Smokestack continued. “Disturbing the Peace, as a byproduct of your public indecency. The station got enough phone calls in the fifteen minutes leading to your arrest that I swore we were running some kind of telemarketing service in here.” He glanced over at Pinkie Pie. “One call in particular was from a mare that said she had been psychologically harassed by a pink earth pony mare.” Then, he glanced at Rarity. “And another from a stallion claiming to have been propositioned by a ‘snow white concubine’.”

Rarity slapped the pastern of her hoof to her forehead and over-dramatically fainted.

“Third charge. Failure to Provide Identification. You were not carrying any form of identification on yourselves at the time of arrest, nor could you attest to the whereabouts of your identification. Those are the charges against you six. So, how do you plead?”

Twilight looked around to her friends and shrugged. “Uh... guilty? We didn’t know we needed any of those things. Clothes and identification, I mean. So... I guess we don’t really have an argument there.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and groaned. “Geez Twilight, just confess to everything why don’t ya?”

“Well, what would you like me to do, Rainbow?” Twilight asked. “He presented the charges, and we did do all those things. Intentionally or not, we’re someplace new and we have to abide by their laws.”

Smokestack smiled and shuffled his papers back into order. He took another long draw from his cigar, and blew a ring of smoke off into the air. “Excellent. At least we have an understanding. My officers don't just arrest random folks off the street, you see, so I’m glad we can at least get this started off without that accusation again. Now, if you’d be so kind as to explain why you say you didn’t know you needed them?”

Rainbow sauntered over to Twilight and said, “Let me do the talking, Twilight. You gotta keep all your answers short and sweet.”

“Rainbow, I know how to handle this. I did study law.”

“Well?” Smokestack asked.

“We're not from around here,” Rainbow said.

“Actually—" Twilight started, lifting her hoof.

Rainbow slapped Twilight’s hoof away. “Next question, please.”

“Now now, let’s hear what your friend has to say,” Smokestack said. He took another puff of his cigar and leaned back in his seat, putting his rear hooves up on the podium.

Twilight briefly shot an indignant look at Rainbow, then turned back to Smokestack and explained. “Actually, we’re from a town called Ponyville, to be exact.”

Smokestack and Flathoof both gave each other confused looks. “Ponyville?” Smokestack asked, sitting back upright. “What an utterly ridiculous name for a town. Let me guess, ponies live there? That’s a good one! Flathoof, have you ever heard of a place named Ponyville before?”

Flathoof shook his head. “Nnnope. That’s a first, Chief. It might be someplace in Utopia though, sir. I’m not too knowledgeable about their town names down there.”

“And what leads you to think that, Flathoof?” Smokestack asked, resting his chin on his hoof and elbow again.

“They were arrested only two blocks from the NPRD building, sir,” Flathoof explained, giving the six ponies a quick glance. “Seems to me they made the mistake of forgetting to register before they came into the city. Seen it before.”

“Yeah, that's it,” Rainbow said. “We’re from Ponyville, Utopia. Wanted to register, but we got lost.”

Smokestack furrowed his brow. “Convenient excuse... almost believable. Flathoof, you think their story has merit?”

“I see no reason to doubt them, sir. They didn't cause any property damage or harm anypony, so I don’t think they’re a danger. Plus, this is the first time I've ever heard ‘we’re not from around here’ as an excuse for... well, anything. I’ve heard a few good ones in my time, sir.” 

He laughed. “It’s usually ‘it's at my friend’s apartment’ or ‘it’s in my other jacket’ or some other tired, old excuse. Not a shred of creativity. So I figure either these mares are very, very clever, or they’re telling the truth.”

“And considering they got caught I highly doubt the former.” Smokestack stroked his mustache and rapidly puffed his cigar. “Very well. I’ll trust your judgment on this, Flathoof.”

Smokestack returned his gaze to the mares. “That explains why you weren't carrying identification.” He shuffled his papers around and stamped a part of one of them. “I’ll modify the charges to reflect your status as undocumented residents. That’ll reduce the severity of the whole case by a pretty large amount. Now, care to explain why you were wandering around naked though?”

Smokestack stared at them, and the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. “A shame I haven’t been on the beat for such a long time. I would have loved to be the one to take you all in.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Same thing. We’re not from around here.”

“Actually—" Twilight said. Rainbow hung her head. “Where we’re from, we don’t usually wear clothes, so truth be told it came as a rather uncomfortable surprise to learn that everypony here does.”

Smokestack raised an eyebrow, then leaned over and whispered to Flathoof, “Is Utopia going hedonist nowadays? It's been awhile since I've been. If it is, I might consider taking a little vacation next summer quarter. The beaches might have just gotten more fun.”

Flathoof coughed uncomfortably and shook his head. “Wouldn’t know sir. Never been myself, obviously. I’ll admit I’m not accustomed with Utopia’s... customs...”

Smokestack took another long draw from his cigar, then grunted and put it out in the ashtray on his podium. “Hmph. That certainly would explain that bit too. So, you’re undocumented residents and therefore are treated with leniency on your identification requirements. You’re also Utopian natives, which means that we have to acknowledge our cities’ cultural differences. 

“However! There is still the fact that your antics, however justifiable they may be under the law, did indeed disturb the peace around you and caused widespread havoc. Don’t have a fancy excuse to get yourselves out of that one, do you?”

Rainbow stared forward and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Yeah we done it! What of it?!”

“Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed.

Smokestack casually pulled another cigar out of his uniform pocket, lit it, and took a long draw. He blew out another smoke ring and chuckled. “Well, glad we’ve gotten that all cleared up. So, guilty of one count each for Disturbing the Peace, with minimum charges for Public Indecency and Failure to Provide Identification. Verdict has been delivered. Let it be noted, Flathoof.”

Flathoof stared at Smokestack and shrugged. “Okay, sir. Noted.”

“Under the circumstances, you six have two options,” Smokestack explained. He lifted up his left hoof and tilted it left. “Either we toss you in jail and let the system weed you out, or—" He lifted his right hoof and tilted it right. “You can get yourselves documented and be released on parole. You should all be so lucky that Flathoof is taking your side. He’s not an easy one to convince.”

“You’d release us? Just like that?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow nudged Twilight hard in the ribs. 

“Ow! Rainbow—"

“Geez, Twi, shut up, before he changes his mind!”

Smokestack grinned and waved his cigar around in the air. “Just like that? Why, our little city is always looking to get a few more taxpayers into the system. Your crimes were not violent or damaging. Well put, Flathoof,” he added, nodding down at the bailiff. “And you all cooperated with the arrest and legal proceedings. So, I see no need to deny you the opportunity to increase my salary. Of course, if prison time sounds more appealing, I'd understand. Taxes are pretty high these days.”

The six mares from Ponyville instantly gathered in a huddle. Twilight spoke first, loud enough that everypony in the room could hear. “I think it’s pretty obvious what we need to do here. No sense in not cooperating, right?”

“Duh, and get ourselves thrown in jail?” Rainbow shook her head. “Fluttershy wouldn’t last two seconds in there! Poor filly would fall to pieces.”

“I don’t like dungeons...” Fluttershy muttered.

“That Flathoof fella seems on the level,” Applejack said, glancing out of the huddle towards the mentioned stallion. “Maybe he can help us? I sure wouldn’t mind askin’.”

Rarity’s nose scrunched up as she ran a hoof along the collar of her jumpsuit. “Ugh... and I simply must get myself out of this awful thing, and into something a little more... me.”

A few moments passed in silence. They all turned to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie blinked and looked around the huddle. “What are you all looking at me for?”

“Aren’t you going to suggest anything?” Twilight asked. “I did ask for everypony’s opinions... though I guess at this point majority rules, doesn’t it?”

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, ain’t ya gonna suggest a party or somethin’?”

Rainbow quickly covered Applejack’s mouth. “Don’t give her any ideas!”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “A party? Pfft, c’mon Applejack I can’t always have parties on my mind. But now that you mention it... a prison break party! Oh I have the best ideas! We could have nail files in the cake, and instead of fancy cookies and candies we’d have gruel and—"

Rainbow groaned. “Pinkie Pie you are so... ugh...” 

Twilight broke the huddle and turned back to Smokestack. She cleared her throat and nodded. “Well, I guess we’re taking the second option then.”

“Excellent! Most excellent.” Smokestack rubbed his hooves together, then snapped a hoof towards Flathoof. “Flathoof! Please see to it they all get properly documented as quickly as possible. I'd like to see that salary increase on my next paycheck, if I can.”

“Right away, sir,” Flathoof said, saluting. He turned towards the six mares and stepped forward. “Come along, ladies. Time to join the herd, as they say.”

Flathoof gestured for them to follow him through the double doors out into the hallway, and gave a noticeable sigh as Twilight came up beside him, matching his stride with the others not too far behind her. Many other officers in the white halls of the police headquarters were beginning to stare at Flathoof and his new entourage. He felt and knew he looked quite odd leading six mares dressed up in prison uniforms along like a clutch of ducklings.

He was glad to have some reprieve when the group arrived at the elevator leading back to the ground floor. He pressed one of the silver buttons; it turned gold. Now they just had to wait for the elevator to come to them.

Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen. Flathoof was getting impatient. He turned towards Twilight when she gave a tiny cough to draw his attention. “Yes, Miss Sparkle?”

“I wanted to thank you for helping us in there. I'll admit, our story might seem a little... odd,” Twilight said. She smiled and nodded appreciatively. “So, thank you.”

“You can spare the pleasantries with me, Miss Sparkle,” Flathoof said. “Our prisons are filled up enough as it is with all sorts of real criminals. I don't feel like seeing precious space wasted on a troupe of nudists. Not the most dangerous of crimes, y’know?”

“Wait... so you don’t believe us?” Rainbow asked.

“Nnnope. Now, I don't know where exactly Ponyville is, but it sure as hay isn’t in Utopia as far as I know. Sounds like a made-up town, if you ask me. Most likely scenario? You’re all refugees from the Wastelands, just looking for food and shelter. That isn’t a crime in and of itself. So think of this as killing two birds with one stone.”

Fluttershy grimaced at the poor choice of metaphor.

“I’m helping you get on your hooves, while keeping our prisons open to criminals who actually deserve to be there.” Flathoof shrugged. “You’re all lucky the Chief is willing to look the other way when he sees an opportunity to get a few bits out of it.”

The elevator arrived with a soft ding and all the ponies shuffled inside at Flathoof’s lead. The inside of the elevator car was stuffy, since they had to get uncomfortably close together in order for them all to fit. Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack were squished together on one side of Flathoof, while Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy squished in on his other side.

“Well, regardless of why you did it, we appreciate you doing it.” Twilight cordially offered her hoof towards him. “I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Officer—"

“Captain,” he corrected.

“Captain Flathoof. I know you already know our names, but I feel a proper introduction is in order, if you don't mind? Seeing as we kind of owe you our freedom and all.”

“Hmph.” Flathoof took her hoof and gave it a very light shake. “If you insist, Miss Sparkle. Go ahead then, get on with it.”

“Splendid!” Twilight clapped her hooves together and listed off her friends, starting from her left. “These are my friends, Rarity—"

Rarity nodded pleasantly. “How do you do?”

“Fluttershy—"

“Um...hi...” Fluttershy muttered.

“Rainbow Dash—"

Rainbow tilted her head. “Hey.”

“Pinkie Pie—"

Pinkie tried to bounce in place, but she was hindered by the lack of space to both Applejack’s and Rainbow’s relief. “Hiya! It's so cool that you're our new friend. I should throw you a party to celebrate! Oh, I just need supplies... and a place to hold the party... this plan isn’t working out so well yet, is it?”

“And Applejack—"

Silence.

“Applejack? Hello?”

“Wha? Oh!” Applejack blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “S-sorry, Twilight. Kinda got... distracted. By somethin’. Um... howdy!”

“Right. You’re a... colorful group.” Flathoof shook his head and muttered to himself, “Sometimes I wonder why I get myself into these things. Why I don’t just look the other way like everypony else.”

The elevator dinged again, and the elevator doors opened to reveal the bustling lobby.

It was a madhouse on the ground level compared to the relative calm of the upper floors. Ponies of all kinds were everywhere in the building, interacting with the police officers that were on duty down here. Some ponies were at the front desk talking with the officers there, reporting crimes or asking questions. There were other ponies being led through the station, their hooves in hoofcuffs; most of these ponies gave the six mares coy smirks as they passed by. Many officers themselves were working at desks all across the floor, answering phones or filing papers.

Flathoof led his entourage through the first hall past the main lobby, past several offices labeled Internal Affairs, and towards the second hallway on the opposite side. Twilight’s curiosity was piqued, as this had caused them to skip past the lobby doors entirely.

“So we’re not headed for that NPRD place you mentioned?” Twilight asked. “I thought we were getting registrations taken care of?”

“The NPRD building isn’t necessary. The NPPD has all the same forms and equipment, if you know where to look and who to ask,” Flathoof explained. “Besides, I can't exactly imagine any of you want to go walking out around town wearing those jumpsuits, looking like a group of convicts. If you thought you got odd looks before, well...”

Rarity grimaced at her jumpsuit again and stroked her mane in an attempt to at least keep some part of herself looking fashionable. “Please tell me we're going to be getting something to replace these soon. And a place to get some proper grooming done? I don’t know about you girls, but I could really use a bath.”

“Well, something like that,” Flathoof said. He pointed off towards a hall to their right as they passed it, but kept going. “There’s a storage room down that way were we keep all sorts of confiscated clothing. We normally just donate it all to our annual auction, but I’m sure we can find something in there for you to use until we get you all sorted out.”

Flathoof turned right down a narrow hallway lit by several flickering florescent lamps. Near the halfway mark, he stopped and gestured to a set of double doors marked Clerk Office. The mares filed past into the room and looked around.

Unlike the rest of the police building, this room was near empty, save for two clerks seated behind a pair of dull metal desks. The nearest one, a unicorn mare with a jet black coat and bright red mane, stealthily attempted to fix her mane and adjust her thick, round glasses as Flathoof strode up to her. She wore a wide grin on her face, which she tried to hide behind a hoof, poorly.

“Oh, Fla- Captain Flathoof. Always a pleasure to see you. How can I be of assistance for you this fine afternoon?” She glanced over at the mares that had been following him, but did not drop her smile.

“And a fine afternoon to you too, Snapshot,” Flathoof said, tipping his hat. “I need to get some identification and citizenship forms, and if you could make it snappy, I’d appreciate it.”

Flathoof cringed a little at his own horrible, unintentional pun and tried to ignore it, but Pinkie had begun giggling into her hoof, breaking his concentration. He quickly added, “Oh, and some domicile registration forms as well. We’ll need to find these six a place to live.”

Snapshot nodded and got out of her seat. “I’ll have those rounded up for you in just a minute.”

“A place to live? Finding that is that part of your job too?” Rainbow asked after Snapshot had turned to a large bank of filing cabinets placed behind her desk. “Man, they make you guys do everything around here.”

Flathoof sighed. “Well, it is my job as your parole officer,” he said.

The six mares all blinked at once. Twilight voiced her curiosity. “Did... I miss something? When did that happen?”

“When the Chief assigned me to take care of your documentations, that was his code for ‘Flathoof, you're their parole officer now’.” He removed his hat and stroked a hoof along the captain insignia. “This isn’t exactly what I wanted to do. I'd really rather be back out on the streets trying to catch real crooks, but orders are orders. Even if I don't like them, I follow them. Times like this make me think I was promoted for reasons other than seniority.”

“B-but... does that mean you don’t like us?” Pinkie frowned and started sniffing back tears.

“I never said that,” Flathoof added. “I’d just prefer if I was actually out there doing my real job, instead of being a babysitter. No offense, but this sort of thing isn’t exactly what I signed on for. But such is the life of a police captain, I guess. Too much desk work, not enough hoof work.”

Applejack grunted and adjusted her hat. “Y’all make it sound like we're imposin’ on ya. If y’all don't like it, why don't ya just find somepony else ta take over, an’ let us do our own thing?”

Flathoof hesitated, then sighed. “Your little troupe here looked like a bunch of fish out of water. Like I said, I don't know where exactly in Equestria you're from. But, you sure aren’t from around here, and I’m not about to send a bunch of know-nothing mares out there to try and brave this city. You obviously already tried that once, and look where that nearly got you. If this were Utopia, I wouldn’t be that concerned. I can’t blame you for not wanting to travel all that way. Now, if you don't like my attitude, that's your own problem, because I’m not changing it. Nnnope. Not. At. All.”

Applejack stared at him for a brief moment, then shook her head and let the others get back to talking.

Snapshot returned from the filing cabinets behind her and produced all the paperwork everypony would require. Twilight volunteered to have hers filled out first, and sat at the other side of the desk as Snapshot organized all the paperwork together. 

Snapshot adjusted her glasses and hovered a pen over the form. “Okay let’s see... name?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Snapshot nodded and filled out the corresponding space on the form, then skipped ahead to the next one. “Coat color, purple—"

“It’s... more of a lavender, really,” Twilight said, her smile incredulous. She expected a pony like Applejack not to care about specific tones of color, but this was a police officer filling out a very official document.

“Purple,” said Snapshot, giving an irritated sigh. “Hues and shades aren’t important for the forms. Your photograph will take care of that just fine. I’d like to just get this quickly without having to pick out specifics, okay?”

Twilight wrinkled her nose and nodded. “Alright then.”

“Good. Now then, mane and tail, purple with a pink streak. Eyes, purple.” Snapshot adjusted her glasses and stared at Twilight. “Should I just fill out everything on here ‘purple’, dear? I’m just noticing a pattern is all.”

“Hey, it's not my fault you don't use shades and hues,” Twilight said.

Snapshot shrugged and moved down to the next section of the form. “Next, talent?”

“Magic.”

Snapshot gave Twilight Sparkle a look of disbelief and confusion. “Okay... sweetheart, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but... you're a unicorn. Magic isn't a talent, all unicorns can—"

Twilight laughed. “No, I mean, Magic itself is my talent. I can perform almost every kind of magic there is. I just need to see it used or have it described, and I can usually duplicate the spell. Sometimes not as well as the unicorns who specialize with specific types of magic, but for most generic stuff I'm better at it than the average unicorn.” Twilight caught herself at the end and added, “Not to brag or anything...”

“Well... okay, if you say so, O Magic One.” Snapshot rolled her eyes as she jotted it down, then flipped the page and headed for the next section. “Former residence? Be specific this time.”

“Ponyville. Uh... Utopia.” Twilight smiled, and crossed her forelegs. “Ponyville, Utopia.”

Snapshot raised an eyebrow and stared at Twilight again as if the other unicorn was insane. “Ponyville? There isn't any—"

“We've been over this already, Snapshot,” Flathoof interrupted. “Just put it in there and save yourself the headache. If anypony asks, say it’s a new village or something.”

“Right, okay.” Snapshot sighed, and pointed her pen lazily at Flathoof. “You’re lucky it’s you asking me for all this, Captain Flathoof. I’m gonna have to make sure this story stays straight or they’re gonna come after me. Moving on.” She turned back to Twilight and set her pen back to the paper. “Former occupation, if applicable? Again, be specific, since this part actually matters and it’ll likely affect your tax bracket.”

Twilight thought for a moment, then settled on, “Librarian.”

Snapshot smiled and jotted the answer down. “Finally, something simple. Since Captain Flathoof would want me too, I’ll add a recommendation here for Central Database Holdings. Should help you find work quicker. Okay, that just about settles it. And Captain Flathoof is author—"

“Aha... nnnope, d-don't put my name there,” Flathoof said. He replaced his hat on his head, as it had fumbled in the sudden interruption. “The Chief would kill me if he found out I took one of his commissions. Put his name on there, please.”

“Commissions?” Twilight asked. Snapshot was busy scribbling other notes on the form that she didn’t seem to need Twilight for anyway, giving her a chance to ask Flathoof a question or two.

“The pony in that authorization box gets the salary increase, since they're the one responsible for increasing the city’s tax flow. That’s why the Chief assigned me to take care of this, rather than do it himself. I’m practically the only pony around here trustworthy enough not to try and take a cut. It stinks, since I could really use that pay increase...” Flathoof sighed. “It’s tough being the one of the only honest cops around here.”

“Aren't ya worried ‘bout gettin’ in trouble, talkin’ like that in front o’ yer fellow officers?” Applejack asked. Her eyes flickered to Snapshot, then back to him. “Can’t imagine anypony’d take too kindly ta bein’ called crooked.”

“Oh don’t worry about Snapshot. She’s a good egg.” Snapshot didn’t lift her nose out of the pile of papers she was working on, but Flathoof could see her smile. “Now, everypony else around here? They know ol' Flathoof is the most honest, most dependable police officer in the whole dang city, and that he always speaks his mind. They also know that if they don't like it, they can always try and get me to stop. See how that works out for 'em. I didn’t get promoted to Captain just for my good looks.” He pounded his chest with one of his large forelegs and gave a hearty laugh.

Applejack’s mouth curled up in a small smile, apparently impressed with such a robust answer.

“Okay... and check, check, double-check, stamp here... done.” Snapshot neatly straightened the pile of papers and turned them around to face Twilight, drawing her attention by tapping her pen against the bottom. “I just need you to sign this here—" She flipped the page and pointed at the bottom again. “And here—" She flipped to the back page and pointed in three separate locations. “Here, here, and here.”

Twilight signed each with the pen provided. 

Snapshot smiled and straightened the papers again, then shuffled them neatly into a small folder. “Wonderful, now we just need to take your photograph and you're all done. Over here please.” Snapshot stood up and trotted off towards a small booth on the side of the room.

Twilight nodded and followed Snapshot over, then promptly hopped into the seat that Snapshot provided for her. She then must have realized she was still in the tacky prisoner jumpsuit. “Uh... do I really want to be wearing this when I take my picture? Everypony I show my identification to will think I was a convict.”

“Sucks to be you.” Snapshot shrugged and adjusted the camera without looking at Twilight directly. “Look, if you're going to make this difficult, I'll just draw in your frame. I warn you, I'm not a very good artist. Your choice, really.”

“Fine, fine.” Twilight sighed. “Is Flathoof the only courteous pony around here? Yeesh.”

She sat in front of the large poster frame that would serve as the backdrop, and waited as Snapshot took the picture. Twilight made to speak, when there was a bright, unexpected flash that made her shut her eyes. 

Within a few moments, Snapshot produced a tiny card out of the machine attached to the camera, passing it over to Twilight after the latter had finished rubbing her eyes.

Twilight sighed when she saw her identification. She was half-blinking in the middle of the shot and her mouth was half open in the process of asking a question. She didn’t take much effort guessing that Snapshot had done it on purpose, and now her ID picture made her look like some sort of drunk they just pulled off the street for a photo shoot.

The other five mares sat with Snapshot and filled their forms out and had their pictures taken as well. Now, everypony had their ID cards and were ready to be properly indoctrinated to life here in New Pandemonium City, at least as long as it took for them to find a way to get back home.

They all felt a little anxious about that fact, though. Thus far, they hadn’t seen anything that could be of any help in getting them home. Other than Flathoof, they didn’t have a single pony they felt they could ask for help either, and he didn’t seem the type to believe their admittedly fanciful entire story. They could hardly believe it themselves.

“Well then, you girls are all settled in as far as registration goes,” Flathoof said, looking over the ID cards. “Good. See? Snapshot got that taken care of in no time flat. Now, I’m going to get your lodging taken care of, so you all go take a seat over there,” he added, gesturing to the seats against the wall.

“Thanks again, Captain Flathoof,” Twilight said.

Twilight led her friends over to the seats, and took the opportunity to discuss things out of Flathoof’s earshot. “Well girls, we may as well make the most of this, at least for now, right?” She sighed and dejectedly looked amongst her friends. “Mostly though, I wonder where that portal even came from, what it was doing there, and why the portal on this end was closing when we came through? It looked like somepony managed to seal it... but who could have that kind of power, if I couldn’t do it?”

“Hmph, if y’all ask me, we should just be glad nopony got hurt,” Applejack said. She adjusted her hat and leaned back in her seat. “But you’re right, Twi, we may as well try an’ get used ta bein' here, at least fer now. I just hope everything’s okay back at home. Hopefully Big Macintosh’ll be able ta handle the crops fer a lil’ while, an’ be able ta look out fer Apple Bloom at the same time.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I’m worried about Spike and Owlowiscious. Spike knew we were leaving and all, but I don’t think he could have anticipated all of this. I know I sure didn’t. I’m sure he’s okay, but...”

“Well, I’m not too worried about Gummy,” Pinkie said. “I’m sure the Cakes can take good care of him. I feel bad that they don’t have me around to help with the twins though. They’re gonna be super tired by the time we get home!”

Fluttershy gave a loud sniff. “Oh... my poor little Angel Bunny...”

“Come on, girls, this is no time to get discouraged.” Rarity patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. “We might be in a bind, but at least we’re in it together. Worrying about things like this won’t get us any closer to solving the problem. We should just have faith that things back home will work out. Right?”

“Right!” Pinkie Pie cheered, throwing her hooves into the air dramatically. “We need to stay focused on the here and now! Like, finding a place to live! When we find a place, I’m gonna throw us a huge house-warming party! I'm gonna need streamers, balloons, cake, ice cream, soda pop, candy, cookies, cupcakes, music, banners—"

Rainbow sighed and leaned back into her chair. “There she goes again. Even when we're stuck in a jam like this, the first thing on her mind is her next party. Typical Pinkie Pie...”

“Aww, don't complain, Dashie!” Pinkie giggled and gave Rainbow a big hug. “You love my parties! More than anypony, I bet! And besides, the last big party I threw was two weeks ago, and that’s like a new record for me! I gotta have another party soon, or I might just explode, maybe twice! And with this whole new world to explore, I want to get started off on the right hoof. Ooh ooh, I bet Mister Flathoof would love my parties too!”

“Well, ya might as well ask him,” Applejack said.

Flathoof approached them with a smile on his face. “Well, that’s all taken care of. You ladies have a new place to live. We’ll head there immediately and get you all settled in. Hop to it.”

Pinkie bounded out of her seat and got face-to-face with Flathoof. “Hey Mister Flathoof—"

“Captain Flathoof, if you're going to insist on adding a title.”

“Okay, Captain Flathoof!" Pinkie took a deep breath.

Rainbow chuckled. “Here we go.”

“♫Ohhh  
You are our newest bestest friend and that is just so great!  
You’re invited to a party where the fun will be first-rate!  
You'll get to spend some time with us and share our company!  
And maybe when we’re done you’ll find we are the best ponies!”

Flathoof stared blankly at Pinkie for several moments, his eyes glazed over between blinks. Then, he turned to the nearest pony he could ask, Applejack. “Does... she do that often?”

Applejack smirked and patted Flathoof on the shoulder. “Oh, you’ll get used to it. Trust me. You’ll have ta.”

He sighed and adjusted his hat. “What have I gotten myself into?”

***

A mint green unicorn grumbled to herself as she rounded her way up the flight of stairs leading to her apartment. She hated being on the hundredth floor for two reasons: one, there wasn’t an elevator, so she had to climb the full hundred floors stair by stair; two, her window frame was broken and let outside air in, all of it unhealthily smoggy and dirty. But, this was where she had to live to do her job most efficiently, as it wasn’t worth the risk to let the city go without her being there.

The apartment complex wasn't particularly well-kept, but it was cheap. Really cheap. Which was good, since her job didn't actually have much in the way of monetary compensation. Her superiors ensured she would have a place to live and plenty of food to eat, but she had almost no spending money for use in her free time, not that she ever had much of that anyway. She often wondered, daily in fact, if any of her counterparts had this sort of difficulty working in their worlds.

She grudgingly opened her apartment door with a rusty set of keys, walked in, and took a deep breath to calm herself after the climb, regretting it as she got a mouthful of filthy, smoggy New Pandemonium late afternoon air. She shook what felt like dust and cobwebs out of her sky blue mane and tail, as they had a habit of clinging to her on the climb up, then dropped her keys on the nearby table.

With a cough, she went to her kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and prepared a snack for herself. Prepared, of course, meant just taking a packet of Dolor Red out and opening it, then squeezing it out of its little tube directly into her mouth. It wasn’t anything special, as those sorts of things were hard to come by, but it wasn’t bad. Straight out of the package like this, it actually tasted like overly ripe cherries.

She kept the packet aloft with her magic as she moved out into the den to take a load off. It had been a hard day at work, and she delighted in taking this chance to lounge on her sofa, loosen her bow tie, remove her sweater vest, and just plain relax. Fifteen cases today, the last of which was interrupted by a pack of nudists, which could have been bad. Really bad. She flicked on the television set in the corner, hoping to lose herself in the latest gossip that she didn’t actually care about. It was calming, and living in a city like New Pandemonium meant she needed all the calm she could get.

Then, she noticed it. There was neon green glow coming from her antique grandfather clock in the other corner. She hastily fumbled in the pocket of her sweater vest and pulled out a plain-looking, silver stopwatch. She clicked the top with her hoof, and the grandfather clock stopped glowing, opened wide, and let in a fresh breeze of sterile air with just a hint of minty freshness. Despite knowing she was alone in the apartment, she followed protocol and double-checked the room for intruders, then entered the grandfather clock’s tight entrance shutting the door behind her with a click.

The clock was much bigger on the inside, almost as big as the den she'd just left from. It was filled with all sorts of gadgets, tools, monitors, levers, knobs, and other assorted technological wonders that looked nothing like the technology outside. Its size meant it wasn't directly attached to the world she'd just left, either; if it were, she knew she'd be standing in her neighbor's bathroom right this moment, probably in the bathtub, or worse, the toilet.

One particular monitor drew her attention. It was glowing a bright red, as opposed to the soothing greens and blues of the others. She trotted over to it, clicked a few buttons, and adjusted the screen's focus until she could make out the image of a familiar face, a light brown stallion with a spiked chocolate-brown mane.

“Time Turner?” she asked. “This is unexpected.”

“Oh, thank Celestia, I thought you'd never answer!” He wiped his brow and gave her a look of sympathy. “Ruddy portal storms. How are you holding up over there, Tick Tock? You look proper knackered.”

“Been up all bloody day trying to calm everything down. Finally get a chance to rest up, and now here you are.” She shook her head and sighed. “You’re on the emergency channel. Is something the matter?”

“Well that’s just it. There is, but I’m not sure exactly what, yet.” Time Turner sighed and wiped his brow again. “I mean, there shouldn't be anything wrong, but here I am contacting you because I fear that my last case had a bit of an error somewhere, and I can’t figure out what exactly went awry.

“I had a pretty standard tear here, and according to all my readings it started out rather small. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary, just totally a dull, normal, day-to-day tear. Unfortunately, it appeared a little too close to civilization this time, as in within miles of an actual town. I usually don’t have that sort of trouble, not like you do. The locals don't usually see the tears before I get to them, but I got distracted by that bloody mailpony and—"

“Distracted? Mailpony?” Tick Tock asked, eyebrow cocked.

Time Turner waved a hoof. “Nevermind. Anyway, somepony did something to it. I don't know if they tried to absorb the magic like some madpony, or if they were just throwing spells at it, or if the ruddy fool was actually trying to seal it without proper equipment or know-how. Whatever the case may be, six ponies got warped from my world to yours. That’s the long and short of it.”

Tick Tock tapped her chin. “Doesn't sound too problematic. We have this kind of thing happen often enough that it's practically routine. I get them to another portal, give my Timekeeper a little click—" She mimed clicking her stopwatch. “Wind it up, send the poor blighters home. What's the big problem? You’re acting like this is serious. Look at you, you’re sweating and everything.”

“That's just it, I can't explain it!” Time Turner blurted. He took out his own Timekeeper and frantically pointed at it. “These past few hours, I've been getting some bizarre readings from all over my end. I can't be certain just yet, but most are similar enough to Chaos signatures that for now, I'm going to make the assumption that they are.”

“Chaos magic?” Tick Tock rubbed the side of her head in thought. “You’re right, that makes no bloody sense at all. You think they’re connected?”

“Naturally. I need you to find these ponies and let me know who they are, so that I can try and figure out if any of them are of enough importance that it would cause this. Luckily, all the readings are pretty small right now. Honestly, I’m hoping that it’s just an errant glitch from sealing a portal with that much energy, but... well, I have to prepare for the worst, you understand.”

“Righto then, sounds simple enough.” Tick Tock frowned. “Oh bugger. I probably won't be able to send them home for a while, though. That portal storm just finished passing through, and I already finished sealing everything up. The portal report says I'm not expecting any more tears for at least another month. That won’t be a problem will it? You are making this sound awfully urgent.”

Time Turner sighed and wiped his brow again. “Well of all the rotten luck. Hopefully it won’t matter, but we'll worry about that after we find out who they are. If it’s serious, you can always fall back on emergency measures. Hopefully this is just a minor glitch and we can fix it and be back to our merry little usual business, eh? I’ll send you my dimensional data so you can track them. Thanks again, Tick Tock. Always a pleasure. Cheerio.”

Tick Tock smiled. “Not at all, Time Turner. Always good talking to you, too. Stiff upper lip and all that.”

Time Turner pushed several buttons, and a sound behind Tick Tock signaled that the information he was sending was being transferred over to her database. She waved him farewell, grabbed her Timekeeper, and tapped it to the central core, copying the data into the more portable device. She then opened it and clicked the top several times, until it glowed a dull green with a single dot near the center with a line making circles around it. Finally, she exited the grandfather clock and ventured back out into her apartment, adjusted her bow-tie, put her sweater vest back on, and began the arduous descent back down the stairs to the city streets.

A Chronomancer’s work was never done.

***

Thousands of miles south of New Pandemonium City, beyond the great expanse of the arid desert that bordered the city’s mile-high walls and across the great, churning ocean, there was a place altogether wondrous. A place filled with magic that lived and breathed of its own accord, spurned on by the relentless power that fueled it. A place where one could watch as lightning danced for an eternity, and where fire smoldered yet never burned out.

The Belt of Tranquility.

The Belt stretched precisely along the equator, in the center of the massive ocean that made of one-third of the planet’s surface, separating the other two-thirds, the northern and southern continents. To its north, the sky was filled with a veil of churning magic colored a murky orange, generated by a massive tower in the center of New Pandemonium City, sitting precisely at the planet’s northern pole. To its south, the air was clear and bright, kept clean by a veil of invisible magic generated by a similar tower at the southern pole, itself sitting at the center of a much smaller city deep within the snowy tundra. Where these two fields of magic collided, the Belt of Tranquility was formed, a massive wall of magic that caused the seas and skies along the entire equator to thrash violently about.

Today, something was amiss at the Belt of Tranquility.

A consciousness floated tenuously in the rift between dreaming and reality, poised near the points where the magical energies were at their fiercest but staying firmly on the northern side. The entity could feel that something was out of place. The Belt of Tranquility was very slowly shifting, and Light was becoming the dominant force. This would not do, the entity mused to itself. This would not do at all. The entity willed itself to fully enter the state of dreaming, that it could contact the one pony that would see to it that this dilemma was resolved.

***

Lord Silvertongue looked out the window of his private study, out into the cityscape of New Pandemonium far, far below. Here in the highest reaches of Pandora, Pandemonium's tallest skyscraper, he could see the entire skyline of the city. The study was elegant and richly decorated with varieties of items that Silvertongue held dear to him: the banner of New Pandemonium City, a flaming red sword thrust through a shining golden disk against a black void, decorated the far wall; an old portrait of himself was posted with esteem on the nearest wall, just above the mantelpiece; a record player, an antique from times long forgotten, rest upon the table in the corner and played his favorite ballad.

The ballad was an old opera, sung in a language that he knew very, very few in Pandemonium could ever hope to speak. The singer, a mare with a high falsetto, filled the lyrics with her soul, bringing the scene to life as her character was confronted by her lover, the opera’s villain, who asked her to give up her life as a princess to run away with him. It was meant to be the climax of the opera, but Silvertongue played it because it brought him peace of mind, something that he, as the shadow ruler of this great city of darkness and chaos, felt was crucial to his sanity.

The powers of Dark magicks were at their strongest here in this city, as Pandora Tower was where the great Beacon had been built, generating a veil of murky orange magic that blocked out the sky. The Beacon was fueled by and influenced evil thoughts in the minds of ponies, and while not every single citizen in the city was an avid follower of these ideals, and in fact few of them actually were, there was enough corruption and easily-overlooked “laws” in place to make chaos and evil a typical day-to-day activity even if the ponies were unaware of it. To the average onlooker, nothing in the city made sense. He’d designed it that way in order to keep the Beacon running.

And all the while, the citizens had this grand illusion that the chaos of the city was still a better life, a better existence, than the complacent, high-cost, constrictive, and exclusive society of Utopia’s gleaming crystal spires and gold-paved roads. The people of Pandemonium weren’t good enough for Utopia. Utopia was much too strict and much too expensive for them. That was what the unwashed masses all believed. They were easy to deceive. Easy to exploit.

The record finished. Silvertongue tore himself from the window and his inner thoughts. His horn glowed a grim red as he lifted the record from its place, returned it to its sleeve, and replaced it in the nearby cabinet, where it would remain until he wished for it again. He turned back to the window, his horn aglow, and flicked a number of switches alongside it. The window darkened until it was completely black, then became a perfectly reflective surface, bouncing the image of the room back at him.

He carefully gauged himself in the reflection. His pristine silver coat was as pure and radiant as ever. Not a single bright golden hair in his impeccably-styled mane was out of place. A monocle rested upon his left eye, and was spotless enough that it enhanced the luster of the sea-blue color. His fanciest dress uniform was immaculate and covered him from neck to flank, the shiny black leather polished and gleaming in the single light of the room, the red trim glistening like freshly-picked cherries, or more appropriately - freshly-spilt blood.

His appearance was absolutely perfect. It had to be. Nihila's prized Warden wouldn't allow otherwise in her presence.

“You were expecting me.”

Silvertongue did not turn to face the source of the voice, that of Nihila, the Goddess of Disparity. There would be no point. It spoke directly into his mind. There was no physical thing to even look at. In all things Silvertongue knew, he knew this: Alicorns were the most exquisite creatures in existence, blessed with such incredible magicks that they were above a mortal form. A mortal body was not worthy enough to contain their elegance, their raw power. Physical beauty, even of the absolute highest caliber, was not even worth the slightest fraction of what Alicorns appeared like to one’s mind’s eye.

“I am always expecting you, milady.” Silvertongue bowed, even though his was the only physical body in the room. “It would be of no benefit to me to be in any less than flawless physical condition, lest you visit me in dire straits and become dissatisfied with my dedication.”

“Well spoken, my Warden,” Nihila cooed. 

Silvertongue shuddered at the way her voice touched the deepest recesses of his mind. It would be alarming were he not used to it. 

“I come to you with urgent news this day. Troubling news.”

Silvertongue’s curiosity showed on his face for the fleetest minuscule of a second, and he briefly touched upon a thought of concern that his intrigue would be mistaken for worry.

She spoke again. “The balance between Light and Darkness. It is waning.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Waning? Harmonia would never indulge herself in such an action. It goes against her very nature.”

“I have seen it first-hoof, my Warden,” Nihila said. “Do you not trust my claims?”

Silvertongue smirked as a spark flared through his mind. She loved to tease his devotion. “It would be folly of me to trust you unquestioningly, milady. Deception comes as naturally to you as fish take to water and birds to the sky. I did not mean to sound as though I doubted you. I merely state the obvious: Harmonia is not to blame here. I am accustomed to as much, knowing far too well that she would never threaten the balance on her own whim.”

Nihila’s fiery anger left him, replaced by an icy calm that filled his being in a soft, gentle manner. “That is a valid observation. If not Harmonia, then what is causing this imbalance, my Warden? I would have you investigate the issue and discern the cause. You are most efficient in these matters.”

“Investigate, milady?” he asked. “I cannot fathom a guess as to where to begin. If it is the Light that has shifted, then I would need to investigate that Beacon, and I have not the resources to gather information in such a timely manner as you seem to require. That would perhaps take months to accomplish, assuming the best conditions.”

“Troubling indeed. But, perhaps you don't need to,” Nihila cooed. The spark returned in his head. An idea. “Has anything suspicious occurred in your city lately, my Warden? I could feel many disturbances in the magicks of the Void this day. They did not linger long. A new Chronomancer has taken to your city in recent years. A shame, wasting all of that delicious energy.” Her voice became sultry. The feeling was both terrifying and enticing all at once, and made Silvertongue’s skin crawl and heart melt.

“Yes, I’ll admit that I do recall murmurs of an event like that. The first time in decades that the city has seen that manner of portal. A moment, milady.” Silvertongue strode over to his intercom system and tapped one of the buttons. “Shroud.”

“Yes, sir?” came a mare's voice over the intercom.

“I need a report of all suspicious activity that may have occurred in the city in the last, say... twelve hours.”

“Of course, milord, I'll have the report on your desk in thirty—"

“Now, Shroud, if you would? This is a delicate matter.”

He could hear her nervous gulp. “O-of course sir, my apologies sir. L-let's see...” A shuffle of papers and clicks of buttons came from the other end. “Here we go. There were numerous sightings of strange energy spheres around the city, but they all disappeared soon after being spotted.”

“Yes, yes, I'm already well aware of that, Shroud. Anything else? Perhaps something I wouldn’t find on the news?”

“Oh... right. Let’s see... oh! Here’s one from the NPPD and NPRD Census Bureau. Apparently they registered six new taxpayers from Utopia today, and Police Chief Smokestack put in for his pay-raise application rather suddenly. The Committee thinks—"

Silvertongue slammed a hoof next to the intercom. “I’m not concerned with what the Committee thinks!”

He hated the Committee. Their jobs were so meaningless and contradictory to everything the city stood for, but he needed them to ensure that all of the day-to-day ruling was taken care of. He’d long since sunk into the shadows of maintaining the city, but could not become too involved himself. And, when they made mistakes and too much order returned to the city? Well... that rarely ever happened anymore, he’d made sure of that.

Silvertongue hummed to himself. “Deliver that report immediately. That’ll be all, Shroud.”

“Y-yes sir! Of course sir! If you need anything else, pl—"

The intercom shut off. Silvertongue waited for only but a moment, before the folder containing what he was looking for teleported in front of him, falling neatly onto his desk. He opened it and removed the files, then flipped through the pages. As he read, his face contorted in cemented concentration, and he probed the pieces of this particularly peculiar puzzle.

“Something amiss, my Warden?” Nihila asked.

“I am not accustomed to getting new citizens from Utopia,” Silvertongue said. “Even when I do, it’s always temporary. Nopony ever comes here from elsewhere to stay.”

“I can think of one exception,” she said, sending a teasing spark through his soul.

“Only one exception, milady.” Silvertongue tapped his chin. “It is most suspicious that six new visitors from Utopia would arrive today, all at the same time and even in the same place. The Committee, small-minded fools that they are, believe the story a fabrication and that these six are in actuality refugees from the Wastelands. A minor detail in this report about them being apprehended on charges of... Public Indecency? I’d almost forgotten we even had that law. Ah, and lack of identification... hmm. They’re more concerned with the Chief of Police taking a rather large cut of the allotment of funds these new citizens will generate, and think that he is covering for them.”

“And? Is that all, my Warden?”

Silvertongue thought for a moment before responding. “These... fluctuations milady, you posit the belief that a Chronomancer was involved in sealing them?”

“That I did, my Warden. Do you see some connection here?”

“Then perhaps these new citizens truly aren’t from Utopia, but are from someplace more... alien. Quite a coincidence, is it not? For there to be multiple distortions on this precise day, and for six new ponies to appear with no knowledge of our customs, claiming to be from across the sea? We know little of what it is exactly that Chronomancers do, but perhaps this is somehow related.”

Nihila stayed silent for a moment, then responded with the icy calm from earlier. “My Warden, uncover more about these creatures you have found. I await a swift response.”

He bowed. “As always, milady.” 

Silvertongue felt her leave, and at last felt at ease again. While Nihila’s essence was in his mind, he found it difficult to avoid having his entire series of thoughts laid bare for her to peruse like a book. Even after all these years he found it discomforting.

He pushed the button on the intercom again. “Shroud.”

“Y-yes, milord?”

“Summon Shadowstep for me, if you would?”

“O-of course sir, I'll notify him right away.”

Silvertongue lit his horn and darkened the room, then patiently waited. One minute. Two minutes. He sensed a presence with him, a physical one at that, and lit his horn again to re-illuminate his study.

Sitting in the chair that had been empty before on the other side of his desk, was a lithe pegasus stallion. He wore a black, form-fitting uniform, with deep purple gradient as it approached his head and dark blue trim around the eyes. It covered him from head to hoof, hiding any sort of identity. All that could be used to distinguish him were his bright green eyes, the slightest bits of a pale blue coat, and his short and tidy midnight blue mane and tail that stuck out through slips in the fabric.

Silvertongue did not bother himself with the effort of turning to face the new guest. He could sense his presence just fine, and see him clearly in the reflection on the window screen.

Silvertongue nodded. “Punctual as always, Shadowstep.”

“Of course, milord,” the pegasus said, getting out of the seat to bow before sitting back down again. “You called me? That means you have a job for me, yeah? What is it? Ooh, is it poisoning the drink of some stallion on the Committee again? I do so love assassinations. Please tell me it’s an assassination.”

“Not this time. No, this is one occasion where I can’t imagine any violence will be necessary. At least, for now.” Silvertongue’s horn glowed as he tossed the portfolio neatly onto the desk behind him. “There. That portfolio holds your initial targets.”

Shadowstep pawed at the folder, opening it warily. Inside were the identification pictures and file information on six newly registered ponies from Ponyville, Utopia. He’d had been to Utopia on numerous occasions and found it a dreadfully boring place, nothing like Pandemonium. But, he had never heard of a place called Ponyville, which to him sounded like the most ridiculous made-up name for a town he’d ever heard. Their names seemed normal enough, and they certainly looked normal enough, even if some of their ID pictures were somewhat odd: the purple unicorn looked intoxicated, and the orange earth pony appeared somewhat brain-dead.

Shadowstep placed the portfolio back on the desk, then leaned back in the chair and crossed his hooves. “What’s so important about them? They don’t even look like anypony’d miss ‘em if they were to suddenly... disappear.”

“That's not really any of your concern, Shadowstep,” Silvertongue said. “But it is what you're going to find out. Find them. Follow them. See if they do or mention anything suspicious. If you happen to notice anypony else tailing them around, follow them instead and if at all possible, ensure they won’t interfere with any further plans. If you follow my meaning...”

Shadowstep pumped a hoof. “Yes! I knew there was murder involved somewhere here, otherwise why call me? Oh, thank you milord!”

Silvertongue grunted. “You have your orders, carry them out.”

“Aye, sir.”

Silvertongue flicked the lights off and on again once more, and in the brief matter of seconds that the lights flickered, Shadowstep had vanished. If there was one pony good, perhaps perfect, at his job, so long as that job was sneaking around through the darkness and being a spy or assassin, then Silvertongue knew nopony more qualified than Shadowstep and nopony more loyal to him.

Alone at last and not expecting any more company anytime soon, Silvertongue placed a new record on the player and started it. Eyeing the contents of the folder once more, he stared thoughtfully at the pictures of six ponies that he was absolutely certain were going to be very interesting.


	3. Investigation

The Mid-South District had probably the best conditions out of all of the Mid Districts in Pandemonium City. It wasn’t as nice or as fancy as the Inner Districts, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the slum-like conditions of three-fourths of the Outer Districts. Its skyscrapers were smaller and dirtier than the gleaming skyscrapers of the Inner Districts that towered over the rest of the city. Those were composed of high-rise lofts and penthouses, high-class office buildings and corporation headquarters, the homes of the rich and famous, and where most of the ponies that worked for the government lived to avoid mingling with the ‘common rabble’ that made up the Mid Districts.

Central Plaza, the busiest sub-sector in Mid-South, was as close to those kind of conditions one could hope for. It was very expensive to live here, even though it was ridiculously cheap compared to Utopian prices and much cheaper than trying to make it in the Inner Districts.

What made it so expensive was that all—not some, all—of the most important necessities had their headquarters, their best-equipped centers, or even their only locations, in this sub-sector. The New Pandemonium Police Department’s Central Station was here, as was the main Building for New Pandemonium Registrations and Documentations. There was also the Central Database Holdings, which at Flathoof’s description sounded an awful lot like a library to Twilight Sparkle and was where she’d be going to look for work, and for research. New Pandemonium Medical had its largest clinic here, the Central General Clinic, and the same could be said for General Goods and Groceries and the New Pandemonium Fire Brigade. All of them were conveniently within relative walking distance to anypony that happened to live in any of the four domestic complexes that made up the borders of Central Plaza.

If you didn’t live in Central Plaza? Well, good luck to you. The horrendous travel time to get to the best medical treatment in the city, Inner District excluded, was bad enough.

Exacerbating the issue were the police and fire brigade response times, which were simply atrocious. As Flathoof escorted his group of parolees through the city streets, he explained that on average, it took about fifteen minutes or less for officers from his department to respond to a call from within the Central Plaza itself. Considering that the sub-sector was a few miles square, this was a typical expectation, if slightly slow. If you lived elsewhere in Mid-South, anywhere between thirty and fifty minutes could be expected even in a severe emergency, perhaps sixty minutes if you lived near the Divider Wall. If you lived in either Mid-East or Mid-West, the NPPD Central Station’s record time for responding to an emergency call was ninety minutes, and they’d been known to take twice that long on average. Mid-North? Two hours, minimum. The NPFB was just as bad, and entire neighborhoods had burned down in the past because of similar pathetically-slow response times.

Luckily, NPM did not have the same problem. Their only issue was whether the Clinic in your sub-sector had the proper equipment or experienced personnel that you needed to handle whatever your health issue was. Otherwise, you had to make the trip to NPM Central General. If you were going on your own, this was fine. In the case of a severe emergency, this meant that you’d have to take the time the NPPD or NPFB would take to get to you, and double it.

Back when he'd just been a rookie, Flathoof remembered getting to the scene of a riot in Mid-North nearly thirty minutes after it had ended. Some twenty ponies had needed to be hospitalized, and because of the severity and nature of their injuries, they had to go all the way to Central Plaza to get treatment. Several of them died en route. It was an event that completely changed his outlook on the way the city worked, or rather how it didn’t. It made him rethink the way he would need to work to try and change that.

“The more I go over it in my head, the more I realize that the system just doesn’t function right at all,” Flathoof said. “It baffles me to no end. It’s almost like the city doesn’t want to be organized. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve submitted petitions and suggestions and applications to get things fixed up a little bit, and never got a response.”

“Why don’t they have any smaller stations in the other districts?” Twilight asked. “Surely that would help, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, they do have other stations. But they’re so understaffed and overworked that Central often responds to more calls from their districts than they do. I’ve considered transferring to another station, but that wouldn’t do any good in the end. I’d be just as overworked as they are and wouldn’t be able to contribute enough to make much difference. Yeah, I know, every little bit counts, but I’m nearly the only officer in this District that seems to have any sort of real moral code. I think I’m doing more good being here than anywhere else. I can’t just up and leave that... not without a really good reason.”

“How ‘bout that other officer that helped us with all that there paperwork? Y’all seemed to trust her,” Applejack asked.

She still seemed slightly miffed as she looked at her ID photo. How that pony had been able to take the picture at just the precise moment needed to make Applejack look like a country bumpkin without half a brain in her head must have boggled her. That kind of precision timing seemed impossible, but if there was one mare that could do it, it was Snapshot.

“Snapshot? She’s a good mare.” Flathoof smiled at the incredulous looks Twilight and Applejack were giving him, and shook his head. “Okay, she’s a bit testy, I’ll admit, but she means well, plus she’s reliable, trustworthy, and knows her way around paperwork. That’s why I went to her instead of going to the other clerks, or worse, the NPRD. It would’ve taken days to get through all the roundabout nonsense they’d put you through. I typically try to avoid working the system to my advantage, but well, you six needed help, and Snapshot knows all the loopholes to go through in order to ensure your files get registered by tonight. You’ll be official citizens in only a few hours, I’d imagine.”

“Is there any particular reason for the rush?” Twilight asked.

Flathoof gave a concerned frown and shook his head. “If you all didn’t have a place to live and such by the end of the day, and with no official documents? Well, the Outer District is mostly ignored by the NPPD, see, so policy is to escort you out there and set you loose until your documents clear. When that happens we’d go looking for you for maybe a few hours, and if we can’t find you, you’re presumed dead or missing. Most of the time the assumption turns out true.”

“Good heavens, you’d just... abandon ponies looking to become citizens here? Atrocious!” Rarity snorted with disgust and stuck her nose in the air. “How does your department live with themselves? And you work for ponies like that?”

The accusation made Flathoof wince. “Look, I don’t make the rules and I certainly don’t like a lot of them. If I had the ability to ensure that everypony that didn’t get their affairs in order quickly enough was still taken care of, believe me, I would. But I only work out here in this District. I don’t work at the Gate District, which is where most of that stuff takes place. I don’t have any authority there either, only the knowledge of what goes on. It’s rare for anypony to end up in a situation similar to yours. I’m still confused how you managed to get all the way into the Mid-Districts looking like you did, without anypony noticing you.”

The six mares shared nervous glances, but let him continue.

“Only in the Inner Districts does anypony really care what happens to one another, and that’s because they have the money to afford the luxury of that. Even then, from what little I’ve seen of the upper crust personally, I think it’s all for show and social bravado. It’s frustrating, being one of the few who has genuine concern.” 

He sighed with a great deal of dejection. “Sorry if I’m worrying any of you. I really don’t mean to. It’s hard to see at a glance, but this city is difficult to live in. I’m going to do the best I can for you while you’re under my care, but after that... well, hopefully that’ll get taken care of too. At any rate, we’re here.”

Flathoof gestured to the massive domestic complex that would hold their new home, the Southeast Point, so named because it marked the southeastern corner of the border that surrounded the Central Plaza. It was a great metal building, one hundred stories tall and covering the entire city block. The six mares accompanying him looked up in awe at the sheer size of it. They’d all thought it was other buildings they’d been walking alongside for the past minute, not part of one.

While the place certainly looked habitable, it didn’t look like it was in the greatest shape, and had a lot of things that detracted from the image of a “decent place to live” as they’d been promised: the rust-colored metal looked more like rust; several of the windows were cracked; all the awnings were faded and some were even a different color. It didn’t look dilapidated, but it didn’t look high-rise either, by any means.

Considering the size of the place, Twilight calculated quickly in her head that this building, already at least as big as Canterlot Royal Palace, even if organized differently, likely housed as many ponies as the entire city of Canterlot, if not more. If this was just one building, Twilight thought, how big was the rest of the city? The sheer magnitude of such a population, far greater than she had first predicted from walking the streets of what had turned out to be the outskirts of this large sub-sector, made her head spin. More ponies living in this one city than lived in all of their own Equestria?

Impossible.

The large double doors leading into the building were tinted green, so it wasn’t until they entered that they could see just the kind of place they’d be living. Twilight frowned as she quickly tried to readjust her calculations. If the rest of the floors were organized anything like the lobby, then perhaps more ponies lived here than she initially thought. It was packed tight, and there was barely enough breathing room for everypony in the group as they walked down the main corridor past tiny crowds of other ponies coming and going from the building.

Flathoof directed them to follow him single-file, and at his guidance it didn’t take long to locate the management office. At the reception counter sat an aged earth pony mare with a graying mane and tail. Her large, horn-rimmed glasses reminded Twilight of Rarity’s pair back at home.

She barely bothered to turn her head up from the book she’d been reading to look at the newcomers. “Can I help you?”

Flathoof removed his hat and nodded. “Yes, I phoned earlier to see about speaking with Mister Lockwood. I spoke with a Spring Blossom.”

“That would be me, sonny.” She sighed and put her book down. “I’m assuming you’re Captain Flathoof then? And these are the parolees you mentioned?”

The aging mare eyed the newcomers with mild aversion. The six mares looked like they’d just picked their clothes out of a bin and walked out the door. Not much style or grace at all in the lot. They seemed all fitting enough but none of them looked particularly fashionable. The white one, perhaps, but that was probably neither here nor there.

The orange one wore some sort of cowpony hat and a plaid, brick red work shirt. She looked like she’d just wandered in off the set of a western they were filming out in the Wastelands, or that she worked on one of those “farms” they had down south in Utopia. It was certainly dirty enough that she looked like she’d been working in it.

The blue one had picked out what looked like a flight jacket. It clearly wasn’t originally hers either, so perhaps a hand-me-down or something borrowed or stolen. It was a size too big for her and the sleeves nearly dragged along the floor as she stood there, let alone if she were walking. She was even wearing goggles with brown frames and slightly-cracked, dirty, blue glass.

The purple one was wearing a cape and a sequined vest. The cape wasn’t even fancy or decorated, just a dull blue like the vest, and it was much too short. Like the blue one’s jacket, it probably did not originally belong to her either. Perhaps she was merely a former assistant to a stage magician?

The white one had picked out a frilly, pale pink dress and accented it with a lilac ribbon that at least made her look the most well-dressed in the bunch. It would possibly even be considered elegant were it made of a nicer material. It almost looked like she’d used that unicorn magic of hers to put the outfit together from the scraps of an entire wardrobe.

The yellow one looked not at all keen on being here, and how could one blame her when she was wearing the much-too-attractive baby-blue blouse and skirt? Attractive was probably the wrong word here, actually. Certainly it would attract attention, but perhaps promiscuous would be a better term? The skirt was much too short, as her cutie mark was peeking out almost completely. It was odd, considering she did not seem to like the attention she was getting from the numerous stallions in the room, or the occasional mare here and there.

The pink one was the most unique, which was really the only way to kindly describe her. She looked like she’d literally just set a box on the floor labeled Clothes, filled it with random articles of clothing, leapt in, and wore whatever she came out with. The green propeller cap did not mesh with the black denim jacket with the collar popped much too high, which did not work together with the bright, gaudy yellow t-shirt she wore underneath that had printed on it the logo from a children’s program she probably didn’t even watch. Or worse, actually did watch. Imagine the prospect of a full-grown mare like that watching a show meant for little foals. She wore red roller skates too, which did not help complete her ensemble in any possible way.

Spring Blossom cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Flathoof. “I spoke with Mister Lockwood earlier. He’s just finishing up a meeting with another associate and should be done in a few minutes, then he’ll be right down. He asked me to inform you that he regrets any inconvenience caused by making you wait.” She pointed off to the side, towards a room with a glass door with plenty of seats inside. “You all can wait in the reception area until he gets here. Thank you.”

“Much obliged ma’am.” Flathoof turned back to his entourage. “Come along, ladies. If I know Lockwood, he’ll be down before too long.”

Flathoof held the door to the reception area open for the six mares to enter, then followed them in.

“So, this Lockwood fellow?” Rarity asked as she fluffed the cushion of the seat she was taking. “An owner of this establishment perhaps? He must be a friend of yours, yes?”

“We go back a ways, yes,” Flathoof said. He tugged at his collar and straightened his uniform again for the second time since they’d entered the complex. “We went to school together a long time ago, and he’s been pretty close with my family since then. Anytime I’ve ever needed a favor, he’s been the pony I went to see first. I don’t know how much help he can give me here, but if he can’t do anything directly he’ll at least know somepony who can. Hopefully. He’s usually pretty good about that sort of thing though.”

“He sounds decent enough,” Twilight said. “Any friend of yours can’t be too bad, right?”

Applejack snorted. “Pfh, tell that to Snapshot. I ain’t never met a pony with... with such an attitude before, but if ol’ Flathoof says she’s on the level, well, I s’pose we ‘pparently owe her some thanks.”

Pinkie bounced rapidly up and down next to Rainbow Dash, who was trying to take a nap on a pair of seats since Pinkie obviously wasn’t using hers. “I just hope he’s not all super stuffy and a fuddy-duddy or anything! Then we’d have another guest for the party! Ooh! Does he like chocolate cake, or vanilla? I prefer strawberry myself, because it’s pink and super duper tasty, just like me! Right, Dashie?”

“Yeah yeah, right Pinks.” Rainbow paused a second, then bolted upright. “I mean, right, it’s pink! You’re pink!”

“I just hope he’s... nice...” Fluttershy mumbled. “I... I’ve had my fill of the other kinds of ponies... for more than one day, I think...”

A few moments passed, then a knock came at the reception room door and a pegasus with a rich gray coat walked in. He wore a dull brown rain jacket of a lighter shade than his mud-brown mane and tail, which were neatly combed and short, making him look neat and tidy. He wasn’t particularly well-built, a little on the lanky side actually, but had good posture and a gait that made him look more fit than weak. The one thing, two things, really, that they all noticed most were his golden eyes, mostly because it was a rather odd shade. He certainly looked kind enough.

“Ah, Lockwood!” Flathoof smiled, trotted over, and greeted his friend with a sturdy hoof-shake. “So glad I was able to get a hold of you. I’m sorry I was so hasty on the phone, I was—"

“Yes yes, Flathoof,” Lockwood replied, his smile wide and friendly. “Don’t fret over it. I’m always willing to do a favor for you, you know that. Now then, these are the six mares you told me about?” He looked out over the six mares briefly, giving them each a polite smile. “Utopia, eh? Fancy stuff. I’m surprised they even wanted to come here of all places in Equestria. I suppose I should feel honored.”

“Yes, these are them,” Flathoof said. “What kind of options are we looking at here? Please tell me you’ve got some good news for me.”

“Hmm...” Lockwood tapped his chin, then gave a light-hearted shrug. “Well, you’re in luck. We have some vacancies right now, actually. A few ponies here and there failed to pay their rent... again, and there’s only so much I can do when other ponies aren’t willing to cooperate. Sad to say, but there it is. One of our larger rooms should accommodate them, but it wasn’t actually designed for six so it might be a little... cozy, but it’s all I’ve got on short notice. Now then, the issue of payment.”

Flathoof made to interject, but Lockwood stopped him with a hoof. “I wouldn’t ask right away, but I do have obligations to the owners. Gotta treat this completely legit, you understand. The building is only ten years old, so they’re really watching the numbers to make sure it’s a good investment.”

Flathoof coughed and tugged his collar. “Well... not only are they new in town, but they don’t exactly have any bits on them either. I always thought Utopia used bits too, but maybe I’m mistaken. I was hoping we’d be able to work something out here.”

Lockwood pat Flathoof on the shoulder. “Say no more. There are enough loopholes in the city’s paperwork and tax code that I can probably work out something to get them their first month rent free, or at the very least until they find work. I’d suggest they start looking for jobs right away though. Does that sound reasonable?”

“Incredibly.” Flathoof turned to the mares and grinned. “Right, ladies?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Twilight said. “Thank you for your help, Mister Lockwood. We really appreciate it.”

“Please, just Lockwood will do,” Lockwood said. “I’m only ‘Mister’ when I’m doing real business, and this is a favor for my good friend Flathoof. I always take great pride in helping those I care about, and there’s no exception here.”

He clasped his hooves together. “Now then, before I show you all to your new abode and let you get adjusted and all that, I believe some introductions are in order. Seeing as I’ll be your landlord for the next, well, however long you’re here, I feel it’d be good to get to know you all a little better. As has been established, my name is Lockwood.” He bowed politely and offered his hoof out to Twilight. “And you are?”

“Introductions, yes, of course.” Twilight nodded and politely shook his hoof in return. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack—"

“Howdy,” Applejack said, shaking Lockwood’s hoof.

“Rarity—"

“Charmed.” Rarity offered her hoof to Lockwood first. He smiled and gave it a very dainty shake.

“Rainbow Dash—"

“Hey.” Rainbow shook Lockwood’s hoof very briefly.

“Fluttershy—"

“Um... hello...” Fluttershy nodded politely, but did not offer her own hoof and instead scuffed it nervously on the carpet.

“And—"

Pinkie pouted. “Heeey, why’d I have to go last this time?” Then, the pout turned into a huge grin. “Wait, that means I’m the grand finale! Woo!” She bounced a few times and pointed at Twilight triumphantly. “Saving the best for last, I like your way of thinking, Twilight!”

Twilight balked. “Uh...”

“Hiya, super-cool new friend!” Pinkie said, grabbing Lockwood’s hoof with both of her own and shaking it, and him, vigorously. “I’m Pinkie Pie! I’m the bestest best party pony this side of the moon, and probably the other side too!”

As soon as Lockwood was back on solid ground, he straightened his jacket and laughed. “Such a colorful group. A pleasure to meet all of you.” He smiled and pushed open the reception area door to usher them out. “Now then, let’s go see your room, shall we?”

They followed Lockwood out of the reception area with Flathoof taking up the rear, and after a short trot down the entry hallway they entered the main stairwell and began the climb up several flights of steps to their new home.

Several floors later, the ponies were totally exhausted and didn’t think they could keep climbing. Stair, after stair, after stair, after stair, it seemed to go on forever and ever. The stairs were dusty, musty, and not at all pleasant, it was cramped and dry, and it was a long climb. Their appreciation for the generously given home was slowly beginning to diminish, as much as they all hated to admit those kinds of thoughts.

Eventually it got to the point where they could not hold their tongues and had to say something.

“Geez, what are we on, the eight-billionth floor?” Rainbow fluttered just barely above the stairs, and had been doing so for the past thirty floors. “I can’t believe we’re probably gonna have to do this every day. No wonder all the ponies around here look so fit.”

“Are we there yet?”

“It is good exercise,” said Lockwood, who seemed none the worse for wear. His stride hadn’t diminished at all, and by now he was several steps ahead of the rest of them. “You’ll get used to it soon enough. I know I sure had to, and I tell you, I used to live on a higher floor than this in a much bigger complex. At least once you know where your room is, if one of your friends is home you can always just fly up to the window and they can let you in.“

“Are we there yet?”

“Golly, I ain’t had this kind of a work-out in ages, easily not since last Applebuckin’ season.” Applejack removed her hat and briefly fanned herself with it when they got to the top of the next flight, losing her position in the line to Twilight. “I reckon this’ll be a mighty fine replacement fer buckin’ apple trees, at least fer now. Doin’ a lap or two up ‘n’ down should be the same as buckin’ near half o’ Sweet Apple Acres. How the rest o’ y’all holdin’ up back there? Heh heh, ya ain’t feelin’ tired now, are ya Rarity?”

“Are we there yet?”

Rarity panted, completely out of breath. “I hate stairs...” She’d fallen totally behind, with Flathoof purposefully trailing just behind her. “Hate... stairs... I’m going to... take out all the stairs... in my boutique... hate stairs... so many stairs... going to have nightmares about climbing stairs... so many cobwebs... dust... stairs are dirty... hate stairs...”

“Are we there yet?”

“Um... phew...” Fluttershy kept her response short not out of shyness but of desire to conserve breath.

“It’s not... so bad,” Twilight said, huffing and puffing with every stair. Applejack had caught back up by now and passed her again. “I know I need the exercise, that’s for sure. Maybe not this much, but Spike was always saying I should get out more. Though... I think I might chalk this up to filling out most of my weekly allotted exercise. Phew! I just wish there was better ventilation. Rarity’s right, it is a bit dusty...”

“Are we there yet?”

“I wish you’d told me they were this high up, Lockwood.” Now, even Flathoof began to complain. “I don’t get out as much as I did when I was on the beat. Haven’t had to do this much physical work on-duty in a while. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

“Are we there yet?”

“Me?” Lockwood chuckled. “I believe it was you who were calling in asking for a favor. You’d do well to appreciate the work I’m gonna have to go through to make this all turn out smoothly. Don’t tell me you’re getting tired back there, Mister ‘Toughest Roughest Lawpony in Pandemonium’. Heh heh.”

“Are we there yet?”

“PINKIE PIE!” Rainbow belted, snapping her head around to face the pink pony that had been literally bouncing up every single stair and wasn’t showing signs of stopping. “If you ask one more time, I’ll—"

“We’re here!” Lockwood exclaimed as he held Rainbow in place. He pointed at their door, where he read from a little gold plaque that read 84-5:00. “Room eighty-four and five. Those first two numbers are your floor number, the eighty-fourth. The third is your room position on the floor, which means you’re in the five o’clock position, assuming the building entrance is at twelve o’clock and the hour hand is pointing at the plaque on your door.”

“Well that’s a pretty orderly numbering convention,” Twilight said. “Though it’s a little confusing with that last bit. You use a clock face to determine room numbers? Makes it easy to figure out your room if you forget the number I suppose.”

“If only all the rooms were as neatly positioned as yours.” Lockwood pointed at their neighbor’s door, which read 84-6:30.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Eighty-four and... six thirty?”

Lockwood shrugged. “The landlord, that’s me, lives in room sixteen and eight forty-five. The superintendent lives in room two and four twenty-eight. Not four thirty, not four twenty-five, but specifically twenty-eight, because that’s where the door plaque is. Somepony made a mistake when they built it, numbering scheme stuck, so there it is. No rhyme or reason at all in it. I mean, we almost didn’t even come to agreement on how to decide the twelve o’clock position in the first place. Somepony wanted the room closest to the stairwell on each floor to be the twelve o’clock room. Can you imagine?”

Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “Well why don’t they just name the rooms by a simple numerical system?”

Lockwood shrugged. “Because nopony could agree on who got to be room whatever-whatever one, or if maybe it should be zero-one since there are more than ten rooms on every tenth floor, or if maybe we should start with zero-zero, or if we should call that double-zero, or this or that and something else blah, blah, blah.

“Nopony seems to take cooperation lightly, I tell you. I asked the same thing when I moved in. Half, no, probably most of the things in this city don’t make a lick of sense when you really look at it. So either you just gotta grin and bear it, or you learn to ignore it. Unless you think you’ve got the money to get a flight to Utopia, and if you can’t afford that then there’s at least Hope’s Point.”

He looked at Twilight and raised an eyebrow. “Well now hang on, aren’t you from Utopia? Why in heaven’s name would you all want to leave? I’ve been trying to save up for a trip there for nearly five years.”

“My theory is they’re actually refugees from the Wastelands. We just used that Utopia cover story to get through the paperwork,” Flathoof explained. “Sorry I didn’t mention it earlier, but I didn’t want anypony to know. Didn’t want to have to start filling out criminal backgrounds and medical histories because some clerk thought they’d got some sort of mutation out there. They didn’t look dangerous or anything, and they seemed like they needed a good home. I had to help, you understand.”

“Hmm... they look a little too healthy to be refugees...” Lockwood said, running his hoof under his chin. Twilight gave him a nervous smile as he looked at her particularly. He then shrugged and waved it off. “Well, if they are refugees, I’m more than willing to help them get back on their hooves and into a relatively safe environment. If they’re not, then I suppose they have their reasons for their secrecy. But that’s all something to concern myself with later. You all look tired. So ladies, without further adieu, your castle awaits.”

He placed a key into the lock and pushed the door open, gesturing for them to enter. Their new home was... well, Lockwood had called it cozy, and he had said it wasn’t really built for six ponies. That seemed all the more accurate once they got in. It looked like it was built more for three or four at best. It was a fairly decent-sized apartment if two ponies were to share it, and even with four it would likely seem a little cramped but still very liveable. With six, it made it feel more like a hovel than a home.

But, it was free for now if Lockwood came through on his promises, and it was being generously given simply because they happened to meet the right two ponies. Luck was a finicky mistress, but sometimes she worked in mysterious ways.

“Ech...” Rarity blanched, still trying to catch her breath and shake cobwebs and dust from her mane and tail. “Ponies live in this filth? Please tell me this room just hasn’t been cleaned recently... or ever. At least then I’ll believe the mess I’m seeing here.”

“Actually, that’s true,” Lockwood said. He took on a solemn tone and gestured towards one of the bedrooms. “We weren’t allowed to clean up after the murder. The police wouldn’t let us. I mean, it’s already been a full day. We should be allowed to clean up, right Flathoof? Twenty-four hours is the policy, isn’t it?”

The six mares stared at him in disbelief, jaws dropped. Fluttershy audibly whimpered and hid behind Applejack, hoping the bigger, stronger mare would protect her from whatever might be lurking around the nearest corner. None of the six could believe what they’d just heard. Death was a natural thing in their world, and even though they knew there were bad ponies out there even back home that might inflict it upon others out of malice, they didn’t expect that to be a common occurrence around here.

“Kidding!” Lockwood chuckled, waving his hooves defensively in front of him. “Just... just kidding. A joke! Ha ha? Oh come on, as if I’d give you a room that somepony’d been murdered in only a day before. Ha ha! Ha?” He frowned. “Okay no really, why isn’t anypony laughing? Seriously, I use that same joke on everypony that has ever moved in and you six are the first ones not to laugh.”

Twilight gulped and tried to smile. “Is that something you have to deal with around here? We... aren’t really accustomed to... that sort of thing.”

“What, murder?” Flathoof frowned and adjusted his hat. “I wish I could say we never had to deal with it at all, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. I think we’ve had maybe seven equicide calls this week, and that’s a pretty low number. Sure, it’s not the weekend yet... but... I’m not helping things am I?”

Lockwood interjected, as the whole group was looking more and more distressed. “Listen, this is the safest District in the whole city apart from the Inner Districts, but that’s cheating to compare us to them. We haven’t had anything like that happen at Southeast Point in months. And it wasn’t anything like... wow, okay I’m not helping matters either...”

Fluttershy sniffed and huddled in closer to Applejack and Rarity. “T-this place is s-s-scarier than I thought...”

Rarity rubbed Fluttershy’s back and held the trembling pegasus close. “Now now, darling, I’m sure it’ll all be okay. Come on, let’s focus on getting our new home cleaned up a little, hmm? Take your mind off all those scary things...”

Pinkie bounced excitedly around the room, sending up clouds of dust wherever she landed. “Yeah! We need to get all the decorations set up for our housewarming party! Let’s see, I need streamers, balloons and... uh... hang on.” She reached a hoof into her mane and pulled out a small piece of paper. “Streamers, balloons, and... aha! A cake, some ice cream, soda pop... I think maybe like a dozen big bottles of soda pop since we’ve gotta get all super hydrated after that climb! Right, and then there’s the candy, and the cookies, and a jukebox, and—"

“Pinks, we’ve got more important things to worry about. Besides, this place doesn’t look like it would have room for one of your parties anyhow,” Rainbow said, gesturing around the room.

Pinkie tapped her hoof to her chin and bit her tongue. “Hmm... are we talking one of my Super Duper Awesome Big Birthday Bash Parties, or my Ultra Fun Best Friends Forever Parties? Because then well duh, I know we don’t have room for either of those, silly, but this isn’t one of those kinds of parties anyway. This feels more like a Welcome Everypony Welcome Party, but depending on the area of the room and the dimensions I have to work with, I might be able to fit in a Totally Amazing Radical Blast Party, assuming that the room is a perfect square and that we have enough pi to go around.”

Pinkie waggled her eyebrows at Dash, expecting a laugh. Rainbow groaned loudly instead.

“Did Pinkie Pie just invoke mathematics in party planning? And a math pun?” Twilight’s eye began twitching. “How would that... what could you... is there even...” Her eyes crossed. “Oh dear, I think I’m getting a headache...”

“Besides, where am I gonna find a break-dancing floor at this time of night?” Pinkie laughed as she sidled up close to Rainbow and gave her a big hug. “Anyway, even if I can’t fit in enough room for a Little Itty Bitty Teeny Tiny ‘Just Us Friends’ Housewarming Party, we can always have our own little private party later, Dashie! Always plenty of room for one of those!”

Rainbow turned red. “P-Pinkie Pie, geez!”

Lockwood looked between the two of them. “What’s all this talk about parties?”

“The pink one’s special talent is throwing parties,” Flathoof whispered. “So, she likes parties. A lot. And singing. And dancing. And games. And parties, did I mention parties? Yes, we went over this a lot back at the station.” He subtly twirled his hoof in a circular motion around his ear, taking care not to let her or her friends notice.

“Ahhh...” Lockwood nodded in total understanding. “Well, ladies, what say we start getting your home all spruced up, hmm?”

***

Today had probably been the most stressful and tiresome day Snapshot had ever had to endure in her two years as a desk clerk for the NPPD. If Flathoof weren’t such an eligible bachelor, she’d have passed it on to her co-worker. All that work and hassle wasn’t really worthwhile, but doing little favors like that here and there for Flathoof? She hoped it might get her in his good graces, so that maybe he’d want to get in her “good graces”.

Snapshot sighed dejectedly as she eyed the clock on the wall. One more hour. That’s how much longer it was for her to finish her shift at this droll job. Then she could get back home, where she could relax, have some much-needed alone time, and try to get some work done on her reading. Specifically, a rather steamy novel she'd picked up down at Blazing Saddles—a completely reputable establishment, by the way—by the name of Fifty Shades of Hay.

She eyed the mare working at the desk to her right, a pink pegasus with a tacky dye job that gave her silvery white mane streaks of gold. Firecracker. Snapshot wished the blasted mare would just up and fly away and never darken these halls again with her bow-legged, hip-swaggering, eyelash-batting, obviously-had-a-wing-job self. The hussy was always stealing all the good-looking stallions in the department, letting them rut her, getting some good words in with higher-ups to get a pay raise, then leaving the saps behind.

It wasn’t fair. Snapshot knew that she had seen Goldenstar first, that she had been flirting with him so casually in the breakroom, and that she had asked him out! Firecracker had even been sitting just a table or two away in the cafeteria when she did it! And then the jerk went and broke it off at the last second, after Snapshot had gone through hours of making herself look presentable, attractive, and desirable. The next day, he was over there at Firecracker’s desk, playing with her mane and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Just the first in the long line of stallions she’d seen at that desk, and it was always a different one!

Snapshot sighed in dejected disapproval. It was her own fault, really. Ever since she made it on the force she’d been trying to get the attention of one of the stallions around the department, and learned the hard way that most of them were really not worth her time: crooks, liars, cheats, sneaks, and perverts the lot of them! She was desperate, but not that desperate. There were only a few stallions left on the entire force that were worth any attention, at least physically and mentally, but they just had to be in relationships already. That was just the way things worked, wasn’t it though? That all the good-looking, well-mannered stallions were the ones taken?

Except one. And he didn’t seem interested at all in anypony, and hadn't been for as long as she’d known him. Of all the rotten luck, that the most good-hearted and certainly broadest stallion in the entire force was just not looking for a special somepony. Snapshot would give anything for Flathoof to look at her the way she looked at him, and cursed the fact that she’d probably drifted so far into the friend zone by now that she’d need a map and three weeks of supplies just to find her way out.

“Oh Captain, my Captain...” Snapshot muttered to herself, pressing her face into her desk.

As much as she wanted him to be hers, she knew that being hopeful and ignoring other opportunities was worse than noticing the little things in life and trying to find love elsewhere.

The doors of the office slid open, and a pegasus strode into the room, his steps measured and confident. With each stride, his lithe muscles pressed against his impeccable black suit. A perfectly straight, black tie tucked neatly into his jacket. His sleek, pale blue fur caught the light of the room just right, causing his coat to almost ripple in the glare.

With a single smooth motion, he slicked his dark-blue mane back with a hoof and flexed his long wings. He took one brief look around the room, eyeing the two mares in front of him especially. Then, by stepping forward towards Snapshot's desk, he quite literally walked into her life.

In an instant, Captain Flathoof sweeping her off her feet was a distant memory. Was her hair straight? No smudges on her glasses? Her breath was okay, wasn’t it?

“You must be Officer—" The well-dressed pegasus looked at a report file he had open, then glanced back at her. “Snapshot, correct?”

“Uh-huh,” she murmured dreamily. She quickly shook her head. “I mean... ahem... y-yes, that’s me. How can I help you, Mister...?”

He showed her his badge, which had his name on it with a badge number and everything. Snapshot knew she’d recognized that uniform. If all of the CIA’s agents looked this good, maybe she’d consider applying sometime after she had more on her resume. She certainly had the broad knowledge of the system’s inner workings that she knew was one of their requirements. All she lacked was experience.

“Sparkwalker. Agent Sparkwalker,” he said. “I’m with the Committee Investigation Agency. I need to speak with you about a recent registration you filed in regards to some suspicious information.”

“Oh? Which one?

“Which six.”

Sparkwalker plopped the report file on her desk, allowing her to see all the contents. Snapshot’s eyes widened. Wow, the CIA sure works fast.

Those six mares that had been here only a few hours before. The paperwork had literally been teleported to the NPRD not more than three hours ago. Snapshot had never heard of anything that made the CIA this interested, and that worried her. What if Flathoof was in trouble, and these six mares were criminals? Terrorists? Spies?

“I recognize them, yes,” she said, mirroring his quiet tone. “What kind of information do you need?”

“Is there somewhere more private we can talk?” he asked.

She couldn’t be positive, but she was certain he had darted his eyes to look at Firecracker to be sure she hadn’t heard anything. The sunglasses he was wearing prevented Snapshot from following his gaze clearly. Why was he wearing sunglasses in Pandemonium anyway, and inside as well? Maybe that was part of the uniform. But why was she worrying about that? He wanted the two of them to be alone. She got the feeling that this was going to be her lucky day.

Ah, opportunity, how loud your knock can be.

“Certainly. Follow me.”

She waved for him to follow her towards the back of the clerk office. The pegasus followed her into the staff room, and after making sure nopony was coming this way, she closed and locked the door behind them. Ah, privacy.

“So... what’s this all about?” she asked, taking a seat in the cozy chair on one side of the office. 

Agent Sparkwalker remained standing for the moment, near enough that she could actively drink in all his features as he reached into his suit pockets. He took out a small notepad, set it on the table just out of her sight, then sat a pen upon that. Business before pleasure.

Sparkwalker took a seat directly across from her and picked up his notepad with one wing, his pen with the other. Snapshot found herself impressed that a pegasus could do something so delicate with his wings. Hopefully that’s not the only thing he can do with those.

“The Committee is concerned about the status of their case file,” he said, shaking her out of her thoughts. “It would seem that Police Chief Smokestack applied for a pay increase that arrived barely five minutes after these six forms came in. Normally, this wouldn’t be too troubling. Smokestack does this kind of thing all the time, does he not?”

She pointed a hoof at herself. “A-are you asking me? I don’t get involved much with the Chief’s business...”

“Hmm...” Sparkwalker nodded and jotted down a short note. Snapshot was suddenly nervous that that piece of information had been important. “No matter, this is about these six Ponies of Interest anyway. Our department is concerned with the speed at which their forms were filed and documented, and we suspect that perhaps the Chief was rushing things along just to get a wage increase, and may have... overlooked things concerning them. Now, your name is on the form as the Identification Photographer and as their File Clerk, so I believe it’s safe to assume you had some interaction with them?”

“Ah... y-yes, I did.” She was now extremely nervous that he would learn that she’d sped the paperwork along at Flathoof’s request, not the Chief’s. Would he get in trouble?

“If it’s okay with you then, I’d like to ask you a few questions about them. You can tell me some details about them, yes?”

“I... I hope so. What’s this all about anyway? I mean... n-not to pry...”

“Committee business. Classified.”

“Please? A... fellow officer I know is their parole officer. I want to make sure he’ll be okay, sir.”

Sparkwalker stared at her, but with those sunglasses on his face it was hard to tell. “His name?”

“Flathoof. Captain Flathoof.”

“I’ll make sure we take care of him should the need arise.” He cracked his neck before continuing, “Now then, let’s start at the top according to the order you filled the forms out, based on your time-stamps. First, Twilight Sparkle. What can you tell me about her?”

“Real bossy, seemed well-educated,” Snapshot said. She didn’t bother hiding a slight sneer. “Probably the brains of the group, if you ask me.” She put a hoof to her lips. “Oh... I’m sorry, I know I’m not supposed to figure my personal opinions into this...”

Sparkwalker smiled and nodded appreciatively. “While I didn’t ask, your information is invaluable and will help our investigation. Please, feel free to relax and speak candidly. I know we have a lot of information on these forms, but don’t feel like anything is redundant. Normally we don’t hold any interest in the personal opinions of those we interview... but we’re making a special case about this one. It may help us understand the psyche of these six, you understand?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“And drop the ‘sir’ nonsense. Just Sparkwalker, if you please, Snapshot.”

She turned pink and tried to hide her smile behind a hoof. “R-right. Sparkwalker.”

They were already on first-name basis. She wasn’t used to the idea of a CIA agent being so informal. That was a major part of their job, being rigid and uncooperative. But, maybe this one liked her? Maybe if she played her cards right she’d have plans tonight.

Snapshot continued, more candidly as asked. “Well, she was kind of a busybody, asking all sorts of questions and trying to learn more about the city. I mean, sure I guess that makes sense if you’re not from around here, but still... the others weren’t quite as inquisitive or even interested. They just left the work to her. She said she used to work as a librarian, so if I had to venture a guess she’ll probably look for work at the CBH or something similar. I put in a recommendation at... the Chief’s request,” she lied.

Sparkwalker nodded and jotted down more notes. “Hmm... go on then, the next pony, Rarity. She appears to be posing for this picture?”

“Yeah, she insisted on making it a glamour shot,” Snapshot said. “I’ll be fair, she has a good look to her and if it weren’t for the stupid jumpsuit she might look pretty charming. Really snooty though, kind of gave me a hard time in making sure I was getting all her physical details right. Seemed like a neat-freak. Kept insisting she was a fashion designer back home which struck me as extremely odd, since they weren’t wearing any clothes when they got arrested according to the reports I attached. I mean, who ever heard of a fashion designer wandering around naked, not even like a scarf or a bow or anything? Contradictory, yeah? You’d think she’d be wearing something at all times even if we didn’t have that law. Self-advertisement, that kind of thing?”

“Observant. Let’s see... Fluttershy. She looks like she didn’t want to take the picture at all. Did she give you a hard time?”

Snapshot laughed and waved her hoof playfully. “Oh brother, it took me three times longer to get her form filled out. She was very uncooperative. I had to ask every question at least twice to be able to hear her. Really quiet, really shy, kind of spoke in peeps and mumbles and always tried to avoid making eye contact. Kind of cute in a way, so she probably gets a lot of lookers back where she comes from. Said she was a veteran-arian, whatever the hay that is. Something to do with the military? Veterans and all that? Does Utopia even have a military anymore?”

“Animals.”

“An army... of animals?” Snapshot raised an eyebrow and nervously smiled. “Please tell me you’re kidding...”

Sparkwalker blinked, then laughed. “Oh... no no, a veterinarian. They’re like doctors, but for animals instead of ponies. Common practice over in Utopia is what I hear. Moving on then. Pinkie Pie. Is she doing the crossed-eyes on purpose, or does she have some sort of condition?”

“Yes, on purpose. And what a mouth that one’s got. Just would not shut up.” She lifted a hoof and started shaking it around. “Yap yap yap yap yap. Gave me such roundabout, long answers to so many of the questions. She told me this ridiculous story when I asked her about her special talent. Some spiel about a rock farm and a party, then claimed it was like an origin myth or something! Not right in the head that one, but she made me a little suspicious, and not just because she seemed a few cards short of a full deck, either.”

Sparkwalker leaned forward. “Oh? Go on.”

“Well, while everypony else in the group said they were from Utopia right away, and Twilight Sparkle even added their ridiculous district into it. Pfft, Ponyville, still makes me laugh. Anyway, this Pinkie Pie character, she kind of hesitated a little. It was a really subtle pause, so I wouldn’t have noticed it if she hadn’t been such a motor mouth otherwise. Made me think she really, really wanted to say something else and realized her mistake just before she made it all in the fraction of, like, a second.

“Now that I think about it, so did that orange one, Applejack was it?” Snapshot asked. Sparkwalker nodded. “She didn’t say Utopia right away either, seemed kind of pained that she had to do it. Makes me think maybe their story isn’t as true as they claim. Nothing gets past my sleuth sense.” She smiled, crossed her hooves, and leaned back in her chair, feeling very proud of herself.

“Very astute. I’ll make note of your suspicions.” Sparkwalker gave her a polite smile. “You’ve been very helpful so far Snapshot, thank you.”

She frowned. “Oh... are we done?”

“Oh no, not quite yet, just thought I’d thank you for being so helpful to my investigation.”

He tilted his sunglasses down slightly so that she could see him wink. Snapshot turned red and coughed into her hoof. She felt rather embarrassed that he was pushing all the right buttons, and a little nervous that he knew what buttons to push. For half a second, she felt anxious about this whole thing. Was this the right thing to do?

“Now then, the next one. Rainbow Dash?”

“Really full of herself, big ego, took everything I said as a challenge,” Snapshot said, trying to regain her composure. “Fastest flier in Equestria? Really? That I find difficult to believe. When I said as much, she started getting a little riled up like she wanted to prove it right then and there. I’ve seen some pretty fast fliers in the NPPD, and she didn’t look like anything special. And her response to my asking about it was that she’s the only pony to ever pull off a ‘Sonic... Rainboom’? What the hay is that? Some sort of sonic boom mixed with a rainbow? How would you even do that? Seems physically impossible to me. 

“Oh, and if you look under Alias I noted ‘Dashie’ as a nickname rather than a preferred name. The pink pony kept calling her that, and was the only pony doing it that I could see. I don’t know, I got kind of a weird vibe from the two, like maybe they’re... y’know... more than friends?”

Sparkwalker nodded intently at that point and jotted extra lines. “Possible sexual interrelations amongst the group. Interesting. Hmm... well, one more then. Tell me more about this Applejack.”

“Don’t even get me started on her,” Snapshot said, sticking her nose in the air. “Urgh, I saw the way she was looking at Flathoof... n-not that that matters,” she added so that Sparkwalker wouldn’t get the wrong idea. Even if it was the right idea, she didn’t want him to think it was. “He’s my friend is all... so I don’t want to see him get hurt because some Utopian jezebel gives him that look and thinks she can just waltz in and flutter her eyelashes and land the most prized stallion of the NPPD in her bunk when I’ve been...

“Anyway,” she continued, coughing into her hoof, “she was honest enough. She didn’t have any problem answering everything straight away, except that Utopia bit I mentioned earlier. Had a real thick accent that I’ve never heard before, made it hard to get everything understood at first. Had to have her tone down a lot of the bigger words too. She must be the dumb muscle, that’s my guess.”

“Yes, very good.” He nodded appreciatively as he wrote down the last few notes, then glanced into the folder of reports again. “I understand they also filed domicile registration forms? You wouldn’t happen to have a copy of them anywhere, would you? There’s a note here about it, but the NPRD must’ve processed them separately.”

“Oh... sorry, I don’t have one.” She frowned and rubbed her temple. “Really? They didn’t get that to you yet though? That must mean it’s still in processing. Your department should get it in a few hours, I hope. I rushed it along pretty well. I’m surprised the other forms got to you guys that fast, really. I’ve never heard of paperwork being processed so quickly.”

“I was hoping I could get a copy sooner than that,” he said. “We are in hot pursuit of these mares, you see. I can’t tell you exactly why, of course, but I assure you that the faster I can find out where they are or where they may be headed, the faster I can catch up to them and find out what exactly they’re doing.”

Snapshot frowned. If Agent Sparkwalker was delayed, it might be putting Flathoof at risk, and she didn’t like the fact that she would be partly responsible. As much as she was attracted to this new pony, she still cared for the Captain, and wanted to make sure nothing happened to him.

She nodded. “I... I can remember some of the things on the forms I filled out. Not every detail, but I assume anything would help, right?”

“Most assuredly,” he said. ”Any assistance you can give me in my investigation will be greatly appreciated.”

“Well, hmm... I remember a name... um... Southeast... P-something. Park? Place?”

“Point?”

Snapshot pointed a hoof at him in acknowledgement.

Sparkwalker jotted the name down on his notepad. “Southeast Point. I recognize the name. Most suspicious that they would be able to get a room so quickly in the busiest, most expensive part of the District, and with a record even.”

Snapshot frowned again. She had to come clean on this one. “Well, Captain Flathoof is the one who helped them get it. He said he had a friend who was in well with the owners... Lock... something. He was just trying to help, I don’t think he suspects anything about them at all. Oh, I’m sorry, that’s all I can remember...”

“Hmm... perhaps they’ve fooled your good friend better than you thought. But I’m getting ahead of myself. A few more questions before we’re all finished here. First, apart from what you mentioned specifically about them each individually, did you notice anything suspicious about them as a group?”

“Well, like I said, their home sounded a little odd. I mean... Ponyville? Has to be a made-up name, and a really lame one at that. Next thing you know we’ll be hearing about vacations in Fillyberg, or celebrities living in Stalliontown and buying beachfront property in Colt City. Pfft...”

He gave her a knowing smile. “So you don’t think they’re from Utopia?”

She nervously tapped her hooves together. “Well... I mean... no, I don’t. But where else can they be from? The Wastelands? Like... like refugees or something? They didn’t look violent...” she said, though she was still suspicious and knew that appearances could be deceiving. “And, they seemed healthy enough, physically at least. No mutations or deformities or anything. 

“Still, I mean, how could they be from Utopia? They’d have had to take an aerial route, and surely they would’ve been told they needed clothes here. Plus, I know we don’t just give out identification cards, but the NPRD has a station at the Gate. How’d they get past it and into the city without going through that? Seems odd. That’s really all I know.”

“Very valid observations.” Sparkwalker smiled as he wrote down additional notes, then replaced the notepad and pen into his pockets. “Our department was thinking much the same. We just needed confirmation of our information, and it is good to hear we are not alone in our suspicions. You’d make a fine addition to the CIA one day, were you ever so inclined,” he added with a wink. “I’d put in my personal recommendation, even. And, one final question, Snapshot.”

“Yes?”

Sparkwalker leaned forward in his chair and smoothly reached out a hoof to take hold of her own. She looked briefly at the point of contact, then swiftly back to him. He tilted his sunglasses, exposing his eyes fully at last, and gave her a smoky look and a flirtatious smirk. “When do you get off?”

“I... I beg your pardon?”

She must have misheard that. No, he still had that coy grin on his face, like he was trying to remove her uniform with his eyes. It made her feel anxious. Vulnerable. Wanted.

He leaned further forward and wheeled his chair along with him so that their faces were close together. “Must be lonely, working these late nights here at the police station day after day. Must be exhausting... you must crave the feeling of release when your shift is up. I’m afraid I’ve probably kept you well past your normal hours. I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble with payroll over it.”

“I... s-suppose.”

She blushed a deep red, trying her best to keep her cool. Too fast. This was happening too fast. Should she feel worried? Relieved? She’d given up opportunities worse than this for dumber reasons, and she was not about to pass up this stallion just because she felt it was a little too impulsive.

Sparkwalker smiled and removed his sunglasses, neatly placing them into the jacket of his tidy black suit. She became slightly distracted by getting to see his eyes in full. A vivid green, very pretty. She almost didn’t hear him speak, but then again she wasn’t paying much attention to his words so much as his actions. Was she daydreaming again? All that flirting... it had been real? She was worried she was looking for signals that weren’t there, or that he was just using the advances to try and weasel more information out of her, a tactic she admitted worked even if it wasn’t intentional.

“You look so pent up,” he said, his breath hot on her neck. “You look so tense. Please, allow me to help ease that tension, even if for just a moment...”

Strong hooves on her shoulders, keeping her in place. A tender caress. This was so sudden... too sudden. But she didn’t want it to stop, he was so perfect and she was so willing. She chose to forgo any sense of worry. Any sense of wondering, “why would a stallion like this be interested in me?” was completely gone. She couldn’t care any less. 

He was doing so much with those hooves of his that she’d completely fallen out of her reality and became entranced in this living fantasy, such that nothing mattered anymore. It was not her first kiss, but it may as well have been. He was so delicate, not at all rough, sloppy, or dulled like some of her previous boyfriends had been. She barely even noticed him unfastening his tie, or unbuttoning her uniform. Things were moving so fast. They’d only just met.

It was just like one of her steamy romance novels. The suave spy flies in and sweeps the maiden off her hooves, rescuing her from her tedious, bored life and bringing her to new heights. Right from beginning, to the now-middle, and she was hoping soon, the end.

“Mmph...” She moaned into his kiss. “B-but... I hardly even—"

“If you want to think of this as your dream come true, then by all means,” he whispered, giving a low laugh that made her heart flutter. 

It’s like he knows.

Sparkwalker roughly pulled her out of her chair, and she found herself pinned heavily on the floor of the office on top of the rounded floral-patterned rug. She’d never been more glad that the door was locked and that the windows were tinted. Her glasses fogged at his hot breath, and for a moment she forgot herself and found she was unable to resist pleading for his advances, her own hooves gripping at his mane and chest. She could feel his smile on her neck. Taste his voice.

“One last thing, Snapshot.”

“Y-yes... w-what?”

“Have you told anypony else what you’ve told me here today?”

“N-nopony. Please... b-be gentle...”

“No promises...”

First, she felt the tenderness of a kiss upon her neck.

Then, a blade abruptly pierced her carotid artery.

Now, a severe, blinding pain. A hoof over her mouth silenced a muted scream. She looked up into his heartless green eyes, into his sadistic smile. His coat and mane colors dulled. No, that was her vision doing that. It started to fade into black. The blood loss was making her woozy. She tried to buck out of his grip, but she couldn’t find the strength. She tried to cry out for help, but no sound came. The agony was unbearable. It bled far beyond physical pain.

She felt like she’d just committed some great sin. And, by thinking she was helping him, she felt she’d likely just endangered the one pony she now wished she’d never been distracted from.

Flathoof... I...

“Shhhhh.” He cooed into her ear and stroked her mane. “It’ll allllll be over soon, my little shutterbug. Shhhh. Now, be a sweetheart for me, just close your eyes. That’s a good girl.”

Snapshot’s eyes dimmed as the last of her life drained away in a pool of blood on the rug, staining it a deep, dark red.

He smiled a toothy, maddened grin as he stood over her lifeless body, and cracked his neck as if a great load of stress flowed out of him. He enjoyed his work. The little twitches of the victim as they felt their life’s blood just drip, drip, drip away. The flickers of emotion that sparked in their eyes as their hearts stopped. To him it was like a beautiful mural, with himself the artist, his victim the canvas, and their blood the paint. It was an almost excruciating high, the knowledge that another soul’s flame had been snuffed from the world. He relished the particular taste of having denied her a great desire when it was mere inches from her grasp.

The euphoria passed after but a moment. His features hardened as he set himself back into his work, rather than his pleasure. What was important now was getting rid of the evidence. Snapshot had needed to disappear, lest she tell other ponies about a CIA agent asking her questions about those six new citizens they’d just registered. This would attract all sorts of attention, and perhaps the officer accompanying them, this “Flathoof”, would somehow catch word of it and try to interfere. It was easy enough to see that either he was in cahoots with the six mares, or he was as dumb as a sack of hammers for believing their story.

Worse, the CIA might get wind of it and, knowing they didn’t send an agent, would investigate the matter. After all, they’d been more interested in the case because of Chief Smokestack’s payroll increase, but if they thought the six mares were of some critical importance then that would greatly complicate matters. They wouldn’t question why a CIA agent was there in the first place. They worked so slowly they’d figure it was probably from a case several months ago they’d finally gotten around to.

Shadowstep laughed quietly to himself. The Committee sure had its priorities straight.

Well, one job finished. He’d gotten information on his targets that would likely be useful in the future, should they turn out to require his delicate hoofwork rather than just his ever-watching eyes. He even knew where they lived, and who they were with should that information prove useful as well. Anypony with them might try to stand in his way, and knowing how to remove them from the equation was always a boon. And with the little NPPD clerk a lifeless mass on the floor here, though he’d soon have to take care of that, easy enough, nopony would be able to warn them either.

As for whoever was supposed to be trailing them? Well, they’d be dealt with soon enough.


	4. Inconvenience

Twilight and Flathoof stood in the hall outside Room eighty-four and five. They’d come out moments before, as the room itself had become much too cramped for them to bear, what with eight ponies trying to organize an apartment that was meant to house four at best. From outside, it was still easy enough for Flathoof to keep an eye on his parolees without bothering their move-in.

So, when Twilight requested a conversation with him, he’d obliged unhesitantly. Of course, Twilight hadn’t realized that her topic of conversation wasn’t going to be met with that same cordiality.

“Let me get this straight,” Flathoof said, sighing and holding the bridge of his nose. “You want to leave your friends here to tidy up your new home, because you want to go to Central Database Holdings, right now?”

“That’s right,” Twilight said. “I figured it would be a good idea to start looking for... work, and as soon as possible. I was a librarian back home, so I‘d wager I’d be just as good at it here. I want to take a look at their facility and get used to their system a little before I apply, though. Officer Snapshot was nice enough to put in a recommendation. Even if she only did it because of you, I plan to use it.”

“That’s not what I have a problem with. It’s that you seem to think I’m going to just let you go on your own.”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “Well, I just didn’t want to bother anypony else with my errands, is all. I can get a bit absorbed in my work sometimes.”

Twilight elected not to mention that she was going to spend most of her time at the library doing what libraries were intended for: studying. Specifically, researching this perplexing new location as much as she could. What little she could gather from talking with Flathoof and likely soon, Lockwood, was not enough to quench her curiosity, nor enough to make her think she knew what she’d need to know to get her and her friends home. She had planned to take as long as she needed, but hadn’t accounted for requiring an escort.

Flathoof shook his head and sighed. “While that is all well and good, Miss Sparkle, and I commend you for taking some initiative in looking for employment, I can’t just let you go by yourself. You’re on parole for one week, remember? Until then, all of you have to remain in my custody. So, if you want to visit the library, you’ll have to wait until after everypony here is done so you can all go.”

Twilight’s face fell. “Oh... I was hoping to get a head-start on it.”

Truthfully, she wanted to do it with as few distractions as possible. If she were allowed to “get in the zone”, as Rarity would put it, and start her research by herself without any interference from her friends, she hoped she would be able to get plenty of information in very little time. Not that she did not appreciate their company, but some of them weren’t exactly the best study partners. Rarity and Fluttershy might be of help, and if the right subject matter was involved she could probably rope Rainbow Dash into it too. Pinkie Pie could be either helpful or a hindrance, and Applejack, well, she just wasn’t the reading type. She didn’t want to force them all to go.

“I am sorry, Miss Sparkle, but rules are rules,” Flathoof said.

Twilight sighed. “I understand...”

The door fell open, and a gray form tumbled out onto the dirty carpet of the hallway. After shaking himself off with a slight huff, Lockwood got back to his hooves and addressed the two surprised ponies with a sheepish grin.

“Ow...?”

Flathoof narrowed his eyes at the new addition to the conversation. “Snooping as usual, Lockwood?”

Lockwood brushed off his jacket with a wing. “Now now, Flathoof, surely you don’t intend on keeping this young lady from trying to make her way in the world, do you?”

“I don’t think this is something you can help with.” 

Flathoof looked at Twilight, who was still in a mild state of panic from the sudden intrusion. Her pupils were pinpricks, her eyes wide. Both ears were plastered down against her head. 

“This is my duty as their parole officer. I have to keep them all in my sight, as much as I’d like to think I can trust them. I know it’s a two- or three-pony job, but I can’t expect any other officers to jump at the opportunity to babysit a bunch of new citizens. Not that I trust many of them to do the job anyway, or not to try anything fishy.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Lockwood said. He pointed his hoof teasingly at Flathoof. “But, you seem to be forgetting that there is somepony you can trust to keep an eye on them. Somepony who’s always willing to lend a helping hoof, and not just to his closest friends but to anypony in need.”

“You?” Flathoof said, his eyes half-lidded.

“Of course!” Lockwood grinned as he straightened his jacket collar in mock offense. “Sheesh, who did you think I meant? Some random passer-by?”

“Lockwood, this isn’t a game. I know you like to help and all, but rules are rules, and as much as the other officers wouldn’t have a problem breaking them, I do. I’ve got a reputation to uphold. And besides, that sort of thing goes against my own morals.”

Twilight took a deep breath and relaxed. Too many surprises today had put her on edge. “But didn’t you break some rules in getting us through all this?” she asked.

“Break? N-nnnope.” Flathoof nervously tugged his collar and glanced at Lockwood’s cheeky grin. “I mean, okay, NPPD regulations have so many loopholes and workarounds that, well, a pony with the knowledge of how it works could probably get around a few roadblocks here and there if they saw fit. That’s how Snapshot got your forms through so quickly. She knows just the right boxes to fill and marks to make.”

“Just like the tax code loopholes I’m going to be working around to get my new tenants a solid start,” Lockwood added. He playfully nudged Flathoof in the ribs. “And you know all about that too, don’t you? Don’t be such a hypo—"

“Right,” Flathoof interrupted. He took a deep breath. “Fine. I guess if I’ve abused a few loopholes here and there already, no harm in going the full mile.”

Lockwood beamed and gave Twilight a sly wink. “Precisely! I’m sure there is something you can conjure up to let somepony you trust be an additional caretaker for these lovely young ladies? Unless...” 

Lockwood narrowed his eyes and his smile broadened. “Unless, you were planning on keeping them all to yourself?”

Flathoof stammered, “H-hey now, d-don’t accuse me of that kind of—"

“Aww, you sly pony you!” Lockwood placed his leg around Flathoof’s shoulder. “I should’ve figured it out from the get-go. I didn’t think you had it in you, after all these years. Which one is it then? I’m guessing... is it Miss Sparkle here?”

“What?!”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“Well, what with the whole ‘trying to keep her in my sights’ thing, I figured—"

“It’s not Miss Sparkle!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What’s not me? What are you two—"

Lockwood laughed heartily. “Oh ho ho, I see! Suddenly you fancy yourself a ladies’ stallion, and saw the opportunity to flaunt yourself in front of six eligible—"

“E-enough!” Flathoof blurted. He took a deep breath and straightened his hat. “Fine, what did you have in mind, if it’ll shut you up with these ridiculous ideas of yours?”

“Well I’m not too well-versed in NPPD rules, really. That’s supposed to be your department. But, there must be some sort of workaround that would allow a non-officer to assist you in tending to your parolees?”

“Well...” Flathoof mused. “I suppose I could list you as a third-party caretaker. It wouldn’t really be questioned either, seeing as you’re their landlord and all.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, have it your way. You always do.”

“Excellent.” Lockwood nodded and closed his eyes. A content smile formed upon his lips.

“I’ll have to contact the station and get Snapshot to file the paperwork. I need to get a good signal, so I’ll be just over here.”

Flathoof pointed at the nearby window on the opposite end of the hall, then cantered over to it. He loosened the latch and opened it. Then, after a quick look outside, he began talking into the walkie-talkie strapped to his right foreleg.

While Flathoof was occupied, Twilight took the opportunity to converse with Lockwood. “Thank you... both of you. I don’t know what we’d do without your help. We were all in rather dire straits, and nopony else in this city—"

“Say no more, Miss Sparkle.” Lockwood gave her a wide smile and patted her on the shoulder. “Believe me when I say I know just how unhelpful most of my fellow citizens can be. We’re a rare breed, ponies like Flathoof and I. It’s why we’re such good friends! We share that common bond in knowing we can trust and rely on one another and that other ponies can feel the same for us. I’ve formed similar relationships with many of the ponies in this city and even some elsewhere, all of whom I feel I can give a similar level of respect and trust to.”

“How many ponies do you know?” Twilight asked. “My friend Rarity is quite popular where we come from. I don’t even know half the ponies she does.”

“Oh a great deal of ponies, believe me,” Lockwood said. He feigned exhaustion, as if knowing so many individuals was a physically exhausting endeavor.

Twilight pursed her lips in thought and tapped her chin. “This city seems so vast... how could anypony possibly hope to know so many?”

Lockwood beamed and flittered his wings proudly. “All it takes is one good friend, and you can move from there. You’d be surprised who your friends know, and who your friends’ friends know, and so on. So I know ponies from all walks of life, in fact. A few of the upper crust, like this building’s owners for example. It helps to have friends in high places, they say. And rich folk always appreciate a good, resourceful pony, so they’d be willing to look the other way when, heh, he gives away a vacant apartment to a bunch of parolees he just met.

“I have friends in lower places as well, and just the same it’s always helpful to have some there too. While some of them are less... reputable than others, at least in the eyes of the majority of the populace, you’d be surprised at the kinds of diamonds you can find in the roughest sands.”

Twilight gulped. “You mean... criminals?” 

Her eyes nervously darted back and forth. It was bad enough that Lockwood had joked about murder earlier, but now he was claiming to be acquainted with criminals? Just who was this pony?

“Oh no, no no no, not at all,” he dismissed with a rapid wave of a hoof. He then stopped and hung his head. “Well, okay, technically some of my friends would be considered criminals by the system. But, I assure you that their crimes are not harmful in any way to anypony in any meaningful or personal sense. No murderers or thieves or anything like that, though I believe that goes without saying. But yes, they’re guilty of some crimes against our wonderful little city’s ‘government’,” he added. His mouth bore a sneer, and his eyes had narrowed at that one word. Government.

“You could say their crimes are trying to do as I do: helping others by getting around the way the city’s backwards and sideways and upside-down laws work. But, we can discuss that another time, if you’d like.”

Over by the window, Flathoof could be heard finishing his call, clicking his walkie-talkie with a hoof, and turning back towards the apartment door. Lockwood pointed off in that direction. “Oh, here comes Flathoof. Don’t mention my... other friends to him. He might not approve, you understand.”

Twilight nodded. “Um... right.”

She was sure Lockwood was on the up-and-up, but now she was slightly concerned about taking his offers for assistance. It wouldn’t get them in any more trouble, would it? No, surely not. After all, he was clearly somepony who worked around the system often himself, and he was still considered respectable enough that he was close friends with a high-ranking police officer. Right?

“So,” Flathoof said as he stomped over, “I just got off the line with the station. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t think of this sooner, because I could have asked Snapshot to take care of it while we were there and it’d be in the system by now. She got off duty maybe an hour or so ago, and the silly girl forgot to punch out again. Had to ask one of the night-shift workers instead. He’ll fill it out and get it done, because even the night-shift knows not to shirk on orders given from the higher-ups. But, I’m concerned about it being done right. I’ll have to call Snapshot tomorrow and have her go over it to make sure it got filed properly.”

“So then, we can go?” Twilight asked, a hopeful grin on her face.

“Yes yes, we can go,” Flathoof said.

Twilight excitedly clapped her hooves together. “Excellent! I can’t wait to see this library. I wonder if it’s anything like the one back home?”

Flathoof shook his head, but kept a smile on his face. “We’ll get leaving immediately. If you’re sure you can handle the rest of them, Lockwood?”

Lockwood looked into the apartment and watched as Rarity helped Fluttershy dust some of the cabinets in one corner of the room. Rainbow and Applejack helped one another rearrange the furniture, though the two were debating on where the couch they were carrying should go.

Lockwood shook his head, worry-free. “I don’t think—"

Pinkie tripped over a rug and dropped the dusty mats she’d been carrying. They flew all over the room, spreading dust over everypony and everything. Rarity squealed in horrified disgust, Fluttershy started to cry, and Rainbow began to scold the pink earth pony openly. Applejack just hung her head in disappointment.

Lockwood chuckled and tugged his collar. “Uh... I don’t think it will be too much trouble.”

Flathoof laughed and slapped Lockwood on the back. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. Come on, Miss Sparkle. We’ll leave my good-mannered companion to tend to his new-found flock.”

The pair turned towards the stairwell to leave, but were stopped by a voice behind them.

“Now hang on just one doggone minute.” Applejack stepped in front of the two of them, her eyes darting between the pair. “If y’all‘re takin’ a little stroll, perhaps ya wouldn’t mind if I joined ya?”

“Join us?” Twilight blinked and gave Applejack a quizzical look. “We’re going to the library, Applejack. It’s not a place you’d usually volunteer to go... if you don’t mind my saying.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “You sayin’ I ain’t got no book smarts, Twi?”

“Do... do you really want me to answer that question?”

Applejack gave an aggravated sigh and shook her head. “Nevermind. I’m just worried ‘bout ya goin’ by yerself, Twi.”

“I’m not going alone, Applejack. I’ve got Flathoof with me,” Twilight said, patting the stallion on the shoulder. “And, he’s in law enforcement and all that. He’ll keep me safe. No need to worry or—"

Applejack stomped her hoof and gave Twilight an indignant look. “I know that, Twi, I jus’ wanna keep an eye on ya, that‘s all. And ta be honest, I don’t think I can take much more o’ Rarity’s complainin’ ‘bout the dust ‘n’ dirt. If she starts whinin’, well, I can’t be held responsible for what might happen.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and nodded, beginning to get the idea that it might be better not to argue. “Oh, well okay then. If that’s alright with you, Captain Flathoof?”

“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be.” Flathoof shrugged and walked past Applejack towards the stairs. “Very well then, come along Miss Applejack. I suppose we could use the company.”

Applejack smiled. “Thank ya kindly.”

***

“That’s... a library?” Applejack whistled. “This place is—"

“Huge,” Twilight completed.

Central Database Holdings was a large building, taking up not one, not two, not three, but four full city blocks. While not as tall as Southeast Point, it still towered over the ponies walking the streets below. Lines of pulsing, neon blue lights highlighted the contours of the building’s black metal exterior, from the edges of the structure to the indents that dotted it. Many of the lines flowed towards the largest indent on the front of the structure, indicating the entrance.

Twilight gulped. “If the dimensions are what I think they are, Applejack, then this building’s bigger than all of Ponyville proper. Excluding Sweet Apple Acres of course.”

The newer, shinier metals looked out of place compared to the buildings around it. Flathoof explained that this was because Central Database Holdings was a relatively new building compared to the rest of the area, and that most of the surrounding landscape had needed severe reconstruction to accommodate the structure’s needs. Specifically, the insertion of a massive series of wires and cables beneath the streets, needed to power the center and transmit information to and from it.

That last bit confused the two mares. They were used to letters and packages, and thanks to Spike were also familiar with the magicks of Dragonfire-fueled mail services. Transmitting information through cables and wires? How was that even possible?

Flathoof gestured at it with a hoof and addressed Twilight. “Expanding on what I briefly explained earlier, this is the central depository for every single piece of data and information the city has available to it. Research, literature, art, documentation, news recordings, public records, legal statements, etcetera. If you’re looking for anything in particular, this is the place you can find it.”

“They must have an absolute ton of information stored there,” Twilight mused, her voice tinged with awe.

Applejack nodded her head and removed her hat. “Dang, an’ all this here place does is hold books?”

Flathoof tilted his head. “Books?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, books. You said this place is a library, and libraries hold books, amongst other things. Documents, newspapers, that sort of thing. Just like this place does.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Flathoof said. “The Pandemonium Database System is entirely digital. They copy down any written information they get into their computer system, then get rid of the original forms or whatever. Most ponies don’t even bother writing things on paper anymore, besides documentation forms since the NPRD insists on making things difficult.”

Twilight turned white. “W-w-what? No... no, you’re joking. You must be joking.”

His stern face said that he wasn’t.

”They don’t have books here, Applejack!” Twilight grabbed Applejack’s side and shook her friend in a fierce panic. “They don’t. Have. Books!”

Applejack eased Twilight off of her and held the flustering unicorn steady. “Whoa there, sugarcube, ease up a bit. He said they still got all yer info stuff in there, just in a new way. What’d y’all call it again?”

“A computer?” Flathoof scratched his head. “You don’t know what a... huh. Well, what difference does it make anyway? Come on, let’s not dilly-dally around out here.”

He turned to Twilight and patted her on the shoulder. “Miss Sparkle, since you’re looking for a job, we’re going to talk to the Chief Librarian. That’s your best bet for getting in.”

Twilight murmured, “Right... yes, of course. I’m... just... trying to get over the whole ‘no books’ thing.”

The trio entered the building via the glowing blue door at the front. It slid open automatically at their approach. This didn’t surprise Flathoof at all, and it only caused Twilight a little surprise. Applejack, on the other hoof, had been spooked and nearly leapt onto Twilight in shock. After calming her down, they entered properly. Inside, they strolled down a long, black hallway that led to another door, which also opened at their approach, and led them into the main lobby.

It was then seen that it wasn’t anywhere near as big on the inside as the outside. The room was still very large, and blanketed with desk after desk. There were enough desks in the room that Applejack was certain that all together they could probably build a small town large enough to fill the room.

Upon these desks were the strangest things Applejack had ever seen. They looked like small windows, but instead of being clear, they glowed white. She could see little images moving on some of them, sometimes words, and the ponies at some of the desks were able to manipulate the images with their hooves.

True enough, there wasn’t a single book in sight.

They approached the central desk, where they requested the Chief Librarian’s presence. While they waited for the receptionist to fetch him, Applejack took the time to pick up and examine the shiny, crystal nameplate that sat on the desk.

“Oooh, fancy.”

An olive green unicorn stallion with a neatly-combed lime green mane popped up from behind the desk. Applejack, surprised, fumbled the nameplate, dropping it to the floor where it shattered. He wore a plaid tweed jacket adorned with a tag reading Chief Librarian, and large-rimmed glasses that were too big for his face, giving him every impression of a librarian.

“That’s alright, I have fifty more of those under here.” The unicorn promptly reached under the desk, grabbed another, and replaced the broken one. “Though I’ll say I’m used to only small foals breaking them.”

“Eh heh... sorry?” Applejack murmured.

His eyes remained narrowed as he spoke. His tone dripped with boredom. He didn’t even seem to be looking at any one of them in particular. “Greetings and welcome to Central Database Holdings. I am Chief Librarian Archimedes. How may I be of service to you on this extraordinarily busy day where my time would be better spent elsewhere?”

Twilight coughed into her hoof, then gave a pleasant smile. “Yes, hi... I’m new in town and was looking for some kind of opening position, if you have one available?”

The librarian rolled his eyes. “Our job openings are always limitless because nopony wants to work in a stuffy office building pushing buttons all day. Not when there are more exciting jobs out there like rent-a-cop, garbage stallion, or window cleaner. Who has time to bother sorting through all the information in the city? All the things that we have to send to everypony else that keeps them running? Yes, stars forbid anypony want to help with that.”

Archimedes ended his rant with a loud inhalation of air through his nostrils. “At any rate, do you have any qualifications?”

“I worked at the... Utopian... Central... Library. Yes. Utopian Central Library. In Utopia. Because that’s where I’m from,” Twilight added with a nervous, awkward smile.

“Utopia, huh?” Archimedes raised an eyebrow and looked at Twilight as if she were a bug. “Are they still using hard-copies over there or have they stopped being such barbarians and finally made the transfer over to digital?”

“What’s wrong with hard copies?” Twilight scoffed.

“It’s so easy to lose hard-copy material compared to digital data. Irresponsible, really. Not the case with digital. We have backups of our backups of our backups, and everything is encoded so precisely that only those with authority to access the information could possibly hope to do so in the first place.” He cleared his throat and continued to give her the same disinterested look. “But I digress. What types of materials are you familiar with?”

“Well... I’m used to hard-copy materials,” Twilight said. “B-but I’m—"

Archimedes rolled his eyes and waved a hoof dismissively. “All well and fine. You’re a librarian, so that means you can read, and that means you can learn. It’s not that difficult of a transition, really. You’re actually learning to use something easier. None of that decimal system garbage I’m certain you’re accustomed to.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with the decimal—"

“Before I consider your employment though, I’ll have to see how quickly you can adjust to using our database. I don’t need another brain-dead lout on my staff, not after that last idiot nearly deleted half the city’s registry when I asked him to change the name of the folder.”

“I can assure you, I’m not an idiot,” Twilight said.

Archimedes nodded his head, though clearly not really believing her answer. “Right, yes, certainly. First though, tell me why you’re being escorted by a police officer? Care to explain, Officer...?”

“Captain Flathoof. She’s on parole,” Flathoof said. “New in town, didn’t have identification. You know how it is.”

Archimedes frowned in Flathoof’s direction, giving him a quick once-over. “I suppose I shouldn’t question why they were allowed past the Gate without identification?”

“Bit of a management mishap. Paperwork got messed up. They’re only on parole because their attempt to get ID later caused a ruckus downtown.”

Archimedes hummed, then shrugged. “Doesn’t sound like anything that might threaten my life or my work.”

He turned to Twilight again. “Now then, if you don’t mind, Miss... I didn’t get your name, either.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” she said, bowing her head slightly.

Archimedes turned back to Flathoof, and pointed at Twilight. “Miss Sparkle here is going to need to come with me to provide background information and proof of her capabilities. Dreadfully sorry, but I can’t allow anypony else into the Database Hub. We have a strict policy: two ponies at a time, no more, no less, one of whom must have a Librarian Database Keycard. If I go about making exceptions here and there then I may as well not have the rule in the first place. Rules are rules, you understand.”

“Right. Her parole says I have to keep her in sight at all times.” Flathoof stared at Archimedes, not budging an inch. “Surely you can do whatever it is you need to do within eye and earshot of me? Rules are rules, you understand.”

Archimedes stared right back. “My apologies, captain. I hate to sound uncooperative, but I can assure you your superiors wouldn’t have any trouble with my stipulations. I’ve done my share of research on the NPPD rules and regulations, and know that you can allow your parolee out of your sight if they’re going in for a job interview. I trust that won’t be a problem, will it?”

Flathoof balked and stood speechless for half a second. “Nnnope, no trouble. I understand. Rules are rules. But I suppose, then, you also know there’s a time limit imposed?”

Archimedes waved his hoof. “Yes yes, we have an hour before you come barging in and start barking orders. Come along, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight gave a pleading look to Applejack as she was escorted away.

“Well, she’ll be fine for now then, I guess,” Flathoof said, breathing through his nose, clearly not used to having his authority challenged. “Today has just not been working out so well. I need a cup of coffee...”

He looked around, and saw the library’s mini coffee shop in the corner, with a sign over it reading CDH Café. He turned to Applejack and gestured towards the shop. “Come along, Miss Applejack. I’ll buy you a cup too. We might be here awhile.”

“Oh... r-right.” Applejack started following Flathoof towards the shop. “Well hang on, I thought y’all said she was only gonna be an hour?”

“Yes, but I suspect Miss Sparkle will likely want to do some private work on her own if she can. I think I can trust her not to go running off and leaving you alone.” Flathoof held the door open for her, and helped her pick out a table. “Besides, if she gets the job she’ll need to know more than just the basics. Even if she doesn’t, she’ll want to look into other records to find another job appropriate for her talents.”

“Y’all’d trust us that quickly?” Applejack asked, taking a seat at a corner table.

Flathoof chuckled. “I’ve learned over the years how to tell whether or not a pony is trustworthy. I tend to stick close to those who are.”

Flathoof left Applejack and headed up to the counter, where she saw him order two large coffees. He returned a moment later and set her coffee in front of her, before taking his seat and immediately sipping from his own cup. 

“Oh by the stars that’s good stuff...” he said, breathing deep.

Applejack stared at her cup for a moment, unsure what to make of the thick liquid that Flathoof had called “coffee”. She knew what coffee was, certainly, but this didn’t seem like any coffee she knew. It was black, like any good coffee was, but it didn’t really have a smell to it. Applejack sipped slowly at first, then took a bigger sip before setting her cup back down and exhaling sharply. It didn’t taste bad, certainly; then again, it didn’t taste good either. A bland, flavorless, yet at the very least palpable, drink. But, Applejack felt a sense of emptiness as she drank it, noting how good it also wasn’t. They hadn’t been here in this new place for very long, but already she was feeling extremely homesick the more she thought about what she was missing.

She remembered Apple Bloom waking up early and making coffee for her and Big Macintosh one morning. Her stomach turned at the thought of it. Whatever that little filly’s cutie mark ended up being, it was not going to have anything to do with coffee. Still, even though it had been the worst coffee she’d ever tasted, it reminded her of home. She missed her brother, sister, and grandmother dearly.

Applejack felt nervous being alone with Flathoof, even if that had been the reason she’d come along to the library in the first place. Something about him piqued her interest, and it was more than just his honesty and hard-working mentality. When they’d been together in that elevator back at the station, she’d been squeezed next to him a bit too closely. She’d smelt a certain aroma on him that reminded her of home in a way. Nothing like apples, soil, or open air. This city didn’t have those things anyway. But, the scent was still somehow familiar. The smell of soot, metal, and hard labor. But where would he get such a scent working in the city like this? The police station certainly lacked any of those things.

Flathoof broke the silence. “I’m glad I get to spend some time with one of you one-on-one. Trying to focus on six ponies at once has been proving challenging. I can never decide which of you I should focus my attention on. You’re all so different. How did you all come to be such close friends?”

“Well, some of us knew each other before Twilight moved ta Ponyville,” Applejack explained, knowing there was no point in not mentioning Ponyville anymore. She couldn’t bring herself to say “Utopia” unless it was absolutely necessary, and Flathoof had at the very least humored her somewhat. 

“Rainbow an’ I met ‘cause she’s with Ponyville’s weather patrol, an’ I run the biggest farm in town. Her patrol team had ta keep up a regular rainfall schedule, see? An’ Fluttershy, well she’s real good with animals, an’ we’ve got animals on our farm too. But we all got ta know each other better when Twilight moved in. I guess she’s kinda like our... glue, ‘cause she brought us all together. Weren’t until Twilight came inta the picture that I knew Rarity or Pinkie Pie outside of seein’ them in market every now an’ then.”

“Well, how’d she manage that?” Flathoof asked.

Applejack nervously took her cup in both hooves. “Well... she was sent in from the big city ta organize a big event, an’ our town was ta be the host. All five o’ the rest o’ us were picked fer big parts o’ the event, ‘cause we’re the best at what we do. So... yeah, there’s that. Kinda took off from there.”

Applejack elected not to mention the entire Nightmare Moon incident and the Elements of Harmony bit. There might be time for that some other day, but for now it seemed a waste to try and explain something that Flathoof would likely never believe.

Flathoof nodded and took another sip of his coffee. “I suppose I can understand that. Lockwood has been much the same for me. I can’t count the number of ponies I’ve met and had good relations with thanks to his involvement. That’s his special talent, building up these little social networks of his. He’s good friends with my family too. My mother just adores him. She tries so hard to get him to visit more often.”

“Y’all got family here?” Applejack asked.

“Of course I’ve got family,” Flathoof said, confused. “What, they don’t have those back in Utopia either?”

Applejack frowned. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, my friends never say a word ‘bout their families much. I was jus’ wonderin’ if y’all were the same.”

Flathoof took another large gulp of coffee. “So... you have family back home?”

“I do.” Applejack sighed. “I miss ‘em...”

Flathoof smiled warmly. “The way I look at it, your family is always with you, no matter how far away you are. Even if it’s across the world, they’ll always support you, right?”

Applejack nodded and gave a small smile. “I s’pose. I jus’ worry about ‘em, that’s all.”

“What are they like? Any brothers, sisters?”

“One older brother, Macintosh. We all call him ‘Big’ Macintosh ‘cause he’s... well, he’s a big guy. Hard-worker too, just like me. Good with math, but I ain’t never seen him open a book in my life so I ain’t got any idea how he does it. Who knows what he gets up to on his free time. One lil’ sister, Apple Bloom. She’s... well...”

Applejack hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and smiled broadly. “She’s Apple Bloom! Been a mite bit obsessed with gettin’ a cutie mark lately, an’ won’t listen ta reason ‘bout givin’ it time. Lots an’ lots o’ cousins, all part o’ th’ ‘Apple Clan’ as we call it. I won’t go through the whole list though. Time limit ‘n’ all. Grandmother, Granny Smith. She’s gettin’ along okay... but me an’ Big Macintosh‘re worried she don’t have long...”

Flathoof took another sip of coffee. “Parents?”

Applejack smile dropped, and she stared into her coffee like it was the only thing in the world to look at. “I... I don’t like ta talk about that. If’n y’all don’t mind...”

“I apologize...” Flathoof frowned and put his cup back on the table. “If... if I brought up any bad memor—"

“Don’t worry about it none.” She shook her head and took a sip of her own coffee again. “How ‘bout you? What’s yer family like?”

“Mine?” Flathoof blinked and scratched his chin for a second. “Okay, I guess I can tell you. I’ve got my mother and father, Shortcake and Stouthoof. Two younger brothers, Thickhoof and Shorthoof. One younger sister, Pattycake. The stallions on my father’s side have all been Foundry workers for generations. And, as my father says, ‘the Hoof line has always been attracted to great chefs’, so that’s what my family’s mares have all tended to be.”

Applejack found herself recalling something Pinkie Pie once called her, “best baker ever”. She shook her head. Why did she think of that at all?

He laughed and drained the last of his coffee. “Very traditional, you understand. I’m a bit of a black sheep, if you will. First stallion in over twelve generations not to want to work in the Foundry. Gave it a try out of high school, decided it wasn’t for me. Nearly broke my poor father’s heart.”

Applejack scratched her head. “What’s a foundry?”

“Oh, it’s the major factory center in Mid-West. They make just about everything in the city that gets used for construction purposes of all shapes and sizes: metals, tools, things like that. Not an easy job, I tell you. A lot of physical work, and there’s always a risk of serious injury. My father used to come home with cuts and burns all the time, always made my mother worry.” Flathoof was only barely able to hide the slight hint of concern in his own voice.

Applejack nodded. While she had only a vague idea what a factory was, it seemed like it was a lot like farm work, in a way: lots of physical labor, long days, and his family all did the same kind of work? Well, except himself, of course.

“Why ain’t ya there with yer family, if they all do the same kind o’ work?” she asked, remembering well her own younger days and hopes of being different by moving to Manehatten. “Sounds ta me like that’d be mighty supportive for ‘em. What made y’all change yer mind?”

Flathoof chuckled as he sheepishly ran a hoof through his mane. “You can thank Lockwood for that. He was always a wimp back in school. Got picked on a lot. He still is, sorta, but he knows how to take better care of himself these days. I didn’t like seeing my friend getting bullied around, so I stood up for him when he couldn’t do it for himself. Guess I kind of just ran with the idea of stamping out injustices like that, thought maybe joining the NPPD was my true calling.”

“Looks like ya made it big there,” Applejack said. “Still, y’all sound like ya ain’t too happy ‘bout it.”

Flathoof chuckled. “Oh you would not believe the grief my family gave me for that. ‘Not joining the family line’, ‘risking your life for strangers’, ‘working around all those crooked good-for-nothings’. That kind of deal. It took them awhile, but eventually they understood why I wanted to do it, and since then they’ve supported me all the way. Helped a lot that Lockwood had always been like another son to them. He’s very convincing.”

“D’ya still live with ‘em? I know my friends don’t live with their families no more. Far as I know, they don’t even write or nothin’. Twilight didn’t even know her brother was gettin’ hitched ‘til the week o’ the weddin’! Can ya believe it?” Applejack shook her head in disbelief.

Flathoof nodded. “I certainly do. It’s expensive moving out and living on your own around here.”

Well, now she knew where he got the smell. If he lived with his family and they all worked at that factory, then their whole house probably smelled like that at all times of the day, probably even overpowering the smell of whatever foods his mother and sister whipped up.

Flathoof shrugged. “Plus there’s practical reasons. My status as a police officer gets them a tax break, but only if I’m living with them. It’s uncomfortable, sure, but I manage. My family needs every bit we can get, ever since...” He trailed off, then gave her an apologetic look. “Well, it’s a long story.”

“We got time, sugarcube.” Applejack blushed when she realized she’d accidentally called him by the pet name she gave to all her friends. Where had that come from?

“Well, my brother, Thickhoof, got injured on the job about five years ago, when I was still just a rookie on the force. Lost the use of his hind legs. Has to use braces to get around these days...”

Applejack frowned at the dejected, faraway look in his eyes.

He sighed and batted his empty cup around between his hooves. “I’ve had to work extra shifts for three years, most of my family too, just to pay his medical bills and to make up for the tax payments that he still has to meet, but can’t since he doesn’t have work. Lockwood has been a big help, getting us breaks whenever he can.”

Applejack smiled. “Well now, that’s real nice o’ him.”

“Like I said, my mother adores him. Keeps trying to hook him up with my sister even when that’s... even though the two of them don’t see eye-to-eye.” He gave a little laugh and used his hooves to draw out a round shape. “She’s too big and loud for the poor guy, he likes a more... ah, graceful type, I think. Y’know, somepony like himself.”

Applejack nodded. “I’m sorry ta hear ‘bout yer brother. I know I worry ‘bout things like that all the time. My brother got hurt a year ago. Nothin’ big, but it kept ‘im outta work fer a whole week. I was worried sick, an’ that ain’t countin’ havin’ ta double my workload to make up his. I kept worryin’, ‘what if he don’t get better?’, and so I pushed myself a lil’ too hard, just ta prove I could do the work o’ two if that ever happened.”

“So you all work on your... uh... farm together then? What kind of food do you grow? Is it any good?”

“You betcha!” Applejack smiled, glad to bring the topic back around to happier things. “Best darn apple crop in all o’ Equestria, if I do say so myself, not to toot my own horn or nothin’.”

Flathoof scratched his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know what an ‘apple’ is.”

“Oh. Well... shoot, yeah, o’ course ya don’t. I can’t see how anypony could grow apples ‘round here anyhow. Well, we grow other things too, sure as shootin’! Carrots, celery stalks, corn, that sorta thing.”

“I’ll admit I’ve always kind of wanted to try real food someday.” He sighed in disappointment. “I’m kind of disappointed you didn’t bring anything with you.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Uh... real? What in the hay does that mean?”

“Well like you said, Pandemonium and the surrounding areas aren’t exactly the best agricultural centers,” he said, swirling his hoof around above him. “I mean, we live in a smog-covered city of metal and cement, surrounded by a totally barren wasteland that we oh-so-creatively named The Wasteland, since it’s the only one in all of Equestria. So, we make synthetic food. Well, the Dolor company does anyway. They’ve got kind of a monopoly on it, and frankly we’re all kind of glad for it. You don’t want to taste the knock-offs.”

Applejack eyed her coffee with extreme disdain. It wasn’t real coffee? Sure, she admitted it tasted a little funny, but she chalked that up to it just being an odd brew, not it being fake.

She gulped. “What... uh... what d’y’all use to make the stuff?”

“Ponies.”

Applejack turned white and was glad she hadn’t been drinking the stuff at that exact moment, but was horrified that she’d already finished half her cup.

Flathoof started laughing. “Sorry, sorry... just a joke. I’ve got to remember you girls don’t really have much of a sense of humor like we Pandemonians do. That whole ‘Dolor Green is Ponies’ thing is just a rumor. I’ve seen their facility myself, many times, and haven’t seen a thing that made me think the rumors were true.”

Applejack continued to tremble, and pushed her cup away from herself.

Flathoof tugged his collar and gave her an apologetic smile. “C’mon now, Applejack, you’ve just gotta relax. If you’re going to hang around Lockwood for any amount of time, you’re going to have to get used to some of his jokes. He’s much better about it than I am. Or worse, depending on your point of view. He’s just got that super serious tone of voice down so perfect.”

“R-right...” She gulped and eyed her coffee, deciding right then and there not to take another sip, just in case. “Heh... w-what a silly thought, usin’ ponies as food... heh... heh heh...”

As the two of them continued to talk, neither took much notice of a green unicorn mare in a heavy coat sitting several tables away, hurriedly scribbling in a notebook.

***

“Easy now... just a little more to the left... a little more... ah! Perfect. Wonderful work darling!” Rarity said to Fluttershy as she helped her straighten a cleaned set of curtains over a cracked window. “Oh it is so good to have an extra pair of delicate hooves like yours available, my dear.”

“Thank you...” Fluttershy blushed, her face obscured behind her mane. “It’s... nothing much...”

“On the contrary, darling! With your help, we’ll have this hovel looking spic and span in no time at all. Why, it might even just be liveable!”

Inside Room eighty-four and five at Southeast Point, cleaning had really gotten underway now that there was more room to move, even if there were less ponies to do the work. The few items of decor left in the room by a previous tenant, and not a murder victim they hoped, were enough to help them turn the cramped apartment into a comfortable home. It wasn’t anything particularly fancy or wondrous, but it was clean and presentable enough that it would serve them for as long as it was needed.

“And then we can begin decorating for the party, right? Riiight?” Pinkie asked. She started bouncing in a circle, giggling into her hooves. “Oh boy, I wonder when we can go start shopping for—"

Rarity interrupted, “Pinkie Pie, dear, that is really neither here nor there at this point. I think we should focus more on getting everything all cleaned up, then getting some rest. Maybe we can think about the party tomorrow, hmm? Besides, we don’t have any money for supplies like that just yet, and I’d feel rather awful asking for any more charity from our generous friends.”

From the doorway, Lockwood gave a light-hearted chuckle. “My dear Miss Rarity, with a face like yours, I’m quite surprised there isn’t already a line of stallions trying to give you gifts.”

Rarity smiled back at him. “Oh, don’t you think that just by doling out charm that you can get out of helping us tidy up, Mister Lockwood. Come on then, be a good stallion and—"

A voice came from the stairwell. “Mister Lockwood! Mister Lockwood!”

Lockwood turned around and stepped into the hall to find the source of the shouting. “By the stars, what’s all the commotion?”

A light purple earth pony mare bounded up the stairs and hopped into the hallway, landing next to him with a thump. Her sides heaved as she tried to catch her breath, and she put a hoof over her chest to calm herself. She rested a foreleg against Lockwood to steady herself.

“Thank goodness I found... oh... hold on... give me a minute here...”

She exhaled greatly. “Whew! Okay. I’m good. Mister Lockwood!” She grabbed his hoof and started dragging him towards the stairs. “You gotta come quick! There’s another gas leak!”

Lockwood chuckled dismissively. “Whoa now, what are you getting me for then? That’s Fixit’s job, you know that.”

The mare kept dragging him. “Mister Fixit’s on his way!”

“Okay, so?

“But Mister Lockwood, it’s in eighty-two and twelve thirty!”

Lockwood nearly tripped. “Aww, no, not those two again. Didn’t we tell them last time they had a leak that they’d used up their repairs for the month?”

She pleaded. “I know, sir, but you gotta—"

Lockwood held up a hoof to stop her from talking. “Fine fine, I’ll take care of this. Go on, I’ll be right down.”

He grumbled and turned back to the four mares in the room that had watched the whole thing unfold, then started pacing back and forth rapidly, his head slowly shaking back and forth in thought.

Rarity coughed into her hoof. “Trouble, I take it?”

Lockwood sighed and straightened his jacket. “There’s a pair of tenants down in eighty-two and twelve thirty that are real... basket cases. This is the third leak this month. We don’t know what’s causing it or if they’re even at fault, but they’re making a stink about it. I need to calm them down before they start trouble again, at least until Fixit shows up to... repair it.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay, this is going to sound really irresponsible, but I need to take care of this. Can I trust you all to just stay here and keep cleaning?”

Rarity and Fluttershy glanced at one another, then back to him and nodded. “Of course you can, darling.”

Rainbow snorted. “Pft, you guys are lucky we’re not real criminals, I’ll tell you that much.”

“I know, I know,” Lockwood said. He combed his mane back with a hoof and straightened his jacket. “Look, I’ve gotta get down there. Just hold tight, okay?”

He turned back around and headed down the stairwell, leaving the four mares alone in their room.

Rarity turned to Pinkie and tutted. “Well? Don’t stand around, dear. I’d like to have everything tidied up before Twilight and Applejack return. So—"

A loud crash sounded from the kitchen, causing Rarity to snap her head towards the violent clatter of flying pots and pans. “Good heavens, Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?!”

“I’m trying to clean up over here, what does it look like I’m doing?”

Wielding a duster in her mouth, Rainbow stirred up a frenzy in the small kitchen area. Small cooking appliances leapt away in fear of her rapid cleaning. Huge clouds of dust dispersed directly onto other mounds of dust, spreading the mess rather than getting rid of it. If Rarity had planned to give the kitchen a good once over before, now she was desperate to fend Rainbow away.

Rarity stomped over to Rainbow, and yanked the feather duster away from her with a contemptuous snort. Immediately, she set about the enormous task of repairing the damage the pegasus had caused.

“It looks like you’re taking a few big messes and turning them into a whole lot of smaller ones!” Rarity scolded, shaking the duster in Rainbow’s face and covering the pegasus with dust.

Rarity spun around in place, dusting the cabinets and the counter tops while she hummed a spirited tune. Rainbow gave her an exasperated look and snatched the duster out of Rarity's magic. “Pfft, what does it even matter, anyway? It’s not like we’re going to be here for that long.”

Rarity scowled, snatching the duster right back. “Regardless of how long we’re here for, this is our home for now, and it wouldn’t be right to—"

“This isn’t our home, Rarity.” Rainbow snatched the duster yet again, and batted it back and forth in the air above her head to keep it out of Rarity’s reach. “Have a little faith in Twilight. She’ll figure out something and we’ll be back home in a jiffy.”

Rarity looked offended, and grabbed the duster with her magic again. Rainbow held tight, tugging on it to keep Rarity from getting it back. Pinkie loudly chomped down on another hoofful of popcorn from her seat on the couch.

Rarity continued to argue even as she fiercely fought for control of the cleaning instrument. “Are you implying I don’t have any confidence in Twilight? I’m merely preparing for the off-chance that whatever solution she discovers isn’t going to just immediately whisk us away and take us back to where we belong. It’s called ‘preparedness’, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow pointed an accusing hoof at Rarity and started to speak, dropping the duster to the floor in the process. The chintzy wooden handle snapped in half as it hit the tile. Rarity and Rainbow gave each other nervous stares for a moment. Fluttershy cringed from her seat on the couch. Pinkie coughed, choking on a popcorn kernel. 

Rarity rolled her eyes, grabbed the second duster from the nearby countertop, and got right back to her cleaning.

Rainbow huffed and pointed her hoof at Rarity again. “There you go acting like even if Twilight finds something that’ll get us home, we’ll be here long enough that we may as well—"

“Treat it like our home away from home, yes,” Rarity interrupted. She pushed her way past Rainbow and started dusting around their tiny stove.

“What exactly is your objection to being practical, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, turning and jabbing the duster at the pegasus again. “If, Celestia forbid, we end up being here for a while, wouldn’t it make sense to at least be comfortable?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and, once again, yanked the duster out of Rarity’s grip. “It’s not that I’m not being practical, it’s that I want to have faith in my friend to figure this all out.”

She then stamped a hoof and jabbed the duster at Rarity for a change, getting dust all over the unicorn’s face.

“Ptth, ffth,” Rarity spat. “Rainbow Dash, really!”

A gasp sounded from the couch, followed by a quiet shush.

“I could ask you the opposite!” Rainbow shouted. “Why are you so determined to think the worst of the situation?”

“Me? I’m just trying to make sure that if the worst does happen, we don’t get caught without a backup plan. Twilight would want the same thing.”

Pinkie popped up between the two arguing ponies and wrapped them together in a tight hug. “Hey, turn those frowns upside-down, you two! I’m sure Twilight’ll come through just fine. She’s always been super-reliable in the past, right?” She dropped the two ponies in her grip to repeatedly tap a hoof to her temple. “Well... I mean, except for that time with the Parasprites. That was all my work that fixed everything. Twilight just made it worse.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “So you’re saying we should look to you for answers, Pinks? Because last I checked you were more concerned with throwing a party than with trying to get us home.”

Rarity tutted, shaking the duster she’d managed to snatch back in Rainbow’s face again. “Don’t get started on her, Rainbow Dash. She’s just trying to make this whole experience more pleasant for all of us, and to thank our new friends. It’s the least we could do to show our appreciation.”

“And that’s another thing!” Rainbow shouted, throwing her hooves into the air. “You guys are all so trusting of these two new ponies, who helped us for no reason whatsoever except to be ‘nice’. It all seems pretty suspicious to me. What if they’re up to something, huh?”

“And you think I’m the one assuming the worst? Listen to you!” Rarity turned her nose up. “I don’t even want to think about what you think they could be up to.”

“Yeah, I bet you wouldn’t.” Rainbow turned towards the den. “How about you Fluttershy? At least tell me you have some suspicions about ‘em.”

Fluttershy squeaked and tried to hide behind the couch. She thought she’d done a good job of not being noticed. “W-well... they both seem... nice. I can... um... I can tell when a pony is... really being kind to me, or if it’s just... an act. Rarity’s right... they don’t seem like bad ponies at all.”

“Urgh, whatever.” Rainbow grabbed the duster out of Rarity’s hold again, and started sweeping a pile of dust under the kitchen rug. “If it’ll shut you all up for a little bit I’ll just back to cleaning on my own.”

Rarity grimaced and put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh dear, you’re not really going to just sweep that all under the rug are you? Good heavens, that’s counter-productivity at its finest.”

Pinkie pulled a third duster out of her mane and passed it over to Rarity.

Rarity took it, paused, then shrugged. “Nevermind. Here, Rainbow Dash, at least let me help you.”

“Phew...” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the couch. “Oh, if you girls don’t mind... um... I’m going to take a step out for some fresh air.”

“Go right ahead, darling,” Rarity said, keeping the rug aloft in her magic as she tried to prevent Rainbow from sweeping any more dust under it. “You deserve a break.”

With a soft smile and a nod, Fluttershy stood up from her spot on the couch, and walked out into the hallway. Looking around, she spotted only one other pony in the hallway with her: an old-looking janitor with a bushy gray mustache and wearing a thick, brown overcoat. He stood facing the corner, away from Fluttershy, busily doing something with one the wall panels.

Figuring that her friends were well out of earshot, Fluttershy let out another deep sigh of relief. She was glad the argument had settled down before it got any worse, more importantly that Rainbow hadn’t forced the issue of sharing opinions. She hadn’t wanted to share her own fears and tribulations about the whole situation.

Truth be told, she was actually somewhat glad to hear that she wasn’t the only one frightened at the prospect of being stuck here forever. That meant she wasn’t alone. She hoped that Twilight would come through, still. She knew she would, but how long would that take? How long would they be here?

In her focus, she almost did not notice the janitor busily sweep past her and head for the stairs.

Fluttershy gave a nervous peep just before the janitor got to the stairwell. “Oh, um... excuse me, I think you dropped something.”

Fluttershy trotted over and picked up a notebook that the janitor had misplaced. As she delivered it, she couldn’t help but notice what was in the notebook. Was that a sketch of her? She was used to that kind of treatment even back home, she had been a model after all, though she didn’t much like the attention.

The janitor grabbed it in a hurry. Fluttershy was mildly surprised to find that the janitor was actually a mare, wearing a false mustache.

“Bloody hell, how did I drop- oh, I mean, thank you.”

Fluttershy smiled. The other mare was nervous. “Um... a-are you some kind of... artist? In your spare time, I mean?”

The janitor glanced back and forth between her notebook and Fluttershy’s eager expression. “Well, uh... yes! Yes. You could say that. I’m taking... art classes!”

“Your drawing is... nice...” Fluttershy said. “You... really captured my image. It’s very lifelike. Oh... i-if you don’t mind my saying so...”

“No no, not at all.” The janitor tucked her notebook back into her coat pocket and started backing towards the stairs. “Sorry to run, but I’ve got other floors to tidy up. Pleasure speaking to you, miss. Cheerio.”

And just like that, the janitor was hastily down the stairs. She seemed to skip entire floors on her way down.

“Such a strange pony,” Fluttershy said. “Well... I’d better get back to the others...”

Fluttershy turned and headed back towards the apartment. Then, she stopped. There was a breeze coming from the window at the end of the hall. She coughed a little as the smoggy air started to waft in. Had the window just been opened? There wasn’t anypony around. Fluttershy trotted over and closed the window with a click, took a breath of cleaner air, then turned back towards the apartment again.

***

Tick Tock set her things down in her den and hurriedly removed her heavy coat. She took a deep breath, and opened her refrigerator to help herself to a snack, a thick tube of Dolor Yellow this time. It was not her favorite flavor by any means, but it was packed with nutrients that would re-energize her after galloping across the city in pursuit of a lead. And Time Turner had insisted that whatever was happening needed her urgent attention, so he was going to get her best work.

Once she felt relaxed and well-fed, she clicked her stopwatch and opened the door to her grandfather clock. A brief check around the room revealed nothing out of the ordinary. As she closed the door behind her, she noticed that it didn’t click just right. It was almost as if something had been caught in the hinge. She tried again and got the same result. She scratched her head, then shrugged. Bleeding door always has problems. I’ll have to fix it when I’m done.

She cantered over to her communications screen and clicked a few buttons to open up her emergency channel. That’s where Time Turner would most likely prefer to be monitoring the most, given the situation. It rang once. Twice. As expected, he did not take long to answer. His visage appeared on the other end of the monitor, and Tick Tock could tell he had been most busy these past several hours. It was nearing daybreak in this world, and thus likely in his as well. Had he been up all night?

“Oh good, you’re back already,” Time Turner said. “What’s the good word?”

“You alright there, Time Turner?” Tick Tock asked. “You look more knackered than I do.”

He rubbed his eyes. They were just a little bloodshot. “Don’t worry about me, Tick Tock. Something is definitely the matter on my end, so I’m hoping that you’re going to help me find out what, or rather, who, is causing the dilemma. Please tell me you have some news that may shine some positive light on this bloody mess.”

“Well, I decided to play this legit and go incognito, of sorts,” Tick Tock explained, fumbling with her bag to find her notepad. “I figured if I just came right out and started spouting all the timey-wimey rubbish, they’d just panic or get confused, or worse get excited. I certainly don’t want to get their hopes up or anything just yet. They’re not going home for probably a month anyway, yeah? If they start getting anxious they’re liable to break character and start sounding crazy. Might make it more difficult to get them sent home later on.”

Tick Tock shuffled through her sketchbook and opened it the most recent drawing she’d made first. It was a rough but accurate sketch of an earth pony with a curly mane and tail, and a cutie mark of three balloons. Tick Tock noted in the margins that the pony was, Pink. Very pink. Scribbled on the bottom were a few other choice words: Nutter, Bonkers, and Parties???.

Tick Tock read from her notes on the back of her paper. “This is... Pinkie Pie. Very energetic, kind of eccentric. None of the others really paid much attention to her rambling. She kept talking about getting a party set up, bugger all if I know why. Any bells?”

Time Turner tapped a hoof to his chin. “She looks familiar. I might have seen her around Ponyville, but I can’t put my hoof on it just yet. Just keep going, I’ll think of it. Who’s next?”

Tick Tock flipped the page over. This time, the sketch was of a dainty-looking unicorn with a curly, well-groomed mane and tail and three diamonds making up her cutie mark. Tick Tock’s scribbles said she was white with a purple mane, and included a big note on the bottom that read, Bleeding Posh.

“Rarity. She was a little... overbearing. Very prim, very proper, very tidy. Seemed the most practical of those four. She wanted to get settled in, just in case they couldn’t go home anytime soon. Anything?”

“Again, very familiar,” Time Turner mused. “I think I know these mares, but I can’t think of what would make them significant. I know I should, but blast it all if I can’t recall it.”

“Maybe you should get some sleep,” Tick Tock said. “We can continue this in the morning when you’re not so out of it.”

“No time for that,” Time Turner dismissed. “Just keep going, Tick Tock. My head’s a mile-a-minute right now, so I’m a bit fuzzy on the details.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “Well, okay then.”

She flipped to the next sketch, a short-maned pegasus that was noted to have a rainbow-colored mane and tail, a lightning bolt-shaped cutie mark, and a light blue coat. Her specific note was, Argumentative.

“Rainbow Dash. Very loud, kind of full of herself. She meant well, though, I could see that. She seemed like she was trying to be the courage for the entire group. Made a pretty big fuss about being here, and about accepting help from strangers. Gonna have to work out our story so she doesn’t assume we’re up to no good.”

Time Turner frowned and rubbed his temples. “That name sounds much more familiar. Rainbow Dash is a bit of a celebrity around town. Still... not seeing the connection yet. I know there’s something important about her, but I just can’t remember...”

On the next page was a timid-looking pegasus with a long, flowing mane and tail. Those were noted to be light pink, like the butterflies that composed her cutie mark. Her coat was noted as being yellow. Her note was, Adorable.

“Fluttershy. She was very quiet and didn’t seem to like seeing the other ponies argue.” Tick Tock gave a small smile. “She’s kind of cute. Really lived up to her name, too. Poor girl. I worry about what might happen to this one, Time Turner. My world’s... not like yours.”

“I don’t really recognize her,” Time Turner said.

Tick Tock nodded and flipped her notebook page again. “Well at any rate, those four were at their new apartment complex. I went there last, and I’m confused as to how they managed to get one so quickly. I found the other two being escorted through the CBH building by an NPPD officer. I guess they got in a little trouble before I found them, likely for not having any ID on them.”

Time Turner frowned. “That won’t prove a complication, will it?”

Tick Tock waved a hoof. “No no, not a problem. They’re likely only on parole or something, they won’t be escorted all the time.

“Anyway, back to work.” She pointed at her sketch of an earth pony wearing a hat, with a triple apple cutie mark adorning her noted orange flank. Her notes included, Farmer and Family: Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith.

“Applejack. She looked like she was taking a liking to their police escort I suppose. Mentioned working at a Sweet Apple Acres?”

Time Turner sighed and ran a hoof through his sweaty mane. “Great... I recognize that name too. Everypony in Ponyville knows who Applejack is. Again though, not sure on the connection here. Hmm... I know they’re all connected somehow, but I can’t put my hoof on it.”

Tick Tock scratched her head. “Well, hopefully the last one helps you piece it together, because you’re right, I don’t see what’s so special about these ponies so far.”

She flipped the page to reveal a unicorn with straight-combed hair and a starburst cutie mark, her coat noted as being a light purple. Her note was, Books, books, books.

“Twilight Sparkle. Kind of a bookworm, which must be a huge blow for her here. No books and all that. Terrible shame. Time Turner, are you okay?”

Time Turner’s face had gone white on the other end of the line. “Okay... I recognize her for certain.”

Tick Tock brightened. “Oh? Good! But... you don’t look pleased to know that. Is something the matter?”

He pointed his hoof at the screen. “That would be the prized pupil of none other than our fair Princess Celestia herself. I knew they looked familiar, and now I remember where. Blast it all. I’ve been so stressed out lately I can’t bloody think straight. Now it all makes sense! Those are the representatives of the Elements of Harmony!”

Tick Tock looked back and forth between the sketch and the screen. “The elements of what-now?”

He sighed and put his hooves under his chin. “Okay, it’s like this. In my world, we have six relics that exemplify individual aspects of the forces of Law magic, the Elements of Harmony. They used to quite literally just sit around and do their job passively, thanks to their connection to Princess Celestia. Now, I find it decidedly unfortunate that that is no longer the case, not since that Nightmare Moon debacle. During that event, these forces were transferred from the Princess into six mortal ponies. I don’t know which of them is which, besides Twilight Sparkle being that of Magic, but the others would be Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter, at any rate.

“To balance that, our representative of Chaos is a powerful creature known as Discord. He’s been defeated twice now by the powers of the Elements of Harmony: once a very, very long time ago, when the Elements were under the power and control of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; the other was fairly recently. When the powers of the Elements transferred into those six, Celestia’s seal on Discord slowly began to break. It took about a year, but when it finally did, Discord was back to his old ways in a matter of minutes. Those six managed to defeat him again, using the same Elements of Harmony, but now the seal was powered by their connection to the Elements.”

“So that’s where the problem is, then. The seal is breaking.” Tick Tock leaned back in her chair and breathed deep. “Whew... that’s not good...”

Time Turner shook his head and took out his Timekeeper. He clicked it a few times, shaking his head at each display of figures he saw. “Oh, it’s worse than ‘not good’. When they were displaced, their seal weakened almost immediately. I suspect this is because their seal is not as powerful as Celestia’s. And worse, anything Chaotic near him at all causes that seal to weaken exponentially faster. Luckily, Celestia put his statue somewhere where he won’t be exposed to too much of that kind of thing, but I fear that won’t last long.

“At my rate of estimation, the seal may break within the next four weeks, and that’s being very generous,” Time Turner explained. “I’d say realistically you’re looking at three.”

“Bloody hell,” Tick Tock muttered. “You’re not giving me a lot of options here, Time Turner.”

Time Turner sighed and nodded. “Sorry, Tick Tock, but we can’t afford to wait a month until you get natural portals again. We’re in quite a pickle. I doubt anypony would mind if we took drastic measures here. Emergency Measure Five sounds appropriate.”

Tick Tock nodded and adjusted her bow-tie. “An artificial portal, huh? I’ll need a phenomenal amount of magical power to tear open a portal manually. One of our Alicorns. I suppose I’m stuck relying on Harmonia then. Fat chance getting Nihila to agree to stop Chaos from tearing apart another world.

“Bugger all, that means I’d have to get them all the way to Utopia. That’s not an easy trip to make. Three weeks, realistically? Then Hope’s Point is my only realistic option here... and that’s a two week trip by itself, including flight time and organization. Phew... you’re sure there’s no other way?”

Time Turner sighed. “It’s the only choice we’ve got.”

“Remind me when this is over to petition our superiors for better options. Chronomancers shouldn’t have to run ragged like this. It’s exhausting.”

Time Turner smiled. “I’ll see what I can do. They like me more. Until then. you’re just going to have to... hmm...”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow. “I’m... going to have to... what?”

Time Turner shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry, got distracted. I think my vision’s getting a mite tired. I haven’t slept since we last talked, been up all night doing my calculations and such. I thought I saw something moving on your end of the screen. It was probably...! Look out!”

“What are you—"

A split second later, and Tick Tock would be just a bloody smear on her own video screen.

As luck would have it, she had very good reflexes.

The black-clad pegasus was deflected aside. His gleaming dagger bounced over Tick Tock’s head and embedded itself in the monitor, shorting it out.

Tick Tock breathed rapidly. She had felt the blade just nick her nose, and could actually feel blood begin to slowly clot there.

Her assailant did not remain disoriented for long, and was soon upon her again in a violent flash of blue and black.

“What in the bloody—"

Tick Tock was cut short by having to duck out of the way of an aerial buck.

“That’s the idea!” The pegasus laughed. “A Chronomancer, eh? I thought your kind were just fables. Well, sorry little clock cleaner, but your time has run out. Ha!”

Tick Tock sneered and steadied herself. “The puns just write themselves, don’t they? Sometimes I hate this job.”

The pegasus unsheathed another knife and barreled towards her with it, a maddened demon out for blood.

Her horn flared and fired a barrage of sparks.

He twisted out of the way and swept in to deliver a killing stroke.

She ducked, just barely avoiding having her horn sliced off. Then, she jabbed her head upwards and shot a fierce magical push through her horn.

He rocketed into the low ceiling. He shrugged it off, grinned down at her like a madpony, and licked his lips. “You’ve got some fight in you!” he growled. “I haven’t had to work for a kill in ages, darling. You’re making this fun again. I think I’m in love.”

Her horn flashed white. She fired another barrage of tiny sparks at him. “Oi! You picked the wrong pony to mess with, you bloody lunatic!”

He rolled out of the way and laughed. “Oops! Almost got me! I’ll make your death something exciting, as a reward. How does that sound?”

“Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?”

“I’d go into it, but why waste my breath?”

He rushed at her again. She lit her horn to defend herself. He spat his dagger at her.

She had to block quicker than expected. The dagger reflected away. But, she was distracted enough for him to move in, and though he was without his weapon he didn’t seem to need it.

He tackled her. They rolled together and slammed into the doorway to the clock, then tumbled into the apartment den and crashed through the coffee table. Tick Tock’s head crashed through one of the table legs.

He managed to pin her when they came to a stop at the sofa. He was not in much better condition: blood dripped from his mouth; shards of glass were embedded around his eye; one tooth was chipped.

But, he was in no worse condition to keep the pressure on. She charged another spell to try and force him off, but he was able to resist the push. He gave a low laugh and set his hooves to her throat.

She sharply inhaled, and fired a blast of white hot energy into his face.

He sputtered. The spark singed his mask and caused it to melt, almost welding it into his coat. He lost his grip.

She blasted again at his abdomen. This forced him off of her enough to get out from under him.

She knew he’d only be in pain for a fleeting few seconds. She quickly got ready to defend herself again, but she did not get far enough to get to an upright position, only managing to crawl a few feet away.

He set upon her again, pinning her on the floor and smashing her face into the glass-strewn carpet. His breathing was ragged, and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart against her back.

She managed to buck out of his grip, and distanced herself some more.

But, not enough. He tackled her again.

She cried out in pain as her face smashed through the glass window.

Her vision was blurry. The sting of smoky, smoggy air burned her eyes. He still kept a tight grip on her, and she felt herself being pulled upwards through clouds of dust and smoke. She coughed and sputtered, and she panicked as she felt blood trickle over her lips.

He sneered down at her. “As much as I’ve enjoyed the witty back-and-forth, I’ve grown tired of this little game, Chronomancer.”

He spun, twirling up through the smog and into the sky. She fought the urge to vomit as the feeling of vertigo set in.

“I think it’s about time you and I took a little trip.” He chuckled as he broke through the last layer of smog. “Don’t mind the smoggy air. There won’t be too much of it when you hit the ground.”

Tick Tock kicked and squirmed. “Let me go you maniac!” she screamed. Then, her eyes widened. “W-wait, forget I said—"

“Poor choice of words!”

So, he let her go.

She flailed about in the sky, and frantically cast the only spell she could think of as she plummeted. There was a burst of light.

***

Shadowstep chuckled to nopony but himself. If that had been a teleportation spell, he would’ve recognized it. Besides, unicorns couldn’t teleport that great of a distance anyhow. No, that had been a totally different spell, but whatever it was, it wouldn’t work. In just a few more seconds, she’d be just a greasy pile on the pavement far below. He cracked his neck and flexed his wing. There was some slight pain here and there, but nothing serious.

He took the brief time up here above the smog to take a brisk breath of the much cleaner early morning air. Mmmm... perfect.

The dive downwards was short. He flapped his wings and slowed his descent as he came to the ground level of the city. It was a pretty lucky point that flying straight down led into a tiny alleyway and not to the roof of some many-storied apartment complex. She might have survived that fall if she were lucky. But oh no, not all the way to the ground level. It wouldn’t matter where else she’d landed, street or alleyway, so long as he could confirm the kill.

He looked about in the alley, trying to find some sort of hint to her landing spot, but there was nothing here. Assuming she hadn’t accidentally hit any flying pegasi on the way down, nicked a building edge or clothesline, or caught some freak gust of wind, she should be right here. There ought to have been an impact point at the very least. Even if she had collided with anything, she couldn’t have strayed too far from the projected landing site.

Where. Is. She?

Shadowstep spat on the ground, a little blood mixed in with his saliva. The Chronomancer had given him quite a fight, and now her lifeless corpse was playing hide-and-seek. It filled him with rage that he could not examine his kill, and one he knew would be absolutely imperative to confirm. He knew better than to assume anything until he could see the body.

Lord Silvertongue is not going to be pleased.

Shadowstep swore loudly and circled around again, determined to find where the fall might have deviated her to.

Had he looked up, he might have chanced the sight of a unicorn-shaped figure limping along inside of a cover of smoggy clouds, a slight shimmer of magic beneath her hooves.


	5. Intermission

Shadows played across the massive expanse of the dining room floor, seeping into the corners and blanketing the walls. A series of dim lights, flickering in and out softly, did little beyond casting a faint glow across the central table. A solid black tablecloth covered the table, obscuring it in the darkness and giving the illusion that the rows of thin, wax candles floated in their golden holders. Plates, bowls, glasses, forks and spoons; the table was set for several dozen. This morning, as with every morning, it seated just one.

Silvertongue lifted a large berry to his mouth from a near-empty bowl, his fork steady and firm. He eyed it for consistency and color before eating it whole. For several seconds, he savored the bite, whisking the berry around in his mouth before swallowing. He pushed the empty bowl away and levitated over a plate filled with a great mound of the same berries, dripping in their own juices and topping a small stack of pancakes.

Magmaberries were his favorite, and as such made up the majority of his diet. The name was for a variety of factors that the berries had: the nature of their juicy interiors; their rich color, a deep, burnt red with bright orange and yellow splotches of which no two berries ever had the same pattern; and, their extremely spicy flavor, with a savory-sweet aftertaste. They were packed full with enough nutrition that, were one able to afford them, it was possible, even recommendable, to live entirely on them alone.

Magmaberries were also, like any berry, capable of being made into just about anything: they went well on their own as snacks, but were best frozen or deep-fried; they worked well as toppings or stuffing for pancakes, waffles, or any other baked goods, where the sugary sweetness helped overpower the heat; they even made delicious syrups, sauces, and dips, especially when roasted or blended.

As Silvertongue took a sip from his glass, he delighted in his favorite purpose for them: they were used for the best wines in the entire world. The flavor was so strong that it overpowered the alcohol content almost entirely. This only came through an excruciating process, substantially more dangerous than just picking the berries themselves.

The Redblade Mountains, a range of everlastingly active volcanoes just southwest of the Gate, were the only home to these berries, which required extreme heat to grow and even more extreme temperatures to flourish. The best crops grew right at the edges of dried lava pools and at the volcanic craters, and they needed to be pulped immediately after plucking, while their juices were still hot and bubbling like the magma from which they took their name. The fermenting process needed to begin within an hour afterwards, thus necessitating quick travel in a wildly dangerous landscape.

But, a properly-made bottle of the finest magmaberry wine was like sipping emotion itself, or so the enthusiasts would claim. It was as if it had been fermented with ecstasy and pleasure, agony and sorrow, and all the best and worst feelings and sensations one pony could ever hope to experience in one lifetime, let alone two or more. All of it, flavored to match the tastes of the pony drinking it. If you were sad, the wine could send you into a deep depression; if you were happy, it would fill you with an ecstatic elation.

Silvertongue enjoyed his remaining breakfast one piece at a time, thoroughly scanning the morning’s data report as he ate. Then, he felt another presence in the room with him. He did not shift from his position nor did he look up from his report or his breakfast. He simply levitated his napkin to his lips and dabbed three times.

He swallowed his mouthful of food. “Ah, Shadowstep. You have returned from your errands, though with a bit of a delay, I notice. I expected your arrival hours ago, when you wouldn’t be interrupting my breakfast. I do hope you have some good news for me.”

“Apologies, milord.” Shadowstep nervously bowed from the darkness, though only his eyes could be seen in the shadows. “Getting the information you requested took longer than I planned. But oh, milord, you will not believe the things I learned about our six little targets.”

Silvertongue gave a slight nod. “Deliver your report, Shadowstep.”

Shadowstep approached. As he did, he took a tiny device from his ear and inserted it into a socket near the table’s electronic display. Silvertongue noted that Shadowstep looked like he had been in quite a scuffle: his uniform had several burn marks and tears, and the young stallion’s face and wings and been nicked and bruised in several places.

The device that Shadowstep had inserted glowed a dull blue. Multiple notices and alerts flickered across the screen. Shadowstep batted them away with swipes of his hoof, and nervously chuckled.

“Apologies milord. It seems I haven’t updated my software just yet.”

Silvertongue continued to stare blankly ahead. “Do hurry up, Shadowstep.” He lazily floated another berry from his plate to his lips and took a bite.

Shadowstep pressed his hoof to the screen several more times, and at last his report opened up. It appeared as a black box with neon green text strewn about, and highly-detailed full-color images in the margins. Silvertongue gazed upon it, his eyes darting across as he began to read along. He noted that each section was divided neatly and everything tidily organized, just as he expected of any of his subordinates. He inwardly chuckled at the irony that he prefered everything neat and organized, yet the city he ruled was as disorganized as possible.

Each of the six ponies from the prior evening’s report had their own section with a wide multitude of notes; Twilight Sparkle’s and Applejack’s were noticeably shorter, though not so much so that it was a negative. There was more information here than SIlvertongue had initially asked for, or expected. Shadowstep could be forgiven for being a little tardy.

Silvertongue mused as he perused the individual report sections one by one. “Hmm... I see you spared no expense gathering intel on their personalities. That may be advantageous in the future. A commendable effort, Shadowstep.”

“Th-thank you sir!” Shadowstep seemed to swell with confidence and pride, puffing out his chest. “I interviewed the NPPD officer that was on the forms. Disguised myself as a CIA agent, and she didn’t suspect a thing. She answered every question and went into rather excruciating detail about them all. I couldn’t get their documentation forms, but got enough info from her directly to lead me to them.”

Silvertongue narrowed his eyes without removing them from the screen. “I certainly hope you were more thorough than that. If the CIA catches wind of this, the Committee may become involved.”

He knew full well that the Committee would stymie his efforts just by merely being anywhere within a hundred miles of the situation. The damned fools would draw too much attention, alert too many ponies, and probably actively involve themselves with these six mares, making it that much more difficult to continue with his own efforts covertly.

Shadowstep snapped to attention. “Of course, milord! I took care of her real neat and tidy-like. Killing her was easy, I just waited until she was about to... get-off.” He snickered at the double-entendre, even if the meaning was lost to his employer. “Nopony will have seen her leave the building, or not leave, for that matter. Had to get creative with the clean-up though. To avoid suspicion and all that. She didn’t have family, and had only one friend on the force itself that might be a concern, but he’s ever-so-conveniently these six’s parole officer, so I can easily deal with him directly, if need be.”

“Very good, very good.” Silvertongue’s eyes gleamed as he came to the second page of the report, which had the image of a minty green unicorn mare upon it, labeled Chronomancer. “Ah, now here is the information I was after.”

Shadowstep pointed triumphantly at the photo. “Yes, sir! I spied this pony trailing those six mares, and followed her as ordered.”

Silvertongue mused silently as he now perused the substance Shadowstep had obtained from the Chronomancer’s discussion. He was most pleased in seeing for himself in text and image that his theory had not only been correct, but that it was turning out better than he had imagined. These weren’t just any old average ponies.

“Intriguing... such fascinating information.” Silvertongue highlighted one section of the text. “Here. You mention that she was speaking with another?”

“Yes, milord. She was talking with another Chronomancer from what I could gather, from the home dimension of those six mares. I didn’t get much else out of it other than what they said, and I don’t really know what to make of it. It’s not my forte.”

Shadowstep gave a half-hearted shrug, and helped himself to one of the berries off of a nearby plate. Silvertongue glowered at him as he went to place it in his mouth. He reconsidered, giving Silvertongue a nervous smile and replacing the berry to its original position.

Silvertongue read more of the report, growing more curious about the mentioned Elements of Harmony, the six mares that wielded and represented them, and how the world they originated from worked. It seemed familiar, similar enough to his own world’s workings that he could quickly grasp the concepts.

Silvertongue glanced over at Shadowstep and gave the pegasus a quick once-over. “Judging from your appearance, you engaged the Chronomancer directly. What happened to your status as a master assassin, Shadowstep? Did you drop it?”

Shadowstep rubbed the back of his head. “The other Chronomancer, Turner I think his name was, spotted me from the other end of the video feed. Stupid girl has excellent reflexes.”

Silvertongue narrowed his eyes, and took another large bite of a magmaberry. “Did you ensure she would no longer be an obstacle, as I requested?”

Shadowstep hesitated for a mere second, not even long enough for a less-observant pony to notice. But, it was enough for Silvertongue to notice, and the silver-coated unicorn’s glare intensified, speaking many volumes of disappointment.

“That would be a ‘no’, then?”

Shadowstep gulped, and nodded. “N-no sir, I could not confirm the kill. I dropped her from a few hundred feet above the city, but I couldn’t find the body. I’d like to believe she’s dead, but I know better than that. I don’t know how she did it. It wasn’t teleport magic.”

Silvertongue leaned back in his chair and placed his hooves together, continuing to stare at Shadowstep with a fierce scowl. “So. You are unsure if she still lives and breathes, and thus is going to be an ever-persistent thorn in my side, or if she is dead, and we are just being overly cautious. A waste of time and effort. I do so hate wasting time and effort, Shadowstep.”

Shadowstep took half a step back. “M-my apologies sir, I—"

Silvertongue raised a hoof to silence the pegasus. “At the very least, you’re not stupid enough to assume she’s dead without the proof. You do not disappoint in that regard. I am displeased that the Chronomancer still has the possibility of being alive, especially since she will likely try to carry out this plan of hers much more abruptly. You’ve forced her hoof too quickly.”

Silvertongue’s horn flashed and Shadowstep found himself yanked across the table, sending plates and bowls of food flying every which way. Silvertongue sneered at Shadowstep as the latter came face-to-face with him.

“But—" Silvertongue released his hold, dropping Shadowstep onto the table with a thump. “That might work to my advantage.”

Shadowstep hesitantly raised his head to look at his employer. “S-sir?”

“Normally, such a display of incompetence would earn my wrath,” Silvertongue said. “However, the rest of the information you have obtained has put me in rather high spirits. You went above and beyond my orders in that regard, and I believe I will find it most helpful in the near future.”

Shadowstep gulped. “Oh... yes, of course sir.”

Silvertongue leaned back in his chair again and tapped his hooves together. “I need to begin preparations for the next stage of developments. In the meantime, I will grant you a very rare opportunity. A second chance. Stop that Chronomancer, and do not let these mares leave the city. Do I make myself clear?”

“C-crystal, milord.”

“And one more thing, Shadowstep.” Silvertongue glared at Shadowstep again, causing the pegasus to back off the table. “I rarely grant second chances. I do not grant third ones. Understand?”

“Y-yes, milord.”

“Leave me,” Silvertongue dismissed with a half-hearted wave of a hoof. “I require privacy. Contact me again when the situation has improved.”

“Yes, milord.” Shadowstep nodded, and backed away into the darkness of the room, where he vanished without a trace.

Silvertongue sighed lightly to himself as he perused the report more thoroughly. There was something in all this information that struck him as awfully peculiar. These six mares contained enough magic within them to shift the balance. It was unsettling. It was also unimportant for the time being. What was important now, was alerting Nihila to the developments, and devising plans for what to do about the situation. He focused his mind and let his essence waft out about him, an aura of magic that would serve as a beacon for his Goddess and draw her to him like a moth to a flame.

“You summoned me, my Warden?”

Nihila’s voice came cool and crisp into his mind, flooding his thoughts with a soothing sensation. He shuddered at the way her essence filled him. Elation and curiosity were not emotions he was used to her feeling.

“Milady, I bear news regarding those creatures I discovered.”

Her spirit sparked with pleasure, sending a shiver down his spine. “Ah, you flatter me with your efficiency. I am eager to hear how they pertain to the situation.”

Silvertongue began to read off information from Shadowstep’s report. Every time certain strings of words were used, different sensations flooded his soul as Nihila’s essence fluctuated in reaction to their meanings. The thought that another world would soon be in its death throes pleased her, filled her with joyful anticipation that made Silvertongue’s entire being feel her pleasure. He was in ecstasy, and only maintained a calm and controlled demeanor because of years of posturing and proper etiquette.

The knowledge that these six, these wielders of the Elements of Harmony, were responsible for the imbalance that was beginning to manifest in this world made Nihila rather displeased. That word in particular, Harmony, filled Nihila with so much loathing that it worried even Silvertongue for a brief moment, not for his own sake, but for hers.

But, it also piqued her curiosity. The longer these six remained in this world, the more the imbalance would tilt in Harmonia’s favor. While it would be only a minuscule proportion, it was the the principle that mattered. The Chronomancer had not picked up on the imbalance in her own world just yet. It was minuscule to her. But, Nihila could sense it. Nihila’s initial thoughts were simply to have the six destroyed immediately and be done with it. 

But, Silvertongue’s own thoughts disagreed.

Her voice hissed into his heart. “My Warden, tell me, were you in these six mares’ place, to what lengths would you go to return home?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Me, milady?” A most curious question for her to ask, since she had a full understanding of his mind and soul. A test, then. “You know well by now the lengths to which I will go to accomplish any goal I have set in mind. I have always been ambitious. Were I in their place, nothing in this world, or the next, or the in-between could possibly stop me.”

“I do know well the extent of your drive, my Warden. And, I believe they would agree with you, in that regard.” She coolly flittered through his mind, picking apart his thoughts. “The Chronomancer plans to see Harmonia, does she? She thinks my... counterpart will grant them passage and return them home?”

“So it would seem. It is certainly within her power if she knew the methods, which I’m certain the Chronomancer does. Certainly within yours, as well, milady.” Silvertongue laughed when Nihila’s spark ignited. “I suspect that you do not wish to utilize that might for their benefit, naturally. We can deal with a little imbalance for a time, and simply let their world be destroyed before we deal with them. I’d consider it an experiment. Let us see what the effects of full-blown dark magicks have upon a world with no way to stop the flow. Your own attempt so many years ago was stymied, remember?”

Nihila’s spark flared again. “Hold your tongue, my Warden, lest—"

Silvertongue laughed again. “I tease, of course, milady. The Chronomancer will take them to Harmonia, that much we know. And without intervention, she may just yet succeed. We cannot just allow them to roam free.”

Nihila’s voice became soothing again and melted into him. “Perhaps we can convince them that their new ally is misleading them? Convince them that perhaps Harmonia is not as benevolent as she seems?”

Silvertongue looked over the report again in an attempt to see if Nihila’s idea had merit. His eyes brightened when he made a completely different connection. It was brilliant, and it made him all the more thankful for Shadowstep’s thorough investigation. This would not prove difficult, at least not conceptually.

“Turning them against Harmonia will not be an easy task, milady,” he explained. “She shares their qualities in a great many ways, and we both know full well that she will do what she can to help them once they meet her. Perhaps, instead, we corrupt them?”

“Corrupted, my Warden?” Her voice floated through his mind like a cloud, soft and innocuous. “An unorthodox plan. I cannot corrupt them quite the same as I have done in the past with others.”

Silvertongue grinned. It was a smug grin, hinting at a darker intention than she had guessed. “Ah, but milady, perhaps you won’t need to corrupt them, at least not personally. Perhaps somepony else could accomplish such a task.”

“You, my Warden?” She laughed, her voice echoing like thunder in his head. “I did not think you liked to dirty your hooves with menial labor anymore. You always preferred to command from afar and manipulate your pawns.”

“Precisely, milady.” He grinned wider and leaned contentedly back into his chair. “I am not in the position to carry out such an errand anyway. While I have a simple understanding of their personalities, there are a great many things I lack that I would need to corrupt them adequately, to make them truly believe my words over those of their new ally who is promising them a way home. I do not have an intimate knowledge of their psyches, their hearts’ desires, their hopes and dreams, or the qualities of their souls. I do not know how deeply connected they are amongst themselves, nor do I know which particular buttons to push to elicit my desired reactions. And further, I do not even know which of them exemplifies which Element, apart from Twilight Sparkle. Though, I may be able to fathom a guess to a few, another failing of the Chronomancer’s ability, unless she is merely not speaking her mind. No, I do not believe I am qualified to corrupt them.”

“You have a plan in mind already, my Warden?”

Nihila felt her way through his thoughts. His plan wafted through his mind, and she picked it apart and understood it as if it had been her own. She was elated to find her Warden was such a resourceful thinker, but then again he always had been.

“Ah, you are a most devious schemer. If we cannot corrupt them directly, perhaps we can do so indirectly. A brilliant idea.”

“I thank you, milady, for your praise.” He smiled, feeling a tear come to his left eye as the sensations of warm pride filled his heart. “I shall begin my task immediately. Should that accursed Chronomancer still be alive, I will need to work quickly to complete this plan, before she renders it difficult to accomplish covertly. If the Chronomancer has perished, then we may merely need to adjust our plans slightly. This is a satisfactory foundation, regardless of the circumstances, wouldn’t you agree?”

Nihila’s voice cooed, giving Silvertongue a feeling of warmth. “I will leave you to your work, my Warden. Call to me again when you are ready, and I will assist you with the final phase. Until then, I must monitor the Belt of Tranquility and continue my observations of their effect on the balance there.”

“Aye, milady. I thank you for your blessings.”

He felt Nihila’s essence leave his mind and spirit. He shook off the feeling of emptiness, a sensation he would never grow accustomed to no matter how many times over how many years he had experienced it. Once his mind was at ease and his wits were gathered, he clicked a button on the table, turning on the intercom.

“Shroud.”

“Yes, milord?”

“I need you to make a few calls.”

***

The little box that sat upon the den table of room eighty-four and five was a peculiar device. Flathoof had called it a “Teevee”, or something to that effect. It was quite alien to the Ponyville natives, capable of displaying images in the same way the movie projectors back at home did. Twilight had spent a great deal of time trying to discern the origin of the magic that made the device run, and even now sat glued to the rear of the device, rather than the front.

“-just pay shipping and handling. And if you call now—"

Click.

“-Oy’ll keelhaul ya, ya scurvy dog! Oy’ve got—"

Click.

“-terrible news, Mister and Misses Fudge. Your son is—"

Click.

“-pregnant?! How can you be pregnant, we never even—"

Click.

“-made a scrumptious cake! Best of all, decorating cakes is—"

Click.

“Heeeyyy, I was watching that...” Pinkie Pie said, her eyes as big as dinner plates.

Flathoof leaned to the side to keep her from snagging the remote back. “We can watch your cooking program later, Miss Pie. It’s almost eight o’clock, and I need to watch the news.”

“Awww...”

The couch in their den was much too small for all of them to sit on, so Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie sat on the floor in front, letting Fluttershy and Rarity use the couch proper. Flathoof continued to stand off to the side. He’d arrived about an hour earlier that morning, waking most of them up to get them started on their day. Rarity had made several complaints about interrupting her beauty sleep, none of which were paid any heed to.

With another click, the image upon the Teevee changed again. A delightfully engaging jingle played over a background displaying many sweeping vistas of New Pandemonium City. Bright, shiny gold text that reflected light that wasn’t actually there, floated swiftly down from the upper corner of the screen. It twisted through the center to surround a circular silver emblem that had zoomed in from the background, bearing a large, glittering number one.

“You are watching Channel One Eyewitness News in the Morning. With Daybreak—"

The text was swept off the screen to reveal the moving image of a unicorn stallion with a lustrous golden coat and a short, tidy, bright blue mane. He wore a fancy brown double-breasted dress suit, with a matching tie. The stallion was giving a broad, rehearsed grin to the audience that gleamed in an unseen spotlight. His name was highlighted in bright bronze letters in the lower corner of the screen.

“-and Butter Pecan in the studio—"

The image of a white earth pony mare replaced that of Daybreak. Her curly, cream-colored mane matched the color of her own sleek dress suit, though she wore no tie. She gave a broad grin to the audience as well, and proudly crossed her hooves in front of her chest.

“Featuring Meteorologist, Clarity, with the weather—"

Now, a dull brown pegasus mare replaced the image of Butter Pecan. She kept her shiny black mane in a neat, slicked-back style, and wore a dusty blue jacket with a matching bow tie. She just stared ahead, no smile upon her face at all.

“Stalwart, with sports—"

A burly, sky blue earth pony with a brown mane kept in a short crewcut appeared next. His dark blue sports coat was stretched to its limit to fit his physique. He didn’t so much smile at the audience as give them an assured, confident nod.

“And Skyline with the traffic—"

A lithe pegasus stallion appeared next, sea green in color with a whitish-green mane styled back in a ponytail. He wore a decorated red flight jacket and a pair of matching goggles. He gave the screen a brisk salute, snapping to attention as he did so.

“Hey, that pony’s got style”, Rainbow Dash said, nudging Pinkie in the side. “He might be almost as cool as me.”

“This... is Channel One Eyewitness News in the Morning.”

The image shifted to show the first two ponies, Daybreak and Butter Pecan, sitting behind a desk and shuffling papers in front of them.

“Good morning everypony,” said Daybreak, light gleaming off his smile. “Today’s top stories—" As he started to speak, his image shifted slightly to the left. Beside him, the tiny image of a red cross appeared. “Hoof Rot season, already? New Pandemonium Medical reports a rise in cases of the serious disease early this year, and are recommending action be taken by every citizen to prevent the spread.”

The image next to him changed into that of a great inferno towering over several buildings. “Also, yesterday’s major fire in the northeast Outer District has still not been contained by New Pandemonium Fire Brigade, and is beginning to spread further outwards in the district. Authorities are worried it may soon spread into Mid-East and Mid-North if efforts to stop it fail.”

The image beside him shifted away, leaving just Daybreak again in the center of the screen. “First though, here’s your weekly weather forecast with Clarity.”

Flathoof snorted. “Seriously? Get to the news about the fire! Nopony wants to hear about the damned weather right now!”

The image panned over to the pegasus mare, Clarity, who was standing in front of a large green screen that quickly flickered to reveal a map of the city with lots of colored splotches plastered across it. The map was perfectly circular, ironically organized into very precise Districts. In the center was the Inner District, the smallest of the three major divisions. Just beyond that and covering roughly twice the area were the Mid Districts. They saw theirs, Mid-South, was covered in the least of the colors, excepting the Inner Districts. The Outer District covered double the area of the Mid Districts, and was divided into two sections: the Outer District itself, and the much smaller area in the south labeled Gate District.

Clarity lazily pointed out a bunch of the splotches of color, and as she traced her hoof along the map, the image slowly changed to reflect the movement of the colors. She didn’t seem particularly fascinated with her job.

“Weather forecast for this week,” she said in a steady monotone. “Smog today, smog tomorrow, more smog the day after that. Smog all week folks, nothing new. Temperatures are staying steady in the mid-80’s, though citizens in Mid-East and Mid-North may notice temperature spikes as that big fire starts moving towards them. I recommend turning on your air-conditioning.”

She yawned, then pointed to a big red cloud over Mid-West. “Citizens of Mid-West are advised not to go outside without protective gear for the next three days, starting tonight. All signs point to a freak acid rain storm. Weather teams from Mid-South and the Inner Districts will attempt to divert it, but are not expecting to be able to do much except contain it.”

She yawned again. “That’s all for the weather, but we’ll be back for a second look at the end of today’s reports. Back to you, Daybreak.”

“Thanks Clarity.” Daybreak beamed, his teeth shining bright as ever, and turned to his other side. The image shifted with him. “Now over to Skyline with the morning’s traffic report. Skyline?”

Now, the image switched from in the studio to that of the pegasus stallion, Skyline. It stayed steady behind him as he flew through a few smog layers above a particularly busy area of the city, where other pegasi were busy dodging one another for seemingly no reason at all. They all seemed to be constraining themselves between two lines of floating, bright green lights that wound through the taller buildings. There was a blue line in between the two green ones, with pegasi on one side flying north, while those on the other side were flying south. The two halves were further divided into fourths by white lines, and these were the ones that the pegasi constrained themselves to the most.

The northbound side was where the trouble came in. Two of the three lines of white were instead flashing red, and no pegasi were flying between them.

“Thanks, Daybreak. As you can see, for all you pegasi out there it might be a good idea to steer clear of Northbound Air Intercity Thirteen. There is some heavy congestion this morning caused by a malfunction in the two of the three Guiding Lines. Traffic Control estimates a three-to-four hour delay for repairs. I’d recommend taking Ground Intercity Thirteen instead if you’re headed for Mid-North, and either Air Intercity Twelve or Fourteen if you’re headed anywhere else.”

The image shifted downwards towards the city streets, which looked just as congested with all the pegasi above swooping down to take the street level. “To all of our unicorn and earth pony pedestrians down there, please be on the lookout for wayward pegasi taking illegal highway exits. NPPD units are already en route to try and direct the flow of traffic, and estimated arrival time is in one hour. Now back to you in the studio.”

“Thank you, Skyline. We’ll be back to you for an update shortly.” Daybreak smiled brightly and turned to his left, towards the mare sitting beside him. “Now to Butter Pecan with our top story of the day. Pecan?”

Butter Pecan spoke in a cheerful, though focused tone as the image shifted to her. “Good morning everypony. Today’s top story! Hoof Rot Season is striking our fair city early this year, and there have already been numerous reports of it spreading quickly through the Outer District areas. Doctors are recommending immunization measures be taken as soon as possible. We have more from our correspondent at Central General, Hotwire.”

The image shifted from the studio again, this time to a young unicorn stallion standing in a pristine white hallway, holding a microphone with his magic. His coat was a shiny purple, his mane a neatly-combed orange with red streaks. He sported a gold jacket and a matching tie.

To his left stood another unicorn, this one with an off-white coat. His olive green mane and tail spiked out and stood at attention, and from their luster it was apparent he used a great deal of product to keep them so straight. His eyes were obscured by his large lab goggles, and he wore a brownish-white lab coat that draped all around his form.

“Thank you, Butter Pecan,” Hotwire said. “I’m here at Central General where the reports of Hoof Rot being on the rise early this season were first discovered. With me is the Committee-Approved Chief of Medicine here at Central General, Doctor Blutsauger.”

The white unicorn nodded with a soft smile as his name was mentioned.

Hotwire turned, hovering his microphone over for the other unicorn to use. “Doctor, tell us a little more about what exactly you’ve discovered.”

The white unicorn coughed into his hoof and adjusted his goggles, then spoke into the microphone. “Ja, vell, for zee past few hours vee have been gettink calls from our clinics in zee Outer District about zese Hoof Rot incidents. Typically, Hoof Rot is a late Vinter, early Spring illness, und ponies vould have plenty of time to get zeir annual immunization shots, if zey haven’t already. But, if Hoof Rot vere to begin spreadink early, before most of zee city got zeir immunizations?” The doctor then turned dramatically towards the screen. “Vee’d be lookink at... an epidemic.” He then turned back to Hotwire. “Zat was good, ja?”

Hotwire coughed, his eyes darting back and forth between the screen and the doctor. He tilted the microphone back towards himself. “What sorts of actions are being taken to prevent such an occurrence?” Then, he tilted it back towards Blutsauger.

Blutsauger crossed his hooves in front of his chest and nodded firmly. “I have spoken vis zee Committee directly, und shown zem mein research. Zey agree vis me zat it vould be better to practice caution, zan to risk toyink vis zee lives of our citizens. I believe your studio vill be gettink zeir issued mandate soon.”

Hotwire raised an eyebrow. “Mandate, doctor?”

“Ja ja, I know zere are many ponies in zee city zat do not listen to medical reports or even vatch zee news, und so I requested zee Committee take responsibility to ensure zat all zee ponies in zee city take action to prevent zis possible catastrophe.” Blutsauger turned towards the screen again and pointed at it, wagging his hoof in shame. “Immunization shots are free to all ponies vis valid identification, und all of our clinics are open twenty-four hours a day. Zere really is no excuse.”

“I see.” Hotwire lifted a small pamphlet from his jacket pocket and glanced at it briefly, then turned back to the doctor. “For those at home, what are the symptoms of Hoof Rot, so they may know which ponies to avoid to prevent infection?”

Blutsauger adjusted his goggles again. “Ja, of course. Hoof Rot comes in stages, und luckily vee are only in zee first stage of zee disease's run. Zee first stage sufferers of Hoof Rot vill have tiny green splotches or varts on zeir hooves; unicorns may also have similar blemishes on zeir horns, as zey are similarly affected. If a pony is in zee secondary stage, zen zeir hooves vill be completely green. Hoof Rot is highly contagious. Do not touch anypony zat shows zee symptoms, do not let zem breaze on you, do not interact with zem! Zis is important!”

Hotwire nodded. “Thank you for your time, doctor.”

Blutsauger smiled back and waved towards the screen. “Alvays a pleasure to do a service for zis great city.”

Hotwire turned towards the screen and stepped away from Blutsauger. “This has been Hotwire reporting for Channel One. Now back to you in the studio.”

The image returned to the studio view, where Butter Pecan was shuffling a paper she had just been given.

“Thank you, Hotwire, and thank you Doctor Blutsauger. As noted in the report, we have just received the Committee’s Mandate.” She lifted the paper she’d been given and began to read. “Issued one hour ago this morning, the Committee has issued an order that all citizens without up-to-date Hoof Rot immunization records in the past thirty days are to report to their nearest New Pandemonium Medical Clinic as soon as possible. They have also issued that anypony that does not get their immunization shots within the next twenty-four hours is subject to forced admission by order of the New Pandemonium Police Department. This mandate will be aired on all stations within the next fifteen minutes, and throughout the rest of the day in hourly intervals. It will also be broadcast every ten minutes on the public broadcast system.”

She immediately brightened and turned to her right. “Now back to Daybreak for our next top story. Daybreak?”

“Thank you, Butt—"

Click.

“Awww what?” Pinkie wailed, grabbing the screen. “I thought you wanted to hear about the fire?”

“Bigger news just came up,” Flathoof said. He sighed and adjusted his cap. “One thing after another. Come on then ladies, you heard the... lady.”

Applejack got to her hooves and started to follow Flathoof towards the door. “Already? We have all day, don’t we? What’s the big rush?”

“If I’d known about this report, I would’ve had all of you at Central General an hour ago when the Mandate was issued. I swear, I’m always the last to know these things.” He adjusted his cap. “It’s like this. The closest Clinic to us, Central General, is the busiest Clinic in the entire Mid-District collection. I’m certain ponies are already starting to make their way there. I’d really like to get this done before too long, and the longer we wait, the longer we’ll have to wait. So, let’s get moving. Hop to it.”

Twilight stood up and followed after Flathoof and Applejack. “You heard him, girls, let’s get going. Chop chop.”

Rainbow groaned. “Awww... but they were about to get to sports. I want to see if they have a Skyball league here.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Rainbow Dash, why do you have to be so argumentative?”

Fluttershy frowned. “Oh dear... here we go again...”

Twilight stamped a hoof. “Girls! Really, this is neither the time nor place for this sort of thing.”

Both Rainbow and Rarity grunted. “But—"

Applejack stepped in and pushed Rarity and Rainbow apart. They both turned their looks of disapproval towards her instead. “Y’all heard Twilight, let’s just get this over with. No more fussin’ around. I reckon it won’t take that long, an’ we can get back home an’ start gettin’ to work on more important things. If y’all wanna argue, do it later.”

Rainbow sighed. “I just wanted to see if they had a Skyball league. Geez, sports was next anyway. It couldn’t have taken that long...”

“That can wait for later, this is important. Do you want to get Hoof Rot?” Twilight asked.

“Well, no, but I mean, it’s not that big of a deal. Pfft, we have that stuff back home too, they’re making it sound like it’s super serious and—"

“That’s because maybe, don’t you think, it is a serious illness over here?” Twilight tutted. “It might not be that big of a deal back home, true. Just get some bed rest and drink some medicinal teas, eat plenty of foods, and you’ll be healthy in no time. But here, they’re making it sound like it could be deadly. Multiple stages? Warts? Hoof Rot back home doesn’t work like that. It just makes you smell for a bit.”

Flathoof blinked and scratched his head. “You all must have it pretty lucky wherever you’re from to have Hoof Rot be treated like a common cold.”

“Even then, it is a most dreadful little illness.” Rarity shuddered. “Oh my, I remember having it once as a little filly. It made my hooves smell just awful for a whole week. Since then, I’ve taken great care to watch my health and avoid catching it again. It would drive away business!”

“Ooh, Hoof Rot stories!” Pinkie giggled, patting Rarity on the shoulder. “Why, I remember when me and my sisters all had it at the same time. They had to declare our rock farm a Class Five Smelly Zone! It was really hard to try and throw parties in all that stink, and it was just the three of us so we really couldn’t get any supplies or anything! Mom and Pop couldn’t come anywhere near us, and it was really awful. I didn’t like it all that much. But I mean, you’d have to be a crazy pony to actually like having Hoof Rot.”

Rainbow held her hooves up in defeat. “Fine, fine, I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t want to get this done at all. I was just wondering what the dang rush was for, geez. No need to bite my head off.”

“You’d have to be crazy to eat pony heads too,” Pinkie said.

Twilight stamped a hoof again. “Girls, please, can we just get going? I’d like to get this done as soon as possible. Right, Captain Flathoof?”

“Right.” Flathoof sighed and nodded. He looked at the clock face on the nearby wall. “We’re probably already running a little late. Come along, everypony.”

***

The Central General Clinic was shorter than the nearby buildings by a fair margin, nowhere near as tall as Southeast Point. It wasn’t particularly wide either, not like Twilight and Applejack had described Central Database Holdings. It was still very big, to be sure. Flathoof explained that it had a very large underground portion where they performed the more serious treatments in order to avoid contamination from any smog residue. The building was a dirty white, with large red crosses adorning many of its features. A particularly large one was plastered just above the doors at the front. The doors were large enough to let a few dozen ponies in and out of the entrance at once, likely to accommodate room for stretchers, beds, or other equipment. The cross above the door was emblazoned with bright golden letters reading out the name of the building.

“See? I told you it’d be crowded,” Flathoof said as they entered the sliding quad doors to the building.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends’ jaws collectively dropped at the sight of so many ponies in a tightly-packed space. A line of ponies stretched down the long hallway ahead of them and all the way around the corner in the distance. A little signpost at the end of the line by the door read:

Hoof Rot Immunizations  
Approximate Wait Time:  
15:00

“Fifteen hours!?” Twilight exclaimed.

“Whoa nelly...” Applejack removed her hat and fanned herself with it. “Golly, we’re gonna be here all dang day.”

The ticker clicked, and the numbers on the bottom changed.

“Fifteen hours and thirty minutes!” Rarity began breathing heavily and fanning herself with a hoof. “Oh my, having to stand in line with all these ponies, for that long? Heavens, this is simply unacceptable!”

The ponies at the end of the line just ahead had apparently anticipated the wait time, and like many others ahead of them had brought cushions to sit on, and little bags of snacks and drinks. Rainbow Dash wished she had brought a book. She related the line to those she’d waited in to get tickets to Wonderbolts shows. But fifteen hours? Even the Wonderbolts weren’t that popular.

“Geez, you weren’t kidding,” Rainbow said. She scuffed her hoof on the floor and gave everypony an apologetic look. “Sorry I held us up. If I’d known—"

“It wouldn’t have made much difference,” Flathoof said. “Maybe saved fifteen or twenty minutes, I don’t know.”

He adjusted his cap and straightened his uniform. “Listen, you six go ahead and get in line. I’ll see if I can find something out from the nurse station. I might not be Lockwood, but maybe I can try and get us some sort of a... I dunno, something.”

Flathoof trotted away from the six mares as they took up positions in line. He rang a bell at the nurse station when he got there. A white pegasus mare came out of the nearby room, clad in a white uniform and a little cap with a red cross.

“Can I help you... officer?” she asked.

Flathoof gave a bright smile and removed his cap. “Yes. Well, maybe. I’m the parole officer for those six mares over there.” He turned and pointed at his parolees. “I was wondering if there was anything you could do to maybe help me get their shots a little sooner?”

The nurse narrowed her eyes and frowned. “You’re kidding... right? You want me to try and skip six mares ahead of a fifteen hour line? You must be out of your mind.”

Flathoof continued to smile as he tugged his collar. “Eh heh. I... I know it sounds a little selfish, but they’re new in the city and don’t even have last year’s shots. I’m worried something—"

The nurse sighed and calmly placed both hooves on the counter. “Look, as much as I’m sure that’s the case, I simply can’t just break protocol and skip them all ahead. This place is a zoo already. Can you imagine the kind of chaos that skipping a few mares ahead of the line would cause? If you think you can hold off a riot all by yourself, then feel free to convince me otherwise.”

Flathoof sighed. “Well, it was worth a try. Thanks for your time.”

He dejectedly walked away and returned to the other mares. “Sorry ladies, no luck. I’m sure Lockwood might’ve been able to do something. Knowing him he probably knows half the staff here. We’ll just have to tough it out.”

“Aw geez.” Rainbow crossed her hooves in front of her chest and slumped against the wall. “This is gonna be so boring. I knew I should’ve brought a book. I could probably finish the newest Daring Do adventure before we’re even done.”

“Aw, take it easy sugarcube.” Applejack chuckled, patting Rainbow on the shoulder. “At least we all got company, yeah?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Um... m-maybe we should think of something to... to t-talk about? To pass the... um... time?” Fluttershy said from her hiding place behind Rarity. “I mean... if... if you want to...”

Pinkie started bouncing. “Ooh! Ooh! We should play a game!” She then stopped, and glanced around the room. “Okay, I spy, with my little eye, something white!”

“Is it me?” Rarity asked, her mouth curled in a confident smirk.

Pinkie shook her head rapidly. “Nnnnope!”

Rarity frowned. “Well... hmph. She usually always picks me with that color.”

“Is it... um... the... nurse’s gown?” Fluttershy asked, peeking out from behind Rarity.

“Nnnnope!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Is it the floor?”

“Pfft, what? The floor is clearly beige, Dashie,” Pinkie said. She then put on her best Rarity impression. “I mean, really, Rainbow Dash? I know Rarity’s the fashion expert here and all, but you can’t tell the difference between beige and white?”

“Well, it used to be white.” Rainbow scuffed at a tile, revealing how much dirt was caked on it. “If they ever cleaned it, it might be.”

Rarity laughed and nudged Rainbow. “I never thought I’d hear that sort of thing from you.”

“C’mon you guys, you gotta keep tryin’!” Pinkie shouted. “Something white!”

Twilight hummed and tapped her chin. “The lights, maybe?”

“Nnnnope!”

“The... ceilin’?” Applejack asked.

Pinkie put her hooves on her hips and gave the others an impatient glare. “You guys are terrible! Come on! Something white!”

“We give up!” Rainbow exclaimed, waving her hooves around in the air. “Come on, Pinkie, everything here is nearly white! It’s a hospital! What did you pick?!”

Pinkie sharply pointed at Flathoof.

“Uh...” He shied away from her accusing hoof.

Her hoof scrolled down his face, to his chest, to his badge, then to tiny, white writing upon it. The NPPD motto. It’s a Living.

“Oh for the love of—" Twilight groaned, throwing her hooves into the air. “We can’t even read that from here, Pinkie!”

Rarity fumed. “I thought it was a reflection of the light! Really, Pinkie Pie? Really?”

“Hey, come on, I’m just trying to pass the time,” Pinkie said. She pointed at the signpost, which they still hadn’t even passed yet. “See?”

15:25

“Ugh. Moving on.” Rainbow turned to Twilight. “Hey, I know what we can talk about! Twilight, how did last night go? Find out anything about getting—" She remembered Flathoof was just half a yard away. “A... job? Yes. Getting a job.”

“Well, the Chief Librarian said I was more than qualified for the position and wants me to go back... tonight.” Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh dear. How am I going to go in for an interview if I’m standing in line waiting for a shot? Do you think he’d understand?”

Flathoof nodded. “For a Committee Mandate, I’m sure he’d make an exception. Heck, if it were my guess, he might even be in this same line here, assuming he lives in Central Plaza.”

Rainbow nudged Twilight softly. “Did you find anything else out, Twilight?” In a hushed whisper, she added, “Y’know, anything important?”

Twilight blinked for a moment, then her face lit up. “Right. Well no, I couldn’t find out anything I was hoping to. I didn’t have much time to do my research, sadly. I’d planned on spending all of today there and trying to find out some more but—"

“Excuse me, officer?”

The nurse had come over specifically to speak to them.

Flathoof hadn’t noticed her walking over and was taken a little by surprise. “Oh, yes?”

“It would seem there was a misunderstanding,” she said, her smile small and apologetic. “You said your parolees were new citizens, right? Well maybe there is something I can do for you then.”

“Oh?” Flathoof asked. He hopped to attention. “Oh! That’s good news. Great news!”

“Now, since they’re new citizens and all that, they’re going to have to go through a routine physical and get some bloodwork done,” she explained. “Nothing special. We only have one doctor on staff that can do this right now, that’s why I didn’t think of it before. But you’re in luck! Our Chief of Medicine had to be here early today to be interviewed for the news report. I’ve already spoken with his secretary and she says he’s agreeing to do it. Though, not without resistance.”

“Doctor Blutsauger?” Flathoof blinked and scratched his head. “The Chief of Medicine is going to give my parolees a standard medical exam? Isn’t that a bit beneath his station?”

“Yes, typically. But the Hospital Board would want him to do it anyway, since...” She leaned in a little and hushed her voice. “We get tax breaks whenever new citizens get fresh medical records, kinda like the NPPD does, yeah? Every little bit helps, if you catch my drift.”

He just nodded and smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate this, Nurse...?”

“Tenderheart,” she said. “And don’t thank me, I’m just doing my job. To tell the truth, this might put me in good graces with the Board. We have been a little short on funding lately. All these free immunizations are expensive, and we had to call in extra staff members to see that the line moved as quickly as possible, as well as monitor our actual patients and the like. Pfft. If the actual doctors were showing up at a decent hour, this line would be half as long.”

“Right...”

Tenderheart handed Flathoof a card. “Here, give this to his secretary and tell her I sent you. She’ll admit your parolees no problem. She’s expecting you. Take the elevator—" She pointed down another hallway perpendicular to the one they were already standing in. “Up to the eighth floor. Take a right, down the hall until you reach the big wooden door on your right side, just before you turn the corner at the end. That’s Doctor Blutsauger’s office.”

Flathoof nodded and took the card. “Thank you again, Nurse Tenderheart. Come on, ladies. We’re in luck.”

“Thank goodness,” Twilight said. “Hopefully this won’t take quite as long, right?”

“It shouldn’t.” Flathoof shook his head as he led them towards the elevators, “Well, the examination part at least. Those don’t take very long at all. Either way it’s not going to take fifteen hours. I dunno, maybe thirty minutes for each of you? Longer than just getting a shot, but hey, we don’t have to wait in line, right?”

“Well that’s a relief,” Rainbow said.

The elevators at Central General were much larger than those at NPPD Central Station, so nopony had to be squished next to anypony else. This elevator even played music as they waited, a cheery tune that was easy to hum along to, or in Pinkie’s case, bounce along to. The elevator dinged as it reached each new floor. When it dinged a seventh time, the door opened and they disembarked.

The eighth floor was nice. The lobby had been a filthy white, clean enough to be passable, but not really sterile or hygienic. This felt more like a high-rise office building, like it didn’t even belong in a hospital. The floor was carpeted, and the walls and ceiling were a pristine white. They traveled down the hall to the right-hand side, just before the corner, to a big door made of a blackened wood. It was marked with a gold placard that read Dr. Blutsauger, MD - Chief of Medicine.

Upon entering, they saw the secretary they were to contact, a unicorn mare with a dull blue coat and curly white hair. She was busy filling out some paperwork when they walked in, and hardly noticed them until Flathoof stepped up to her and coughed.

“Can I help you?” she asked without looking up from her work.

Flathoof set the business card he’d been given onto her desk. “We were sent up here from Nurse Tenderheart to see Doctor Blutsauger. Something about getting—"

The secretary lifted the card with her magic and floated it in front of her. “Ah, right, I got her message a few minutes ago. You should count yourselves lucky that Doctor Blutsauger is even here this early, but what can you do when we have a possible epidemic on our hooves, hmm? These six mares are the patients then? May I see their identifications?”

The six all hastily fumbled through their outfits to find where they’d stored their ID cards, then presented them.

The secretary looked over each carefully and entered their information into her computer station. “Hmm, they don’t have any medical records on file, as you said. They just got into the city yesterday afternoon, did they? And already they’re getting medical records taken care of and everything?” She beamed at the mares. “Good for you! It’s not often we see new ponies take such quick action. Wait here, I’ll inform the doctor you’ve arrived.”

Flathoof nodded. “Thank you.”

She left the room, exiting through the large door behind her. Flathoof breathed a sigh of relief, as did everypony else.

“This is going pretty smoothly,” Twilight said, taking a seat in one of the office’s comfy-looking chairs. “I was worried when we first got here that everypony was going to be unhelpful and rude, like the first few we met. It’s nice to see there are other ponies around here that are like you and Mister Lockwood.”

Rainbow grunted and took a seat next to Pinkie. “This all seems a little fishy, if you ask me.”

“Aw, c’mon Dashie, everypony’s gotta get lucky sometimes, right?” She threw her foreleg around Rainbow’s shoulder, and got a faraway look in her eyes. “Why, I remember when I was just a little twinkie Pinkie, growing up on my family’s rock farm. One day, I saw a moving rock and got really scared because, hey, rocks don’t move on their own! But it turned out it wasn’t a rock, it was a rock lobster! Mom and Pop were super excited, because those are worth so much money to rich ponies as pets! So we sold it, and then we decided to take a vacation at the beach with the bits we made, and everypony got matching towels, and—"

Rainbow leaned over to Rarity. “What the hay is a rock lobster?”

“-so we were headed there, and we saw a sign on the road that said fifteen miles to the—"

Rarity shook her head and shrugged. “Never heard of one. Fluttershy? Do you know, dear?”

“-and it was set way back in the middle of a field, which seems like a really weird place to put a place called the Love Shack, but I dunno, I guess everypony likes their privacy every now and then, right? So yeah, it was just a funky old shack, and—"

Fluttershy tapped her hooves together. “Um... well, they’re little critters that use r-rocks for their homes. K-kind of... like a shell. But... um... they typically don’t live where Pinkie Pie lived. They live by the ocean... usually under docks...”

“-so we took it hip to hip, rocking through the wilderness, which was really fun! Mom and Pop never liked to dance much, except at my parties, so it was really neat to see than having such a good time. I told ‘em, ‘Mom, Pop, you gotta roam if you want to, even without wings or wheels or—"

“So what the hay was one doing on her farm?” Rainbow turned to Pinkie. “Pinks! Your story doesn’t make any sense!”

“-and it had pink air, which I thought was super cool, ‘cause I’m pink and stuff, and I thought maybe the air would taste different, but it didn’t really, so I was kinda disappointed. All the trees were red though, which was weird. I thought maybe they were like, licorice or something, but nope! So then—"

Flathoof put a hoof to his face and groaned. “I swear, if I have to hear one more of these crazy stories—"

Their attentions were diverted away from Pinkie’s bizarre tale when the large double doors opened and the secretary reappeared.

“Doctor Blutsauger will see you now,” the secretary said. “One at a time,” she quickly added when all six mares took a step forward. 

“And, he insists on doing it alphabetically. That means you’re first, Miss...” She glanced at her computer screen again. “Applejack?”

“Ah… well, okay I guess,” Applejack said as she trotted forward and past the secretary. “Wish me luck, girls.”

***

Applejack jumped at the sound of the big doors snapping closed behind her. With a gulp, she looked around the new room she found herself in. Doctor Blutsauger’s office was, to put it lightly, fancy. The walls were richly decorated with all sorts of unique, exotic décor, all of it with an eerie medical feel. The lavish carpet felt oddly comfortable under her hooves, like walking on crisp, freshly-cut grass. There were no windows, and she actually preferred it that way, since the big city was still unsettling to her.

The massive wall of degrees and qualifications eased Applejack’s trepidation. Doctor Blutsauger was clearly a highly-decorated expert in his field. Rather, fields, given the amount of degrees on the wall. She didn’t know any of the many different specializations that were listed, though. There were degrees for Cardiology, Hematology, and a few others, none of which she knew the nature of nor really cared to know, truth be told.

Along one of the walls was a display of jars filled with a transparent, greenish liquid, as well as something else. Applejack had never paid much attention in school during biology lessons, but she figured the objects in those jars were organs. Certainly now Applejack was less at ease, and wondered how Doctor Blutsauger expected a wall full of pony organs to really soothe anypony that came in here.

The Doctor himself soon exited from the side room.

He smiled broadly when the mare caught his eye. “Ah, Miss Applejack, ja? Vunderbar! Let’s get zis ordeal over vis. I did not expect to be comink in today to give physicals und do zee Hoof Rot shots meinself, but business is business. Follow me, please.”

He gestured behind him towards the room he’d just left. Applejack followed, and came into a sterile white room with a large table in the center. The walls were lined with various medical implements.

“Let’s take care of a few measurements first. Step over to zee device here please.” He gestured to a machine that Applejack thought looked similar to a scale. She stepped on it, and he came over and began adjusting knobs and levers on the panel. “Now zen, I understand you are from Utopia, ja? Did you take a physical over zere any time recently?”

Applejack thought for a moment, and remembered a doctor’s visit she’d taken a little while before all of this to see about a cramp in one of her forelegs. “Yeah, some few months ago, I think. I don’t rightly remember exactly when it was.”

Blutsauger continued to adjust the scale as he talked. “Do you remember any of zee measurements you vere given?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “My... measurements?”

He waved a hoof in a gesture for her to continue. “Ja, your height, veight, zings like zat? I’d like to have zem for comparison, in case zere is a large difference in zee numbers. It helps to see if you’ve grown or shrunk in figure, ja? To learn if perhaps zere is somezing in your daily routine or diet zat may be affectink you.”

“Ah, okay.” Applejack nodded, and tapped a hoof to her temple in thought. She came up blank. “Uh... I don’t rightly remember. I ain’t that good with numbers, see, and—"

“Fine fine, it’s no big issue,” he dismissed. “Vee can vorry about zat zee next time you have one, and see how vell you adjust to changink livink conditions. Let’s see. Ah, height is one hundred und forty-one, slightly above-average, very good. You are a tall one, ja! Veight is four hundred und twenty-seven, also above-average—"

Applejack turned her head and glared at him. “Well that’s a bit rude, doc. Y’all sayin’ I’m fat?”

Doctor Blutsauger blinked. A second later, he laughed. Loudly. “Ach, goodness no... ha! Ha ha!” He took a kerchief from his coat pocket and wiped it under one of his goggles. “Fat! Zat is a new one. I vill have to remember it for zee next Doctors’ Ball. Anyvay, nein, you have some tone as vell, so I suspect zee extra veight is all muscular. You are a vork pony, ja? Understandable, given your height. You must do a lot of physical labor, und quite often? From Utopia... hmm. Construction maybe, or a farm pony, perhaps?”

Applejack blinked and nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Good guess, doc.”

“Ach, I make it mein business to know mein patients on a personal level, ja? Helps make zem feel at ease, since many patients feel uncomfortable vis a few of zee procedures.” He tugged the collar of his lab coat and licked his lips. “Now zen, for zee next procedure, I am goink to need you to... strip.”

***

“Bonjour. Est-ce que votre réfrigérateur marche? Alors, vous feriez mieux d'aller l’attraper!”

Blutsauger pulled back several inches and looked at his stethoscope carefully.

No, there wasn’t any dirt or dust on it. He leaned in again.

“おはようございます！ クレージーホースインザモーニングへ ようこそ！ 僕は アンカーマン クレージーホースです！”

His stethoscope shifted.

“This is your captain speaking, we are currently on our final approach to—"

He kept himself calm; Pinkie only smiled. He coughed, and gave her a relaxed, though quizzical, look of concern.

Pinkie’s grin got wider. “Problem, doc?”

***

“Vill... you... stop... movink... please...?” Blutsauger gasped. “You are... makink... zis... so much... harder... zan it needs... to be...”

“C’mon doc, you gotta try harder than that,” Rainbow said. “Or am I too fast for you? I’m not just a fast flier, y’know. I gotta be fast all over.”

“You are not supposed to dodge zee hammer,” he panted as he lifted it once more. Again he swung it down, again he missed as, again, she moved her leg out of the way.

Rainbow crossed her hooves over her chest. “Well that’s dumb, how is it supposed to test my reflexes if I just let you hit me?”

Blutsauger sighed and wiped his brow with his kerchief. “I zought... I vas done vis dealink vis zings like zis...”

***

“Ouch!”

“Zere vee go, all done.” Blutsauger nodded as he used his magic to flick the tip of the needle. “Mmm... zis is somezing I have not done in a long time,” he chuckled. “Bloodvork is such a pleasure. Ah... sometimes I vish I had not gotten zis promotion, ja? It is alvays zee little zings you miss zee most.”

“Right.” Twilight grimaced as she felt him apply the tiny bandage to the injection area. “So... are we all done here for today? With everything? Please tell me that’s the last of it.”

“Mmmm? Oh, ja, zat vill be all,” Blutsauger dismissed. “Tell mein secretary you are all done, und she vill send zee tax papervork to your place of residence. Und she vill give you a lollipop too, I zink, for being such a trooper,” he added with a wide smile.

“Oh... right...” Twilight gulped. “Um... thank you, Doctor Blutsauger.”

Twilight sighed in discontent and left the office. Her friends were all in the entryway waiting for her, wearing varied looks of displeasure or bewilderment at the experiences they’d just gone through. Well, doctor’s visits were certainly different here in this new world, that much Twilight knew was for certain.

***

It was good to be back at Southeast Point. Not too many hours had passed, but it was still closing in on mid-afternoon as Twilight, her friends, and Flathoof ascended the stairs to their apartment. Every time she traversed these stairs, Twilight felt she was becoming more and more accustomed to the climb, and she hoped the others felt as she did. Plus, having a good night’s rest, stopping for a little lunch on the way home, and not having to deal with a lot of stress thanks to getting sucked into another world, allowed them a lot more energy for it. Even Rarity barely complained as they made the climb.

It came as a surprise to find Lockwood waiting at the top of the stairs for them, pacing back and forth outside their open door. He looked calm, but impatient. His jacket was off, leaving him in just a plain white shirt.

“Lockwood?” Flathoof pushed ahead of the girls and approached his friend. “I didn’t expect you until later tonight.”

Lockwood greeted them with his bright smile. “Oh, there you all are. Must’ve been going in for those immunization shots, hmm? Right right, of course you were, silly of me to even ask. How was it? The line wasn’t too long, I hope?”

“Fifteen hours and thirty minutes,” Twilight said, sighing heavily. “When we got there, it was packed. I’ve never seen such a crowd in one place before, and I’ve seen an awful lot of crowds.”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Fifteen hours? Really? You’re all back awfully early, then.”

“Yeah, we got some help from a nurse there,” Flathoof said. “A Nurse Tenderheart, to be precise. Friend of yours? Maybe she recognized me or something. I figured you might have had something to do with it, maybe called in a favor knowing we’d be there?”

“Tenderheart? No, the name doesn’t sound familiar. I do know one doctor there, though.”

Flathoof smiled and nodded. “Ah, there we go. It wouldn’t be Doctor Blutsauger, would it?”

Lockwood chuckled. “The Chief of Medicine? Oh, Flathoof, I think you overestimate me. I know a lot of ponies, but that’s a little beyond my reach when social circles are concerned. I had nothing to do with this at all.”

Flathoof hummed and scratched his head. “Well that’s odd. I guess that nurse or secretary was just really nice then. Shame. I could’ve gotten some information for you. You’d probably like to meet somepony like that.” He shook his head, then pointed at Lockwood. “Anyway, I know you didn’t come up here just to make conversation. Well, maybe you would, but that doesn’t look like why you’re here. What’s going on, pal?”

“Ah, yes, right. It would seem our new friends here have a visitor.”

Twilight, her friends, Lockwood, and Flathoof entered the apartment.

A minty green unicorn mare was resting on their couch, using Lockwood’s jacket as a pillow. She looked as if she had been through Tartarus and back again in the past day. Her body was covered in small cuts and bruises, many of which had clearly not really healed properly. Some of the worst ones were on her face, particularly a few nasty cuts around her muzzle, and a deep gash along the bridge of her nose. At least her cutie mark was still recognizable, a plain-looking silver stopwatch, even if it too had some shallow cuts. Her beige sweater vest was torn, her bow tie was half-missing and the other half was frazzled and dirty, and the white shirt underneath was stained with blood and dirt. Her sky blue mane and tail drooped with sweat and smelled of smog.

She did not look well.

“She came looking for you about an hour ago, she said,” Lockwood whispered. “When she found you all weren’t home, she came downstairs and asked for me. I offered her some medical aid, but she insisted there wasn’t time for that, and that we come up here and wait for you. I at least got her to lay down and be patient. Poor girl. And now look at me, pacing in her stead.” He shook his head and put a hoof to the bridge of his nose. “Ah, I’m getting off track again. She said she was a friend of yours, and—"

“You trusted her, just like that?” Flathoof asked, pointing angrily at her. “Lockwood, look at her, she—"

Lockwood held up a hoof. “She looks like she’s not exactly a reputable pony, I know. But, I listened to her talk. You know me. Judging character is my thing. There’s no malice there, my friend. She looks like she’s been through a lot getting here, so I thought it would be right to see to her request.”

Twilight stepped forward first, determined not to continue arguing about who this pony was. She had claimed to be their friend, but Twilight had never seen her before in her life. Well, that wasn’t true. She looked familiar, but it must not have been a particularly long or pleasant meeting if she could not recall it too clearly. Either way, there would be time to deal with those sorts of details later. Now, all that she wanted was an explanation.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked, simply and firmly. “Why were you looking for us?”

“Hmm?” The mare shook off her half-sleep. “Oh! You’re here. Finally.” She smiled, though it was a pained expression. “Relax, Twilight Sparkle—"

“And how do you know my name?”

The mare sat up straight and coughed into her hoof. “I know a lot more than that about you six, actually. But don’t worry, I am not your enemy. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you’ll forgive my mild theatrics, I’ve always wanted to do stuff like this,” she said, laughing. She lifted a hoof into the air dramatically. “My name is Tick Tock, and I am here to help send you home.”


	6. Initialization

“Listen, I appreciate the help and all, but if we’re all done buggering about?” Tick Tock rolled her eyes as Rarity started wiping dirt off of her cheek.

Pinkie snorted loudly into her hooves. “Buggering? Whaaat?”

Tick Tock glanced briefly at Pinkie, then back to Rarity. “Look, I’m going to try to explain this quickly. We don’t have a lot of time, hence why I didn’t want to muck about with all of this... this rubbish you’re doing.”

“Nonsense, dear,” Rarity said, running a brush through the other unicorn’s mane. She blanched when she caught sight of all the caked blood she’d gotten out. “You’re in quite a state. It simply won’t do for you to try and help us looking like this.”

Tick Tock grumbled. She was never too keen on accepting help from others, and being doted on was something she considered a colossal waste of time. They were just minor injuries, really, so they didn’t need to go to such lengths to help her.

Tick Tock’s wounds were deep and dirty. Twilight had insisted she get cleaned up first, so that she could assist with healing magic. Rarity ran hot water into some bowls and soaked some towels to use for cleaning Tick Tock’s cuts, while Fluttershy and Lockwood sought out the apartment’s first-aid kit. Once Fluttershy and Lockwood managed to find it under the sink, they began to sort out the cotton balls, rubbing alcohol, and bandages.

Tick Tock sighed. “If you insist, I suppose I can’t stop you.”

To her, it felt like she’d been shoved into a combination hospital and spa. Rarity seemed more concerned with mending Tick Tock’s appearance, from cleaning up dirt to trying to straighten up her outfit. She admitted that it needed it, and regretted that she wouldn’t be able to go back home to grab a replacement. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was soaking cotton balls in the rubbing alcohol and placing them in another bowl for use.

“Anyway, it basically comes down to this: you six need to get home, and you need to get home fast. Your being here is going to have a pretty severe negative effect on your world the longer you’re here. If I don’t get you lot home soon, there won’t be a world for you to return to. Do you understand the gravity of the situation?”

The six mares looked at each other, faces downcast with worry.

Flathoof coughed and held the bridge of his nose. “Wait wait wait, you’re telling me that these girls are from another world? Pardon my saying so, miss, but maybe you hit your head one too many times?” He tapped the side of his head with his hoof.

“I assure you, I am perfectly sane and clear-headed, injuries aside. In plain and simple terms, yes, they’re from another world,” Tick Tock explained.

She winced as Fluttershy dabbed an alcohol-soaked cotton ball onto one of her more serious cuts. “Ow! Bloody hell, that stings!”

Pinkie snorted again. “Heh... bloody?”

“Oh... um... I’m sorry.” Fluttershy took a step back from the aggravated unicorn. “Um... b-but, you really need to get these t-taken care of. You could probably use a bath too... um... if you d-don’t mind my saying...”

Rarity frowned as she wiped a towel across Tick Tock’s forehead. “Good heavens darling, where did you get all these injuries anyway? You look an absolute mess.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “Y’all look like ya done got in a fight with a lawnmower.”

Tick Tock hesitated for a second. “I had a little... scuffle with somepony. Not everypony out there likes what my line of work entails, I suppose.”

Truth be told, she didn’t want to tell them she’d been subjected to attempted murder. First, because she didn’t know who that pegasus had been. Second, because she didn’t actually know what he was after her for, even if she had a good guess. Third, because worrying them about that kind of thing would just slow them down. Besides, once they got out of the city, he wouldn’t pose a problem. She’d handled herself decently on her own, so having others with her would surely increase her chances. Plus, whoever he’d been, he seemed the type to go for a covert attack, not to try and ambush them in the middle of the open desert. No, he would not pose a problem.

“What exactly is your job, if you don’t mind my asking?” Twilight asked. She followed along after Rarity and Fluttershy’s motions, healing the cuts with her magic as they cleaned them.

“I’m a Chronomancer,” Tick Tock said, throwing her hoof out dramatically. The blank looks everypony was giving her, even from Twilight Sparkle, were disappointing.

“A Chronomancer?”

“We take pride in being the guardians of the Equestria Multiverse, preventing the destruction of our worlds against the many natural forces that threaten to do so. We don’t get involved in the politics or wars or things like that. Those are superficial events that might tear apart a world at its surface, but time heals those sorts of wounds eventually. What we are concerned with, are the fundamental laws of magic and how they affect our worlds. Typically, we’re most focused on Void portals though. If left unchecked, a Void portal just expands and expands, and can eventually damage the foundation of a world itself.”

“Hmmm... interesting,” Twilight mused. “The concept sounds familiar. I’m certain I’ve read something along those lines before.” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “Well then, how exactly are we causing trouble back home by being here?”

“Because you’re the wielders of the Elements of Harmony,” Tick Tock said. All six looked at one another, eyes widened and mouths agape. Tick Tock continued, “Your very existence in your world keeps a seal on this Discord fellow, and with you six here, that seal is weakening fast. It’ll likely be broken within the the next three-to-four weeks. So we don’t have—"

Pinkie gasped. Loudly. “Oh gosh, Discord’s back? Girls! We have to get home soon! We’re gonna miss the free popcorn! Cotton candy clouds! Chocolate milk rain!”

“Wait, could you run that by me again?” Twilight asked. “Discord’s seal is breaking? Already? Princess Celestia’s seal took nearly a year to break entirely.”

Tick Tock sighed. “Apparently your seal was weaker, seeing as you’re all mortal ponies, while Celestia is an Alicorn.”

“Well that’s kind of a gip,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves over her chest. “Our seal should be just as strong as the one the Princess used. That’s not fair.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “Well, that’s just how magic works. Celestia’s control of Law magic is significantly greater than any of yours, especially since only two of you are unicorns. At any rate, the longer you’re here, the faster the influx of Chaos magic will—"

Twilight waved a hoof to stop Tick Tock. “Hang on hang on. See, now you’re confusing me. Chaos and Law aren’t really those kind of forces, they’re more like classifications of magic, how certain types of magic work. They’re not—"

Tick Tock narrowed her eyes. “Are you really arguing with me on the semantics of how magic does or doesn’t work? We don’t have time for—"

“I’m just trying to understand it,” Twilight said. “The better I know what’s going on, the better I can think of a solution. I’ve studied magic for my entire life, so this just seems to go against everything I’ve ever learned. I mean, if you’re wrong about—"

“Wrong?!” Tick Tock shouted. “My dear Twilight Sparkle, I am a Chronomancer. We’re never wrong about these sorts of things. My counterpart from your world, Time Turner, is—"

“Mister Time Turner? The clockmaker?”

“Doctor Time Turner,” Tick Tock corrected.

“Oh. Right. Forgot how insistent he is about that. I’ve known him since I was just a filly. You mean he’s—" Twilight paused and she tapped her chin. “Huh. Well, I guess then that would make sense if he were a Chronomancer too. He always seemed to hang around the palace an awful lot for clockmaker. How do you know him?”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Chronomancers can communicate with one another across the dimensions, to a certain extent.”

“How is Doctor Time Turner connected to all of this?”

“I’m trying to get to that,” Tick Tock said, snorting through her nostrils. “He’s the one who postulated this whole theory when he noticed the beginning of the problem after you six disappeared. He’s the one who came up with the plan to get you all home. And, I think he knows a little more about magic than you do, even if you’re the Element of Magic or whatever. He knows more than I do, that’s for certain, and I think even I’m a little more experienced than you are in these matters.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Well that’s a little arro—"

Tick Tock returned the gaze. “Look, are you a Chronomancer? No? Well then you have no experience dealing with the three different forms of magic as intimately as we do. You think Law and Chaos are mere classifications?” She threw her hooves up. “For heaven’s sakes, I’m trying to help get you home, and you’re going to bleedin’ debate with me on- ow! Fluttershy.”

“Sorry!” Fluttershy gulped, jerking back another alcohol-soaked cotton ball. “You... you n-need to sit still... um... please?”

Twilight grunted. “Hmph, I guess you’re right. This is neither the time or place for this. I’ll discuss the issue with you later though, I assure you, because I still don’t think—"

“Come on now, Twi,” Applejack interrupted. “Let her finish the story, huh? She’s just tryin’ ta help.”

“Right... I didn’t mean to sound disagreeable,” Twilight said. “Go on then, Tick Tock. You say you have a plan?”

“Yes, of course.” Tick Tock took a deep breath. “The plan is to get you to Utopia, and to ask Harmonia for help. She’s the Goddess of Balance, and one of this world’s two Alicorns. She has the power to send you home. Granted, so does her counterpart Nihila, the Goddess of Disparity, but she would not likely be willing to help you. A bloody shame since you’re right at her doorstep. Sure would make my job easier, I tell you. I’m proper knackered running around all bleedin’ day, and now I have to do this too.”

Pinkie stifled another laugh. “Pfft... knackered.”

Twilight sighed. “I guess it’s pretty bad luck we ended up on the wrong side of the world, then.” 

“It’s a natural occurrence. Bugger-all you could’ve done about that,” Tick Tock explained, shooting a look at Pinkie when the latter snorted again. “Void magicks don’t really work properly in the presence of abundant Law magic, and since the southern hemisphere has so much ambient Law magic in the air, Void portals can’t really manifest there on their own. Hence why we need so much power to make a portal that can sustain itself long enough to get you through it.”

“And we can’t just wait for another one to appear?” Rarity asked. “If it’s your job cleaning these awful things up, then it sounds as if they’re rather common.”

Tick Tock sighed. “There won’t be any more natural portals in this dimension for another month. The portal on this end you came through was one of many in a portal storm, and this world is now in the midst of the eye of that storm, so it’s going to be pretty calm as far as that is concerned. That’s where the unfortunate circumstance is, sadly.”

“So hang on then,” Rainbow said. “You said you knew a lot about us, but I’ve never met this ‘Doctor Time Turner’ guy. Twilight sounds like she has, so I guess I can believe you knowing about her if you can talk with him across worlds and junk. But what about the rest of us? How do you know our names and stuff?”

Tick Tock hesitated for a moment, then decided honesty was the best policy here. “I had to do a little... snooping, to find out who you were so that I could report back to Time Turner, so that he could figure out why things were going wrong in your world. I apologize for not revealing myself sooner. If it weren’t so imperative to rush you all home, it would be the preferred method to wait for a natural portal to send you through. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

“Spying on us, huh?” Rainbow narrowed her eyes and turned to Twilight. “I don’t know about you, Twi, but that sounds fishy. How do we know she just didn’t overhear us talking about going home, and is just making all this up to try and take us for a ride?”

Twilight eyed Tick Tock, giving her a brief once-over. “It is awfully convenient.”

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking. You’ve got to be bloody joking!” she shouted. “I’m trying to help you, and—"

“But," Twilight interrupted, “she did mention Time Turner, and you’re right, I’m the only pony here who even knows him well. And, I never mentioned him once in all our time here. It would be a pretty ridiculous coincidence if she picked a name out of the blue like that, and picked the one pony that would probably know how to help.”

Rainbow nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Well, if you say so, Twi, I guess we can trust her.”

“So wait,” Flathoof said. All the mares jumped, having forgotten he and Lockwood were even still in the room. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this... this. Let me get this straight. These six mares are from another world. Their being here is going to destroy their home if they don’t get back, and to do that you need to get them to Utopia, the other side of the world, in three-to-four weeks. Am I understanding this right?”

Tick Tock nodded. “That’s the gist of it, yes.”

“Well if you ask me, you’re attempting the impossible,” Flathoof said.

“And you are?”

Flathoof removed his hat and nodded. “Captain Flathoof, NPPD. I’m their parole officer. I’ve helped these young ladies get through their first twenty-four hours here pretty well, I’d like to think. If they need to get home that quickly, well, I suppose I’d be willing to help a little more.”

“Ya mean, y’all’re gonna help us?” Applejack asked.

Flathoof nodded.

“The better question is, you believe us?” Rainbow asked.

“Your whole plan is getting out of the city. If your original story were true, that means you’re just going right back out into the desert, and that’s plain dumb.” Flathoof shrugged. “So, what else is there to believe?”

“Well said,” Lockwood said, patting Flathoof on the shoulder. “If you eliminate the impossible until only the improbable is left, then the improbable must be true. I’m with Flathoof. Anything I can do to help, just ask.”

Flathoof turned to Tick Tock. “How exactly did you propose to get out of the city?”

Tick Tock groaned and touched the bridge of her nose. She winced and jerked her hoof away from the still-healing gash. “Oh bugger, I knew I forgot something. How am I going to get them out of the city? I didn’t really get time to think on it, what with the... scuffle.”

“What’s the big problem?” Twilight asked. “Why can’t we just leave?”

“The city’s government doesn’t take too kindly to losing taxpayers,” Lockwood said. Then, he shook his head, and gave Twilight a bright smile. “But now that I know you’re not from around here, I can assume you didn’t see the massive door that leads in and out of the city? That would be the Gate. Like the rest of the Outer Wall, it keeps threats out, keeps everything else in.”

“It’s like this,” Flathoof explained. “To get through the Gate, you need a passport. Simple concept, really. But passports are... expensive. Very expensive. Five years of my salary if I was working overtime every day, expensive. But—" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID card. 

Twilight examined it and compared it to her own. “It’s similar, but I see the slight differences. This is a passport then?”

Applejack scratched her head. “I thought y’all said they were expensive?”

“I have one because NPPD officers of Captain rank get complimentary passes so that we can accompany the Chief on any of his personal trips to Utopia if he wishes us to go. Kind of a dumb reason, but I’m not complaining. It was free.” Flathoof shrugged. “You don’t refuse free stuff around here. Besides, you never know when one can come in handy.”

“I have one as well,” Tick Tock added. She fumbled in her vest pocket and fished hers out with her magic. “My... superiors ensured that I got one, for when I’m required to perform duties outside city boundaries.”

Flathoof breathed a sigh of relief. “Well that’s lucky. I was worried you’d need one too. So the problem here that we have is that we still need six passports.” He tapped his chin. “I suppose we could try to sneak you out. I know plenty of ponies every year try it.” He shook his head. “No, that’s risky. Breaches in the Outer Wall are few and far between, and most of them don’t lead into any neatly-organized areas that are safe from the dangers of the Wastelands. The Gate at least leads out into the open.”

Tick Tock sighed. “So the bloody Gate really is our only option.”

Pinkie didn’t try to hold in a giggle this time.

Tick Tock shot her another glare. “Oi! What in the bloody hell do you keep laughing at?!”

Pinkie shook her head. “Oh... nothing old bean. Sorry, sorry, go on, I’ll keep quiet.”

Tick Tock went to retort until Lockwood interjected with a cough. “I think, then, that I may provide a solution.”

“You? Lockwood, you know you don’t have the money for this sort of thing, not on your salary,” Flathoof said. “I don’t care what kind of connections you might have. Even with a discount, six passes would break your bank so fast your head would spin.”

“Heck, if we all pooled our money together we might be able to afford one,” Tick Tock suggested. Her head sank. “Next year. Maybe. With interest.”

“Ah, you underestimate my connections at times.” Lockwood rummaged through one of his coat pockets and pulled out his own ID card. “See, I also have a Gate Pass.”

Flathoof’s eyes widened as Lockwood waved the card in front of his face. “Where in the hay did you get the money to afford one of those? Why do you even have one?”

“Oh, I figured I might want to leave this little berg one day, see some greener pastures or so the saying goes.” Lockwood shrugged and gestured towards the air, spreading his wings slightly. “The sky’s the limit, though. I’ve just been saving up for an airship ticket, then I’m good to go. The going is slow, unfortunately. I don’t make too much, you’re right. I’ve been offered one before, but I’m determined to get one on my own. Principle of the thing.”

Flathoof grunted. “Right. Okay, but still, how did you afford it? What kind of discount did you get on that thing, hmm? What kind of favor did you call in? I can’t imagine the hoops you needed to jump through.”

“Show me your Gate Pass, Flathoof.”

“What?”

“Just let me see it.”

Flathoof took his out of his uniform pocket and handed it over.

Lockwood held both up in front of Flathoof’s face. “Now, I want you to tell me the difference between them. Aside from the personal information, of course.”

Flathoof looked between the two, and shook his head. “They look the same to me. Where are you going with this, Lockwood?”

“My Gate Passport is a fake.”

Flathoof’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding...”

“Not at all!” Lockwood laughed, shuffling his passport back into his coat and returning Flathoof’s to its owner. “Completely indiscernible from the real thing, yes?”

Flathoof held the bridge of his nose. “Lockwood, you know falsifying passports is illegal, right?”

“Is it? Huh, how about that.”

Flathoof stared blankly at Lockwood for a moment, then sighed. “Go on...”

Lockwood beamed, and continued. “Well, at any rate, it works well enough on more than just your eyes, too. It even fools the card readers at the Gate itself! I’ve tested it! It not only works, it works perfectly. If I had the money to afford an airship ticket, I would’ve done it ages ago. Can’t fake one of those, and I’m just not confident enough to try and make the trip on foot. Bit of a pickle, see.”

Flathoof crossed his hooves in front of his chest. “And I assume then, that your plan is to get more of these for these six here?”

“Precisely. I know just the pony to see.”

***

The Outer District was not known for many things: its cleanliness; its safety or security; its quality economic, employment, or educational offerings; its high-class medical services; its good-mannered social network; or, its helpful social workers and everyday citizenry.

Least of all, the percentage of ponies that wanted to move to and live there was legitimately zero. In fact, it had been statistically proven every single year since New Pandemonium City had ‘abandoned’ the Outer District in the process of moving most of the quality services and government offices into the Mid Districts. Nopony wanted to live there, and everypony who did live there wanted out.

In shorter terms, the place was a dump. A heap. A ghetto. A slum. A pig-sty. A rundown old town with more problems in a single city block than there were ponies that lived in that city block, and there were a lot of ponies living in the Outer District. It was twice the size of all of the Mid Districts combined, if one were to account for the Gate District in the southeast as a part of the Outer District, which technically it was. So long as one didn’t tell anypony living in the Gate District that, all was well.

It was not as densely packed as the Mid Districts. Both the Mid and Outer Districts actually had relatively comparable populations, but that didn’t change the fact that the ponies living there lived in what essentially amounted to squalor. They were impoverished, mostly unemployed, uneducated, and imperiled, and the ponies that could claim they were actually comparable in health and habit to the Mid District ponies were so few and far between it was like looking for a needle in stack of more needles.

Lockwood knew a few of these diamonds in the rough. One of them was a young unicorn mare named Keeneye, and she was going to help him with his most recent conundrum, or so he said. Her home was located in the southwest sector of the Outer District, relatively close to the Divider Wall that separated it from the Mid District both physically and symbolically.

The Ponyville natives looked on in rather depressed disbelief at the state of the Outer District.

“How can anypony live like this?” Twilight asked, scrunching her nose at the smell. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but this place is a...”

“Dump,” Rainbow finished, hovering just above the ground so as to avoid touching it.

“That’s putting it mildly darling. I can’t imagine the quality of ponies in this area if this is what their living conditions are like,” Rarity said. “Surely even Applejack can agree that this is perhaps just a little in need of some tidying up?”

“I reckon it could use a lil’ work, yeah,” Applejack said. “Rainbow’s right, this place is a dump.”

They tried not to look at the huddled groups of ponies gathered around smoldering trash cans, their hooves splotched with green.

“Hoof Rot.” Twilight gulped. “That news report was serious.”

“Golly, don’t the city care none ‘bout these ponies out here? Ain’t they gonna do somethin’?”

“Nnnnope, not a bit,” Flathoof said. “And it’s a shame, too. If we took better care of these ponies, perhaps the crime rate wouldn’t be quite so high. I know you can’t see much of it here by the Divider Wall, but if we went deeper in, well, I don’t think many of those ponies would be too frightened of just one NPPD officer, if you catch my drift?”

Rarity shuddered and slowed her pace to drift closer to him. “I don’t even want to think about it. Thank goodness we have you here though, Captain Flathoof. Please tell me we’re not going that deep in.”

“Nah, we’re sticking pretty close to the Wall. It’s not as bad as it could be though,” Lockwood stated proudly from the front of the line. “You should’ve seen how this part of the sector looked when I was just a little colt. Some volunteer organizations do an awful lot of work around here to make it less like the rest of the District. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but we do what we can.”

“Oh... y-you’re... a part of one of these... v-volunteer groups?” Fluttershy asked.

“Part of one? I helped found one.”

Lockwood smiled and tipped his hat, a wide-brimmed fedora that matched his jacket. It was something he always wore when he went outside, along with a little black umbrella. When asked why he carried an umbrella, he’s said that it was never a bad idea to be prepared for freak acid rain storms. This unsettled the Ponyville natives, even though he later assured them he was joking and the umbrella and hat were just what he liked to wear outside.

“Really?” Rarity asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. “You helped to found a charitable organization? Splendid! How noble! How in Equestria did you manage that?”

“Oh, I called in a few favors with some like-minded ponies, got together some supplies and foodstuffs. We run a little food donation drive once a month to try and help out the ponies around here. I know Dolor food’s not much, but all they’re able to afford out here is scanty supplies of Dolor Brown, and that’s just... ugh. Do you have any idea what that stuff tastes like?” The six mares gave him odd looks. He laughed. “Well, imagine eating dirt, with gravy made from more dirt. That’s pretty much what it tastes like.”

“Yuck,” Twilight said. “And that stuff’s considered edible?”

Lockwood shrugged. “Well, it has semi-decent nutritional value at least. More than Blue does, but Blue’s practically a drink anyway so it doesn’t count. Hey, don’t knock the Brown too badly though. It might taste like dirt, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Still, eww, that sounds just plain yucky,” Pinkie said, scrunching her nose. She threw her hooves in the air and made wide circles. “Ooh ooh! Idea! They should really make some of them cupcake-flavored! Dolor Pink! Or ice cream-flavored! Dolor White!”

“They have that,” Lockwood said. “Does have a sort of creamy taste to it. Really expensive though.”

Pinkie gasped. Loudly. “Ooh! Ooh! Better idea!”

She leapt in a cartwheel over Lockwood’s head. He came to a stop as she grabbed him by the shoulder and held her hoof out, presenting her idea to him as if it were floating in the air around them.

“Treat these weird ol’ Dolor foods like jelly beans, and make them every color you can, and give every color a different flavor! Like root beer, and candy cane, and peppermint, and cotton candy, and butterscotch, and chocolate, and strawberry shortcake.” Her mouth began to water. “Mmmm... strawberry shortcake. Aw phooey, I could really go for some jelly beans right now,” she complained, rubbing her stomach dejectedly.

Lockwood laughed. “Yes, well, I’ll be sure to run that by the employees at Dolor I know,” he said. “Anyway, we try to get these poor ponies some of the healthier stuff. Dolor Green, for example. Every now and then I try to slip in some Dolor Red, for the colts and fillies, yeah? The young ones love the stuff.”

“That’s my favorite flavor,” Tick Tock said.

“I’ve always been fond of Blue, myself,” Lockwood added. “Though I’m taking a liking to the new Black.”

Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Please. Everypony knows Orange is the best. You two are crazy.”

***

At long last they arrived at Keeneye’s house, giving Rarity a chance to rest her aching hooves. Walking around town all day, including up and down eighty flights of stairs, twice no less, was an exhausting experience. The house was noticeable enough for a pony looking for it, but not enough to make anypony think whoever lived there had enough bits on-hoof to be worth stealing. They didn’t live in apartment complexes out here. Though a vast majority of ponies lived on the streets, many lived in houses, though they were small and dirty. They weren’t even worthy of the assorted bugs and rodents that normally enjoyed such squalor.

Inside the house was a different story. It was neater and tidier, though still ‘dirty’ by Rarity’s standards. Everything was neatly organized and laid out, but there was a distinct layer of dust on nearly every object in every room. It was cramped, rather comparable to the six mares’ apartment, though built for one and housing one, rather than built for four and housing six.

Lockwood had asked Flathoof to remain outside, so as not to frighten Keeneye, who was about to do some very illegal things to help them out. Still, the house appeared empty at first glance. None of those who had entered the house, nor the home’s owner, were anywhere to be found. They were not in the den, they were not in the kitchen, nor were they in the bedroom.

Only a single light kept the basement lit, bright enough to prevent it from being in total darkness. The dust that caked the rest of the house’s furniture held little sway down here. It wasn’t spotless, certainly, but acceptable. Rarity expected Applejack’s or Rainbow Dash’s rooms to look like this when they were done cleaning. “Good enough”, she’d called it. There were two comfortable sofas and some tables with magazines down here, making the basement feel very much like a waiting room.

Everypony waited patiently on the sofas. Some of them had started reading magazines to pass the time. Rainbow entertained herself with an issue of Sky High Weekly, which had a pegasus wearing a very sleek flight suit on the cover. Pinkie had taken to an issue of the Dolor Foods Catalog, and was busily pointing out things to Lockwood, who was gladly going over the many different flavors of Dolor Foods with her. Rarity had discreetly snagged up a copy of Studs!, which she’d thought was self-explanatory and hid it behind an issue of Fashion!, which was also self-explanatory. Rarity snorted and threw the inner magazine aside after a few pages; home improvement was hardly what she’d expected. Twilight was reading instead from the far wall, where there was a list of pricing for all the things Keeneye was capable of doing for her customers, namely under the category labeled Forgeries.

“Keeneye must do things like this often,” Twilight said. “All this stuff seems awfully expensive. Thirty-five bits for a false identification?”

“You’re joking, right?” Rainbow asked, not taking her eyes off a page loaded with fancy flight goggles. “I got a fake ID when I was still in flight school. Cost me like five bits. Worked like a charm.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I suppose identification cards are easier to forge in your world then. Here, they’re very delicate. Remember, we use those cards for just about everything. The most important parts are the serial number, and the accuracy of the barcode.”

“How does she do it, anyway?” Twilight asked.

“Well, Gate passports are actually made by altering the bar code on your ID,” Lockwood explained. “Keeneye used to work for the NPRD a few years ago, until she found she could make better money selling her own Gate Passports than getting paid salary to make them legit. She claims the conversion process is so easy, that a pony with the right tools could make them herself for next to nothing. So, here we are.

“You saw the listings up there, Twilight. Two hundred bits for a fake one. That’s six month’s rent at your apartment. The real deal costs ten times that.”

Tick Tock crossed her hooves in front of her chest and leaned back into the sofa. “And these false passports are good enough quality to fool even the machines at the Gate? Seems a bit far-fetched.”

Lockwood laughed and straightened his collar. “Works like a charm. Tested my copy out myself, got to check out the Airship Dock and everything. Then I turned right back around when I saw the price of airship tickets.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “Darn shame you can’t fake those too. All digital, not little hard-copy things. And even if you could, I don’t think I’m brave enough to try. You can bribe yourself out of trouble with the NPPD, but the NPAF is a different story.”

“NPAF?” Twilight asked.

“Pandemonium’s military,” Tick Tock said.

“Military? This city has a military?” Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “I thought armed forces were for entire countries, not just cities. Granted, this city is probably big enough to be a country.”

“You have a military back in your world?” Lockwood asked. “I figured your home wasn’t quite like ours is.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Sure we do. They don’t see much action, though. Our little Equestria is relatively peaceful with its neighbors. They mostly worry about natural disasters and monsters from the Everfree Forest, though some exceptions pop up here and there.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Changelings.”

Rainbow bolted upright and pounded her chest. “Yeah! And my heroes, the Wonderbolts, serve a double purpose as the best stunt-fliers in all of Equestria, and as Equestria’s Air Force. I’ve been wanting to join them since I was little, they’re so awesome. Finally got into the Wonderbolt Academy too, so I’m like, this close to making it!”

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin. “Actually, the Royal Guard is a division of the army too, now that I think about it. I guess we do have pretty active armed forces. I can’t imagine them dealing with the same things yours does over here though.”

Applejack nervously shuffled deeper into the sofa cushions, adjusting her hat over her eyes. “Can we change the subject? I ain’t feel too keen on talkin’ ‘bout these kinda things, if y’all don’t mind?”

Twilight hesitated. “Oh... sure thing, Applejack.”

A moment passed, and Keeneye herself finally stepped out of the side room, looking exhausted but quite satisfied with herself. She was a creamy orange unicorn with a bright green mane and tail, the former kept short in front, long in back, the latter tied in a bun. She wore a pale pink bathrobe, as they’d caught her in the shower. It did not hide her cutie mark, a magnifying glass, very well at all. She wore a large device over her right eye that looked like many, many magnifying glasses all on top of one another. The glasses got smaller as they got further away, making it look as if her eye was morphing into a drill in an attempt to get away from her face.

Keeneye lit up her horn and used her magic to toss one card each to the six mares from Ponyville. Rarity in particular carefully scrutinized hers to see if she could notice the difference between her original ID card and the modifications made to make it a valid passport. She did notice the slight differences in the barcode on the bottom, but that was about it.

Keeneye smiled and tilted her eye device up and over her head, then turned to Lockwood and swished over to him in all of about a second. “Now then, Woody,” she cooed, putting a hoof to his chest.

Lockwood coughed at her pet name for him, turning bright red. Some of the mares stifled giggles, though Rainbow Dash and Tick Tock were not trying too hard. He particularly tried to avoid Rarity’s scrutinizing gaze.

“I believe it’s time we discuss the issue of payment,” Keeneye continued. “Six Gate Passports normally run two hundred bits apiece. That’d be one thousand, two hundred bits total.” Lockwood’s nervous gaze made her giggle. She fluttered her eyelashes and put her other hoof on his chest too. “For you, well, I would consider other forms of payment.” She winked.

Lockwood coughed into his hoof. “Um... Keeneye, what—"

“Treat me to dinner this weekend?” she interrupted. “That new fancy place in Central Plaza, what was it called? Chez du Fromage de Terre? Something exotic like that. I hear they actually serve Dolor White, can you believe it? That’s Inner District-quality stuff right there. I don’t care what the ads say, that new Black stuff isn’t as good. Tastes like old licorice.”

Lockwood nervously adjusted his hat and collar. “Keeneye, sweetheart, as delightful as that sounds, I’m going to be taking a little... vacation for the next... undisclosed amount of time. Starting tonight.”

Keeneye pouted. “Well that’s sudden. Aw phooey.” She sighed. “Fine, I’ll just give you a little discount, it’s the least I can do. Six passports... for you, fifty percent. Six hundred.”

Lockwood reached into his deepest pocket and pulled out a small satchel. “I’ve got four. Make it that, and when I get back I’ll... give you a rain check on the dinner.”

“Deal!” Keeneye slapped his hoof in agreement, snagged his satchel, then twirled away from him. “Ooh, I can’t wait! I’m gonna use these bits to get myself the nicest dress, and you and me are gonna enjoy ourselves all evening.”

“Eh heh.” Lockwood tugged his collar. “R-right. Well, thanks Keeneye. I appreciate the help.” He turned to the mares. “Come on then ladies, time to get back home and prep up.”

As they headed up the stairs from the basement, Rarity sidled up to Lockwood. “So, you’ve decided to travel with us then?”

Lockwood nodded. “Sure have. Like I said, I’ve been trying to get an airship ticket for years, never had the guts to try the land route by myself. But now, I’ve got a whole group going! I can’t pass up that kind of opportunity.”

Rarity smiled and nodded appreciatively. “We’d be glad to have you along. I feel bad for Miss Keeneye though.”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Eh?”

Rarity laughed. “Well the poor dear is being left behind while you go on this grand adventure. You never told us you had a girlfriend.”

“Huh?” Lockwood blinked. “Oh, you’re right, I didn’t. Well, I don’t have a... girlfriend.”

“Oh?” Rarity asked, eyebrow raised. “So, what’s the situation with you and Keeneye then, hmm? Am I just misreading the signs here, Woody?”

Rainbow Dash and Tick Tock didn’t try to stifle loud laughs this time, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie found themselves trying harder than before not to laugh alongside them.

“W-what?” Lockwood flustered as her words sunk in, then he turned a bright red and quickly waved his hoof in dismissal. “Oh... ohhh, ha ha, heavens no. Keeneye, she’s just a little... eccentric, is all. We’re not dating or anything like that. Not even anything physic... casual. She’s just a friend, nothing more. Besides, she’s not my type.”

Rarity smirked and leaned in close. “Oh? Then what exactly is your type, dear?”

Lockwood tugged his collar and pulled his hat just over his eyes. “W-well that’s a bit of an odd question. W-why would you...”

“Just a little curious, darling, nothing more,” Rarity laughed.

“Right... I say, Flathoof!” he called to his friend as they left the house. “We really must be going, yes? Yes... let’s head back to Southeast Point and pick up some supplies from my place before we get going. No need for... all these bizarre conversations.”

Rarity hummed as he slipped away, running over her growing checklist in her head:

Nice? Check. That was evident enough is his demeanor and polite manner of speaking. Generous and kind? Check. The good stallion had already helped them out an awful lot, and he had still yet to ask for a single thing in return. He was shaping up to be quite the gentleman. Decent-looking? Check. He was neat and tidy, took good care of himself, and was physically fit. Nothing spectacular, but then again Rarity had learned that her taste in stallions, as far as outward appearances were concerned, was perhaps a little misguided. Fashion sense? Well, perhaps not. The fedora was nice, but his raincoat wasn’t exactly stylish. But, then again, nopony in this city seemed to be much in touch with their fashionable sides anyway. Single? Check. She’d asked if he had a girlfriend, he’d said no. Simple as that.

Rarity stored that idea in the back of her thoughts, quite curious at the prospect of having him along for their little journey. This might just be exactly the opportunity I’ve been looking for.

Applejack smirked and nudged Rarity out of her train of thought. “Well now ain’t this a fine how d‘ya do? Is prissy missy Rarity gettin’ an eye for somepony? Lockwood don’t look fashionable enough fer yer tastes, if y’all ask me.”

Rarity stared at Applejack, then gave a dismissive laugh. She batted Applejack’s hat playfully. “Oh, heavens, Applejack, I am merely trying to make conversation. If the good stallion is going to be traveling with us, I want to make sure we know a little more about him, yes? Like if he’s leaving a significant other behind, for example? Nothing more than that. Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Uh-huh.” Applejack nodded, a wide grin spreading on her face as she leaned in for a whisper. “Just between you ‘n’ me, Flathoof let slip ol’ Lockwood’s into the more graceful type. If y’all catch my drift? Hint hint?”

“Oh ho ho!” Rarity chuckled, leaning into Applejack. “My dear Applejack, wherever did you learn such juicy information? Chatting it up with dear Captain Flathoof are we, hmm? Maybe I’m not the one who should be asking others if they have eyes for somepony?”

Applejack turned red and tugged her hat over her face to hide it. “W-what the hay is that s’posed ta mean? D-don’t go changin’ the subject, Rarity. I’m just tryin’ ta help.”

Applejack trotted ahead, leaving Rarity behind. The unicorn smiled and made another inward note or two. And he likes graceful mares, does he? This is just too perfect.

***

Rarity rounded the corner of Twentieth and Wallway, following behind the rest of her friends and keeping pace with Fluttershy, and began the approach to Southeast Point. They could see it looming in the distance now, only a few dozen blocks to go. It was beginning to get late, and everypony was eager to get their prospective supplies lined up, then get something to eat and get some sleep before they started off on their journey the next day. This was despite Tick Tock’s insistence that they get started immediately. Tick Tock found it hard to argue when Twilight pointed out her still-healing injuries, though.

Flathoof scratched his head and took a deep breath. “This is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done since I joined the force, I tell you that. Bunch of mares show up out of nowhere, I get assigned to them, and now their crazy friend is telling me they’re from some other planet and they have to go home.”

“Y’all think that’s weird, ya should hear some o’ the stories about things we’ve done where we come from,” Applejack said. “Honestly, if I were in yer shoes, this wouldn’t’ve really surprised me all that much.”

“Well that’s just peachy. Lockwood, are you seriously going with them?”

Lockwood nodded. “As sure as the sky is smoggy and orange every day. I’ve been telling you for years that I wanted to get out of this stupid city. If you’re worried about your taxes—"

“Listen, idiot, I’m not worried about our damn taxes. I’m worried about you. You know ma’s gonna kill you when she finds out.”

“She’s just going to have to trust me on this, Flathoof. I promise once I get everything taken care of on the other side, I’ll send away and have the whole family transferred over.”

Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Delusions of grandeur aren’t helping your case any, Lockwood.” He sighed. “I’ll feel better once I get this all behind me. Tomorrow, I’ll escort you all to the Gate District and see to it that you get through without too much hassle.”

“I really must thank you again,” Twilight said. “You’ve done so much for us and asked for nothing in return, and you’ve only known us for one day. Even back home we don’t have many ponies willing to do that sort of thing.”

“Right, well...” Flathoof tugged his collar nervously. “All in a day’s work. You know the motto now, right? It’s a Living.”

Applejack frowned and nudged him in the side. “Ya sure y’all don’t wanna come with us? Lockwood’s comin’, I’m sure he’d be glad ta have ya. I know I’d enjoy... we’d enjoy yer company, I’m sure of it.” She shot a glance at Rarity, who grinned before turning her attention elsewhere.

“I’ve still got my duties here, sorry to say,” he said, adjusting his hat. “I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly getting you through the Gate, that’s about as much as I can do.”

“No worries, Flathoof,” Lockwood said, patting his friend on the shoulder. “I’ll take good care of them, I assure you. Just a short little jaunt across the Wastelands, a few other areas here and there, no worries, right? I still regret that we can’t make this easy and get some airship tickets there, but so it is. Besides, we’ve got Miss Tock with us as well, and she seems mighty resourceful wouldn’t you say?”

Flathoof sighed. “I suppose...”

Tick Tock snorted. “Yes, thank you for the vote of confidence.” 

Pinkie Pie tripped on her skates and landed face-first on the cement. “Oof!”

Twilight stifled a laugh, and she and Rainbow each reached out a hoof to help Pinkie up. “Whoa there, Pinkie, maybe you should’ve practiced more with those roller skates, huh?”

Pinkie jolted upright, not grabbing either offered hoof. She then circled around them without a care in the world. “Nope, all okay, see! Not the skates’ fault, my knee just got all pinchy all of a sudden.”

Applejack tilted her head and gave a nervous smile. “Like... Pinkie pinchy, or regular pinchy?”

Pinkie continued to skate circles around the group, but leaned back to do so on her hind legs. She tapped a hoof to her chin, then nodded sagely. “Definitely Pinkie pinchy, yup yup. That’s weird, it hasn’t popped up at all since we got here! I was beginning to think this new world was making it not work at all, but I guess it still does. Just kind of spur... spar...”

“Sporadic,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, Spormatic.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Sporadic, just like back at home. Pinkie, this is no time for your nutty antics. We’re in a hurry. The last thing we need to worry about is falling potted plants or something silly like that.”

Tick Tock, Flathoof, and Lockwood all shared confused looks with one another. 

“Uh... what’s going on here?” Flathoof asked.

“Well—" Twilight started to say. She paused, and sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”

“C’mon now, Twi, y’all know as well as anypony that Pinkie Sense works,” Applejack said.

“I’m not denying that it works, I’m just saying that we don’t need to worry about it. Potted plants and frogs are hardly what I consider worth worrying about.”

“How about anvils, pianos, and hay bales?” Rainbow asked, stifling a laugh.

Twilight’s eyebrow twitched. “Carry on...”

Applejack chuckled and tapped a hoof to her chin. “Anyway, y’all picked the wrong Sense too. Twitchy tail means ‘fallin’ objects’, not pinchy knee. That was pretty much the only one I ever got ta see. And the ’doozy’ one.”

“Didn’t pinchy knee mean ‘alligator in the tub’?” Twilight asked. “I’m a bit rusty on the Senses.”

“Nah, that was achy shoulder,” Rainbow said. “Pinkie’s gotten me out of one-too-many encounters with Gummy thanks to that one. Pinchy knee... pinchy knee.” She shrugged in defeat. “Huh. I forget which one that is, she doesn’t get it often.”

“What’s all this talk about?” Lockwood asked. “Pinchy knees? Alligators? What?”

“Oh, that’s Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense.” Rainbow said, as if it were common knowledge. “It’s kinda like a sixth sense, I guess? Right?” She looked to Twilight for guidance.

“If there was anything to describe it, I guess that’d be it.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s all still a mystery to me. I know I said I’d be a little more open-minded about it, but she’s really inconsistent. It only happens randomly, no rhyme or reason to it at all.”

Applejack chuckled. “C’mon Twi, y’all know ya can’t ask anything o’ Pinkie’s ta follow rhyme or reason.”

Lockwood shook his head in confusion. “I don’t follow. Flathoof? Did they mention any of this to you?”

“This is my first time hearing about it.” Flathoof shrugged and shook his head as well. “First they’re from another world, now the pink one has ESP or something. I tell you, I’m starting to think these past two days are just a really bad trip from some expired Dolor.”

Flathoof turned to his left. “Miss Tock, you and your story just keep getting weirder and weirder. Are you sure you’re sane?”

Tick Tock flustered and defensively pointed at herself. “M-me? I didn’t bring up any of this rubbish. I think it’s just as bloody ridiculous as you two do. Don’t go blaming this on me.”

“It’s not ridiculous,” Twilight said. She then sheepishly ran a hoof through her mane. “I mean, okay, it sounds a little strange, I’ll grant that. It usually just means something’s about to happen to somepony in Pinkie’s immediate proximity. Usually me,” she added, looking warily about herself. “I’m still a little skeptical on how exactly it works, but I admit it does have some merit. I’ve seen it in action.”

“Yeah, one too many doors in the face’ll convince you, I guess,” Rainbow said, failing to stifle her laugh this time.

Twilight glared at Rainbow, then sighed and gestured to Pinkie. “I think Pinkie Pie herself could explain it best.”

Pinkie gave an exasperated sigh. “About time you give me a chance to explain it, guys, instead of arguing about what sense means what. I mean, duh, you could’ve just asked me from the start what everything meant, instead of letting me be the only one trying to figure out what was making me feel it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Anywho, every now and then, I get little niggling feelings that mean different things. If my back gets itchy, that means it’s my lucky day!” Her tail started twitching too. “Aha! See, and twitchy tail means that stuff’s gonna start falling, so you should get under something sturdy. Pinchy knee means something scary is about to happen, but Dashie’s right, I don’t get it too often, since nothing scary ever—"

An ear-deafening explosion burst into the air several dozen feet directly over the heads of the group.

Above them, a raging fireball burst outwards from the eighty-second floor, spraying debris in all directions. Large chunks of metal, concrete, and glass rained from above. A few other floors below and above followed suit, blazing outwards with flame and spraying debris towards the city street below. It took them only a second to realize that, in their current position, they wouldn’t have time to move out of way and avoid being crushed.

A blazing light exploded from Twilight’s horn, and she and her friends became encased in a protective bubble that shattered and deflected the falling debris like clods of mud striking a wall. Every strike against the shield made Twilight wince sharply. Her magical shield flashed with every impact, but managed to withstand the weight and power that the debris struck with.

The sensation of the assault slowed to a crawl, then finally dissipated after several seconds. Twilight struggled to keep her shield up for a moment as everything settled down, as there was a lot of rubble remaining on top of them. Once the pressure on the bubble was stable and everything on top stopped shifting around, she could relax. For now, she focused herself to fit the shield in between the cracks, keeping the rubble out without expending too much energy.

The group looked above them at the dome of pink magic surrounding them and keeping them safe. It sparked in spots where the large chunks of metal and granite pressed most heavily. Twilight’s horn remained bright, and her breathing had slowly returned to normal.

“Is everypony okay?” Twilight asked, turning her head around to check those behind her.

“Yeah, physically at least,” Rainbow muttered, pounding a hoof against her ear. “Pretty shook up though. That was loud.”

“What the hay happened?!” Applejack asked, removing her hat and placing it over her chest. “I thought I was gonna kick it fer sure.”

“Phew! Well, I think I’ve had my fair share of near-death experiences for the day,” Lockwood breathed, fanning himself with his hat. 

“Fascinating,” Tick Tock muttered. She turned to Twilight and gave her a slight smile. “I never pegged you to know a combat-oriented spell, Sparkle. Barrier spells are advanced magic. It takes years of study and practice to utilize one, and it’s usually very personal, not something somepony can extend over a group. Not without considerable skill, at least.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Combat-oriented? No no, I found this spell in Student Savings: How to Get Through College Without Breaking the Bank. It’s supposed to save money on umbrellas. There was also a chapter on utilizing burst spells to clean your teeth to save money on toothpaste.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow, and spoke slowly. “Saving money... on umbrellas and toothpaste. You learned highly-advanced combat magic... to save money on umbrellas and toothpaste.”

Twilight nodded, not seeing anything wrong with it at all.

Tick Tock shook her head in disbelief. “No wonder Time Turner spends more time in his T.A.R.D.I.S. than out in the field! Your world is bloody bonkers!”

“How in the hay are we gonna get outta here?” Applejack asked. “That’s a lot o’ rubble, I tell ya what.”

“Oh dear, I hope we don’t have to dig out,” Rarity muttered, flicking her mane in worry. “That seems dangerous.”

“Rarity’s right, digging out isn’t a valid option here,” Twilight said. She stepped forward to the front of the bubble and carefully examined the wall of rock outside it. “There’s a lot of debris on top of the shield. I can’t let it go without risking us getting crushed, so I can’t just blow a way through, and trying to teleport us out while keeping the shield up might be a little beyond me, I think.”

“Allow me to help, then.” Tick Tock stepped forward and ignited her horn. A light green glow lit up and settled itself in directly under Twilight’s. “My shield will underlay yours, so when yours drops, mine will take over. I use these kinds of spells often, though usually only on myself. I won’t be able to hold it for long, but it should be long enough for you to teleport us all out, if you’re as powerful as I think you are.”

“What if I can’t?” Twilight asked. She nervously looked around the bubble and bit the tip of her hoof. “Holding the shield isn’t taking too much effort, but teleporting nine ponies is a little bit of a different matter. Why can’t you—"

“Teleportation spells aren’t exactly my forte,” Tick Tock interrupted. “You’re going to have to take this, Sparkle. I was skeptical at first, but it seems you really do live up to your title as Element of Magic. I’ll hold the shield as long as I can, you just focus on the teleport.” She turned to the remaining unicorn. “Rarity, if you’d assist me?”

Rarity pointed at herself. “Me? Miss Tock, I’m afraid I don’t see how I can be of any assistance here. I’ve never had any experience with this kind of magic before. I don’t think—"

“Listen, all I need for you to do is reinforce my magic. I’ll hold the shield up, you just make sure my magic stays steady. Twilight may have enough magical power to hold the shield on her own, but I don’t. I’m going to need an extra horn, so to say.”

“Well... okay then, I suppose,” Rarity mused. “Um... how am I supposed to... help?”

Tick Tock gestured for Rarity to step closer. “Just channel your magic into your horn, and then will it to flow into my spell. It’ll boost the power. Any unicorn can do it, you just need the know-how.”

“I see... very well, I’ll give it a try.” Rarity ignited her own horn and let her magic flow outwards into the air, and concentrated on channeling it through Tick Tock’s own aura. A white tint enveloped the green glow of Tick Tock's horn.

Tick Tock took a sharp breath. “Whoa! Bloody hell, Rarity, you really put your all into it, didn’t you?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I... suppose I did. Are you sure this is enough?”

“Plenty.” Tick Tock turned to Twilight. “Go on then, Sparkle. I think we’ve got this proper covered.”

“Alright then, if you say so.” Twilight gulped and cracked her neck, then settled her hooves in place. “Here goes...”

Twilight dropped her shield, and instantly Tick Tock’s face changed from one of stern focus, to one of strained, painful concentration. Rarity puffed rapidly as she too felt the intense strain. Though her focus was elsewhere, in the back of her mind a thought began to take hold: How much power does Twilight have? Rarity knew Twilight had a lot of ability. She’d seen it for herself on many occasions. But, she’d never felt what that sort of strain was like before. Just a moment earlier, Twilight had been holding up this shield with minimal exertion for several minutes, and not just against the pressure of the rubble, but against the intense amount of force from debris slamming into it. Now, here Rarity was with Tick Tock, powering the same barrier spell together and struggling to maintain it for only a few seconds.

Twilight quickly ignited her horn again, creating and engulfing herself and her companions in a white light. Tick Tock yelped in pain as her shield began to snap under the pressure. Rarity flooded more of her own magic into Tick Tock’s spell, but her own power became just as strained, like a dying light bulb.

There was a bright flash. The shield shattered, and the rubble fell inward.

***

Everypony breathed a sigh of relief from their position many yards away from where they’d been buried only a moment before. The rubble crashed upon that spot and let loose a large cloud of dust and soot that spread out into the street. They looked around to make sure everypony else was okay, and clearly saw that their surroundings had been completely trashed. There was debris everywhere, little fires had sprung up, and a thin sheen of dust blanketed the air. Some large chunks of metal and concrete had slammed into other nearby buildings, tearing them apart and destroying everything inside.

It was a disaster.

“Come on girls, we need to get moving,” Flathoof said, adjusting his cap. “Get someplace safe, I’ll be back to you in a moment.”

The party started moving back the way they’d came. Flathoof, on the other hoof, headed the opposite direction, towards the building.

Applejack stopped and turned when she noticed. “Where y’all goin’?” she asked.

“Work,” he said. “Crowds are gonna start forming, and I’ve gotta try and keep everypony calm and orderly until more NPPD units show up to help evacuate the building. Please, just get someplace safe for now, okay? I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

“Can we be of any help?” Twilight asked, taking steps towards him. “I don’t feel right leaving all of this... disaster without trying to do something. I could’ve helped.”

“I think you’d be more help now trying to keep your friends calm.” Flathoof pointed back towards the others, particularly at Fluttershy, who was shaking in panic. “Just get someplace safe, let me do my job. That’s not me asking you, that’s me telling you.”

Twilight and Applejack reluctantly nodded, and returned to the huddled group. While the Pandemonium natives weren’t particularly shaken by the event, the six mares from Ponyville certainly were. Twilight frowned, knowing she’d only had time to shield herself and her companions. She hadn’t had time to save anypony else.

Some survivors huddled nearby in a state of shock, others had panicked and fled the area. Others hadn’t been lucky enough to get out of the way, and the debris had crushed many of the fleeing citizens. Twilight heard a voice cry for help, and stepped back into the street. The voice came from beneath a particularly large piece of debris. She latched onto it with her magic and lifted it away, but instantly regretted the decision upon seeing what lay beneath. She struggled not to retch at the sight, and failed miserably.

The earth pony mare had once been a light purple, but now was more black and red. Dirt and blood covered her coat. Lockwood was the first to rush in to the injured mare, and quickly shooed both Applejack and Tick Tock away when they moved to follow suit.

He grimaced and removed his hat, setting it aside, then leaned down and cradled her head. “Glitter Dew, can you hear me?”

The mare’s eyes fluttered open, and she weakly nodded.

Lockwood smiled. “Good. Hold on, sweetheart, paramedics are going to be here soon. It’s going to be okay.”

“Mister Lockwood... I... I can’t feel my legs...” She choked. “It’s bad... isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about that, okay? Save your energy. I’m here for you. Just stay with me. Hey... hey, c’mon now. Stay. With. Me.”

The mare looked up at him. “I... I don’t want to die...” She coughed up blood.

“Shhh, c’mon, save your energy,” Lockwood pleaded.

“I d-don’t... want... to...”

Her eyes dimmed. Lockwood sighed and set her head down easy, then moved a hoof to her face and shut her eyes for her. He returned to the others, and Fluttershy began to cry, shuddering in fear as she clung to Rarity, who tried her best to soothe the pegasus even though she herself was shaking. Applejack removed her hat and held it over her chest in a showing of respect for the ponies that hadn’t been as fortunate as they had been.

“I... w-w-want to g-go home...” Fluttershy whimpered, clinging tightly to Rarity and burying her face in the unicorn’s chest.

“There there, dear, shhh,” Rarity said, stroking Fluttershy’s mane delicately. “We all want to go home.”

“I d-don’t... l-l-like this p-place anymore. I just... w-want to go h-home...”

“Hey now, Fluttershy, don’t cry,” Lockwood said, leaning in close to help. “It’ll all be okay. Bad things happen, but—"

Fluttershy caught sight of the blood on his jacket and hooves, and shied away from him. “I just want to go home!” she cried. “I hate this place! It’s so dark, and everypony’s so mean and rude, and there’s nothing natural or nice and everything’s scary and mean!” She curled up and began stroking her tail. “I w-want to go home... I want to see m-my little Angel again...”

Twilight looked on and shook her head, appalled at what had happened. Fluttershy was speaking what was on everypony’s minds, she knew it. She wanted to go home too. She didn’t like this place much either. She never had, and was certain the others felt the same. She was worried so much about Spike, her brother, her parents, the Princess, her friends’ families, and everypony back in Ponyville. That fear now grew inside her like a virus, because she knew that the longer she stayed, the worse things were going to get back home. And worse still, this world had, in a heartbeat, gone from mildly inconvenient, perhaps unpleasant, to openly deadly and hostile, with nopony in sight they could hold accountable. She worried more than ever whether their journey to Utopia would succeed and see them returned to their bright, sunny skies again, or if it would end in tragedy.

It was a rather sobering experience. Even Pinkie Pie was visibly shaken, holding tightly onto Rainbow Dash and shaking all the while.

“Oh Dashie, I was so scared for a minute there. Like real scared, the kind of scared that you can’t just laugh away,” Pinkie said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I... I didn’t think my Pinkie Sense could see things like that. That wasn’t just a teeny bit scary, that was downright life-threatening. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if I didn’t have these little feelings.”

Twilight stepped forward and gave Pinkie a warm smile. “You should feel proud of yourself, Pinkie Pie. Your Pinkie Sense just saved all our lives.”

“Yeah, kind of indirectly. You’re the one who saved us with all that fancy magic,” Rainbow said. Twilight shot her a stern gaze, and Rainbow quickly waved her hoof in defense. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know we all owe Pinkie Pie a lot too. If we hadn’t all been out here talking about it, we might’ve been inside the building when it started blowing up. We might’ve been caught in the blast, instead of just under a pile of rubble.”

Twilight sighed. “But if we’d known what to expect right from the start, we could’ve avoided this. None of us would have been in as much danger, and I... I could’ve helped.” She turned towards the ruined street and stamped her hoof on the sidewalk. “I could’ve saved some of these other ponies.”

“Come on now, Twi, you know you had to act fast,” Rainbow said, reaching up and patting Twilight on the shoulder. “Besides, if you’d tried to make that bubble bigger and protect more ponies, you might have overexerted yourself. And then where would we be, huh?”

Twilight frowned and joined Pinkie and Rainbow’s hug. “I should’ve paid more attention to you, Pinkie, like I said I was going to. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Twilight,” Pinkie said, sniffing back tears. “I know you guys don’t always pay much attention, but at least you did when it mattered, right?”

“But I should’ve listened to you right away instead of arguing about it, again.” Twilight then looked in Pinkie’s eyes, firmly, not angrily. “From now on, Pinkie, if you get any of your ‘little niggling feelings’, you tell me immediately, okay? This whole journey we’re about to embark on sounds awfully dangerous, and if your Pinkie Sense can detect things like this, I want to know what else it can detect. You might just keep us alive through all of this.”

“That’s putting a little too much pressure on her, Twilight, don’t you think?” Rainbow said, ruffling Pinkie’s curls. “I know she just got a really big set of brownie points for this, but her Pinkie Sense isn’t always consis—"

“I’m not willing to take that risk, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight interrupted. “I’d rather listen to all of the silly ones and take them seriously, if it means every now and then we’re going to get one that keeps us from getting crushed by a landslide or walking over a sinkhole, not just getting hit on the head by an potted plant or walking into a door."

Pinkie nodded and hugged Twilight tighter. “If you say so, Twilight, sure, I’ll speak up about them from now on.”

“Good.”

Flathoof trotted over and began dusting off his uniform and cap. “Finally, some extra patrols showed up. Typical NPPD response time, business as usual. We should be able to get back to trying to get you all... oh...” He frowned as he looked at Fluttershy, who appeared to be in even worse straits than he’d left her in. “Is she okay? She’s not hurt, is she?”

“She’s just in shock,” Lockwood said. “I think this the first time she’s ever seen anypony... die.”

“It’s a first time for all of us.” Twilight stood up and trotted over to Flathoof. “I’ve seen dead ponies before, but those were just pictures and lab specimens, not... not this. This is new. For all of us.”

Flathoof nodded and put his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “It’s not an easy thing to get over. I wish I could say I’m not affected by it, but I still am. Be glad that you are affected by it. You know there’s something wrong with you if death doesn’t shake you up a little.”

Tick Tock sighed. “Well, so much for going to Lockwood’s place to scrounge up supplies. I wonder what in the world caused all this?”

Flathoof snorted. “I’ll take a look at the reports tomorrow, but if I had a guess or two I’d think it was some sort of accident.” He turned to Tick Tock and narrowed his eyes. “A rather convenient accident, if I do say so myself. I saw where that first explosion started.”

“Hey now, it came from the eighty-second floor,” Lockwood said. “Looked to be about the twelve-thirty position too. It has to be related to that gas leak from yesterday.”

“Well now, wouldn’t it be convenient if somepony happened to have been spying on these six mares and heard you get called down to fix that?” Flathoof said, giving Tick Tock an icy glare.

Tick Tock’s eyes narrowed in response to his. She stood firm. “Are you accusing me of something?”

“Nnnope.” Flathoof poked Tick Tock’s nose scar, causing her to jerk back. “But, you said you got into a bit of a scuffle, was it? With somepony that didn’t like you or your line of work? Seems to me like you’ve made an enemy, Miss Tock, and whoever they are, they just tried to take you out so that you wouldn’t get away again. Just an observation, you understand. I’m no detective, but it doesn’t take one to put two and two together.”

Tick Tock nodded. “He must’ve followed me here and knew he couldn’t attack me with all the rest of you around. Bloody hell, causing so much destruction and killing so many just to get to me? Talk about overkill.”

Flathoof straightened his cap. “Well that settles it then. Change of plans. I’m going with you.”

Twilight was taken aback. “You are?”

Applejack shook her head. “But didn’t ya say y’all had responsibilities here?”

“Of course I do. I was just going to let you all head on off, though I made that decision with some difficulty. The Wastelands alone are dangerous enough, and there’s more places out there that might give you all some trouble in the long run. I didn’t want to let you all leave alone like that, but—" He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “It’s not my place. It’s your world in trouble, not mine, and I do have responsibilities here.”

“So why the change of heart?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t feel right sending you all out there if there’s some murderer chasing after your guide here,” he said, pointing a hoof at Tick Tock. “So, I suppose it’s time I took a little vacation.”

“Vacation?”

“NPPD officers get one week of paid vacation every year,” Flathoof explained. “It’s cumulative. I’ve been on the force for five years, so that means I’ve got five weeks stored up. More than enough to get you wherever you’re going and get home. I’ll head over to the station now and put in my application. Snapshot should be able to get me through the process pretty quickly. Lockwood?”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Time for me to ask another favor of you. These girls are going to need to recuperate after an experience like this, and you’re still going to need supplies for the journey.” He put his hoof on Lockwood’s shoulder. “Take them to my place instead. Get them all rested up, let my parents know what’s going on. They’ll be more willing to help if it were you asking anyway.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Really, Captain Flathoof, there’s no sense in going to that much trouble. Burdening your family with us now? I’m sure Mister Lockwood can find somepony to call in a few favors from and get us all stocked up, right?”

Lockwood nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got a few contacts in Dolor Manufacturing that can get us some food supplies, and—"

Flathoof stamped a hoof on the pavement. “Look, Lockwood, just do this for me, okay? Your contacts might get you what you need, but just look at her.” He pointed to Fluttershy, who was still huddled close to Rarity. “She’s a wreck. I know they need to make a rush job of this whole thing, but there’s no sense in trying to push them too hard.”

“I’m with ol’ Flathoof here,” Applejack said. “We’re all a lil’ shook up after this, an’ we do need ta stock up on supplies, right? I reckon gettin’ rested up too would be a good idea, don’t y’all think?”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t argue with that, no. I just didn’t want to place more undue burden on him, is all. But if you insist.” She turned to Flathoof and smiled again. “Thank you, we appreciate your offer.”

Lockwood shrugged. “Well then, if we’re all in agreement, let’s be off. See you when you’re all done with this paperwork I suppose?”

“Right. Snapshot works quick, I should be right behind you,” Flathoof said. “You all rest up until then, then we can head out the Gate by nightfall and rest at the Airship Dock until morning.”

“Right then.” Lockwood waved a wing to the girls. “Come on ladies, follow me. We’re heading to Mid-North, which means it’s time to introduce you all to the wonders of the Pandemonium subway system.”

As the group started following Lockwood, Flathoof reached out a hoof and stopped Tick Tock from doing the same. “Hang on there, Miss Tock.”

Tick Tock blinked. “Hmm? Something the matter?”

“You’re coming with me.”

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. “Say again? What, I don’t get to ‘rest and recuperate’ too? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bloody mess. Literally. I think I—"

Flathoof glared at her and stomped his hooves on the ground. “I don’t care if you’re missing all your hooves and your mane’s on fire! I’m not letting you out of my sight, and I sure ain’t gonna let you head on up to my family’s home when you’ve got some sort of psychopath chasing after you that’s willing to blow up half a damned residential complex just to get to one pony!”

Tick Tock backed off a little, as Flathoof was getting right in her face now.

“You’re coming with me, got it? If this lunatic comes after you with just me around, that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m not risking my family, my best friend, and six completely innocent strangers when I can take the burden up myself. You got a problem with that?”

Tick Tock shook her head. “Not at all, you make a reasonable point. Very well then, let’s quit sodding about here and get your little ‘vacation time’ settled up, hmm? You said it wouldn’t take long anyway, right? I still remind you, I’m bleedin’ knackered, I am.”

“It won’t take long at all,” Flathoof said. “Lockwood’s got his connections, I’ve got mine. Snapshot’ll take care of this all in a jiffy.”

***

The clerk office at NPPD’s Central Station was, as always, dead quiet. At least, it had been, until Flathoof and Tick Tock showed up, and the former noticed that a certain unicorn wasn’t sitting at her desk. So instead, he’d gone to the next desk over, that belonging to Firecracker, to investigate.

“What do you mean ‘she never came in today’?” Flathoof asked, his voice loud and angry. “She works every day. She’s never taken a day off the whole time she’s worked here.”

Firecracker barely paid any attention to him, and focused instead on filling out the myriad forms she had all over her desk. “I mean exactly what I said, big boy. She didn’t come in today. Figures, she leaves me with all the paperwork and junk the same day there’s some bombing or something down at Southeast Point. Do you have any idea how many forms I have to fill out for police reports? It’s a paperwork nightmare, is what it is, and—"

Flathoof pounded a hoof on the counter. “I don’t care about any of that. I want to know why nopony’s bothered to find out why she didn’t come in today. Surely somepony called her apartment when she was late this morning? Did she call in sick?”

“Pfh, as if.” Firecracker rolled her eyes and waved her pen in the air. “Probably too busy shacking up with that CIA stallion that was here last night. Either that or too busy crying her eyes out after he shot her down. I doubt she could’ve landed a stallion looking like he did. Guy looked like he could’ve handled two of me.”

“CIA? They had an Agent here last night asking for Snapshot?” He shook his head. “What in the world? Why?”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” she said, shrugging it off. “Dumb little filly got all hot and bothered the second he walked in too, I could see it a mile away. Maybe she got lucky and the idiot fell for that ‘nerd charm’ of hers. Hey, everypony’s gotta get lucky sometime.”

Flathoof glared. “And nopony bothered to inform the Chief about this, did they?”

“Duh, why would I?” Firecracker flicked her mane and idly eyed one of her hooves. “It’s not my business. They were still in questioning when my shift was over. I didn’t really feel like sticking around to see what they were talking about. What Snapshot gets up to on her own time is her own business. She’s not my friend, so I don’t really—"

Flathoof sighed and held the bridge of his nose. “Look, I’m going to just ignore the massive breaches in protocol that not reporting a CIA Agent being involved entails. I’ll even ignore your complete disregard for Snapshot’s well-being. So, you’re going to do me a favor.”

Firecracker rolled her eyes and fluttered her big wings. “Stallions. You’re all alike. Fine, I get off in a few hours, then we can head back to my place and—"

“What the—" Flathoof shook his head wildly. “Ha ha, what? No, you’ve got it all wrong. I need some paperwork filed. Not... whatever it is you thought I wanted. What in the hay made you think I’d—"

Firecracker was taken aback. “And what is that supposed to—" She cleared her throat and tucked her wings back in sharply. “Whatever. As you can see," she said, gesturing to a huge stack of folders and papers to her side, “Snapshot’s not here, so I’m working double duty on the busiest day we’ve had here in months. I’m a little backed up with paperwork as it is, so—"

Flathoof planted his hooves on the table and leaned forward. “Are you disobeying orders from a superior? Everypony around here knows I’m a hardass rules-jockey, so considering the circumstances I think I’ll bring up a few points. First, you’re already in breach of protocol by not filing a report on the involvement of a CIA Agent in a case—"

Firecracker scoffed. “That would be Snapshot’s job, she’s the one who—"

Flathoof slammed his hoof on the desk. “And Snapshot isn’t here today, which means all of her responsibilities fall to you, as you’ve been keen to point out. In case you haven’t noticed, the Chief doesn’t take too kindly to CIA Agents sneaking around his offices. He knows he can’t bar their entry, but he does want to know when they have any interaction with an officer. For breaching that protocol alone, you’re already looking at getting fired.”

Firecracker stuttered and looked around in a panic. “B-but—"

Flathoof leaned forward further. “And then, disobeying a request from a superior officer to file paperwork. Two rule infractions in the span of a few minutes? You’re lucky I’m in a patient mood. Now, are we going to have a disagreement here, or are you going to cooperate?”

Firecracker gulped and pushed her current load of paperwork aside. “W-what kind of paperwork am I taking care of for you, Captain Flathoof s-sir?”

“Oh, just a vacation application form,” Flathoof said, casually waving a hoof. “Starting tonight. See to it it gets through the system before the end of your shift, and I won’t worry about that CIA thing either. I’ll make sure Snapshot fills out the report when she returns.”

“R-right sir, of course.” Firecracker fumbled around her desk in search of the form.

Flathoof turned and left her behind, then came over to Tick Tock, who had been waiting patiently at the bench nearby. “Come on, we’re heading for Southwest Point.”

“What? I thought you said your family lives in Mid-North?” Tick Tock asked. “I remind you, we’re on a tight—"

Flathoof dismissed her with a hoof. “I know all that, but I’ve got to check up on something. Somepony...”

***

Tick Tock waited patiently behind Flathoof in the stairwell of the thirteenth floor of Southwest Point. She leaned against a wall in an attempt to relax, as they’d just finished running nearly fifty city blocks to get here. This time, at least, she hadn’t had to climb eighty-four floors to get to their destination; getting to Flathoof’s friend’s apartment had been much easier than getting to Twilight and her friends’. Even though Tick Tock was used to physical exertion, it didn’t somehow make it enjoyable. The stress of recent events overwhelmed her, making her feel tired and hungry. This had been a very long two days.

Flathoof knocked harshly on the door of Room thirteen and six.

“Snapshot!? Are you in there?!” he called.

No response.

He knocked again. “Snapshot!? Hello!? If you’re there, open the door! It’s me, Flathoof!”

Still no response.

“I don’t want to barge in there, Snapshot, but if you don’t open up, I’m going to have to! Snapshot!? Okay then, I’m coming in!”

Flathoof signalled for Tick Tock to come over to him. “You think you could do something for me?”

“Like what?”

“You can’t pick locks or anything like that with your fancy magic, can you?”

Tick Tock smirked. “Fancy that, an NPPD Captain asking me to commit a breaking and entering.” She narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t some sort of bloody trick so you can nick me, is it? I’m not going to be picking these locks and then you yell, ‘All right, all right, what’s all this then?’ right?”

Flathoof stared at her, his mouth slightly open. “What?”

“Nevermind,” Tick Tock mumbled.

Her horn glowed a bright yellow, and her magic latched onto the doorknob. She contorted her face in firm concentration, licking her lips as she worked her magic into the little crevices inside the lock. She could hear a few subtle clicks and snaps as the locking mechanisms of the door unlocked. Then, a sharp click, and Tick Tock let her horn’s glow dim.

“I wasn’t being serious, you know?” Flathoof said, scratching his head. “I was just going to bust the door down and needed a little extra ‘oomph’. Why in Equestria would you have any use for picking locks, anyway, huh? Something I should know about?”

Tick Tock turned pink and coughed into her hoof. “Uh... I forget my keys a lot. Why isn’t the bloody door opening though?”

Flathoof smiled. “Well, she’s got more than one. She had a break-in a year ago, asked me to help her upgrade her security.”

“Huh.” Tick Tock shrugged. “Righto then. Back to work.”

She lit her horn again and slid her magic through the crack in the door to access the other locks. She bit her tongue as she worked the next one. It gave a satisfying click, and she let out a breath of relief before moving on. Two down. She fiddled her magic around again. Click. Three down. Click. Four. Click. Five.

“Phew,” Tick Tock muttered as she started working on another lock. “I recognize some of these locks your friend uses, they’re pretty standard issue stuff. Bloody hell, though, why does she have six locks on her door, anyway? Excessive, eh?”

Flathoof looked at the door for a moment, then raised an eyebrow when he saw where the glow from Tick Tock’s magic was, just below the doorknob. “Six?”

Tick Tock stared at him, but continued to fumble with the lock. “Right, six. And this last one is giving me a proper hard time too. I think I’ve almost got it... and... aha!” Another click. “See? No problem.”

“Hang on a sec, you said six locks, right?” Flathoof stared at the door for a moment, then nervously pressed his ear against it.

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Again, yes. What of it? Are you bad with math or something? What are you doing?”

Flathoof narrowed his eyes and leaned in harder against the door, though he was seemingly trying not to open it. “I helped Snapshot install all these locks. She only has five.”

Tick Tock tilted her head. “What are you going on—"

He gestured for her to listen in too. She rolled her eyes and pressed her ear against the door. Her eyes widened when she heard a repeated clicking sound. “Oh. Ohhh, bugger.”

Flathoof gulped. “It might be best if we... stepped away from the door.”

Tick Tock and Flathoof twisted away from the door in a panic, barely avoiding tripping over one another. They leapt towards the stairwell, only to get enough distance from the door that the explosion behind them didn’t engulf them straight away.

Flathoof lost his footing and tripped on the first stair as a large chunk of the door shattered across the back of his head. He fell to the floor at the turn of the stairwell.

Tick Tock, meanwhile, was knocked over the stairwell railing by the force of the blast. She fell down two whole stories and crashed through the opposite railing onto the floor. She groaned, and held her head to ease the stiff ringing in her ears. She struggled to get up, and yowled in pain as she put weight on her left hind leg; it felt like it was broken.

A familiar, dark chuckle from behind her caught her attention. “Well, well, well, look what we have here.”

Her eyes widened, and she flashed her horn and let loose a burst of magic in time to slam a pegasus face-first into the wall.

He removed his face from the wall and chuckled again. She frantically scrambled to get up and distance herself from him.

The pegasus drew a knife from a strap on his right foreleg and went on the offensive. She had little time to react in the extremely tight space and barely managed to cast a barrier spell. His dagger flashed brightly as it deflected off her shield.

She staggered backward a little, trying to gain footing in the narrow walkway.

The pegasus dove at her again. Her shield flashed and reflected him away. He struck from different angles with every swipe, keeping himself unpredictable.

Tick Tock backed away, carefully stepping on the stairs behind her as his assault forced her around the corner.

“Why do you keep coming after me?!”

He forced her down the stairs with his assault. 

“What did I ever do?!”

The pegasus sighed. “Why do you insist on asking?”

He used his tongue to twirl his knife around, then gripped it firmly again in his teeth. He feinted to her left, then as she directed her shield there, he quickly slashed instead to her right.

Again, her reflexes were a lifesaver. She cried out as the blade slashed its way across her cheek, then staggered back a few steps, almost losing her footing as the stairs ended and flattened out at the next floor.

“You’re going to be dead soon, Chronomancer. Would that kind of information matter?”

Tick Tock glared at him, her eyes filled with fury and fear.

She tried to strike out against him instead, firing off a volley of sparks. He twisted himself to the side and dodged them with ease.

She blasted another bolt at him. He merely shifted his weight to avoid it.

He didn’t let her keep up her approach, and continued to force her back with another strike, and another. She deflected them each in turn. She knew he could see the weariness in her eyes, the shortness of her breaths.

“What’s the matter, Chronomancer?” he taunted. “You look tired.”

He swept forward again, his eyes gleaming when she did not put up a shield.

Then, he hesitated, and slowed his assault. Tick Tock beamed, and her horn flashed. Got you.

For his effort, he was rewarded with an incredible injury to his right wing. He slammed into her, and they rolled together down the stairs. He collapsed further down than she did.

She knew the wound was severe. That it was deep. That his flying was now severely hampered. She could see the rage in his eyes.

She did not waste her advantage. In her magic, she wielded a sharp piece of the rusted metal railing.

Now it was his turn to be on the defensive. His grin returned, and it seemed to actually widen at the prospect.

Tick Tock fought pragmatically now. She was tired, and needed to conserve her magic. Telekinesis was less consuming than barriers.

“You fancy yourself a swordsmare, do you?” The pegasus snorted. He blocked her makeshift weapon with his dagger and pushed her away. “Maybe when you get a real sword I’ll consider you a threat.”

“Sod off!” she shouted.

He shifted his weight upwards to meet hers. She felt his ragged breath against her face. Tick Tock forced him away with a sharp push, then swung at him with a wide downward strike.

He stepped to the side to avoid it. “Clumsy.”

He lunged his shoulder in response and slammed her into the wall.

Tick Tock barely had enough room to avoid getting sliced across the eyes when he slashed at her again. She screamed in pain as the blade sliced across the scar that had yet to heal.

She lunged forward with a horizontal swing.

It was easy enough for him to duck under. “Pathetic.”

Her wide swing left her open to attack. He bucked her hard in the stomach and sent her reeling back, then flung his knife at her.

She panicked and raised a barrier spell again, sending his weapon flying into the wall beside her. The concentration on her telekinesis was broken, and her makeshift weapon fell into the emptiness of the open center of the stairwell. She hesitantly looked down after it.

In her distraction, he tackled her and forced her to the floor. She tried to struggle and force him off, but the energy bolt fizzled uselessly against his chest. Her magic had nearly dried up. Bugger all.

“I’ve been looking forward to this.” He chuckled darkly, pressing a hoof against her throat. “The chance to finally kill you, and be done with this silly game we’ve been playing.”

He pushed himself up and put most of his weight into his hoof.

She choked and made to grab at him, but he was too heavy.

“It’s been fun, Chronomancer.”

He pushed more weight downward, laughing again at her ragged, throaty gasps for air. Tears formed in her eyes. This is it then. I’m out of time.

“Freeze! NPPD!”

The stallion’s attention diverted behind him sharply, but he hadn’t much chance to avoid the crushing body of red and black. Flathoof crashed into him and slammed him hard against the nearby wall, then pressed his baton to the other stallion’s head and applied pressure to keep him pinned.

Tick Tock took in a deep gulp of air. “Oh bloody stars...”

“You’re under arrest for the murder of an NPPD officer!” Flathoof spat into the other stallion’s ear. “And for the countless other ponies at Southeast Point you killed in that explosion!”

The pegasus laughed, and flicked his good wing, striking Flathoof’s hind leg to throw him off balance. It was enough to let him squirm out of the hold.

“Ah, you must be Captain Flathoof,” the pegasus said, chuckling and distancing himself. “Snapshot spoke very highly of you.”

Flathoof barreled forward, reared, and brought his forelegs down in a crushing motion. The pegasus dodged backwards and moved downstairs.

Flathoof pressed his offensive and pounced at the pegasus, who shifted to the side and shouldered Flathoof into the wall. Flathoof’s baton dropped out of his mouth and rolled over the side of the stairwell.

“I’ll be sure to add Resisting Arrest to the list.” Flathoof snorted, shaking himself off and squaring off against the pegasus. “You will be brought to justice for your crimes!”

“Are you seriously considering turning me in?” the pegasus asked. “As if I haven’t broken out of a pathetic little jail cell before. May as well make them out of cardboard!”

The pegasus lunged forward and grappled with Flathoof. Flathoof shifted his weight, using his bulk to overpower the smaller pony. The pegasus chortled, and twisted around Flathoof’s weight to lock the bigger stallion in a chokehold.

Flathoof coughed, and slammed the pegasus in the gut with his hoof before shoving him off. The pegasus fluttered up over Flathoof’s head when he charged in again, kicking Flathoof in the back and knocking him down the rest of the stairs.

“Aww, and here I thought you’d want revenge. Your girlfriend was such a sweetheart, you know? You must not have been the best lay, because she was just dying to get to know me better.” He laughed loudly at his own joke.

“Shut up!”

Flathoof grit his teeth and rushed forward with a shoulder tackle. The pegasus twisted around to avoid it, and bucked Flathoof hard in the chest.

Flathoof staggered back and grunted as he hit the opposite wall. The pegasus had more than ample time to distance himself.

“Well, Captain, as delightful as this has been, I’ve grown tired of all of this fooling around.” The pegasus drew a second dagger from the strap on his left foreleg. “Time to play for keeps. I wonder, when I’m done with you, who’s going to take care of your crippled brother, hmm? Maybe I’ll pay him a little visit and put him out of his misery.”

Flathoof glared at the pegasus. “You’d best stop talking, flyboy, before I make you eat that knife of yours.”

The other stallion’s grin widened. “Ooh hoo hoo, did I strike a nerve? I’ll be happy to strike at more than that!”

He lunged forward and swung his knife at Flathoof’s chest. Flathoof grunted and staggered back. His hoof went to his chest, and drew back blood.

Flathoof backed down the next set of stairs, and ducked under another swing. He twisted himself around and tried to buck the pegasus, but the pegasus narrowly avoided it.

The pegasus lunged again, tackling Flathoof from behind. They struggled, and they grappled. Flathoof was stronger, and was able to crush the pegasus against the wall for a moment. But the pegasus was a dirty fighter, and bashed his head against Flathoof’s throat.

Flathoof choked and staggered back, then was slammed against the railing.

The pegasus leaned over him and grinned wide. “Looks like a long fall. A shame you don’t have wings, like—"

The pegasus howled in pain. His dagger jutted from the joint of his left wing, enshrouded in an aura of green magic.

Flathoof wasted no time in capitalizing on the opportunity, and sunk down and kicked his legs as hard as he could.

The pegasus careened over the railing, struggling to right himself as he fell. Neither of his wings were working. The stallion’s back slammed into the railing on the next floor down, and he fell, straight towards the bottom.

Flathoof breathed deeply and leaned against the wall, clutching his heart and panting heavily. He chanced a glance to the stairwell above. Tick Tock limped down to meet him, rubbing her throat the entire way down.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“I’m fine,” Flathoof wheezed. “He mentioned going after my family. We should get a move on.”

“Can we... rest a bit? Please? I... I think my leg is—"

Flathoof pointed tersely at her. “No, we’ll rest later. We’re going to check and make sure he hit the bottom. If he did, I doubt he’ll be in shape to give us trouble anyway.”

“And if he didn’t?”

Flathoof started down the stairs. “All the more reason to hurry home.”


	7. Invention

Shadowstep took in a sharp breath as the pain settled in. His limbs ached, and he couldn’t feel his wings. The pounding in his head was astounding, like somepony was playing drums in his skull. At least now, he knew he’d survived the fall.

He glanced around the room, blinking his eyes rapidly to adjust to the room’s only light source, a bright silver glow emitting from a large cylinder in the corner.

He tried to move, but could not. He lifted his head and saw himself laying upon a metal slab, his body strangely intact. He saw no traces of injury marring his legs or torso through the tears in his flight suit, despite the intense pain he felt. Thick, metal braces upon his hooves locked his legs in place, stretching them to his sides. Shallow indents in the slab held his wings, keeping them sprawled out.

He grimaced when he saw how horribly mangled they were compared to the rest of his body, and was glad that he could not move them. He’d seen pegasi with this kind of wing damage, even inflicted it himself on many occasions. They never flew again.

“Ah, you’re awake. Excellent. I feared my Restomancy was rusty.”

Silvertongue’s voice. Shadowstep attempted to acknowledge his employer, but the pain in his head made him regret it.

“I wouldn’t move too much, were I in your position,” Silvertongue said, stepping out of the darkness. “You look like you took quite a fall.”

Shadowstep gulped as Silvertongue stepped over to the slab. “M-milord—"

Silvertongue sighed. “Shadowstep, I entrusted you with two fairly straightforward tasks, endeavors I believed were tailor-made to your talents and capabilities.” He removed his monocle and breathed on it, then wiped it with a kerchief. “You have not lived up to my expectations. While one task has been completed, you have failed at the other twice in the span of a day.” He set his hooves upon the slab, glaring at the pegasus. “I am disappointed, to say the least.”

Shadowstep made to speak, but Silvertongue silenced him with a glow of his horn.

Silvertongue presented a folder, levitating it over from the corner. He opened it and began to read. “The NPPD report on the explosion at Southeast Point. It would appear that it was caused by a gas leak and an electrical fire.” He lowered the report slightly so that Shadowstep could see his glare. “If somepony were to have orchestrated that, it would appear as nothing more than a freak accident. Not very subtle in its execution, but it would most definitely eliminate the Chronomancer. And, anypony else in the vicinity, for that matter. Particularly six ponies I have no desire to see dead quite yet.”

“S-sir, I had nothing—"

“Save your breath, Shadowstep. If I desired excuses, I would have asked for one. I prefer to divulge my information more directly.”

Shadowstep gulped. “D-directly, sir?”

Silvertongue’s horn shined a brilliant gold. Shadowstep writhed in pain as a searing electrical sensation shot through him. He could feel another presence in his head with him, swimming along his mind as though it were an ocean. A sharp spark shot through his mind as the events of the day after he’d left his master’s dining room were revisited.

He saw the look of scrutiny on Silvertongue’s face. It was the same look the unicorn got when he was perusing a report. This worried him. Is he reading my mind?

“‘Reading’ is such a nondescript term.”

Shadowstep would have jumped in surprise were he not locked in place. “M-milord?”

“I prefer the term, ‘analyzing’. Your thoughts are laid bare before my prodding. I will get to the bottom of this.”

Shadowstep took a deep breath as he recalled himself trailing Twilight Sparkle and her friends from Central General Clinic, in hopes that the Chronomancer would make herself known to them. Silvertongue’s presence in his mind sent a sharp pain through Shadowstep’s spine when he saw her, alive and well, waiting in their apartment.

“And there she is. You certainly did rough her up, didn’t you Shadowstep? Ah, and those six believed her story so quickly. They’re trusting of those who offer them help. Excellent.”

Shadowstep remembered trailing them as they left for the Outer Districts, with plans to pass through the Gate using false passports. He tracked them down to the home of one “Keeneye”, and while he did not witness it first-hoof, he could tell from the looks on the ponies’ faces that everything had gone well.

“False passports. Interesting. I did not anticipate that they would take that route. Unfortunate for them that they are, though. The Gate is much easier to monitor. Well done, Shadowstep.”

Shadowstep remembered returning to Southeast Point on his targets’ trail. He remembered witnessing the explosion, and seeing Twilight Sparkle’s magic save herself and her companions, first by erecting a magical shield, then by teleporting all nine of them to safety simultaneously.

“So that is Twilight Sparkle, is it? Such aptitude. Such power. A pity that her ambition is solely for scholarly pursuits. I shall have to keep an eye on that one.”

Shadowstep remembered spying on them as they recuperated after the ordeal. He saw the NPPD officer, Captain Flathoof, divide the group out of fear that the Chronomancer’s would-be assassin would target his family. He followed them to NPPD Central Station, and overheard them check on the desk clerk, Snapshot. As they left, he rushed ahead of them. He entered through her window and rigged the explosive. Then, he waited.

Last, Shadowstep recalled fighting against them when his trap was foiled. Worse, he remembered losing.

“A pity that this Flathoof fellow seems smarter than he looks. Oh, Shadowstep. It appears that without the element of surprise on your side, you are not the most apt fighter. Well, we shall soon solve that problem.”

The pain drained away the instant Silvertongue’s horn ceased its glowing. Shadowstep took several deep breaths, and watched his master circle the slab, a pensive look upon his face.

“You’re quite fortunate in a great many ways, Shadowstep,” Silvertongue said. He laughed once, then removed his monocle to clean it.

“Fortunate, sir?”

“Yes, fortunate. Not only because the explosion was a freak accident in and of itself, but that your first aforementioned failure seems to have been a great boon.”

Shadowstep hesitated. “Boon, sir? You mean... you’re not upset?”

“It’s simple, really,” Silvertongue said, dismissively waving a hoof. “Had the Chronomancer been taken care of as I had tasked you with before, then the Elements of Harmony would have returned from their immunization shots and likely stayed to rest a while. Certainly some of them may have left, but the risk was there. Had they not been out of their room at that precise time, they’d have been caught in the blast. Ironic, that by your failure you single-hoofedly kept all my plans in order.”

Shadowstep breathed a sigh of relief.

“However, there is still the matter at hoof,” Silvertongue continued. He smoothed back his mane carefully and stepped over to the glowing cylinder in the corner. “While your first failure is justifiable in light of new information, your second is not. The Chronomancer still lives and breathes, and as long as she does so I do not doubt that she will be an ever-persistent thorn in my side.”

Silvertongue hovered the container towards the slab and lifted the lid. The light within shined much brighter, illuminating the entirety of the room. Then, he lifted something out of the container, a sort of liquid kept in a spherical shape by his telekinesis. He floated the orb in front of his face and manipulated it in his magic, causing the liquid to morph into different shapes.

“Do you know what this is, Shadowstep?” he asked.

The pegasus shook his head slowly.

“It is a very rare, valuable metal. You’d be hard-pressed to find much more of it. My own supplies are dwindling, and this is some of what little I still possess. It bears numerous magnificent qualities: it is highly regarded for its functionality as weapons and armor; it is exceptionally lightweight and malleable, yet extraordinarily durable; most importantly, it interacts remarkably with magic.

“Were one to forge a weapon from it, their magic could manipulate it fluidly, as though it were an extension of their mind. It is also notably resistant to any magic other than that of the forger, hence its potency as shields or armor. It’s called obidium, because it obeys orders. Much better than any pony ever could.”

Shadowstep frowned at Silvertongue’s mocking tone.

Silvertongue replaced the ball of liquid into the container, then lifted the container over one of Shadowstep’s wings. 

Shadowstep eyed it warily. He could feel the heat coming from it. “W-what are you doing?” he asked.

Silvertongue smiled wide, his teeth gleaming in the light. “Why, isn’t it obvious? I’m going to imbue your wings with obidium.”

He laughed and tossed his mane. “It will repair the damage you have sustained, and my magic will fuse the metal to your nerves, flesh, and bone. The metal will become your new wings, giving you a modicum of control over it. It shall be a new weapon for you to wield against your enemies. Against my enemies. I could have affixed it to you while you were unconscious, certainly, but I believe that if you experience the sensation of it bonding with you, you may have a greater appreciation for the power it will bestow.

“Oh, a fair bit of warning,” he added. “This might hurt a little.”

Silvertongue tilted the container over, and poured the molten metal out.

Shadowstep screamed in agony as it seared the flesh on his wings, burning all the way to the bone. He knew the scent of his precious wings burning away would forever remain ingrained in his nightmares. More pain ripped through him as the magical metal coiled inward and fastened itself to every joint, muscle, and fiber of his wings until the metal became a part of him, replacing his flesh and bone entirely.

He steeled himself through the rest of the ordeal, his breathing ragged and dry. He was unsure if he could even remain conscious through much more. He watched the container move to his other wing, and gave an embarrassingly audible gulp. The process repeated itself: more pain as the metal stripped clean his flesh; more agony as the metal ingrained itself within him. In the back of his mind, there was a wish that the fall had killed him. Surely death would be preferable to this.

Silvertongue grinned and lifted the container just over Shadowstep’s face. Without warning, he snapped the lid closed, and returned the now empty container to its spot in the corner. The room’s only light source now was Silvertongue’s dimly-glowing horn.

With no fear of further writhing torture looming ahead, Shadowstep was allowed to breathe normally again. The braces on his legs snapped open, allowing him to stand. He struggled to his hooves and stood at attention, his legs still trembling as the pain subsided.

Silvertongue laughed. “Excellent! The process went better than expected.”

The silvery-metal wings gleamed in the light of Silvertongue’s horn. They were perfectly proportioned, fitting in place as if they’d always been there. He ran a hoof along one of Shadowstep’s new wings.

Shadowstep could feel every touch, every jolt, every snag. His eyes widened.

“New and improved, wouldn’t you agree?” Silvertongue asked.

Shadowstep took a sharp breath, as the pain still lingered. He flexed his wings to see if they still worked. They did so fluidly, their movement completely natural. The joints looked real. Even the feathers looked real. The metal had coated them flawlessly just the same as the rest of the wing.

“They’re... beautiful, milord.”

Shadowstep reached a hoof out and stroked it along a primary. Though the material was cold to the touch, it had the same smooth, silky texture as his original feathers. His elation showed upon his face. He was eager to see if they could fly.

“Thank you, sir,” Shadowstep said, bowing deeply. “I did not expect to receive such a gracious reward after my recent transgressions. To be honest, I never expected to wake up again. Your last words to me were hardly... encouraging.”

Silvertongue laughed and patted Shadowstep hard on the back, causing the pegasus to stumble forward. “Oh, Shadowstep, wherever would you get that idea? Mindlessly killing my subordinates is hardly what I would consider a worthwhile use of time or effort. You are a valuable asset, more so now than you may realize. Even if your more recent endeavors have proven rather disappointing, I still have a purpose for you.”

“Thank you, milord.”

Silvertongue removed his monocle and cleaned it. “Now, this Chronomancer? She either is not to be taken lightly, or she has the most extraordinary luck imaginable. In either case, these new tools I have bestowed upon you should prove useful in your efforts to destroy her, in due time. So, if you’re quite done preening about, it is time we came to the next order of business.”

Shadowstep saluted with his new wing. “Of course, milord. I’ll finish off the Chronomancer this time, I swear it.”

He trotted briskly over to the door, eager to leave and return to his work. He couldn’t wait to thrust a knife into the Chronomancer’s heart. No more playing around. Oh, and that stupid police captain too. He’d ruined everything. A nice drop from the top of Pandora Tower seemed an appropriate solution. No wings, no magic. Just lots of limb flailing and-

Shadowstep's muzzle slammed into the door.

Shadowstep stopped and tilted his head. This was peculiar. He was used to the doors in Pandora responding to the proximity of ponies and opening automatically. Was it broken? Perhaps this room’s door wasn’t one of the automatic ones? He pushed a hoof against it.

The door did not open.

“Where do you think you’re going, Shadowstep?”

Shadowstep froze up. His heart raced. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He turned slowly. “To... to kill the Chronomancer, sir? That’s what you—"

Silvertongue laughed. “You? My dear boy, you’ve already failed me twice in that regard. Stars above, what made you think I was going to give you another chance so soon?”

Shadowstep raised an eyebrow, flexed his wings, and took a hesitant step back. He didn’t like the way Silvertongue was smiling at him. “But your gift—"

Silvertongue chuckled darkly. “Oh, that gift of yours is a rather double-edged sword, you’ll find soon enough. I did not grant you this boon so that you may destroy that meddlesome little Chronomancer. At least—" His grin widened. “Not yet. That will come in due time.

“For now, I have more pressing matters to attend to without worrying about whether or not you’ll fail me yet again.” Silvertongue’s horn started to glow brighter, causing Shadowstep to take another step back. “No, your gift has far greater purpose than that. Be glad that it will at least give you some sort of a fighting chance in regards to your punishment.”

Silvertongue’s horn flared white. Shadowstep panicked and made to move, but found himself engulfed in a bright light. A teleportation spell. “P-punish—"

***

“-ment?”

Shadowstep had seen many dead bodies in his career. He’d disposed of corpses, seen ponies soil themselves in fear and upon death, and crawled through some of the most unsavory areas imaginable. He thought his nose to be mostly immune to the sensations of foul odors. Nothing could have prepared him for this stench, though.

The sudden exposure instantly nauseated him. His eyes watered. It didn’t take more than a second for him to be forced to choke back vomit. Only this stench, a rancid odor like hundreds of rotting bodies, colored his sight, hearing, taste, smell, and even his thoughts.

It took several moments for his stomach to settle and his nostrils to become accustomed to the odor. When at last it did, his mind eased and he could finally see where he was.

A blackish-red goo stained the ground, sticking to his hooves like glue. When he lifted his hoof away, he saw it follow his movement just barely, as though it were reaching out to keep him in its grip. It looked like blood, but he’d seen enough of the stuff to know it wasn’t.

The trees around him appeared dead, their branches devoid of leaves and their trunks black. Yet, their trunks were also thick, and the branches swayed gently in the breeze, still soft and full of life. They dotted the landscape, creating the illusion of what had once been a swamp or a marsh.

There were also the corpses. Oh. That’s what the smell is.

At first, Shadowstep had thought the large mounds to be piles of garbage, not carcasses. Their blackened, rotting flesh had been decomposed as though they’d been there for years, yet still meaty enough that they couldn’t have been there longer than a few days. They dotted the landscape, outnumbering the trees. He’d never seen so many in one place before.

Shadowstep groaned as a searing pain flashed and Silvertongue’s voice echoed through his mind.

“The Blood Mire,” Silvertongue said. “A fitting name, is it not? I could tell you stories of this place, Shadowstep. Tales of death that would awe even a murderous psychopath like yourself. I must warn you now, though, you may want to watch your back.”

Shadowstep turned his head, then leapt aside in surprise as a burst of magic screamed past him, exploding only a yard behind him. The explosion wasn’t particularly strong. He’d seen average unicorns with more force than that. But, that didn’t concern him. Shadowstep’s eyes widened as he traced the bolt back to its source. For a moment, he wondered if he were dreaming. If this was some horrible nightmare.

The unicorn was clearly not alive.

It was difficult to describe what, exactly, the unicorn was. It certainly moved like a living, breathing unicorn, even cast spells like one. It may have well been one, as far as those qualities were concerned. Its charred and rancid skin melted away in places, exposing great deals of corroded bone and decayed innards. Its shattered horn could still cast spells without hindrance. One of its legs was ripped apart, and in places where there should have been bone and muscle connecting the two pieces, a faint glow of red magic held them in place. This same magic filled other important voids in the unicorn’s horribly mangled, rotten body, most notably its eyes.

No, it clearly wasn’t alive. But, it wasn’t dead either.

Shadowstep hesitated for a moment, unsure if what he was seeing was real. In that hesitation, he almost did not react in time to the movement to his other side. He turned to see another of these things bearing down upon him like a starved predator. This one, a pegasus. Where its wings were torn and decomposed, the same glow of red magic filled in the pieces, allowing it to take flight.

Shadowstep narrowly avoided the thing’s mangled hoof, panicking when he realized his dodge had been sloppy. The creature twisted around towards his wing instead, jaws open, fangs bared.

Flesh and bone clanged against metal, followed by a crunch. He felt the creature strike his wing, but didn’t feel any pain. He glanced down at the thing that had attacked him. Its face had been horribly mangled by his new metal feathers. He realized they weren’t just feathers. They were blades.

Shadowstep’s grin could not have been more massive. He stretched his wing out and brought it down, cleaving the creature’s head clean off. The head rolled aside, and its glowing eyes darkened. The sensation of his own body being a weapon, capable of tearing through flesh and bone, exhilarated him.

The unicorn fired another bolt of magic at him. Shadowstep swept his wing about in a wide arc, reflecting the bolt of magic back at the creature. It struck with enough force to blow the thing’s body apart. Magic-resistant indeed.

“Fascinating material, is it not? Effective as both a weapon and as a shield.”

Shadowstep chuckled. “If this is my punishment, milord, to slaughter these mutant abominations, then I am thankful you granted me such a gift. I shall return soon enough to slaughter the Chronomancer. Though I do see why the ponies of the city fear them, these creatures are nothing before me now.”

Peals of crowing laughter rang through his head, coming from everywhere at once, and yet from nowhere at all. Shadowstep’s smug smile dwindled away, like a fire facing down a monsoon.

“Arrogance. Amusing. You’ve yet to earn the right to be arrogant, Shadowstep. You think you’ll only encounter them in such short bunches? I was merely giving you reprieve, that you may practice with your new gift. But, if you’re that confident in yourself, then perhaps it is time I removed my protective barrier.”

The reds of the land beneath and the blacks of the mounds of bodies became clearer, as though a shroud had been lifted from around him. Shadowstep watched in horror as the piles upon piles of bodies around him stirred. There were hordes of them. Not several hundred, but several thousand.

Worse, they were not slow to wake, nor were they slow to act. They engaged Shadowstep on all sides. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike assaulted him with reckless abandon.

He swung his wings around like great scythes, slicing apart most of the ponies that got nearby and sending heads, wings, legs, and horns flying about. He found it difficult to keep up with the horde that seemed to grow larger every minute.

Shadowstep knew that there were only two options: fight, or flight. Right now, the former seemed to be a fool’s errand. He flapped his wings and took to the air. Let’s see what else these new wings can do.

Unicorns continued to fire bolts of red magic at him, and still the pegasi pursued him through the air. His lithe, aerodynamic new wings easily outpaced them. Fighting the creatures was hard. Running from them was easy.

He breathed a sigh of relief as their forms dwindled in his wake, then twisted himself around to make a course for New Pandemonium City, which he could just make out in the distance.

“For shame, Shadowstep.” Silvertongue chuckled, sending a shiver down Shadowstep’s spine. “Are you trying to escape your punishment? Were it that easy to do, I would think myself a right fool to believe you wouldn’t attempt it. No no, we won’t be having any of that.”

A sharp pain shot through Shadowstep’s wings, and suddenly they felt heavy. Very heavy, like metal weights that would grant him flight about as well as they would let him swim. He struggled to maintain altitude, but could barely move his wings at all. He careened into the ground below, rolling several feet and crashing into a pile of bodies to come to a stop.

He felt sick, not just because he’d been injured in the crash, but because he’d been covered in the bloody goo. He was certain the stuff was the remains of some of these abominable creatures, a thought that nauseated him.

He looked up from his crash site to see more freshly-woken monsters stalking towards him. The weight of his wings made moving excruciatingly difficult.

An earth pony lunged at Shadowstep. Half of its face was missing, but the other half bared its fangs. Shadowstep barely had the strength to swing his wing around to defend himself.

He used his wing as a shield, rather than a blade. The earth pony slammed into it and fell to the ground. Shadowstep slumped forward, using his other wing for support, too tired to try and capitalize on his advantage. It took incredible effort just to move, and his focus dwindled.

A pegasus sprung upon him and sunk its sharp teeth into his neck, clamping down like a vice. Shadowstep cried out before tearing it off and stumbling away. The monster was still chewing; Shadowstep felt blood flowing down his back. They’re trying to eat me.

He screamed in anger, slashing at the abomination with his other wing. The creature lunged away, and he only managed to slice off its legs.

He jerked his head up at another noise. A unicorn. He took a bolt of magic to the face that knocked him onto his back. He smelled burning flesh where he’d been struck. It had barely missed one of his eyes, and he struggled to see out of it.

Worse, he felt a sharp, burning sensation at the wound on the back of his neck, like something was crawling inside.

The earth pony pounced upon him and slammed its forelegs down into Shadowstep’s chest. He wheezed, coughing up blood as the creature’s sharpened hooves ripped into him, threatening to pierce straight through to his lungs and heart.

He took a deep breath and flexed his wings above him, bringing them together to crush the thing’s head. Its head burst open, splattering Shadowstep with blood and rancid gore. He fought the urge to vomit as it slumped forward on top of him.

The burning at his neck was joined by one at his chest. The unnatural pain made him feel dizzy.

He screamed in pain when the pegasus bit into one of his legs. He swung his wing down, slicing through its neck. Now, his leg burned too. What is causing that burning?!

He struggled to his hooves and staggered away, until the unicorn’s magic exploded against his back. He felt its weight upon him as it buried its teeth into the freshly cooked flesh. The burning sensations intensified. He felt like his whole body was on fire.

He tried to shake the unicorn off, but could not find the strength. He slumped forward, losing consciousness, then looked out into the field. All he could see were hundreds more of the glowing red eyes coming his way.

That was the last thing he saw before closing his eyes.

***

The elevator hummed quietly as it slowly made its way down the side of Pandora Tower. Its only passenger gazed out of the glass exterior and out into the city skyline. No smog congregated around the tower itself, giving Silvertongue a clear view of the city almost as far as the Outer Wall. Eventually, as the Inner District’s gleaming black skyscrapers and office complexes rose up into view, his view became obscured.

The elevator played soothing ambient music throughout its descent. The slow, delicate melody came from Silvertongue’s favorite opera, the same as all the pieces of music he regularly listened to. He bobbed his head slightly in tune with the music, waving one hoof around as if conducting his own invisible orchestra. The singer, who played the villain of the piece, sang in his deep baritone as he set about his final scheme to vanquish his heroic foe. Silvertongue still recalled the opera clearly from the last time he’d seen it, despite how very, very long ago that was.

The elevator dinged when it reached the underground level. The doors opened, leading out into a long, beckoning hallway with black metal walls decorated with banners bearing the red and gold emblem of New Pandemonium. The darkness coating the hall drowned out Silvertongue’s pristine coat, leaving him in a shadowed veil of deepest black.

A large metal door, bordered with a gold and black outline, stood at the end of the hall. As Silvertongue approached it, he lit up his horn and turned the great circular handle in its center. The door unlocked, giving a great hissing sound. He lifted it open, striding through the doorway with confidence, eager with anticipation. Every step further in was a step further towards completing the monumental undertaking that was laid before him.

The contents of the room beyond were easy enough to see in the dim light. An abundance of techno-magic machinery filled every space in the room, barring the circular walkway that bordered it and the walkway leading into the center of the chamber: monitors larger than Silvertongue displayed mathematical calculations and abundances of text; several machines just to his right bore multitudes of buttons, levers, knobs, switches, and dials; a small power generator stood on the far side of the room, its orange glow bright enough to illuminate the room by itself; cables of all shapes, sizes, and lengths connected them all together.

Silvertongue’s eyes focused towards the center of the room, where a large platform had been raised. He approached it with a spring in his step, ecstatic to see the fruit of his labors firsthand, to see what his mad science and his forbidden magics had wrought.

The large machine on the platform held six large, egg-shaped containers made of blue-tinted glass. Each container connected to a plethora of cables which in turn connected to the series of machines and monitors just to the side. A quick glance at the monitors told him that the contents of the containers were stable.

Silvertongue’s mouth curled in a tiny grin. He turned and called out into the room. “Doctor! Is everything prepared?”

A crash from the side of the room drew Silvertongue’s attention. Somepony had tripped over one of the cables and was now swearing loudly as he tried to untangle himself. The pony, an off-white unicorn stallion wearing a dull beige lab coat and an overly-large pair of goggles, rounded the nearby machinery and greeted Silvertongue with a brisk salute and a smile.

“Herr Silvertongue! I apologize, I did not hear you come in. I vas occupied viz monitorink zee subjects.” Blutsauger ran a hoof through his slick mane to straighten it, giving a nervous chuckle. “But ja, everyzing is ready. I only need to make a few final adjustments, and zen vee may begin. Are you as excited as I am, Herr Silvertongue?”

Silvertongue laughed and patted the other unicorn on the shoulder. “You have outdone yourself, Doctor. Six in total, and in such a short time as well. I am glad to see I will not be experiencing any more delays. This shall be your greatest work, I assure you of that. History in the making.”

Blutsauger smiled and nodded. “Zank you... zank you, Herr Silvertongue. Zough, I really must zank you for makink it so easy to get zee genetic material. I do not know if I vould have been able to do zis vizout pure samples. Zese specimens are fantastic!”

Silvertongue turned his attention back to the containment pods. A mare rested in each. Here, in the one closest to him, lay a lavender mare, a unicorn with a deep purple mane and tail with a bright pink streak shooting along the middle. Her eyes were closed and from here he could not see her breathing, but all of the instruments told him that she was very much alive.

Twilight Sparkle, representative of the Element of Magic. The only difference between the one here and the one somewhere out there in New Pandemonium City was that the latter had a soul, the former did not. The lack of a cutie mark upon the flank of the one in the pod proved that. Silvertongue knew that soon, that would no longer be the case, that the little mare in this containment pod would no longer be Twilight Sparkle, and yet would be all the same. All of the original’s thoughts, memories, passions, and dreams, every last fiber of her being, would be twisted to his advantage.

In each of the other chambers lay another perfectly-copied clone of the rest of the Elements of Harmony, awaiting the next stage of his plan. The thought of his labors being given physical form at long last brought a smile to his face. Soon enough, they could begin the task he had set before them.

Silvertongue smiled. “Excellent. Now then, Doctor, go ahead and finish your final preparations. I need to focus myself for the next stage. I should only need a few moments. Alone.”

“Ja, Herr Silvertongue,” Blutsauger acknowledged, hastily shuffling away.

Silvertongue breathed deep and let his magic waft about him.

Nihila quickly responded, as always.

“My Warden, you work quickly,” she cooed, sending a shiver of cold through him. “I am pleased with your progress.”

Silvertongue responded with his thoughts, not daring to speak aloud. “I am as anxious to begin as you are, milady. The stage has been set, and the actors are all in place. With your blessing, I may pull back the curtain and let our masterpiece perform for itself.”

Nihila hesitated. A curious feeling, one he hadn’t felt in a long while. “My Warden, I will be granting phenomenal magical powers to you, with which you will be gifting these creatures with life. Their bodies and souls will become warped to serve us. But I warn you, it will weaken me greatly. I will be unable to reach out from the Dreaming for quite some time, unable to assist you should you require my aid.”

“I have utmost confidence in my plan, milady. These six mares that we are birthing this very hour are the perfect pawns to carry out this task. I have no doubt that the powers you are to bequeath upon them will be more than enough insurance that, even should our initial plan fail, they may still be of some use in the future.”

“I am entrusting you with a great risk, my Warden. I know you will not disappoint me. You have my blessings. Continue your work and see to it personally if need be that my will be done.”

“As you wish, milady.”

Silvertongue then felt the oddest sensation. Nihila’s consciousness left him, but he did not feel empty. He instead felt empowered as her essence remained, filling with so much dark magic that for a fleeting second he feared it would tear him apart, unable to be contained by his mortal form.

“Herr Silvertongue!” called Blutsauger, shaking him from his awed stupor. “All zee preparations are complete, und vee are ready to begin.”

Silvertongue nodded, and strode away from his prized creations to a large machine opposite Blutsauger’s workstation, where Blutsauger awaited him. The Doctor assisted Silvertongue in attaching a mechanical brace to the latter’s horn. The brace and the machine connected to cables of many different sizes and colors that stretched up to the ceiling, then came down again and attached themselves to the machine holding the six containment pods. Blutsauger checked the readouts on the nearby monitors to make sure everything had been connected properly, then trotted over to his workstation and made a few final adjustments.

“Right, now zen, ven you give zee vord, Herr Silvertongue, I vill begin zee energy transfer,” Blutsauger explained. He ran a hoof through his mane and adjusted his goggles. “Ach, zis is mein first time performink zis precise procedure, but it should not be much different zan zee ozer times, ja? Zis time at least I have bodies to start viz.”

Silvertongue took a deep breath. “I am ready to begin whenever you are, doctor.”

Blutsauger nodded and ignited his horn. He flicked switches, turned dials, adjusted levers, twisted knobs, and pushed buttons, then turned to the massive red power switch behind him. He took a sharp breath as he lifted it, and with a loud clang, it snapped into the ON position.

Silvertongue felt a rush of electricity snap through his horn. The power in his body reacted to the amplification device he had designed, causing the machine to glow a dull red.

Blutsauger double-checked all his station’s monitors, then gave a satisfied laugh. “Ha ha! Vee are all ready to go! Venever you are ready, Herr Silvertongue, you may begin—” He dramatically lifted his hoof straight up into the air. “Zee magicks!”

Silvertongue chuckled. “Then let us begin.”

He churned his new powers slowly through the amplification machine’s funnel, watching as the energy coursed through the cables above, causing them to glow a bright blue, and into the containment machine at the room’s center. The machine rotated slightly and lifted one of the containment pods from the platform to center of the machine, latching it firmly in place beneath the other end of the funnel.

The pony inside was orange. Applejack’s clone. Doctor Blutsauger always did have a habit of doing things alphabetically.

Silvertongue licked his lips as the pod began to glow a dark purple, obscuring the pony inside from view. He allowed more of Nihila’s magicks to flow forth until he was certain he’d drained a full sixth of it. He laced her magicks with some of his own.

Darkness filled the room, shrouding everything in pitch black, leaving only the glow of the machines, the two unicorns’ horns, and the pod to light the room. The room trembled once, causing the monitors to shake and their images to flicker. Once the darkness had ebbed away, the machine stopped spinning. The containment pod remained shrouded in a dark mist, even as the machine pulled it away and lifted it towards the nearby wall, where it would be sent to an adjacent room for safekeeping and further monitoring.

Silvertongue snapped his hoof towards Blutsauger’s station. “Halt the loading process, Doctor. I wish to look upon this first creation of mine.”

“Ja, Herr Silvertongue.” Blutsauger nodded and flicked a pair of switches beside his station, causing the pod to smoothly grind to a halt.

The black and purple mist slowly dissipated, and Silvertongue gazed into the pod. His first creation lay inside, alive, breathing, and kept in stasis to allow her body to adjust to the dark magicks that empowered her and gave her life. A smile crept upon his face. She was lovely.

Applejack’s clone had been changed, no longer looking anything like her original self. Her orange coat had turned a vibrant blue. Her blond mane and tail became a shiny red. Her figure was slightly leaner and more refined than the toned muscle of the original.

Silvertongue eagerly awaited the chance to see how her personality had changed from that of her Harmony counterpart, to see if her mind had been twisted as much as her body. He motioned to Blutsauger to send the pod on its way, then re-focused his magic.

There were still five more ponies to transform.

The machine spun and lifted up the clone of Fluttershy into the central slot. Silvertongue fueled the device with Nihila’s magic, and the room darkened and shook. Fluttershy’s counterpart was lifted away the same as Applejack’s had been. Silvertongue did not signal to halt the process this time. He’d witnessed its effects upon Applejack’s clone already, and knew he would soon see and meet the rest of these marvelous mares without squandering precious time.

Silvertongue repeated the process with Pinkie Pie’s counterpart next, then with Rainbow Dash’s, then with Rarity’s. The one he was most eagerly anticipating, Twilight Sparkle’s clone, came last. Everything started off rather smoothly as he funneled Nihila’s magic laced with his own through the amplifier.

But then, something went wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

Several of the machines in the room shook violently, monitors shorting out or becoming overloaded with static. Silvertongue felt phenomenal power flowing outward from the clone of Twilight Sparkle as she was slowly transformed. He’d expected Twilight Sparkle and her copy to have incredible power as the Element of Magic. The energy felt somehow familiar, though he could not recall where he’d felt it before.

He turned to Blutsauger’s station. “Doctor! What is happening here?! Why is she reacting this way?!”

Blutsauger observed one of his readout meters, then leapt away as it burst apart. “Her magical levels are off zee charts, Herr Silvertongue! I did not zink anypony could contain zis much magic.”

“What manner of magic is it, Doctor? This is neither Light nor Darkness.”

Blutsauger wiped his brow and adjusted his goggles to double-check his readings. “Zee machines cannot pinpoint zee source. Zey do not recognize it.”

More of Nihila’s power flowed into the machine, causing Twilight’s clone to give off even more energy. Silvertongue felt it tickling his skin, making his mane and tail waft about as though there were a fierce breeze in the room. The hairs on his coat stood on end. So much of Nihila’s power remained to give this mare, and yet her power still proliferated.

Several tense moments passed.

“Her energy readings are stabilizing, Herr Silvertongue,” Blutsauger said. He ran a hoof through his mane and shook away sweat. “Zee safety parameters vill hold for now. Zee starglass cannot vizstand much more, but so long as her power does not increase, zere should be no—"

A loud crack reverberated from the center of the room, knocking some of the taller machines over.

Blutsauger quickly trotted in and eyed the glass, then staggered back. “Impossible. Impossible! Herr Silvertongue, her magic is cracking zee glass!”

“What?!”

Silvertongue’s eyes widened at the implications. The magical power required to break through starglass was extraordinarily high. He himself had trouble cracking through it, and as Nihila’s Warden he was the most powerful unicorn in all Equestria. Were Twilight Sparkle and her clone that powerful? As powerful as he was? More powerful?

Incredible.

Another crack. The fractures snaked along the surface of the glass like it was ice. The sound of pounding came from inside. Once. Twice.

Blutsauger leapt back as the glass snapped open, and galloped back to the safety of his workstation. “Nein! Impossible! Nein, nein, nein!”

The intense magic burst out the little pod, a fierce storm set loose into the chamber. Without its host to control it, the powerful magic acted of its own will. The magic sporadically took shape and flared about, lashing out randomly at nearby machines. Silvertongue continued to pump more of Nihila’s power into the amplifier, giving this wild and untamed magic more to work with. The cloud of darkness launched bolts of energy that ripped metal and glass apart like paper; it lashed out with fluidic tentacle-like strands, grasping at things, crushing them like toys or smashing them like a sledgehammer.

Blutsauger clambered over to Silvertongue in a panic and groveled before him. “Herr Silvertongue, vee must stop zee process! Her powers vill tear zee room apart!”

“Stop? When we are so close?” Silvertongue snapped, kicking Blutsauger away. “We are only a few short moments away from bestowing life upon the most powerful mortal creature in this world, and you want to stop?” He jabbed a hoof in the direction of Blutsauger’s workstation. “Get back to your station you miserable little foal, and keep her lifelines stable. I am not about to end this just because you are a pathetic coward.”

Blutsauger gulped, and nodded as he backed away. “Ja... ja, I vill... just go back to mein station, Herr Silvertongue.”

Blutsauger returned to his instruments, tweaking them in an attempt to calm the empowered mare’s magic. All the safety dampeners had been damaged or destroyed; she’d already broken through the Starguard glass. Nothing seemed to be working at all. More of her increasing power flooded the room, tearing apart everything it touched. Blutsauger huddled under his workstation in terror.

Silvertongue remained undeterred, even as the magic lashed out at machines close to him. One bolt of magic flashed just past his ear, close enough that he could feel heat. Another exploded nearby, tearing apart a monitor station in a shower of metal, glass, and wires. He continued to stand firm, and grit his teeth and steeled his hoove.

One bolt of magic shot straight at him. He did not attempt to avoid it or block it, and trying to do either was impossible given the circumstances. All of his magic was maintaining the power transfer, and as long as he was latched into the amplifier, he couldn’t move.

When the black bolt struck him, he recoiled in agony. All he could see was black and red as darkness and blood flooded his vision. The blast exploded, shattering his monocle and ripping his eye apart. A lesser pony might have blacked out or gone into shock, but Silvertongue was too far into this focus. He would not be deterred, not if it cost him life and limb. He’d worked too hard for far too long to reach this point. He was not about to stop now.

Only a little more.

He fought through the searing pain. It would not move him.

Only a little more.

He ignored the salty taste of blood. It would not shake him.

Only a little more.

He couldn’t see straight. That would not deter him.

Only a little more.

It was done.

Silvertongue felt a saddening emptiness as the last of Nihila’s magic fully transferred into the clone of Twilight Sparkle. The intense magicks calmed, and retreated back to their host.

Silvertongue snapped the amplifier off his horn roughly and stumbled out of the bracing device. He tripped over some of the broken debris of the room. He felt dizzy from bloodloss.

Blutsauger jumped out from cover and ran to Silvertongue’s aid, helping to keep him steady. “Herr Silvertongue, you’ve done it! Zee process vas a complete success, und—" He trailed off, and his face paled. “Herr Silvertongue... your eye—"

“It is a minor inconvenience.” Silvertongue snorted, though his breathing was labored. He turned towards the center of the room, towards the heavily damaged machine in the center and the broken pod that lay in its remains. “Her pod is shattered. That means she will not be in stasis, correct?”

Blutsauger nodded. “Ja, correct. She vill not be in stasis vizout zee containment pod. Her life signs are stable zough. She vill likely vake up on her own in a few moments.”

“Excellent.” Silvertongue smiled and licked his lips, ignoring the taste of blood. “Bring me to her.”

Blutsauger hesitated. “Herr Silvertongue, shouldn’t vee get you some medical—"

“I said, bring me to her, Doctor. You can attend to my injuries later. I insist that they all see me soon after waking. She is no exception. Bring me to her. Now.”

Blutsauger sighed and wiped his brow. “Ja... ja, of course, Herr Silvertongue.” He assisted Silvertongue in hobbling towards the central platform.

The entire room had become like a battlefield. Sparks of electricity jumped about from nearby machines. Debris had been scattered about. Smoke clouded the air. The pair had to walk carefully to avoid stepping on anything that might cause further injury.

Silvertongue insisted upon limping the rest of the way up the platform without Blutsauger’s help. He came to the shattered pod, and beheld his sixth and final creation.

She had a deep, dark purple coat, not at all the bright, colorful lavender of her original form. Her mane a bright pink and purple mix with a natural curl. This mare was perfect. She was just as powerful as her Harmony counterpart, but without things that prevented her from using that power for personal gain and for destruction, such as compassion or mercy.

The mare’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

Silvertongue smiled down at her. “Rise and shine, little one...”


	8. Impasse

I can’t believe she’s gone. Why did she have to get tangled up in this? I should have never gotten involved...

“Ow! Cripes, ma, could ya’ take it easy?”

Flathoof winced when the heavyset earth pony mare in front of him flicked his ear.

“Now is that any way to talk to your mother, hmm?” Shortcake tutted, dabbing another cotton ball in a big bottle of rubbing alcohol. She shook her head. “Oh, you boys are all alike! You come home crying and whining about this and that and something-or-other. ‘Oh mama I got hurt at work today. Can you kiss it and make it feel better?’ And you just expect me to do everything.”

She shook the wet cotton ball in his face, making him flinch. “See? See? Things like this are why your father and I didn’t want you getting into the police business in the first place! You remember what your father said? Hmm? About his hoof and certain unmentionable areas?”

Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Like it was yesterday. C’mon ma, this was a pretty uncommon—"

“Don’t interrupt!” she interrupted, flicking his ear again.

Shortcake dabbed the alcohol-soaked cotton ball at one of the many cuts on Flathoof’s chest, paying extra attention to the particularly deep one where his badge normally rested. She discarded the cotton ball, then wiped the alcohol on her hoof off on her apron before grabbing another. She blew her damp mane out of her face and returned to work.

“Ooh, tomorrow morning I am going to have so many words with that little unicorn, and I tell you now Flathoof, your mama is gonna be using some language that she don’t want you ever taking out of this household, understand?”

She took a few deep, rapid breaths. “Dragging my boy into danger like he’s some kind of... danger-facer. The nerve! Why, if Lockwood weren’t so keen on treating her nice I’d—"

“Now ma, she didn’t drag me anywhere.” Flathoof sighed. “I’m the one who took her to Snapshot’s place.”

Shortcake’s expression soured. “Oh, please don’t mention that poor girl, Flathoof. That poor dear...” She sniffed loudly, wiping the tissue she had in one hoof to her eyes. “Such a sweet mare. Your sister was so fond of her, and your father was too, and you know how hard he is to please. Thickhoof wanted her to come over for the holidays again. I was so certain she’d be a part of the family sooner or later.”

“I ain’t interuptin’ nothin’, am I?”

Flathoof nearly jumped out of his seat, completely taken by surprise as Applejack made her presence in the doorway known. He turned pink in the cheeks, realizing he was not only out of uniform, but not wearing any clothes at all.

“Oh geez!” he blurted. He reached over to the bed stand and grabbed his cap, using it to hide his indecency. “Ma! Would it kill you to close the door, huh?”

Shortcake flicked her son’s ear again. He winced. “Hush! We are in a private residence, so that fool Dress Code doesn’t apply in here. And mind your manners, talking to your mother like that in front of company. What would your father say?”

“Ma, I am naked here and there is a girl standing in my room.”

Shortcake chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “And about time too, if I do say so—"

“Ma!”

Applejack stepped back. “Um... I can come back at another time, if—"

Shortcake turned to the doorway and gestured for Applejack to enter the room. “Oh don’t mind him, he’s a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes when it comes to those kinds of things.”

“M-ma! Come on, at least let me put a shirt on!”

“It’s alright, really,” Applejack said, adjusting her hat. “Ta be honest, back where me ‘n’ my friends come from, we don’t usually wear clothes anyway. Ain’t nothin’ ta be ashamed of.”

Shortcake tapped her chin. “You were... Applejack? Yes?”

Applejack nodded. “That’s right, ma’am. I was just checkin’ in, seein’ if everythin’ was okay. Twilight wanted ta know if y’all needed her help mendin’ him up any.”

Shortcake smiled and patted Applejack’s shoulder. “Oh I think I’m done fixing the big lunk up for now. He’s a tough cookie, I’ll give him that.”

She yawned. “I’m going to hit the hay myself, pretty soon. It's been a long night. My boy’s going with you on this little adventure, is that right?”

“Yes ma’am, that’s what I hear. We’re right glad ta have him along.”

“Keep an eye on him for me, will you? I get the feeling I can trust you to do that.” She put her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder and gestured towards Flathoof. “Oh, and be a dear and help the big lunk get dressed? If you say you’re not nervous about my son being naked, well...” She winked.

Applejack turned as red as Flathoof. “R-right. Sure thing, ma’am.”

Shortcake left the room, shutting the door behind her. Applejack trotted over to Flathoof’s side. He busied himself trying to get a clean, plain white shirt on, but the gauze wrapped around his shoulder gave him trouble.

“Do ya need any help?” she asked.

Flathoof fumbled his foreleg through a sleeve. “No, I’m perfectly fine. Is everything okay out there? How’s Miss Tock?”

Applejack laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, she’s got enough energy ta argue with Twilight ‘bout this ‘n’ that, so I reckon she’ll be right as rain soon enough. I tell ya, Twilight’s magic impresses me more ‘n’ more every time I see it. She fixed that girl’s leg up real quick like, with some help from Fluttershy, o’ course.”

She coughed into her hoof. “How about you though, are y’all gonna be okay? Do ya need anythin’?”

“I’ll manage. I’ve had worse. All in a day’s work for one of New Pandemonium’s finest.”

Mentioning the department reminded him that Snapshot was gone. He took his cap and stared at the New Pandemonium emblem on the brim for a moment, then tossed the cap aside, sighed, and layed back on his bed.

An awkward silence lingered for a moment.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “I’m... I’m sorry ta hear ‘bout yer friend.”

He shook his head and kept staring at the ceiling. “I feel like a terrible pony, Applejack.”

“C’mon now, sugar, it ain’t your fault she’s gone. That there crazy pegasus is the one ta blame, y’hear? Not you.”

Flathoof tilted his head and saw her forcing a smile. “That’s not what I meant. I meant... about everything.” He sighed. “If I’d just been honest with her from the start, with myself, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. I don’t know...”

Applejack spoke slowly. “She was... more ta y’all than just a friend... wasn’t she?”

“Not like that, if that’s what you’re asking. My brother’s the one who really liked her. I suppose I may have felt something too, but that might just be the grief talking.”

He sat up and dejectedly picked his cap back up. “I always told myself I’d find out one day, but I kept telling myself the time wasn’t right. That there’d always be another day. I’m such a coward.” He sighed. “I feel so... empty.”

Applejack sat next to him on his bed. “That’s what it feels like ta lose someone ya hold close ta yer heart. I know that feelin’, sugar.” She looked away and removed her hat, placing it over her heart. “I know how hard it is ta get the news and deal with the loss. The feelin’ that ya couldn’t stop it. That ya never had a chance ta say goodbye.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

She put a hoof on his un-bandaged shoulder and turned back to him. “If y’all need somepony ta talk to, I’m here for ya, y’hear?”

He smiled and leaned into her. “Thank you, Applejack. I really do appreciate it. This isn’t my first time dealing with loss, but... it still hurts.”

Another awkward silence came between them.

Applejack shifted and got up, adjusting her hat back on her head. “C’mon, let’s go see if Tick Tock is gettin’ along better now, yeah? Get yer mind off all this. The last thing y’all need is ta beat yerself up over it. She wouldn’t like ta see y’all in a rut.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Flathoof said. He got up as well and smoothed his shirt, then placed his cap on the nightstand.

“I suppose after dealing with my mother, she’s not going to be very stable,” he added. “She’s going to need some checking up on.”

Flathoof opened the door, and the pair headed out into the hall.

A young colt was waiting for them, and gave Flathoof a big hug. “Big bro! You're okay! Mom said you got hurt and—"

Flathoof scowled at the little pony. “Shorthoof! What in the wide world of Equestria are you doing up at this unwholesome hour? You have school in the morning. What were you doing, hiding outside in the hall? Does ma know you’re still up?”

The small, butter-colored pony sniffed and gave Flathoof a pleading look. “I just wanted to see if you were okay, big bro...”

Flathoof sighed, and leaned down to give the little one a hug. “Aww, don’t you worry about me, little guy. Your big bro is invincible, got that? Nothing’s gonna put me in my place just yet.” He ruffled the colt’s cherry-red mane. “Now you get off to bed, okay? I don’t want to hear nothing about you doing poorly in school because you were up all night.”

“Okay big bro, I will.” Shorthoof’s glance shifted sideways to Applejack. He flinched. “Oh! S-sorry miss, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Applejack laughed. “It’s alright, lil’ guy. Why, I’ve got a lil’ sis just like y’all back at home. I reckon she’d be just as worried ‘bout me if she were in yer horseshoes.”

“You have a weird accent, miss.”

“Shorthoof!” Flathoof stomped a hoof and pointed at Applejack. “You apologize to Applejack right—"

“It’s okay, he didn’t mean nothin’ by it.” Applejack leaned down and patted the little earth pony on the head. “I reckon I do sound awful strange ‘round these parts anyhow. Heck, even back home there ain’t many ponies that sound much like us Apple Clan folk.”

Shorthoof nervously stepped away. “W-well, it’s been nice talking to you, but my big bro’ll scold me some more if I don’t get to bed. Night, big bro. Night, Miss Applejack.”

“Good night, little guy.” Flathoof sighed as he shooed Shorthoof away. 

He chuckled as the colt rounded the corner back towards his own room. “I think he likes you.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Shorthoof’s not exactly the most sociable pony in our family.” Flathoof circled his hoof around dismissively in the air. “I deal with the public, my ma and sister love to gossip, pa is a foreman at the Foundry, and Thickhoof’s at home all the time now, so I think ma and Pattycake are starting to rub off on him.”

He sighed and rubbed his neck. “Shorthoof though, he tends to stick to himself. He mostly does a lot of reading, and I don’t think he wants to take after the family line. Doesn’t have many friends either.” He patted Applejack on the shoulder. “But you? He actually talked to you all on his own, even having just met you. I think it took him a week to even talk to Lockwood without us telling him to.”

Applejack smiled. “He’s a cute lil’ guy. Really does remind me o’ my lil’ sis. Even looks alike, minus the bow.” She stepped down the hall and waved for Flathoof to follow. “C’mon, let’s go see how Tick Tock’s doin’.”

The pair headed down the hall towards the den. The den was nearly twice the size of the one back in Room eighty-four and five. Though with two couches, a dining table with room for ten, a bookshelf, a small entertainment center, and several cabinets, it was significantly more cluttered. The television on the entertainment center was on but had been muted. A few of the cabinets had been opened to get to the box of first-aid supplies, which was big enough to take up all the room in one of the cabinets by itself.

Only three ponies occupied the den. Tick Tock rested on one of the couches while Twilight tended to her injuries, a small frown on her face as she was concentrating on the healing spell. Busy in his own world, Lockwood gathered the assorted medical supplies that had been scattered about the room and busied himself putting them back in their box.

Tick Tock looked a mess, though thankfully she'd gotten proper care more quickly this time, so her injuries had already mostly healed. A sling kept her leg still, and both it and her leg were enshrouded by a light pink aura that matched the one around Twilight’s horn.

“Well, don't you look a sight,” Flathoof said. “You’ve seen better days, Miss Tock, that’s for sure.”

“You're one to talk.” Tick Tock frowned and looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry about what happened to your friend. That bloody maniac used her to get to you, since you were with me...”

Tick Tock's sullen expression deepened when Flathoof didn't reply.

“Is her leg gonna be okay, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“It wouldn't be, if you hadn't gotten here as quickly as you did,” Twilight said, continuing her work. “Restomancy, or healing magic, is not an easy field to work in. Very delicate stuff; there’s so much that can go wrong if just a little something is even slightly off. It was just a fracture, but if she tries to move it too much it won’t heal properly, and she might break it next time she tries to walk. She'll be okay for now, though.”

Flathoof shook his head. “If only a pony like you had been around when my brother had his accident.”

“It’s not your fault that procedure costs so much, Flathoof. Come now, don't look so downtrodden,” Lockwood said, sliding the large box of supplies back into the cabinet. “I know you’ve lost a lot today, but if this little errand of ours is going to go well, we should try and start it in high spirits.” He snapped his head up. “N-not that I’m trying to rush your grieving,” he added. “I am sor—"

Flathoof held up a hoof to dissuade Lockwood from continuing. “Don’t worry about it, I know what you mean. If I’m going to get through this, I should keep myself active, not lay about and mope and weep.” He stomped a hoof on the carpet. “So, I stand by my decision: I’m going to try to ensure these girls get home safe and sound, and that you don’t get yourself killed out there. It’s the least I could do.”

He turned to Tick Tock. “So I assume, then, that our plan remains unchanged?"

“If by that you mean, ‘are we still going to the Gate to use those ruddy fake passports?’ then yes, the plan is the same,” Tick Tock muttered. “Bloody well can't change it now, not that I can think of any reason why we’d need to. I don't think I'm in any condition to try and climb over the Outer Wall, at any rate. I really wish we didn’t have to delay it on my account. We’re pressed for time, and every day counts.”

Twilight jerked her head up. “Say, that reminds me! I had a pressing question about this whole situation. More specifically, what exactly our role in our world entails.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Great, this again. Now what are you going to argue about?”

“Why is it so imperative that we get home so quickly?”

Applejack's jaw dropped. “The hay’s the matter with you, Twilight? Don't y'all wanna go home?”

Twilight shook her head. “That's not what I meant. Of course I want to go home, Applejack. What I mean is, is that really the only solution? Getting home in three weeks?”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow. “I don't follow.”

“Well, couldn’t Princess Celestia try and find new bearers of the Elements of Harmony? That way, they’d be ready to combat Discord immediately, right? I mean, I don’t feel right putting that kind of responsibility into someone else’s hooves, but it sounds less dangerous that way. 

“Considering the injuries you two have sustained,” she added, pointing at Tick Tock and Flathoof, “I just wonder if perhaps we should reconsider our options, especially if outside the city is more dangerous than inside. I don’t want anypony getting hurt, or worse, on our account."

Tick Tock moved to speak, then stopped a moment. “Hmm... that is an interesting theory,” she said. “It certainly would ease things on our end a great deal.”

She shook her head and sighed. “But we'd have no way of contacting Time Turner to inform him, and hoping he has that same theory himself is too risky. Considering how our last conversation ended, he likely would be considering other solutions. But, I have no idea what he might think of. He’s not an easy pony to predict. A proper good idea, Sparkle, but not something that’s in the cards for us, sad to say.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said Chronomancers can contact one another?”

Tick Tock chuckled and tugged her collar. “Well... I’m afraid that that is not possible. I made a grave error in my first encounter with that maniac, and left my Timekeeper in my T.A.R.D.I.S. I’m such a bleedin’ idiot.

“What’s rule number one Tick Tock?” she said to herself, her tone condescending. “Always keep your Timekeeper on you, Tick Tock. Easiest bloody rule in the book and I broke it like I’m some sort of stupid foal.”

Twilight frowned. “I assume that it’s important?”

“‘Important’ is putting it lightly,” Tick Tock sighed. “A Timekeeper is everything a Chronomancer needs to do anything and everything their job entails. It’s how we open our T.A.R.D.I.S., control and destroy Void portals, and it carries multiple tools for running quick, accurate calculations for just about any mathematical or magical problem. I’d go into it, but...”

She buried her face in the couch’s cushions. “Oh, what’s the point? It’s not like I’m gonna get to show it off. I left it on my desk when I entered the T.A.R.D.I.S., because I wasn’t thinking. I was just eager to take a rest for a little bit after walking around the bleedin’ city all day, and when that brute attacked I never got a chance to pick it up.”

“Couldn’t we go back for it?” Flathoof asked. “It sounds like this thing is really important. Won’t you need it to send these girls home?”

“Luckily, no.” Tick Tock said. “But you’re making the assumption that that psychopath didn’t lay a trap for me if I came back for it, or that it’s even still there. The T.A.R.D.I.S. door was left wide open. He could have easily gone back and nicked what he could. I wouldn’t put it past him.

“Besides, we didn’t find a body, and that worries me,” she continued, glancing at the door. “I’ve already taken a chance against that bleedin’ lunatic twice, and I’ve come out on top by the skin of my teeth. I don’t think I have the heart to try my luck a third time.”

Twilight sighed. “Well shoot, there goes my idea. I was hoping to avoid the risk of something happening to somepony, or the possibility of delays. We may as well follow through with your plan then, if that’s the only viable option.”

“Good. Glad to hear we finally agree on something.” Tick Tock yawned. “Now if you don’t mind, I need some shut-eye. I’ve had an exhausting day, and I’m bloody knackered.”

Twilight turned to the others, and gestured for them to follow her out of the den, giving Tick Tock her peace.

“I’m glad she’s okay,” Twilight said once they were in the hallway. “Her attitude may be disagreeable, but she seems to know more about the outside of the city than either of you.” She looked at both Flathoof and Lockwood. “She sounds like she’s our best chance at getting out of here. No offense.”

Lockwood chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t say I don’t know anything about outside the city walls, I just lack the personal experience. I know a few ponies that have been outside the city on many occasions.”

“So, I assume the plan is settled?” Twilight asked. “We’ll head for the Gate tomorrow morning, and try to get as much distance between us and the city as we can before nightfall?”

“Sounds reasonable enough,” Flathoof said. “We can decide on the route we want to take to Hope’s Point when Miss Tock is awake again. She might have a better suggestion than just hoofing it across the Wasteland. There’s gotta be a safer route, and if anypony here knows it, it’s her.”

Twilight yawned. “Right. Let’s all get some rest then, hmm? We’ve got a big day ahead of us. Come along Applejack.”

Applejack nodded and began to follow Twilight. “Nighty night, y’all.”

“Goodnight, Applejack,” Flathoof said. “And thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it, sugar. Just keep in mind what I said, y’hear?”

As the two mares rounded the opposite corner, Lockwood gave Flathoof a playful jab in the side.

Flathoof grunted. “Hey! What was that for?”

“Oh, nothing sugar,” Lockwood said, laughing into his hoof. “Glad to see you’re not letting things get you too down. I don’t want to be the only one with a positive outlook on things. Come on, we should get some rest too. I guess I’m bunking with you tonight. I’m letting Fluttershy and Rarity use the room usually reserved for me. Poor girls looked like they needed a good, soft bed to rest on.”

Flathoof caught a certain glimmer in Lockwood’s eye. He laughed. “Glad to see you’re still the same ol’ Lockwood.”

“That’s right, I—" He stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Flathoof slapped Lockwood on the back. “Nothing. Come on, let’s get some shut-eye.”

***

The distinctness of the Gate District, compared to the rest of the Outer District, surprised Twilight. Even the Mid Districts could not compare to how neat and tidy everything looked. Their surroundings were high-tech and clean, which gave the place an eerie, sinister feel, for lack of a better description, as nothing she’d seen of the city thus far came even close to being this organized.

Iron walkways replaced concrete sidewalks. Silver and black buildings of sleek, shiny metals replaced the dingy, rusty browns and reds of the rest of the city. There weren’t any shops, restaurants, or leisure locations as far as Twilight could tell, just domicile complexes. She had to call them that, because that’s what they had listed above their doorways, each followed by a letter and a number.

While the rest of the city had a distinct smoky smell to it that stung Twilight’s nostrils and eyes, here that odor was very faint. Instead, the scent of freshly-cleaned linens hung in the air, concentrated the most around dull metal grates located on every street corner. A group of pegasi colts played near one, and whenever they leapt over it, they’d spread their wings and try to stay airborne in the air currents. It marked the first time Twilight had seen anypony in this city actually having fun.

Twilight figured it made sense, in a way. The pleasant atmosphere put both her and the rest her friends in a better mood. Everything was clean and neat to an unnatural level, almost sterile.

“This place is so clean, it makes Rarity’s place look like a dump,” Rainbow said. She looked skyward, where even the air itself was clean, completely free of smog.

“Well I wouldn’t go that far, dear,” Rarity said. She stole a glance towards a couple who casually strolled past them, each wearing elaborate matching ensembles and discussing something that was drowned out by the chatter of the crowd. “Hmph... at least the ponies here have a sense of style. Oh my, I feel terribly underdressed.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Well if those passport prices are accurate, I guess you’d have to be pretty wealthy to afford one of those and an airship ticket.”

All of the other ponies in the area wore classy, luxurious outfits, jaunting to wherever their destinations might be. Twilight wondered how many, if any, of these ponies were secretly using fake passes. Most of them were walking back towards the city, carrying sagging satchels of souvenirs they’d brought back with them. The saddlebags she and her friends carried and had filled with supplies did not look even remotely as full.

Twilight could just barely make out pieces of conversations as she and her friends cantered by these posh ponies.

“Oh I know, darling, I just can’t wait to tell Seabreeze how exquisite Utopian cuisine really is!”

“And like, oh. My. Stars. Did you see the muscles on that one at the ranch?”

“We shall perhaps wisely consider selling our cherry shares and investing in grapes before they go into season, hmm?”

“Hasn’t anypony down there ever heard of ‘chic’? Maybe next time we’ll just take the trip around to Hope’s Point. Ugh, so much better than here at least. Just look at those ponies over there? Are they part of a circus?”

Twilight noticed these ponies all shared a certain tone of voice: refined, perhaps haughty. It felt like being back in Canterlot. Almost.

“The ponies here are so different from the ponies in the rest of the city,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Actually, I’m more surprised at how organized everything is here. It’s like a completely different city.”

“You can say that again, darling,” Rarity said. “I am glad to see that at least one place in this dreadful city has a certain degree of consideration for its appearance. Even the hospital wasn’t this clean, which I find quite disturbing if I do say so myself.”

“Everything here is kept under constant maintenance,” Flathoof explained from the front of the group. “After all, what good would it do if one day everything broke down? From what I hear, the Gate requires tons of power to run. It’s what generates the shield that fortifies the Outer Wall, after all.”

Twilight looked around, hoping to see some of this “constant maintenance”, but couldn’t see anypony that looked like they were actually working. “Hmm...” she mused. “Well then, where are all the maintenance crews that should be doing that kind of work? The only ponies I’ve seen so far look like mostly tourists and business ponies.”

“Rumor is they all work underground,” Lockwood said, dramatically pointing his wings downwards. “Worse, that they’re all mutants, conscripted into service by the government in exchange for safety and peace of mind.”

Applejack scratched her head. “‘Mutants’? What in tarnation is a mutant?"

Lockwood hesitated. “Well, I guess the best way to describe them would be ‘deformed ponies’."

“Oh m-m-my...” Fluttershy huddled in even closer to Rarity than she had been before.

“Deformities?” Rarity asked. “Good heavens, how dreadful. How does that sort of thing happen?”

Lockwood waved his hoof through the air. “Well, rumor is that its all that orange gunk in the sky. It’s supposed to be radiation or something.” He patted his stomach. “And rumor also goes that whatever’s in Dolor’s foods counteracts it. Yup, even Dolor Brown. Worse, out there, you’re exposed to more of it.”

“It’s like I said when you all first got here,” Flathoof said. “If anypony thought you were from the Wasteland instead of Utopia, they’d think you had some kind of mutation. Albeit in your case, one that was a little more... subtle.” He shuddered and rubbed his leg. “I’ve seen case files of some of the more transformative mutations and I tell you, they’re not pretty. Let’s just leave it at that. Trust me.”

“Ooh, what kind of mutations we talkin’ about?” Pinkie asked. “Like, are we talking about laser vision? Because that’s one of my favorite ones! I wish I could shoot laser beams out of my eyes.” She set one hoof to the side of her head, and used the other to imitate shooting out of her eyes. “Pchew! Pchew!”

A passing, wide-eyed filly stared up at Pinkie's hoof from the shadow of her father. She tugged on the stallion's tail. “Daddy—"

“It’s not polite to point at the mentally handicapped, dear,” her father replied.

“It’s not a handicap, it’s a benefit!” Pinkie called after them, rising up onto the tips of her back hooves in her effort. She lost her balance and pinwheeled to the ground, plopping onto her face in a huff.

“That’s not the kind of mutations we’re talking about,” Lockwood said. “Seriously, what?”

“Yeah, we’re talking more about real deformities,” Flathoof added. “Like extra bits. Or missing bits. Not something you’d probably really get excited for. Well, I hope that you wouldn’t get excited for, anyway.”

Twilight gulped. “Sounds serious. You don’t think something like that could happen to us out there, could it?”

Tick Tock patted Twilight on the shoulder and chuckled. “Relax, Sparkle. The whole mutation thing is just a silly old piece of rubbish the government likes to spread about to dissuade ponies from leaving on hoof, so they have to buy the ludicrously overpriced airship tickets. Why, if something like that could happen, I must be the luckiest pony alive, because I’m immune to it. I spend plenty of time outside the city gates, and I don’t have any bleedin’ mutations.”

Pinkie hopped over and gave Tick Tock a scrutinous gaze. “Are you suuure?”

“Quite sure,” Tick Tock said. She warily stepped back as Pinkie moved in closer, her gaze trying to pierce the veil that wasn't there. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Just checking!” Pinkie said with a sing-song voice. “Wouldn’t want to be traveling around and have you get all mad at Twilight for asking a question. You’d say something like, ‘You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry!’ and then get all big and green—" She paused. “Well, you’re already green. But your clothes would rip and you’d yell, ‘Tick Tock SMASH!’”

Pinkie turned when a gaggle of young mares nearby started giggling madly at her. She waved, causing them to laugh harder and canter away.

“Seriously, where the bloody hell does she get all these ridiculous ideas?” Tick Tock asked the others. “Laser vision? Shapeshifting? Please tell me the rest of you think she’s bonkers too.”

Twilight, and all the others, shrugged. “She confuses the rest of us just as much most of the time. I wouldn’t question it too much if I were you, Tick Tock. That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Pffh, I say this all the time, but you all really need to get with the times. C’mon, Dashie, you've seen my comic book collection. You know what I'm talking about.”

Rainbow chuckled. “I’ll be honest, Pinkie, when I'm in your room the last thing on my mind is your weird hobbies.”

Pinkie wiggled her eyebrows.

“Action figures!” Rainbow blurted. “I like your action figures!”

“Anyway,” Flathoof said. “Time to focus, ladies. We’re almost to the check-in station. Get your passports ready.”

The group rounded the next corner, and at last the Gate loomed into view. They had yet to see it as, despite its size, the buildings, awnings, and tunnels they had to walk by and through obscured it. The gigantic door stood twice as tall as the rest of the Outer Wall, and even that was large enough to force an Ursa Major to climb over.

“Why is it so big?” Twilight asked. “Why would it need to be so big if it’s just supposed to be keeping ponies in and out?”

Lockwood laughed. “Well, you haven’t heard of some of the predators out there in the Wastelands, have you? From what I hear, the only one that really still exists is called a ‘gargantuan’.” He shuddered. “Never seen one myself, but I’ve heard stories. Oh, I’ve heard stories.”

“Proper monsters, they are,” Tick Tock added. She gestured towards the top of the walls. “The Outer Wall was made so tall to keep the adults out. Trust me when I say that they’re big. Very big. That’s why we’re taking a route that will skip past the areas the adults tend to occupy. The adolescents aren’t too much trouble except in big numbers, and we won’t encounter many of them if any at all.”

“Okay, that explains the wall then,” Twilight said. She scratched her head and stared upwards at the Gate, which stood about half as tall as Dragon Mountain back home. “Doesn’t explain the Gate itself. Why is that so tall?”

“Well that’s more of a statement than anything, I think,” Lockwood said. “The Wall is big to keep out threats. The Gate is big to intimidate those coming in and out of the city. The only thing bigger is Pandora Tower, the capitol building.”

“I don’t see how it’s that big of a deal,” Rainbow muttered, lazily floating by. “I mean, can’t pegasi just fly over the walls?”

Tick Tock laughed. “The Outer Wall doesn’t keep things in and out just by being tall. If you want to risk getting shot, be my guest. The NPAF’s anti-air weaponry would love to get a piece of you.”

The group approached the Gate entrance, passports in hoof. A large divider separated the two sides of the Gate’s door. Crowds of ponies entered through the left side, which was wide open. All of them were dressed as high-class as the other ponies they’d seen on the walk here.

Markings on the walkway beneath, marked Exit, led them towards the right side, which was closed. Apart from themselves, the pathway on the exit side was completely unoccupied.

“Shouldn’t there be more ponies here?” Rainbow asked, looking around. “It seems a little, I dunno, deserted?”

“Well, it is the winter quarter,” Lockwood explained. “Very few ponies leave for the Utopian continent this time of year, so most of these ponies are probably coming back from their autumn vacations. Utopia is popular almost every other time of the year, mostly the summer. I hear the Utopian beaches are extremely hot tourist traps.”

“You really have been planning a trip, haven’t you?” Flathoof laughed. “You’re making me actually look forward to this. Stop it.”

Rainbow grunted and fluttered back down to the ground. “Still seems a little odd. You’d think you’d see at least one pony going this way.”

“Maybe it’s just a bad day of the week?” Twilight said.

Pinkie chuckled, patting Rainbow’s back. “C’mon, Dashie, lighten up a little. This isn’t like you, being all grumpy all the time. Where’s that big Dashie smile? Huh? Huh?” She used her hooves to draw a smile on her own face.

Rainbow gave Pinkie an uncomfortably-large grin in return.

Pinkie hugged Rainbow tight. “There, that’s better.”

“Sorry, Pinks. I’m just trying to look out for everypony, that’s all.” Rainbow said.

The check-in station, made up of a series of machines in a row, waited ahead. Each machine was a tall, silver column, bearing a large blue screen with several silver buttons on either side. A slot beneath the monitor read, Insert Passport Here, and included a picture to demonstrate the proper method of inserting one’s own.

Flathoof approached one, stepping onto the hoof-shaped markings on the ground that read, Please Stand Here. He fished his passport from the pocket of his shirt and inserted it into the slot as directed. The column beeped several times, then its monitor turned green and displayed the words, Performing Identity Confirmation. Twilight and her friends each took a cautious step back when the silver buttons on the sides of the monitors opened up and revealed a set of faintly-glowing, needle-like attachments.

Twilight saw faint traces of magic flowing out of these attachments. Machinery that could simulate magic? Curious, indeed. Most of the city disturbed her greatly, namely the disorganized way things were run, the quality of life, and the sociability of the ponies living here. Their technology, on the other hoof, fascinated her more and more every time she saw it in action. If not for their haste to get home, she would love the chance to research how it all worked.

The machine beeped again, and the appendages sunk back inside. The screen returned to blue, and Flathoof slid his passport out of the slot.

“There we go, all done, Flathoof,” Lockwood said. He stepped forward, and presented his own passport. “As an act of good faith, allow me to demonstrate that the passports you lovely young ladies are using will work just as well as Flathoof’s.”

He inserted his card as Flathoof had done, and the machine repeated the approval process. Once he was approved, he slid his card out of the slot and replaced it in his jacket pocket.

He laughed. “See? No problem at all. I am nothing if not dependable, if I do say so myself.”

Twilight stepped forward next. “Well then, let’s get to it, girls. Time to get out of this crazy city and start getting back home.”

She inserted her card. The process repeated itself. She took her card.

“See, Rainbow? Everything’s fine. No trouble. Pinkie’s right, you really need—"

“Yeah yeah, I get it,” Rainbow grumbled. She stepped in next and used hers. Approved. “All of this just seems too convenient if you ask me.”

The other Ponyville natives stepped in and used their passes too. All of them were approved, and now they were ready to move through the Gate.

At last, Tick Tock stepped in and readied her own passport. She looked at the screen rather nervously, glanced back to the card, then back to the screen again.

“Something the matter, Tick Tock?” Twilight asked. “You’ve done this dozens of times before, right? What’s up?”

Tick Tock shook her head. “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little cautious. I’ve dealt with a load of bollocks these past two days, and I just get a strange feeling that everything I do is going to end in horrible disaster.”

“Don’t fret over it, darling,” Rarity said, patting Tick Tock on the back. “We’re all here together now.”

“Yeah, if anythin’ or anypony tries ta give y’all any trouble, they’ll be in fer a load o’ trouble back from us, y’hear?” Applejack added, stomping her hoof.

Pinkie bounced up on her hind legs and started boxing her fore hooves about. “Yeah! We’ll give ‘em the ol’ what-for! Or maybe even the what-five! That’s like, the next level! Hey! This gives me a great idea! Ahem...”

Both Twilight and Rainbow groaned. “Oh no...”

“♫Oh we’re all in this together  
Nothing’s gonna keep us down.“

“Oh come on, you guys got her singing again!” Rainbow complained, fluttering over to Rarity, Applejack, and Tick Tock.

“♫’Cause we’re all in this together  
Gotta get on out of this smelly town.“

“Seriously Pinkie, we don’t have time for this,” Twilight grumbled, putting a hoof to her face.

“♫Gonna cross the land, the sea, the sky  
And it’ll be a blast with Pinkie Pie!

“That’s me!”

“Was that a tuba?” Lockwood asked.

“♫‘Cause we’re all in this together  
And Friendship makes the world go rooound!”

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. She rubbed her eyes. “What. In the bloody hell. Was that?”

Twilight chuckled. “Pinkie likes to sing. It’s just something you have to get used to.”

“Good luck with that,” Flathoof added.

“What in Equestria have I signed up for?” Tick Tock muttered. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Tick Tock took a deep breath and inserted her card into the slot. The process repeated. Her card was presented like all the others.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, things are looking up. Maybe I am just paranoid.”

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Twilight said. “You just need to relax. Take it easy. If you get all stressed out, this journey might get the better of you.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks.”

***

The group proceeded to the Gate door itself, and the ground beneath them glowed as they walked across it. Before they even reached the door, it began emitting loud hisses as the multiple clamps and latches opened. The door opened next, leading into a long, foreboding hallway that stretched off into the distance. No light at the end of the tunnel marked any sort of exit. Dark reds and blacks decorated the interior walls.

Rarity felt it all to be rather drab and unnecessarily foreboding. “Considering this hall is leading out of this dreadful city, you’d think it would be more uplifting.”

Fluttershy huddled in close to Rarity. “Um... Rarity? Do you think that... everything will be okay?”

Rarity gave a comforting smile. “Oh of course, sweetheart. If we all stick together, there's nothing to fear.”

“I’m j-just so... anxious. I don’t know where we are, or what we’re doing, or where we’re going, or how we’re going to get there. I’m s-scared, Rarity.”

Rarity grinned and pat Fluttershy on the shoulder. “Well, do you think maybe if you knew a little more about what’s ahead, you’d feel a little better? Hmm?”

“I... suppose so.”

“Well then, what say we go have a little talk with somepony that knows quite a lot more than we do about this world? Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Oh? Um... I don’t—"

“No need to be bashful, darling. Come on, let’s go have a little chat with him.”

“Oh... o-okay if you—" Fluttershy paused. “W-wait... ‘him’? W-we’re not going to t-talk to Miss Tock? I th-thought she was the authority on—"

Rarity giggled. “Heavens no, darling. As much as I’m sure she knows, that dear young lady has much too much on her mind at the moment, I think. And, as you can see, she seems to already be having a little discourse with somepony else.” She gestured to where Tick Tock was busy talking, or rather, arguing, with Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh...” Fluttershy murmured.

Rarity smoothed Fluttershy’s mane out of her eyes. “Come now, Mister Lockwood should be more than adequate, if I do say so myself. He really is a wonderful stallion.” Rarity winked at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Um... w-well, okay then Rarity...”

Rarity trotted ahead in the formation with Fluttershy at her side. “Hellooo, Mister Lockwood?” she called in her sing-song voice. “May we speak with you a moment?”

He tilted his head to face her. “Oh, certainly Miss Rarity.”

Rarity sidled up beside him, drawing Fluttershy up alongside her. “First of all, thank you so much for letting us use your room last night. Your bed was simply marvelous. We certainly were surprised that you have your own room reserved at Captain Flathoof’s home.”

“Oh, that was no trouble at all, Miss Rarity,” Lockwood said. “I understand you take a deal of pride in your appearance and poise, and I sympathize. It simply wouldn’t do to let you use anything but the best.”

He tilted his head to look at Fluttershy and added. “And Miss Fluttershy as well, of course. Such a nice young lady. Since you two are such close friends, I didn’t want to separate you.”

Rarity smiled and winked at Fluttershy again. “Such a gentlecolt. I was wondering if you would be willing to keep my dear friend Fluttershy and I a little bit of company, for the time being? The poor dear is so delicate, you understand. She could use the assurance of somepony with a little knowledge of the area.”

Lockwood nodded, tipping his hat. “Certainly! I'm not one to turn down a request from a lady. Bit of a habit of mine.”

“Splendid! Come now, Fluttershy, you can ask Mister Lockwood anything you want, if it will make you feel better.”

“Oh... a-alright...” Fluttershy squeaked. “Um... I know you’ve never been... outside the city before, but... is... is it scary out there?”

Lockwood smiled. “Well, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. But, we do have a knowledgeable guide in Miss Tock, and if what she says is true, we’ll only be traveling for a few days. Once we get to Hope’s Point, everything will be fine. Trust me.”

***

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash watched the whole spectacle with disdain. “I don’t like any of this,” she whispered to Pinkie Pie. “Everypony’s getting a bit too buddy-buddy with those three, especially him. It’s all a bit shady, if you ask me.”

Pinkie squinted and looked skyward. “I don’t know if smog counts as shade, Dashie.”

Rainbow gave her an annoyed look.

“Kidding!” Pinkie giggled. “Just kidding, I’m not a dummy. I know you’re worried about trusting them.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Uh duh, I mean it’s only obvious. You’re super duper suspicious about ‘em. Especially Mister Lockwood, you really don’t seem to like him. I don’t know why though.”

Rainbow blinked, and laughed. “Wow, that’s really observant of you. I didn’t think you were paying any attention.”

Pinkie pulled a magnifying glass and a pipe out of her mane. “It’s elementary, my dear Dashie! Sherlock Pie doesn't miss anyth—"

She tripped over her roller skates.

Rainbow stifled another laugh. “You okay there, Pinks?”

Pinkie bounced to her hooves and rolled in a circle around Rainbow. “Yup! Just took a little trip.”

Rainbow gave her a cautious look. “Your... knee isn’t pinchy, is it?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Don't worry, it wasn't a ‘Pinkie Sense’ trip like last time. Just a ‘Clumsy Pinkie’ trip.” She giggled and stuck her pipe in her mouth, sending up a stream of bubbles.

“Right...” Rainbow turned serious again. “But seriously, Pinks, just promise me one thing?”

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

“No matter what happens, you stick by me, okay?”

“Pfh, as if that's a hard promise to keep,” Pinkie said. “I’m practically glued to you as it is. For you, Dashie, you get better than a Pinkie Pie Swear or a Pinkie Promise. You get my super secret Pinkie Vow! I’ll always stick by you, Dashie.”

She leaned in and nuzzled Rainbow’s neck.

Rainbow blushed and brushed Pinkie with a wing. “Thanks Pinkie.”

Pinkie stopped dead in her tracks. “Uh-oh.”

Rainbow blinked. “What's the matter?”

“I feel a combo coming on.”

***

“I don’t know, Tick Tock, I’m still skeptical about the whole thing,” Twilight said. “I understand what you’re saying, but—"

“Sparkle, you say you understand, but honestly I don’t think you do,” Tick Tock muttered. “If Law and Chaos aren’t the two forces of magic, then what are, hmm?”

“Well from what I’ve learned, I suppose the most direct terms would be ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ magic. Take Restomancy for example. That’s definitely Good magic - it helps ponies recover from injuries.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “If Restomancy were solely ‘Good’, then evil ponies couldn’t use it. Are you trying to suggest to me that a bad pony couldn’t use that sort of magic to heal herself?”

“Well that’s not exactly what I said, but—" Twilight paused. “Huh. Fair point.” She smiled and pointed accusingly at Tick Tock. “Well, by that logic, if Restomancy were Law magic, then chaotic ponies couldn’t use it. Explain that then.”

“That’s because magic is magic,” Tick Tock said, sticking her nose in the air. “Anypony can use any spell, but the source of their magic is derived from either Law, or Chaos. Certain spells are stronger when used by certain forces, but—"

“Hey Twi! We got a live one over here!” Rainbow called from the rear of the group.

“Uh-oh,” Twilight muttered. “Come on, we’d better go see what’s up.”

Twilight trotted over with Tick Tock in tow. “What’s the problem, Rainbow?”

“Pinkie Sense time, Twi,” Rainbow explained. “She said it was a combo.”

“Oh no, more of that bloody nonsense?” Tick Tock said.

Pinkie bounced rapidly in place. “Ooh, here it comes!”

“Eye-flutter. Knee-twitch. Ear-flop.” Twilight tapped her chin. “Hmm... interesting.”

Pinkie stopped moving and scratched her head. “Huh? That’s weird. A new one? I don’t remember that one at all.”

“Yeah, I don't think I've seen that combo before either. What’s it mean?” Rainbow asked.

“Well how would I know, Dashie, it’s new,” Pinkie said. “I’m not psychic, y’know? Ooh! See, now that would be a cool mutation—"

Rainbow sighed. “Nevermind.”

Twilight snapped a hoof up, and her face brightened. “Aha! I’ve got it! I knew it seemed familiar enough. It’s the reverse of her ‘watch out for opening doors’ combo.”

Rainbow threw her hooves in the air. “Well what the hay does that mean? Watch out for closing doors? In case you haven’t noticed Twi, we’re in the middle of a really long hallway with no doors or windows or anything at all.”

Twilight tapped her chin for a moment, then paused. Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. “Oh dear.” She turned to the others and shouted, “Everypony! We need to move! Now!”

She didn't leave time for questions, and immediately began galloping at full speed towards the light of the exit ahead.

Rainbow flew up alongside her. “Whoa whoa whoa, what the hay, Twi? What’s up?”

“Don’t you get it? A gate is a kind of door! The Gate is going to—"

A siren blared loudly, and red and yellow lights sprung to life along the Gate corridor. The glowing floor panels beneath them changed from soothing blues to angry reds.

“Attention! Unauthorized citizens have been detected in Gateway Sector Nine.” The loud, mechanical voice came from everywhere at once. “All citizens currently in Sectors Ten and Eight are advised to clear the area. All citizens in Sector Nine, please remain where you are and await further instructions. Sector Nine will be sealed off in sixty seconds. Repeat: All citizens in Sectors Ten—"

“Aw horseapples,” Applejack said. She increased her pace, catching up to Twilight and Rainbow. “Come on, everypony! Y’all heard the... whatever that was! We gotta vacate!”

Tick Tock shouted, “This is exactly what I bloody well knew would happen! Bugger this whole damn city!”

The group galloped as fast as they could, but their hearts sank when the Gate walls ahead of them started closing in. Even though they were getting closer to the light of the exit, it was getting smaller and smaller.

Twilight chanced a glance behind her. She saw the Gate walls far behind them closing too. “They’re trying to seal us in!”

“Come on, everypony!” Rainbow yelled. “Move move move!”

“Oh dear, we’ll never make it!” Rarity cried.

The Gate closed with a loud crunch, forcing Rainbow to screech to a halt.

They were trapped.

Rainbow stomped a hoof, then fluttered back to the others who were still several dozens of yards behind. “Well, shoot. Now what are we gonna do?”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Lockwood said. He furiously tapped his head. “No, this isn’t right at all. If we were unauthorized, the authorities would have been alerted immediately when we tried to use the passports in the first place. They’d have never even allowed us in. This looks like a technical issue.”

“I knew this was all too good to be true!” Rainbow spat, glaring at Lockwood. “I bet those stupid passes are to blame for this.”

“They are not! I swear, I’ve used mine before, they work flawlessly. This is all just a malfunction somewhere. One of the authorization panels we’ve been walking on must’ve been faulty.”

“What should we do, Lockwood?” Flathoof asked. “You’re the expert here. Well, you and Miss Tock.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “Perhaps we should turn back and ask a Gate Technician to clear us?”

Lockwood nodded. “That might be the best idea. The NPPD is notoriously slow, so we might be here for hours if we wait for them. It would take less time than that to just walk back, find a Tech, fix this, and walk back again.”

“Uh, I don’t think we’ll be waitin’ that long,” Applejack said, pointing towards the corridor behind them.

Flathoof scratched his head. “Huh. I’m not used to the NPPD being so quick on things. Must really be a slow day.”

“Them ponies don't look like they’re wearin’ the same uniform y’all usually do.”

Flathoof squinted and looked at the collection of ponies approaching them. His eyes widened. “What the- this isn’t right.”

“Now what’s the matter?” Rainbow asked.

Lockwood shook his head and stepped to Flathoof’s side. “What is it, Flathoof? You look positively spooked.”

Flathoof turned Lockwood’s head towards the approaching ponies and pointed. “We’re right about the NPPD taking their sweet time, but the military is a different story.”

Lockwood squinted to see the ponies. He leapt back in surprise. “Oh dear! This isn’t right at all!”

Tick Tock stepped in between them and squinted, then shook her head. “Bloody hell, what’s the military doing here? This isn't their jurisdiction.” She glared at Lockwood. “You posh tosser, what’d you get us into?”

“Yeah, well, they’re sure are making a beeline right for us,” Flathoof noted.

Applejack gulped. “I’ve got a bad feelin’ ‘bout this.”

“Not to worry, I’ll see if I can get us out of this,” Lockwood said, stepping ahead of the others. “I know a lieutenant in the NPAF. Maybe we’re lucky and it’s him, or whoever this is knows him.”

“Right, let’s see you use that fancy mouth of yours to get us out of trouble,” Rainbow said. “It’s sure seemed to work so far hasn’t it?”

Lockwood gave Rainbow a dejected frown. “Really now, this isn’t my fault. Just a misunderstanding, I’m sure.”

“Misunderstanding, right.”

“I don’t like the look of this,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I’m with Applejack. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

Flathoof put his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Relax, Miss Sparkle, I’m sure Lockwood will think of something.”

Twilight could make out the group of approaching ponies clearly now. There were five ponies total. The four at the front wore sleek, black armored uniforms covering them from head to hoof, and red visors on their helmets hid their faces. All four of them were tall, thick earth ponies, built with enough muscle that Twilight was certain any one of them could give even Big Macintosh a run for his money.

The fifth, a pegasus, wore the same uniform as the other four, though he did not wear a helmet as they did. Scars dotted his face, his jawline was square, and his leaner build barely filled out his uniform. His position in the center made it obvious he was the squad leader, and when they approached the other ponies, he took position at the front of the formation.

He removed a small electronic device from his pocket and examined it briefly, then turned back to his men. “Prepare to take the unauthorized citizens into custody.”

“See? Totally called it.” Rainbow glared at Lockwood. “This is all your fault.”

Lockwood coughed into his hoof. “Yes, well... pardon me, my good—"

“This is not open to negotiation,” the squad leader said. “I have my orders, and I’m to take in nine unauthorized ponies.”

“Wait, nine?” Lockwood asked. “Shouldn’t that number be smaller?”

“Yeah, hang on a tick, you’re saying my passport is unauthorized?” Tick Tock huffed. “I just used it three weeks ago! I’ve been using it for years. Passports don’t expire.”

“I’m a captain in the NPPD, so my passport is perfectly valid too,” Flathoof said, stepping forward. “These mares are here with me under my authority. Surely we can work something out?”

“I’m afraid that passports do, in fact, expire under extraneous circumstances.” The squad leader presented his device, and pointed at Tick Tock with one wing. “According to my information, Miss Tock’s passport expired two days ago.” He then pointed his wing at Flathoof. “And Mister Flathoof’s expired last night. Very strange that the check-in station didn’t catch those. Hmm. Must be a technical problem.”

“It’s Captain Flathoof,” Flathoof said, snorting through his nose.

The pegasus sneered at Flathoof, sizing him up. “I’d watch your tone, Mister Flathoof. You’re out of uniform, you’ll notice? And besides, it says here that I’m also to take you into custody for the murder of one Officer Snapshot.”

Flathoof turned white. “Ex-excuse me?”

“I don’t like involving myself in NPPD affairs, but orders are orders so there you have it. Terrible shame, one corrupt cop killing another.”

Flathoof stomped both hooves on the ground and took a few steps towards the pegasus. “How dare you! I saw the pony responsible for it, and I tried to take him in! I informed the station of it while I was—"

“Fleeing from the scene, according to them,” the pegasus dismissed. “And now here you are, trying to leave the city. Awfully suspicious circumstances, you see. Now, I’ll say this again: I have my orders, you’re all coming with me, and that’s the end of it.”

Flathoof glared. “Under whose authority?”

“And who exactly are you?” Tick Tock asked.

“Commander Jetstream, New Pandemonium Armed Forces Special Ops Unit Omega. Under whose authority is none of your concern.” He turned back to his men. “Enough chatter. Take them in.”

One of the soldiers stepped towards Flathoof, until a bright purple glow unceremoniously lifted the soldier off his hooves into the air. The soldier dangled in the air and flailed his limbs.

Twilight stepped forward, her horn glowing bright. “No.”

Jetstream raised an eyebrow. “No? You don’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation here, Miss Sparkle. You’re under arrest, and right now, you’re resisting arrest. That will make things very difficult on you and your friends.”

“I said, no,” she said. “My friends and I have gotten too far to stop now. We’re too close to getting out of this city once and for all to care about your rules and regulations anymore. We’re not going anywhere. Not as long as I have anything to say about it.”

The commander’s expression soured. “So be it.” He turned to his men again. “Remember your orders. Targets one through six are to be taken in alive.”

The other three soldiers stepped forward, but Twilight stared them down, her face a mask of unflinching resolve. Flathoof stood firmly beside her, and was joined by Applejack and Rainbow.

Rainbow chuckled and spread her wings proudly, scuffing at the metal ground beneath and snapping her goggles over her eyes. “About time we get to playing by my kind of rules. I never knew you had it in you, Twi.”

Twilight smiled. “I just figured, ‘what would a brave pony like Rainbow Dash do?’ It wouldn’t be the first time it got me out of trouble.”

Applejack cracked her neck, adjusted her hat, and licked her lips. “C’mon, Rainbow, let’s see what kinda fight y’all got in ya’. Fifty bits says I take down more than y’all.”

Rainbow laughed. “You’re on, AJ.”

Twilight’s horn ceased glowing, letting the hapless soldier drop and fall into its squadmates. Applejack and Rainbow leapt into the fray as Twilight galloped back towards the Gate wall. “You guys keep them busy, I’m going to open the Gate back up.”

“Oh no you don’t!” yelled Jetstream. He flapped his wings and took off after Twilight like a bullet.

Flathoof leapt up and tackled Jetstream in mid-air. “Not so fast, flyboy!”

“Stupid police dog!”

Jetstream reached for his sidearm. Just as he reached it, Flathoof stomped on his leg, causing him to jerk it to the side several yards away.

“Aw buck me.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Flathoof turned to his side and called, “Go on, Miss Sparkle! We’ve got this covered!”

“Rarity! Tick Tock! Come with me! We've got a Gate to open!” Twilight commanded as she sprinted past the other ponies.

The other two unicorns nodded and galloped off behind Twilight. Lockwood followed them closely, desperately trying to bring Fluttershy, who was clinging to his leg, to safety. Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen; Twilight was deeply concerned, and hoped it was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, ready to pop out of nowhere when needed.

They came further down the corridor and reached the massive Gate door. Twilight surveyed the Gate, seeking out some manner of weakpoint.

Finding none, she turned to Rarity. “Rarity, do you remember that spell you cast with Tick Tock the other day, to assist her with her shield?”

Rarity nodded. “Of course, darling. A surprisingly simple spell, after the fact.”

“Well, I need you two to use it on me, to reinforce my magic so I can try to pry this thing open.” Twilight planted her hooves and lit up her horn.

Rarity stepped forward and did the same. “Certainly, dear, that’s—"

“Not going to work,” Tick Tock interrupted, stepping in between the two and pushing them apart.

Twilight balked. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes at Tick Tock. “Excuse me?”

“It won't work, simple as that.” Tick Tock shrugged. “You’re in over your head, Sparkle.”

Twilight smirked, though she was curious about why Tick Tock was disagreeing with her. “Um, hello? Element of Magic here? I know the Gate looks heavy Tick Tock, but—"

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Weight has nothing to do with it. You’ve shown you’re bloody well more powerful than any other unicorn I know, and I'm certain you'd get it to budge if we all chipped in. But, the problem is that the Gate is protected by an anti-magic field. If a particularly powerful spell could just tear the Gate open, it would be pretty ineffective as a protective measure, would it not?”

Twilight smiled and took another step forward. “Oh, is that the problem? I happen to know a few spells that should break through any enchantments on the Gate. I think a little dispel magic will do the trick.”

“Use magic, on an anti-magic field, to remove the magic-resistance from the thing its protecting, so that you can cast magic on it. Yup, sounds bloody brilliant. A real cracker, that one. I should be taking notes.”

Twilight stomped a hoof. “What is with you? Why is every idea I have so stupid to you, huh? I don't see you coming up with any ideas. In fact, all of this—" She gestured around her. “Wasn’t even your plan in the first place, it was Lockwood’s and Flathoof’s! And getting us out of the world was Doctor Time Turner’s idea, not yours.”

Tick Tock glared. “Cute. You want a bloody idea? Here's one: take that, ‘oh I’m the Element of Magic and I’m so special’ crap, and shove it right up your—"

“Ahem!” Rarity interrupted. “Ladies please, this is no time to bicker and argue. We need to get out of this mess, and quickly, so if I may suggest that you two put your differences aside for a moment? I’m certain the others, who are busy risking themselves back there, would not appreciate us wasting time.”

***

Applejack wrestled one of the soldiers to the ground. She brought a hoof down into his visor. Once. Twice.

His partner, whom she’d managed to take down earlier, tackled Applejack from behind. They rolled, and he pinned her. He lifted a hoof to punch her. She grabbed his other hoof and twisted, knocking him aside, then rolled away to get some distance.

Every time she managed to get one of the two out of the action for a moment, he’d be back up in no time at all.

“Don’t y’all ever run outta energy?” She panted, staring them down. “Golly, all that military trainin’ must be pretty dang good.”

The two soldiers wordlessly advanced on her, flanking her.

“Huh. Quiet too. Don’t y’all say anythin’ either?”

No response. The left soldier galloped forward to attack.

***

Rainbow took advantage of being able to fly. The only advantage it provided was being able to put distance between herself and her opponents and get a chance to breathe. She couldn’t rest long, though. One of her two opponents decided that she wasn’t worth his trouble, and turned and began cantering off towards Applejack.

“Oh no you don’t!” she called, sweeping down and kicking the soldier in the back of the head.

The soldier tripped over and slammed hard into the metal floor.

Rainbow went to continue her assault. The other soldier leapt at her. She rolled out of the way and swept her leg around to kick him in the face. He stumbled back, then came in again.

“Man, you guys don’t mess around.” Rainbow fluttered up out of his reach. “That kick should’ve done some real damage.” She rubbed her hoof and winced as she touched a sore spot. “Sure did damage to me. The hay is that armor made out of?”

The soldier turned away from her and galloped off towards Applejack, so she swept down and kicked him in the side. He tumbled over. She turned in time to avoid getting tackled by the other soldier, swooping back into the air again.

She groaned. “Dealing with you two at once bites. Where in the hay is Pinkie Pie?!”

***

Twilight grunted. “Hmph. Perhaps there’s a way to open the Gate without magic?”

“I was getting to that,” Tick Tock explained. She started looking around. “If we can find the maintenance panel, I suppose I could try to hack it. I’m no expert, but I can improvise.”

“Hack?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. “As in, with an axe? We don’t have an axe, Tick Tock.”

Tick Tock sighed and held the bridge of her nose. “I really wish I wasn’t the only pony here with any knowledge of techno-magic. Come on, just help me find the bloody panel. It should be nearby.”

“Is this it?” asked Pinkie.

The earth pony stood near the wall, pointing at a point on it.

Tick Tock did a double take. “Pinkie Pie? Where in the—" She shook her head. “Nevermind. No, Pinkie, that’s not it.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “It isn’t?”

“No, that’s just a blank wall,” Tick Tock said.

Pinkie’s head tilted further, until it was nearly upside-down. “It is?”

Tick Tock groaned. “I really don’t have time for this. Look, if you’re not going to bloody help, just—"

“Are you sure this isn’t it?” Pinkie asked, putting her hooves on her hips. “Because, when I touch it, it does this.”

She touched it. The wall hissed loudly, then slid to the side to reveal a hidden panel filled with an assortment of buttons and wires.

“See? I thought it was weird that the wall would slide out and show off all sorts of techie stuff, and then you went and said something about a panel. So hey! This looked like a panel to me!”

Tick Tock’s eyes widened, and she hustled over. She looked into the panel, rapidly examining everything. “This is it, you found it! But when did you... where did... how are... what?”

“Guess that just leaves ‘why’ and ‘who’, doesn’t it?” Pinkie giggled, batting Tick Tock’s nose. “Like I said to Dashie, nothing gets past Sherlock Pie! Speaking of Dashie, I’d better get back to helping her out. She’s a little overwhelmed at the moment. Glad I could help you guys too, though! Toodles!”

The pink party pony was off in a blur back towards the scuffle behind them.

Tick Tock’s face contorted in confusion. “What in the bloody hell just happened?” She shook her head. “Whatever. I think I’m going to just stop questioning how that ridiculous pony works.”

She leaned in to examine the various wires and switches. “Hmm...” she mused. “This shouldn’t be too difficult. Sparkle! Over here!”

“Yes, O Knowledgeable One?” Twilight asked. “How may I be of assistance?”

Tick Tock ignored Twilight’s tone. “I’m detecting a number of magical energy conduits here, but I can’t tell them apart from the electrical ones. I’m guessing there’s a proper potent veil spell on them, but you should be able to pierce it. Do you know a tracer spell?”

Twilight puffed out her chest. “A tracer spell? That’s a piece of cake, I learned that in—"

“A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will do.”

Twilight deflated, and breathed in sharply through her nostrils. “Yes. I know one.”

“Good. Your magic is stronger than mine, so it should be able to identify which is which. Highlight them for me, so I can redirect the magic elsewhere and try to lower the anti-magic field.”

“Ohhh, so that’s why my dispel wouldn’t work. The barrier is being kept constantly refreshed by machinery? Fascinating stuff...” Twilight mused, squeezing herself in next to Tick Tock. “I’d love a chance to study—"

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Sparkle.”

“Yes?”

“Tracer spell, please.”

Twilight turned red. “Oh... right. Sorry.”

Twilight’s horn glowed bright pink, and her magic wrapped around all the wires inside the panel. Several of the once black wires stayed black, while others gained either a red, blue, or yellow glow.

“There we go,” Tick Tock said, lighting up her own horn. “Time to get to work.”

Rarity came up behind them. “Well then, if you ladies are ready to act civil and don’t need my assistance, it might be best if I returned to the others. They could likely use some help.”

“That’s fine Rarity, we’ve got it covered here,” Twilight said. “Please, be careful?”

“Darling, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s being careful,” Rarity said. “Try not to strangle one another before you’re finished, hmm?”

***

Rarity galloped towards the scuffle. She could see Rainbow and Pinkie each handling two of the soldiers on their own just fine, but Applejack was still dealing with two by herself. Applejack took heavy breaths after kicking one of the two away, only to be assaulted by the other from the rear.

“Hang on, Applejack, darling!” Rarity shouted.

Rarity latched her magic onto the rear hoof of the soldier who’d just tackled Applejack, and yanked him sharply backwards. She took a sharp breath as she tried to keep him up.

Applejack saw the opportunity and took it, bucking the soldier in the chest. He flew out of Rarity’s magical grip and slammed into the wall.

Applejack took a deep breath. “Phew...” She trotted over to Rarity. “Thanks, Rarity. I appreciate it.”

“Ugh, all this roughhousing is just so... uncouth,” Rarity said, sticking out her tongue. “Ech. I really don’t agree with any of this.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, y’all be sure ya let that soldier fella know ya don’t like fightin’.”

***

Pinkie bounced excitedly over to the soldier Rainbow had just slammed into the wall.

“Need a hoof?” she asked, offering him a hoof to help him get up.

He took it, then spasmed violently as an electrical surge shot through his body.

Pinkie giggled and showed her hoof to the pony as he slumped to the ground. “Oopsie! Forgot to take my joy buzzer off. My bad!” She waited for the soldier to get back up.

He failed to do so. Instead, the joints in his armor started emitting puffs of smoke.

“Um... uh-oh...” Pinkie gulped, backing away. “I’m just gonna... let you rest, okay? Bye!”

She streaked off in the opposite direction, and saw Rainbow flutter away from one of the other soldiers. A perfect opportunity to help.

She pounced on his back, grabbing onto his head and putting her hooves over his visor.

“Guess who?!” she cheered. “Go on, Dashie! I’ve got ‘im! Grrr!”

Rainbow smirked, swept around, and delivered a swift kick to the soldier’s midsection.

Said midsection catapulted several meters away. His head remained tight in Pinkie’s grip, and she fell to the ground with it in her hooves.

Pinkie looked at it, then looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow looked at it, then looked at Pinkie.

“Aaaahhh!” they both screamed.

Pinkie starting shaking the head in Rainbow’s face. “Dashie! What did you do?! Look what you did! What did you do?!”

“Me?!” Rainbow blurted, stepping away nervously. “Y-you were the one holding his head!”

“I was?” Pinkie asked.

She blinked, and looked again at what she was holding.

“Oh! I was! Ahhh! I’m holding a head!” she yelled. “Get it away, get it away!”

She shook it violently, then chucked it as hard as she could away from her.

It hit Rarity square in the face. “Oof!”

The unicorn lost control of her magic, flinging the soldier she was holding with her magic into the wall. He smashed into it head-first, crumbling to the ground, his face shield shattered.

Rarity shuffled her hooves around in a panic and quickly put them over her mouth. “By Celestia! Pinkie Pie!” she yelled, wheeling around and glaring at the earth pony. “What did you do?! And look what you made me do!”

“I swear, it was self defense!” Rainbow exclaimed. “You all saw it! I didn’t do nothin’!”

“We’re innocent, we swear!” Pinkie wailed, putting her hooves together and planting herself at Rarity’s hooves.

Applejack grunted as she shouldered one of the other two soldiers in the face. “If y’all have time ta chat, maybe y’all have time to help!”

“R-right!” Rainbow swept around in a circle and zipped towards the other soldier that Applejack was dealing with.

Rarity did a double take as she looked down at the head of the soldier. “Hold on a moment.” She lifted it up with her magic, examining it. “Wires? How odd. They look like the same kind in that maintenance panel back there.”

“Wires?” Pinkie asked, popping up from behind Rarity. “That’s silly. Ponies don’t have wires in their necks. That’s silly. You’re silly, Rarity.”

“Look,” Rarity said, holding up the head so Pinkie could see. “There, see? Wires.”

“Zombie! Zombie pony!” Pinkie screeched, grabbing Rarity’s face and pointing rapidly at the pony she and Rainbow had just dealt with.

The headless pony slowly rose to its hooves, and immediately bolted off towards Rainbow’s back.

“Dashie! Look out!”

“Huh?” Rainbow turned in time. “Holy—" She zipped upwards.

The headless pony sailed underneath her and crashed into the soldier Rainbow had been dealing with.

Pinkie scratched her head. “Wait a second, that’s not a zombie. Zombies die if you remove their heads. That’s like, Rule One in every zombie movie. That, and zombies don’t have wires. They have guts, blood, rotten flesh—"

“Pinkie please.” Rarity continued looking at the head she held in her magic. “Wires, hmm? I suppose it’s some sort of machine, and it runs on this ‘techno-magic’, like the gadgetry Twilight and Tick Tock are fiddling around with back there.” She huffed and canceled her spell, dropping the head to the ground. “They’re not living, breathing ponies, that much is for certain.”

Pinkie bit her tongue and tapped her head for a moment. Then, she slapped her hooves together. “Aha! That’s why my shock buzzer made that other pony act all weird! These ponies aren’t ponies at all! They’re robots! Cyborgs! Androids!”

Rainbow chuckled darkly. “Oh man. This is gonna be fun.”

Rarity leapt in surprise and wheeled on the pegasus that had snuck up behind her. “Rainbow! Heavens, dear, you scared me half to death! Don’t surprise me like that.” 

She cleared her throat. “But seriously, darling, fun? This is combat we’re talking about here. Try and take this a little seriously, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow laughed. “Oh, I’m taking it seriously, I promise. Yo AJ!”

“A lil’ busy!” Applejack shouted. She shifted her weight to get underneath the soldier she was grappling.

“These ponies aren’t real ponies! They’re robots or something! You know what that means?!”

Applejack turned to face Rainbow, then turned back to her opponent. “Well, I reckon it means I ain’t need ta worry ‘bout hurtin’ nopony just tryin’ ta do their job.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Rainbow cheered, barreling forward. “Time for me to really dish out the damage! Heads up!”

Applejack ducked. Rainbow tackled the earth pony’s former opponent, using her velocity to sweep it up into the air.

Rainbow released it. The machine sailed for several dozen yards through the air, then crashed to the ground, snapping its legs clean off.

“Whoa nelly, y’all pegasi sure do fight dirty,” Applejack blanched. “Remind me never ta pick a real fight with any o’ y’all, yeah? I like my legs.”

***

Flathoof shifted his weight to get out of Jetstream’s stranglehold, flipping the pegasus up and over him and slamming him on the ground.

Jetstream twisted his hind legs up and clamped them on Flathoof’s neck. He reached off to the side, scrambling to put his hoof on his sidearm.

Then, his eyes widened and his grip loosened.

Flathoof turned his head up to look. He saw one of Jetstream’s soldiers sail over his head, landing behind him. Its legs snapped clean off.

“Well now, I completely forgot about that,” Flathoof said. “You NPAF folk use mechanical troops as frontline soldiers, don’t you? I don’t suppose you’re a robot too?”

He headbutted Jetstream in the face while the pegasus was distracted.

“Son of a—" Jetstream swore, flinching as blood splattered from his nostril.

Flathoof laughed. “Guess not.”

***

Twilight watched anxiously as Tick Tock fiddled with one of the blue-highlighted wires in the main panel.

“Are you sure you can do this?” she asked.

Tick Tock huffed and wiped her brow with a hoof. “Relax, Sparkle. This isn’t my first time sodding about with techno-magic.”

She twisted the blue wire and connected it to one of the red ones, causing the stream to start turning a bright purple. The wire sparkled and hissed, emitting multi-colored sparks.

“Got it!” she cheered. “I think I got it!”

The Gate walls made a resounding screeching noise, so loud that Twilight and Tick Tock had to hold their ears. When the screeching stopped, a loud clang was heard, followed by a low whirring noise. The walls started moving inwards.

A siren blared and alarm lights lit up all along the corridor, filling it with red and orange lights.

“Attention! Sector Nine trash compactor process has been activated. All citizens in Sectors Eight and Ten are advised to remain clear of Sector Nine. Those in Sector Nine are advised to vacate the area immediately. Repeat—"

“Uh... I don’t got it,” Tick Tock muttered. “Oh bugger.”

Twilight glared daggers. “Some idea this was! You’re gonna get us all killed!”

“This is no time to panic, Sparkle!”

“I heard the word ‘compactor’, and the walls are closing in!” Twilight grabbed the sides of Tick Tock’s face. “This is the perfect time to panic!”

Tick Tock slapped Twilight’s hooves away. “Just keep that Tracer on, I can fix this!”

Tick Tock licked her lips. She twisted a red wire into an empty slot that was leaking blue magic. She connected a yellow wire to a red one, then sliced another red one and attached one half into a blue slot, the other into a yellow slot.

Nothing seemed to be happening at all.

“Why isn’t this sodding thing working?!” Tick Tock spat.

“Is it okay if I panic now?”

“Dammit dammit dammit! This bloody piece of junk!”

She slammed her hoof down hard on the panel’s rear wall.

It whirred loudly, and all the wires that had been mixed immediately reacted. They glowed brighter than ever, and the colors intermingled until the entire light spectrum exploded out of the panel box.

All of the alarm lights turned bright blue.

“Warning! Warning! Attention maintenance staff. The anti-magic field on the Sector Nine Gate has suffered a catastrophic mechanical malfunction. Immediate attention is required. Repeat—"

“Aha! Ha ha ha! That did it! I’m a bloody genius!” Tick Tock cheered. She grabbed Twilight’s hoof and dragged her towards the Gate door, which had lost its subtle purple glow. “Come along then, Sparkle, it’s time to crack this thing open!”

“About time. Let’s get this show on the road,” Twilight said. She looked around and gulped when she noticed the walls were still closing in. “Oh dear. You didn’t shut off the trash compactor?”

Tick Tock chortled. “Stars no. It’ll buy us time after we escape. They’ll have to re-open the whole corridor to chase us, so we’ll only have to break through any soldiers outside.”

“Fantastic. Pressure’s on then.” Twilight took a deep breath. “Rarity!” she called behind her. “We’re gonna need a little help over here!”

Rarity turned and called back, “Com-ing. Let me just put this down first.”

Rarity canceled her spell, letting another of the struggling mechanical ponies fall several yards to the ground where it was set upon by a ferocious Pinkie Pie.

The pink party pony gleefully jabbed her joy buzzer into the back of the machine’s head, and held it there until the thing started to smoke.

Rarity trotted over to Twilight and Tick Tock’s position, settling in on Twilight’s left. “Okay then, darlings, I’m ready whenever you are.”

Tick Tock nodded and steeled herself on Twilight’s right. “Right. Let’s get this done proper, and we’ll be out of this bleedin’ city in no time.”

Twilight stomped a hoof. “Okay then, on three. One.”

Twilight lit her horn. Tick Tock and Rarity followed suit.

“Two.”

A bright purple light flared up from in between them and flowed outward to illuminate the entire corridor.

“Three!”

Twilight fired a bolt of magical light directly at the Gate door, striking it in dead center. The light expanded out further and further, enshrouding the entire door in a light purple glow.

The Gate door groaned loudly, and the entire corridor trembled. Twilight’s face contorted as she strained to push the two halves of the door apart in the middle. Beads of sweat streamed down her face, and her horn haphazardly shot off sparks in all direction. Tick Tock’s and Rarity’s horns did the same, until a bright light enveloped all three unicorns. Twilight opened her eyes to gauge her progress, and her eyes flared with magic of the purest white.

Twilight turned towards the others when the door had been cracked open wide enough to fit a few ponies safely through. “Everypony! Through the Gate! Now!”

Applejack bucked the remaining mechanical soldier away from her, slamming it into the wall. “Y’all heard Twilight, time ta mosey on outta here!” She started galloping towards the opening door. “C’mon Rainbow, let’s get a move on!”

“C’mon, Dashie! Let’s go!” Pinkie called, galloping off after Applejack.

Rainbow swept down and slammed the soldier back into the wall before it could get up. “I’ll cover your back, you guys get going!”

Applejack and Pinkie corralled Lockwood and Fluttershy ahead of them towards the Gate door.

Applejack called back, “Flathoof! C’mon!”

Flathoof had Jetstream pinned on the ground. At Applejack’s shouting, he shifted his weight and brought his hoof down hard into the side of Jetstream’s head, then turned and started galloping off towards the others.

Jetstream tripped him. “You’re not going anywhere!”

He scrambled for his sidearm again, reached it, and slipped it over his hoof. His mouth split in a wide smile. He rolled over, aimed his weapon at Flathoof’s retreating form.

“Booyah!”

Rainbow swept in and kicked him in the side of the head. He fired wildly as the gun was flung off his hoof. The bullet ricocheted off the wall and into the air. She swept over to it, snagging the brace in her teeth and circling off.

Jetstream sneered at Rainbow’s trailing form, then turned back towards the three unicorns. He took flight and raced towards them.

“Hey! Don’t you ever learn?” Rainbow struck him in the back with a kick. “You’re not getting anywhere near Twilight, bucko.”

Twilight struggled to keep the Gate open, but knew they needed to get moving. She turned behind her. “Okay girls, your turns next. I’ll keep the Gate open so you two can get through.”

Tick Tock panted. “Are you off your trolley? We can barely keep this bloody thing open as a team. What makes you—"

“Just do it! I’ll hold it long enough for you all to get out, just go!”

“But—"

“It’s best not to argue when she gets confident like that,” Rarity said, dropping her spell. “Come along, Miss Tock, we need to get going.”

Tick Tock nodded, dropped her spell, and followed close behind.

“Rainbow Dash! Go!” Twilight yelled.

Rainbow called back, “Had to keep you covered, Twi!”

The lightning-quick pegasus looped off the ground, dropping Jetstream’s gun beside her in the process, and raced towards the Gate

Twilight’s magic gave in, and the Gate screeched as metal slid against metal.

“Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed, her magic faltering and her horn losing its glow. “I can’t keep the Gate open!”

Rainbow scooped Twilight up in her hooves and bolted for the opening.

“We’re gonna beat it Twi, don’t worry!”

The door started to close in on them as they entered it.

“No!” Jetstream called, struggling to his hooves and into the air.

“Hurry, Rainbow!”

“I’ve got this!”

“We’re not gonna make it!”

“We’ll make it!”

“It’s closing!”

“We’re gonna—"

The Gate door slammed closed, flinging about shrapnel and debris as the halves struck together in a way they were never meant to.

Twilight and Rainbow crashed and tumbled into the metal ground on the other side.

Jetstream slammed face-first into the Gate. He worked to his hooves again, glaring upwards at the massive obstacle in his way. “Dammit! Dammit!” He slammed a hoof into the metal door.

He realized that the compactor system was still underway, and hustled over to the maintenance panel. He popped open a smaller panel inside it, then entered a code into the numerical pad there. Sector Nine’s walls stopped moving in and began to move back out.

He stared back upwards at the obstacle. The gate doors had been slammed closed unnaturally and now stood slightly askew. He couldn’t fit in the opening, and by the time he flew up and over, his targets would have gained too much distance for him to be of any use. His only hope was that the exterior security forces would stop them.

He slumped against the wall, trembling. “I am in so much trouble...”


	9. Introductions

Silvertongue stared into his personal mirror, scowling at the sight of the unicorn on the other side. Yesterday, he would have gazed upon his visage, a testament to everything he believed in, with an air of pride. But, from this day forward, he knew that he’d see that something had been robbed from him, something he would never see again upon that face.

Perfection.

Doctor Blutsauger’s commendable work at repairing everything around his eye genuinely surprised him. In a rare moment of bewilderment, he had actually praised the good Doctor’s talent. No scars marred his face, his coat was as sleek and shiny as ever, and barring one single detail, he could swear that nothing had happened at all. But then, of course, that detail taunted him. Reminded him of what he’d lost.

A strange darkness filled the void where Silvertongue’s eye had once been; a black, ethereal stuff that drew all warmth from the air. A tiny speck of gold broke up the otherwise solid darkness, and where he looked, it moved. He could see clearly through it, more clearly than his original eye had ever been able. The speck pulsed with magic that he was not intimately familiar with, though he felt the similarity between it and the magic that Twilight Sparkle’s clone contained within her.

A buzz from his intercom interrupted his thoughts.

“Ah... right on schedule,” he said. He set his mirror upon his desk, then pressed a button on the intercom. “Yes?”

“Milord, sir? Commander Jetstream is here to deliver his report on the Gate incident.”

“Thank you, Shroud. Send him in.”

Silvertongue lifted his wine glass and took a short sip, then leaned back in his chair and tapped his hooves together. His chamber door slid open; Jetstream entered the room. Though Jetstream’s pace was brisk and his expression alert, his eyes betrayed his exhaustion.

Jetstream quickly bowed before Silvertongue’s desk. His nervousness was palpable. “M-milord.”

Silvertongue stared at Jetstream, unblinking, for several moments, not even gesturing for the soldier to rise from his bow. “Commander,” he said. “You look as though you’ve had a rough morning.”

Jetstream remained bowed, as Silvertongue had yet to permit him to do otherwise. “I apologize, sir, if my appearance isn’t in ideal condition.”

“Ideal condition. No, I suppose nopony can maintain that forever.” Silvertongue snorted and sat upright in his chair, at last gesturing for the soldier to rise. Jetstream did so, taking a sharp breath in the process. “I understand you are here to deliver the report on how the assignment you were tasked with went?”

Jetstream gulped. “Yes sir, you asked that I deliver it as soon as I was able.”

Silvertongue set his hooves upon his desk and tilted his head to the portfolio resting between them. “Now, you know well that my sources of information are speedy and accurate. So, I am assuming you also know that I am already well aware of your failure?”

“Milord, I can expla—"

Silvertongue’s horn glowed brighter for half a second. His wine glass shattered, splashing magmaberry wine on the floor beneath. “Excuses!”

Jetstream flinched back half a step.

Silvertongue took a deep breath and smoothed his mane back. “You can make excuses you mean. Save them. I have no concern for how you failed, only that you did. I can assemble the pieces satisfactorily with this,” he noted, gesturing again to the portfolio.

He opened it with his magic and began to read. “According to the Gate Taskforce Report, the Gate suffered massive technical difficulties this morning on multiple fronts. Gate Technicians have been performing maintenance and repairs since the incident.”

Silvertongue twisted his chair to the side so he could stare out the open window. “Now, the first issue seems to be that the check-in station improperly authorized seven ponies using falsified passports, and two using invalidated ones. Seven unauthorized passports, hmm? Lucky then, it would seem, that somepony was able to uncover that fact ahead of time, else these criminals may have escaped unhindered.” He thrummed his hoof slowly on his desk. “A shame he couldn’t complete his own assignment.”

Jetstream gulped loudly. “R-right, sir. Shadowstep’s information proved useful here. I regret that I could not access the system in time to spring the trap before they got as far into the corridor as they did.”

Silvertongue spun his chair back, and spat at Jetstream, his voice terse, nearly cracking. “When the error was discovered, the Gate was immediately sealed around the ponies in question, and a special task unit was deployed to apprehend them. Now here, this is where it becomes interesting. The unit's assigned leader never arrived at the scene, as he had been replaced by one Commander Jetstream.” His stopped rapping his hoof, slamming it once on the desk. “The Taskforce made a note here that it seemed suspicious that a Special Ops officer showed interest in unauthorized ponies, none of whom were particularly remarkable.”

He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. His new eye was starting to agitate him, but he knew not why. He absently picked a pen off his desk and twirled it around in his magic, becoming distracted by a fly that had somehow buzzed into the room.

Jetstream hesitated, then quietly cleared his throat. “S-sir?”

“Really now Jetstream, have I not made myself clear about subtlety? This kind of sloppiness is quite... bothersome.”

“I had little choice, milord, you made it clear that time was of the essence,” Jetstream explained, his eyes darting between Silvertongue and the pen. “The other commander was an idiot, a real rules-jockey. He claimed it was his unit, fair and square, and showed a complete disregard for authority. I persuaded him to reconsider his decision.”

Silvertongue grunted in acknowledgement. “The unauthorized ponies were confronted by Commander Jetstream’s unit, and subsequently engaged by them in turn when they attempted to resist arrest. During the altercation, they hacked into the Gate security system. Now, which of them did this?”

Jetstream rubbed the back of his neck. “I was engaged at the time with the NPPD Captain, so I only caught a glimpse of what happened. I’m certain it was the green and purple unicorns, Tick Tock and Twilight Sparkle, respectively.”

Silvertongue snapped the pen at the wall, skewering the pesky fly and embedding it in the wall. “The damned Chronomancer again!” He took a few short breaths, then leaned back in his chair again. “I am beginning to tire of her interferences.”

He glanced back at the portfolio. “At any rate, they managed to disable the anti-magic field around the Sector Nine door, and then proceeded to rip it open by force. How did they manage that? Each Gate section weighs several hundred tons.”

“It was all three unicorns, sir,” Jetstream explained. “They combined their magic somehow. I... I didn't know unicorns could do that, or I would’ve focused my attention on them.”

“It is a rather advanced spell, yes, but certainly not out of the limits of a unicorn with the drive and talent to learn. They showed aptitude in that feat, did they? I shall keep it in mind for future reference. If they already know how to perform it, then perhaps...”

Silvertongue shook his head. “After breaking apart the Gate, the nine ponies fled out into the Wastelands. Now, does that all sound accurate?”

“Y-yes milord, but—"

Silvertongue sighed and absently went to remove and clean his monocle, before remembering he no longer needed or wore one. “I assigned you a very simple task, Jetstream. At least, I thought it was simple, but it is slowly becoming clear to me that anything involving those particular ponies is far from being simple.” He leaned forward, his mouth curling in a scowl. “So here we are, because you have failed. I dislike failure, Jetstream.”

Jetstream dropped to his knees. “P-please, milord, give me a second chance.”

“If memory serves, I do not have a history of granting second chances,” Silvertongue snorted. “History and reputation have ensured that that remains the case.”

“B-but sir, I—"

Silvertongue shook his head and began thumping his hoof on his desk again. “Jetstream... Jetstream, Jetstream, Jetstream. How long have you been directly in my employ? Twelve... no, thirteen years? Your father recommended you. In that time, you have never once failed me, never once disappointed me. Until today. Fortunate for your father that this failure of yours does not reflect any incompetence on his part.”

“Thank you for that, sir,” Jetstream said.

“Now, Shadowstep, you remember him don't you?”

Jetstream nodded.

“I gave him a second chance. A very rare opportunity. He squandered it, to be sure, but he got one all the same. Do you know why? He earned it. Despite his failure, he did still manage to come through on a great deal of things that made up for some slight complications.”

Silvertongue slammed his hooves on his desk, and his horn flared a bright red.

Jetstream was slammed into the nearest wall. He instantly grabbed at his throat, which was surrounded by a red aura.

“You, unfortunately, have not earned that privilege.”

“P-please... m-milord,” Jetstream choked.

Silvertongue sneered, and got out of his chair. He slowly strode over to Jetstream’s place on the wall. “Your failure, Jetstream, has forced me to accelerate my plans much more quickly than I desired.”

He jerked Jetstream and slammed him into the wall again. “Your failure has caused damage which cannot be easily repaired!”

He flung Jetstream across the room, where the pegasus crashed into the mantlepiece. “And, you have absolutely nothing positive to show for it, no sort of bandage to place over this great, gaping wound of incompetence. I do not tolerate such failures, Jetstream. I erase them. I should kill you right now.”

Jetstream grasped desperately at his throat. “Sir... please...”

Silvertongue lifted Jetstream into the air and glowered at him for a moment. Then, he released him, dropping the pegasus to the floor.

Jetstream gulped in air like a freshly caught fish.

Silvertongue’s mouth curled in a tiny grin. “But, I won't. No, I have a better use for you.”

***

Lord Silvertongue had called it a weapons test. An opportunity for Jetstream to redeem himself and earn his second chance. That eccentric Doctor Blutsauger had been present when Silvertongue went over what the test would entail, so he figured this was another one of the Doctor’s freakish genetic experiments. But, that was not what really bothered him. No, it was the conditions that were strange.

Aside from being a guinea pig for whatever fool experiment the Doctor had conducted, Jetstream wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be doing. Blutsauger had called him target practice. He’d been corralled in this room, a grand, circular arena, within the basement levels of Pandora Tower, wide enough to hold a hundred ponies comfortably. He’d also been provided with forty A.M.P. Troopers to command. His opponents would be set loose against him one at a time, and it was his duty to ensure that they were given a proper challenge.

One? Against forty troopers? That wasn’t a challenge, that was downright suicidal. Blutsauger must’ve been exceedingly confident in his new toys. He’d even gone as far as boasting that, should Jetstream run out of troopers to use, he’d be provided with replacements.

The Doctor’s preening did not concern Jetstream at all. Blutsauger had always been a pompous ass and a supreme brown-noser. He’d put him in his place, earn his redemption, and make his father proud.

The thick, iron gate on the opposite side of the arena creaked open, and his first opponent trotted into the arena.

Jetstream was not expecting the first of Blutsauger’s genetic weapons to be a perfectly ordinary mare. Well, maybe not ordinary. She was built larger than the average female pegasus—larger than even some male pegasi—standing slightly taller than himself. Her bulky, muscular frame filled out the plain-looking silver jumpsuit that covered only her body, not her legs, exposing her royal blue coat. Her wild mane and tail alternated between turquoise and magenta, making her look like some sort of glam rocker. Each hoof wore a metal boot, and the arena’s stadium lights reflected off of the decorative red and gold gems. Her cutie mark was a storm cloud with a thin streak of golden lightning through it.

Jetstream was bothered by one thing, rather two things, in particular: her eyes. He knew he’d seen somepony before with almost those exact same eyes. Plus, her large wings made him feel both self-conscious and confoundingly aroused. He’d never seen a pegasus before with such an impressive wingspan.

She wasn’t really doing much of anything aside from just standing there rigidly, staring ahead, not looking at all like she was prepared for combat. Her face was the epitome of boredom. Wasn’t she supposed to be attacking his soldiers? What was she waiting for?

More tense moments of silence lingered between them before Jetstream decided he’d make the first move instead. He placed his hoof to his temple, clicking some buttons on the command visor he’d been provided to increase his response time.

Ten of his troops moved in on her at his command, merely a scouting maneuver to gauge the combat level of his target. He’d applied extra soldiers out of a sense of curiosity, as typically he’d have only used three or four. There was no sense in paranoia, but being cocky wasn’t wise either.

She remained still, though her eyes darted between each of the troopers that approached her.

Jetstream commanded his troops to activate their static-charged hoof-guards. He’d been given permission to use one-hundred percent lethal force, so he figured he may as well utilize it. He wanted to see what she would do.

Each soldier, charged with enough electricity to kill a pony four times over, leapt into action.

She flapped her wings just once. All ten mechanical ponies slowed to a crawl, as if struggling against their own weight.

Impossible. That was the only word Jetstream could think of to describe what he was seeing. A pegasus pony, using unicorn magic? No, there wasn’t a glow around his troops, nor around whatever part of her body was channeling the magic. It didn’t add up. Pegasus magic had no visual clues excepting the faster fliers, who left trails of magic behind them, but she wasn’t flying at all. What sort of magic was this?

The soldier at the front of the formation took another step forward. Its leg snapped apart as if it couldn’t support its own weight. The soldier stumbled forward, breaking into pieces as it hit the floor. The other soldiers in the formation stepped forward, stumbled, and shattered just as the first had.

Ten troopers down, and the target had hardly even put any visible effort into destroying them. She hadn’t even moved, apart from flapping her wings.

Her demeanor infuriated Jetstream. She looked bored, and she even gave an exaggerated yawn.

He tapped a hoof to his temple again, issuing orders for another ten soldiers to circle her. He hoped that whatever magic she’d used could only be applied to a small area; by surrounding her, his troops could not all be affected at once.

Predictably, she took to the air and climbed all the way up to the high ceiling, far out of the reach of his troopers. At least, she would be, if they were only capable of melee combat.

Jetstream laughed quietly to himself. Typical pegasus tactics. So predictable.

He tapped his visor again and his troopers armed their shoulder-mounted flechette launchers.

They aimed upwards, locking-on to their target. They fired their sharp-tipped bullets in a steady stream.

The mare flicked her wings again, losing altitude only briefly.

Not a single round reached its target. Instead, the projectiles curved sharply back towards the ground as if they hadn’t even been fired with enough force to reach that height. Some of the bullets dropped down and impaled the troopers that had fired them, striking with an unnatural amount of force.

Then, she took the offensive.

She tucked her wings in against her sides and dove at the group of soldiers. She slammed her hooves into the ground, bouncing off the metal floor with enough impact to leave a massive dent.

The shockwave was enough to make Jetstream and his remaining soldiers stumble. He’d never claimed to be a physicist, but he was fairly sure what he’d just seen was physically impossible. For her to hit with that much impact, she’d need to weigh at least a ton, and worse, she should have been reduced to paste. Must be those boots she’s wearing. Are they enchanted or something?

She flapped her wings and made to take to the air again, until a voice crackled over the arena’s speakers. Both Jetstream and the mare turned to face the tinted window on the far side of the room where they knew Silvertongue was observing from.

“Grayscale Force. That’s enough for now. I’ve seen what I needed to see.”

The mare nodded, then gave Jetstream a look that made him feel incredibly small. He knew she’d made his soldiers look like toys, and had treated them as such. Would this affect his odds at being given a second chance? He swore right then and there that the next opponent he faced would not make a fool of him.

As Grayscale Force started to leave, the next pony, another pegasus mare wearing the same silver jumpsuit, entered the arena. She was toned with more lean muscle than the other pegasus, clearly built more for agility than power. Her coat was a sporty red, very bright and colorful compared to the other pegasus. Her mane and tail resembled a skunk, jet black with a streak of white down the center. She kept her mane short and wavy, though her tail was still rather long and dragged against the floor behind her. Her cutie mark was a bat wing attached to a flame.

Most curious of all, she had a tiny fang that jutted out of her mouth and rested on her lower lip. There’s something wrong with this picture. Since when do ponies have canines?

Grayscale Force began to pass her by, then stopped, turned, and offered a hoof to shake. “Best of luck to you, I suppose. I know I set the standards high.”

The red mare didn’t look at her, keeping her beady eyes directed at Jetstream. “Get away from me,” she said, spitting a little. “I don't need your damn loser-ness rubbing off and ruining my run.”

Unfazed, Grayscale gave a small shrug, then continued on her way through the iron gate.

Jetstream nervously shifted in place. One opponent—one pony—took half a platoon of A.M.P. Troopers and made them look like nothing. He grit his teeth and signaled for a replenishment of his forces, which entered the arena from the gate behind him and moved into formation. This time, he wouldn’t fail.

Unlike Grayscale, this pegasus made the first move, taking to the air and racing straight into the heart of the largest formation of soldiers. She was very loud, shouting, hollering, and especially swearing, the entire time.

She looped around and slammed her hoof into one soldier’s visor, shattering it. Before it could react, she sped away and kicked another in the midsection.

One trooper raised a hoof, preparing to strike her with a lethal electric shock. She swerved under it and kicked out its legs.

But, every one she managed to take down only stayed that way for a moment. Her tactics were hardly working against the mechanical soldiers that had been built to take this sort of abuse.

Jetstream chuckled to himself as his confidence returned. This mare clearly didn’t have the same strange powers the other had used. Why Blutsauger would empower one mare but not another was perplexing, but it would be the Doctor’s own folly. Jetstream tapped his visor again, ordering more troops to close in.

The red mare seemed to realize she’d made a mistake by charging in. She pulled out, looping high into the air.

The soldiers took aim with their flechette launchers, and fired.

She abruptly snapped skyward, like a missile, narrowly avoiding a salvo of bullets. Jetstream balked at her sudden burst of speed.

She swept low to the ground, and one of her hooves started glowing orange. There was a spark, followed by a flame. The red mare fired it forward like a bullet at one of the troopers.

The tiny fireball exploded spectacularly, sending strips of shrapnel flying every which way. Jetstream staggered back, dumbstruck. More magic? How is this possible?

She fired another fireball and blew apart another soldier, then flew through the explosion undeterred, cackling all the way. She looped around and fired another, and another. The bursts were getting bigger with every shot.

Jetstream was losing troopers fast. He shook off his stupor and tapped his visor. His troopers took aim and fired once more.

The mare swept around in rolls and loops, nimbly avoiding all of the salvo. A few rounds came close, so close that Jetstream had to resist the urge to tear his visor off his face and throw it to the ground in frustration.

She did not look at all happy about nearly getting hit.

She struck up another pair of flames, smashing them together to create a billowing sphere of fire. She lobbed it towards the center of the largest cluster of troops, which happened to be dangerously close to Jetstream.

Jetstream yelped and bolted away from the target area as fast as his wings would carry him.

He took a few seconds to regain his hearing and clear his eyes. He glanced sideways, towards the towering plume of smoldering fire and smoke not more than ten yards away. The inferno was all that remained of, according to his readout, thirteen troopers. The intense heat made his wings ache, so he quickly distanced himself from it.

The mare stood with her back to the blaze, mirthfully laughing, waving her hooves around to make the fire dance.

The speakers crackled, and as before, both Jetstream and the mare dropped what they were doing to glance at the observation deck.

“That will be all, Havocwing. That was quite an impressive display.”

The mare pumped her hooves excitedly. “Hell yeah it was impressive, pops! Booyah! Best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium!” She turned to Jetstream and snapped her hoof at him. “Yo punk! I just took your ass to school! What are you gonna do about it?”

Jetstream sneered, but stayed quiet. It didn’t seem wise to antagonize her.

She chuckled. “Yeah that's what I thought. Smell you later, loser. If you’re still alive, that is, heh heh.”

Havocwing strut her way towards the arena exit just as the next mare was entering. Were they all going to be mares? Jetstream was perturbed by that. Here he was, one of the most decorated soldiers in the NPAF, getting shown up by a bunch of mares. If any of his comrades in the soldiery found out, they’d laugh him right back to boot camp. They wouldn’t believe for an instant that these mares had such unreal magic powers.

The next mare was not a pegasus, but a unicorn. Jetstream never considered himself an expert on beauty, but he had an eye for mares, and this mare certainly lacked anything he considered pretty. Her charcoal-black coat looked dirty and was matted with sweat; her mane and tail were messy and tangled; even her jumpsuit was wrinkled, and looked as though she’d never once washed it. Worse, her mane and tail were an unnatural yellow, as if she’d tried to do her own dye job and accidentally used paint instead of dye. A true “fashion disaster”, as the mares in the streets of the Inner Districts would say. Her cutie mark was a trio of plain-looking coals. He did notice that she at least kept her eyes in good condition, and in a bizarre contrast she seemed to have a natural aptitude for applying eyeshadow.

“Break a leg,” Havocwing said in an obviously-sarcastic sing-song tone. The unicorn made to reply, but the pegasus interrupted, “No really, break a leg. That’d be hilarious.”

The unicorn snorted. “Okay, that’s, like, totally uncool. I’m so gonna get you back for that? For. Sure.”

Havocwing laughed. “Yeah, right. You couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag, los—"

The unicorn jabbed her hoof into Havocwing’s midsection, causing the pegasus to yelp in what sounded like severe pain, leaping away as if she’d stepped on a nail. The unicorn’s hoof glowed a dull red, then absorbed the light into itself.

“You touched me! You bucking touched me!” Havocwing shouted. “I told you not to touch me! You touch me again, you’re a dead mare, you got that?”

The unicorn paid her no heed.

“Hey!” Havocwing ignited one of her hooves. “I’m bucking talking to you, punk!”

“Yeah, yeah, what-ever,” the unicorn dismissed. “Like, if you’re done here, I’ve got to get to work and junk? So like, make like a tree and hit the road.”

Havocwing sneered and made to say something, but apparently decided against it and stormed off in a huff.

Jetstream grimaced at the increasing numerical callsigns on his soldiers. A few of the troopers from his initial platoon still remained with him, so that put him somewhat at ease; at least he was only losing half a platoon at a time. Still, the combat prowess of these mares concerned him. They possessed powers that were beyond his understanding. What exactly were these “weapons” being used for?

The unicorn stumbled forward, almost tripping as she was distracted by her own hoof.

Jetstream shook his head, chasing his doubts away, and tapped his temple again. His troops surrounded her and armed their flechette launchers. She wouldn't be able to fly away, was hideously outnumbered, and was clearly unaware of the danger. He almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

“Let’s see, like, how did she do this again?” the unicorn asked herself.

She pointed her hoof at one of the lingering flames left by the previous mare. A large swath of flames snaked its way through the air and crashed down on one of Jetstream’s soldiers, then burst outwards to engulf two more.

Jetstream had been expecting this mare to be able to use magic, as she was a unicorn, so he wasn’t surprised at her display. But, it still unnerved him that the others had been using magic he hadn’t seen before.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. Three troopers down already, but that was nothing serious.

He ordered the other troops to attack. They fired their weapons from all sides.

She yelped and panicked, raising a barrier spell to protect herself. It was an awkward cast, so while none of the bullets had gotten through, they hadn’t been properly reflected either. Instead, they clattered harmlessly to the ground around her.

“Hey! I’m, like, busy here!” she said. She seemed more bothered that he’d broken her focus than that he’d threatened her life.

Her body glowed a dull red for a brief moment, then returned to normal. “Whatever, I was, like, getting so bored with this power anyway? Cha. Fire is stupid.”

Her horn flared, and an aura of gold magic grabbed one of the surrounding troopers, snapping it over to her. Its visor shattered when it crashed into her barrier.

“Y’know, I totally bet one of these fancy robo-ponies has a much better power!” she said, her smile unnaturally large. “Gimme gimme gimme!”

She jabbed a hoof into the machine’s face. The trooper wantonly fired off sparks, as if it had been struck by an incredible electric shock.

She dropped it to the floor, and her body glowed bright gold for a brief moment. Without warning, she released her barrier and aimed her hoof at the nearest soldier in the formation. A ferocious bolt of lightning burst out of her hoof and ripped into her target, tearing it to pieces.

Jetstream’s jaw dropped. He frantically ordered his soldiers to fall back and engage her from range, but her aim was improving every time she fired off a shot. While her barrier spells were still very sloppy, her newfound weapon was extremely effective.

“Boom! Zap! Kapow!” She cheered with every explosive burst. “Okay, this is totally neat-o!”

He lost three more soldiers before Silvertongue’s voice crackled over the speakers again.

“A fine display, Insipid. You may stop now.”

“Yay! You liked it?!” Insipid squealed, clapping her hooves. “Oh. My. Stars. This is, like, the best. Possible. Thing. Eeee!”

She cantered airly towards the arena exit, where the next mare stood awaiting her turn.

Jetstream squinted and rubbed his eyes, befuddled by what he saw. The next pony looked familiar. Too familiar, in fact. He knew he’d seen her escape just that morning. What was her name again? Pinkie Pie? He was certain it was her, even though he saw some differences in her appearance. Her pink coat was a little duller, as were her mane and tail. She wore those in a straight, neatly-combed style, not at all the same poofy style he’d seen before. It was her, it had to be. Then again, her cutie mark was different. He could have sworn she had a trio of balloons, not a chocolate cupcake.

“So, like, I guess I should wish you ‘best of luck’ too, or whatever?” Insipid said as she trotted over. “Hoofshake on it?”

The earth pony kept her gaze forward, ignoring the unicorn.

Insipid snorted and stomped a hoof. “What-ever, if you’re gonna, y’know, be rude about it, you can, like, bite me.”

The earth pony slowly tilted her head sideways and smirked. “Is that an invitation?”

Insipid paused for a moment, then blanched. “Like, ewww, no! Totally. Major. Grody!”

She trotted away in a huff, leaving the earth pony behind.

Jetstream snarled, deciding to completely throw any sense of fairness out the window. Trying to fight fairly had gotten him nowhere, accomplishing nothing save for embarrassing him in front of Silvertongue.

Most of his troops, except the new ones streaming into the arena, still had their flechette launchers armed. He ordered them to fire immediately.

The mare grinned, and shot forward to avoid them.

Jetstream fought hard to keep a straight face, to avoid cheering in triumph as multiple rounds pierced through her. She fell in a bloody heap only a yard away from her starting point.

His troops began reloading.

She struggled to rise to her hooves, her legs bleeding profusely and her body riddled with holes.

His troops fired again

To his surprise and horror, she not only managed to stand up, but managed to defend herself. He was sure what she was doing was medically impossible.

Her blood moved entirely on its own. A thick stream flowed from the many gaping wounds on her body and flared upwards, forming a shield that protected her from the bullets.

She staggered to her hooves and stepped awkwardly towards the nearest formation of soldiers. Her eyes were hidden by her blood-drenched mane, but he could see her wide, toothy grin.

Another stream of blood lashed out, grabbing one of his soldiers by the face. It squeezed until the soldier’s head popped in its grip. The soldier attempted to aim its guns at her, but the tendril slammed it harshly into the ground.

Another stream took on a thin, blade-like shape, and rapidly sliced through the middle of another trooper. The clean cuts didn’t appear until it made to move, and it crumbled into multiple tiny pieces.

A nearby trooper attempted to pounce on her with its static-charged hooves. Another stream twisted up to meet it, forming a spike that impaled it through the neck. She violently tossed it aside, flinging it into another formation.

The pool of blood she left in her wake converged on her, snaking its way back into her myriad wounds. Said wounds seamlessly repaired themselves until she was able to walk normally. She looked as though she hadn’t even been touched, let alone mortally wounded. A thick cut along her spine remained untouched. It was from here that her weaponized blood poured, flailing about her like the tendrils of some horrid beast he’d seen only in nightmares.

Her wide smile and blood red eyes weren’t helping to ease his mind, either. It had been odd enough to see the red pegasus with one, but this pony had a mouth full of razor-sharp, gleaming fangs. Her tongue slid out of her mouth and licked along every single one.

She sauntered towards Jetstream now. He took a step back, fearful that she was coming after him rather than his expendable troops. The hungry look in her eyes frightened him. She was out for blood.

Jetstream stepped backwards again, but the mare drew closer and closer, taking two steps for every one of his.

“Mmm... you seem nervous.”

Jetstream leapt into the air and turned to face the high-pitched, peppy whisper behind him.

Nothing.

Jetstream turned back to where the mare had been before. She stood perfectly still and wore that same damned smile on her face.

“Maybe you should take a little... break?”

Jetstream blinked. The mare was gone. He frantically checked his surroundings.

Nothing.

“Cold sweat... a hint of the jitters. Mmm... you smell delicious.”

Jetstream put his hooves to his ears. The mare’s voice echoed inside his head.

“I wonder what you taste like...”

One of her tendrils snapped from thin air at Jetstream’s face. He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut.

“That will be all, my dear.” Silvertongue’s voice.

Jetstream’s eyes blinked open. The tendril lingered mere inches away, angrily writhing in the air directly in front of his face.

“Aww, but I was having fun.” The mare took more steps towards him, nearly touching him with her tendril.

“I said, that will be all, Red Velvet. You can stop frightening the whelp.”

Her bloodlust vanished in an instant. She calmly cantered towards the exit without another word to Jetstream.

The fifth mare, a violet-coated unicorn, was already waiting there for her turn. Her mane was styled with bouncy curls, half of it fuschia, the other half bubblegum pink. Her cutie mark almost matched the emblem that represented New Pandemonium City, but instead of a red, flaming sword thrusting downwards through a golden disk, hers was a simple, silver sword thrusting sideways through a golden crescent. She wore a great deal of mascara under and over her eyes, making her look like one of those eastern Outer Distract floozies.

Her eyes concerned Jetstream the most, as they were frighteningly familiar. He remembered seeing that exact same spark of determination, confidence, and focus in the eyes of the accursed unicorn that had started off his morning on such a sour note, Twilight Sparkle.

The pink mare did not verbally greet the newcomer. Instead, she merely gave a respectful nod that was given a half-hearted return as the unicorn stepped forward.

Jetstream grit his teeth. He knew he only had one more chance. He was going to throw everything he had into this: no holding back, no fair play, no mercy.

His fully replenished troops moved, surrounding her and arming their weapons. The cocky smirk she wore filled him with rage.

“Is this genuinely all the force you can muster?” the unicorn asked, laughing. She shrugged. “If you insist upon participating in such tripe, I suppose I am obligated to respond in kind.” 

Jetstream sneered. The others had at least waited until after their tests to mock and taunt him.

She chuckled, putting her hoof over her mouth in mock apology. “Oh dear, have I disconcerted you? My condolences, but certainly your ego should not be such a crucial matter. Or am I wrong?”

Jetstream grit his teeth harder and tapped his visor, signalling his soldiers to take aim and attack, with only the two he kept at his side being omitted. He’d grown attached to these two remnants of his original platoon, T-001 and T-017, and wanted to keep them close in hopes that their survivability would extend to himself. Besides, seventeen was his lucky number.

“I see,” she said, giving a light-hearted shrug. “Very well. If you possess no retort, then commence with your demonstration.”

Nearly all of his troops fired their flechette rounds in unison.

Her horn glowed as bright as a star, and a shockwave of energy cascaded throughout the arena. The closest soldiers to her were lifted into the air, flailing about as they attempted to re-acquire a lock. The flechette rounds that had been fired by the rear line had all been caught in a glowing field of energy less than a yard from their target.

She twirled her collection of machines and bullets around, dancing them through the air like toys. “Lamentable. Inadequate. Uninspiring. Suffice to say, I am not impressed,” she droned. “Now allow me to demonstrate.”

She twisted all of the bullets she’d caught in front of her and arranged them in a ball. Without warning, the projectiles rapidly shot outwards in random directions, ripping apart mechanical ponies like tissue paper. The first line of troopers, those she’d lifted up with her magic, remained untouched; the second line, just behind those, were completely destroyed.

The third line finished reloading and fired again. She swept the robots she held through the line of fire with dazzling speed, using them as shields to soak up all of the incoming fire. Once the third line ran out of ammo, she discarded her makeshift shields, or rather the wreckage that was left of them.

A full two-thirds of his platoon gone in the space of a few moments.

He commanded his remaining troops to fire again, knowing the gesture was futile, but what else could he do?

She placed up a barrier at the last second, reflecting flechette rounds in every direction. Many of his remaining troops were struck and mangled, and he was forced to duck to avoid a few rounds himself.

Down to five soldiers.

She stepped forward, her horn aglow, and grabbed the three that remained of his third line in a purple aura.

The glow around one grew bright, and the soldier it held compacted on itself, crushed like a tin can.

She flung another upwards into the air with so much force that it slammed into the ceiling.

The last glowed a bright white and disappeared with a flash and a pop. A teleportation spell. Where it had been teleported to, he did not know nor did he want to.

He knew simultaneous spell-casting was possible, but limited, difficult, and exhausting. She’d been using some exceedingly complicated magic, yet did not look at all the worse for wear. If anything, she looked dissatisfied.

“How astonishingly soporific,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I anticipated that you would offer some modicum of challenge, but at present all that I have witnessed is a rather pathetic exhibition. Is not the intention of this ‘test’ evaluating my innumerable, prodigious talents?”

Her arrogance was unbearable. Jetstream had never once in his life ever wanted to slap a mare’s mouth shut, but there was a first time for everything. He tapped his visor again, signaling for additional reinforcements.

She laughed as the heavy iron gateway cranked open and another full platoon of troops entered the arena. “Well! I had certainly hoped you would mobilize more than just an insufficient rabble of machines to your aid, but I am aware of the impossibility of such. A shame.”

Mechanical soldiers streamed in a line out of the gate. She shook her head and ignited her horn, shrouding the gate with a bright pink aura.

As soon as the last trooper appeared, she slammed the door closed on top of it. She then ripped the gate off its rails and proceeded to one at a time smash the other soldiers with the giant slab of metal.

He looked on, completely dumbstruck, unable to process what he was seeing. The gate weighed several tons and was designed to hold a Gargantuan patriarch, a creature stronger than twenty ponies and just as big. A single unicorn could never lift such a thing.

She swept it around as if it weighed nothing at all. The massive object pummeled his soldiers, scattering mechanical parts in all directions.

Jetstream frantically ordered his units to spread out to minimize the damage. As they moved, he ordered them to open fire, hoping to break her concentration.

She casually teleported herself out of harm’s way, not once dropping her weapon. Jetstream slammed a hoof to the floor in frustration.

She crushed the last of his new platoon with the gate, then merely laughed and tossed it aside.

She snickered. “And so concludes another chapter in the fiasco that is your existence.”

He reached his hoof up to summon more reinforcements. Her horn flashed, and his visor shattered. Down to two soldiers again.

He gulped, and pointed his hoof at the unicorn. His hoof shook. “G-go! Take her down!”

“Oh, you puerile, predictable, poignant peon. You still presume to challenge me? You are dreck. You and your miserable machines are but specks of insignificance compared to the might that I wield.”

She turned to one of his troopers, T-017, and lit her horn again, lifting the robot into the air. He watched in shock as her magic took the thing apart like one would do a toaster oven that wasn’t working properly. Every single piece of machinery jettisoned outwards, spreading in the air before him.

“A mundane little thing, isn’t it?” she mused. “Such enterprise employed to create such a pitiable construct.”

She floated over a small cube-shaped component that had been removed from its chest, no bigger than an orange. “And here, the central processing unit. The machine’s heart and soul. Powerful enough to calculate elaborate physics trajectories in the merest fractions of a second—" She snapped it in half. “And yet so fragile. Not unlike yourself.”

She laughed loudly. “My trial was completed before it commenced. I suppose I should conclude this charade. You are unaided, after all.”

“You’re f-forgetting my last trooper,” Jetstream said, glancing hopefully at his only remaining ally. “I haven’t heard milord call you off yet.”

“Oh! How sophomoric of me, I forgot,” she said, playfully smacking her hoof against her forehead. “I suppose he is waiting for your other opponent to conclude her test.”

She turned to the other trooper and nodded.

“What the buck are you—"

T-001 sharply turned and bucked him hard in the face.

He stumbled away and glared at the offending machine. His jaw dropped. No bucking way.

The soldier’s mechanical features dissolved away, and what was once a machine turned into the form of a living, breathing mare. Shiny azure fur covering a sleek, elegant, feminine body replaced dull black metal covering a thick, heavy, masculine frame. A plain indigo headband kept her vermillion mane out of her eyes. Three oranges made up her cutie mark. Her mouth was curled in a sly grin, which she directed at him.

Jetstream rubbed his cheek where she’d kicked him. Hot damn. I’ve never been so happy to be hit by a mare.

“Have you enjoyed a suitable amount of fun?” the unicorn asked the earth pony.

“Mais oui, I ‘ave ‘ad a wonderful time sitting and waiting for all of you to finish vos tests,” the earth pony said, her voice light and airy. “You know as well as I do zat Oncle Blutsauger wanted us to go par ordre alphabétique. Donc, I did what I do best.”

“Cower in a corner?”

“Une opération d’infiltration,” the earth pony dismissed. “You did not expect me to go vis-a-vis wiz zose garish zings, did you?”

Silvertongue’s voice crackled over the speakers. “Starlight Shadow. Curaçao. An exemplary display, both of you. I’ll be down shortly to meet with you and the others, and to deliver your results. Well done.”

The unicorn beamed. “Excellent! I am not anticipating receiving anything less than maximum marks.” She tilted her head towards the earth pony and grinned. “Do not assume you are inadequate when your tally is inferior to mine, Curaçao. It is only logical, after all.”

“If your score trumping mine ovrried moi, zen j’aurais très peur de tout,” Curaçao said. At Starlight Shadow’s blank look, she coughed into her hoof. “I vould be scared of anyzing, vois-tu?”

“Right...”

Jetstream grumbled and stepped aside as the two mares headed for the open entry gateway. They seemed to be completely ignoring his presence. He figured it was probably better that way anyway, because then they couldn’t ridicule-

“Hey loser!”

Havocwing raced out of the gate and made a beeline straight for Jetstream.

She got right in his face and poked him hard in the chest. “You just got your ass royally bucking handed to you! Ha! I’ll be surprised if Pops doesn’t just rip your stupid wings off and push you off the roof. You’re the worst excuse for a pegasus I’ve ever seen!”

“So much for being ignored,” Jetstream muttered.

Insipid literally skipped into the arena next. “I, like, totally deserve the best score, boss,” she gushed, addressing Starlight Shadow. “I mean, yeah, okay, your little display was, like, impressive and all? But, like, I am so much more deserving and junk? Cha.”

“Mais oui, such a tremendous display yours vas, ma copine,” Curaçao said, her voice flat.

Insipid gave a happy squeal and leapt over to Curaçao, giving her a crushing hug. “Aha! There you are! I was, like, so totally worried when I didn’t see you in the prep room! I’m so never letting you out of my sight again.”

“C’est... bon.” Curaçao gave an obviously-forced smile as Insipid lovingly stroked her mane. “Je suis heureuse.”

“Ooh, I love it when you talk all fancy,” Insipid sighed, leaning her cheek against Curaçao’s neck.

Havocwing made a puking gesture behind her back.

Grayscale Force entered the arena next, remaining quiet and not moving to join her comrades. None of them seemed to even notice or care.

Red Velvet, on the other hoof, bounded straight over to the group and landed precisely in the middle of the formation. Aside from Starlight Shadow, the mares all took a subtle step away from her.

A large clang alerted all the ponies present to the opening of the small door on the opposite edge of the arena. Silvertongue entered the room, striding straight for the collection of ponies. Doctor Blutsauger followed closely behind him, hovering a datapad in front of his face and rapidly running his hoof across the screen. As they approached, Jetstream snapped to attention and saluted. Five of the six mares scrambled to get themselves in a line, except Starlight Shadow, who took a position opposite Jetstream and stood proudly.

“Ladies. Calm yourselves,” Silvertongue said.

The other five obeyed instantly, lining up without another word. Silvertongue’s mouth curled in a smile as he looked over the six of them, each one standing straight and tall.

“An admirable display, all of you,” he said, stepping down towards the end of the line. “It gladdens me to see that the accident has not diminished any of your powers. Now then, I suppose you are all excited to learn how well you performed, yes?”

They all nodded enthusiastically, save Starlight, who bore a cocksure grin.

Silvertongue laughed. “Ah, but before I administer my evaluations, your dear Uncle Blutsauger needs to give you all a brief examination. Nothing serious, just some simple diagnostics. This is your first time utilizing your abilities since the accident, after all, and it would be simply dreadful were any of you affected negatively.” He gestured for Blutsauger to step forward. “Doctor, you may proceed. And please,” he added, narrowing his eyes, “keep it brief.”

Blutsauger cantered forward, a wide smile on his face. “Ja ja, I vill not be long, Herr Silvertongue. As you said, just some diagnostic magicks, ja? Zis vill take seconds.”

He stepped up to Starlight Shadow and pressed his hoof on his datapad. It glowed, sending out a beam of light at Starlight that enshrouded her in a dull blue glow. He hummed to himself and pushed some buttons on the pad, then brightened when the device’s glow turned bright green.

“Vunderbar! You are in peak physical condition, dear,” he said, adjusting his goggles. “Are you sure you don’t vant me to give you a closer examination? It might be wise to be more zorough, ja?”

“No thank you, uncle,” Starlight said, shying away just slightly and giving Silvertongue a nervous glance.

Blutsauger shrugged and went down the line, performing the same quick examinations on the other five mares and becoming visibly disappointed as they each rebuked his inquiries in turn.

When he was completed, he returned to Silvertongue’s side and saluted. “All done, Herr Silvertongue. Zey are all at zeir peaks, in prime physical condition, ja?” he said, leering at the line of mares. “None of zem sustained any injuries in zee first place, viz one exception; and Red Velvet has recovered from her injuries completely, as if zey vere not even zere. I am impressed!”

“Excellent, Doctor,” Silvertongue said, gesturing for Blutsauger to stand at ease. “Now then, for my evaluations.”

Silvertongue walked over to the last pony in the line, Curaçao. She kept a firm, professional look on her face, but Jetstream saw the glimmer of happiness in her eyes.

“First, Curaçao,” Silvertongue announced. “You displayed an incredible aptitude for subterfuge and deception, and I was quite impressed with your ability to mislead even your opponent’s techno-magic equipment. A clever ruse. However,” he tutted, shaking his hoof, “You withheld yourself from multiple opportunities to strike at your opponent when he was distracted. In the future, remember, always capitalize on the element of surprise. Ninety-two points.”

“Merci, papa.” Curaçao smiled, bowing down on one knee.

Silvertongue stepped next over to the Grayscale Force. She stomped a hoof and stood at even firmer attention, were that possible. Jetstream was impressed at just how tall she was, even in comparison to Silvertongue, who’d always towered over other ponies before. Grayscale stood nearly eye-to-eye with him.

“Grayscale Force. You displayed an acute understanding of physics and gravity, utilizing it to bring tremendous force to bear against your opponent. I am impressed at how much power you wield, and am eager to see how much control over it you truly have. However, you only displayed your ability to increase gravity’s force upon your targets, and upon yourself. In the future, remember, decreasing weight has its own applications. Ninety-eight points.”

Grayscale bowed down on one knee as Curaçao had done. “I deserve as much, I guess. Thanks, dad.”

Silvertongue next turned to Havocwing, who beamed wide and lifted her hoof up as if expecting him to give her a hoofbump.

Silvertongue left her hanging. “Havocwing. First, let me express my disappointment in you for beginning your test by utilizing such lowbrow combat techniques. This test’s intention was to evaluate your control over your powers, not how well you could ‘kick ass’, as you would say.”

Havocwing’s smile drooped and her hoof fell limp to the floor.

“However, the rest of your display was quite impressive, and while it did not excuse the disappointing beginning, it was enough to increase your average,” Silvertongue continued. “In the future, remember, always bring your full power to bear against your opponent. Do not lower yourself to their level. Eighty-seven points.”

Havocwing sighed. “Yeah, pops, I get it...”

Insipid snickered from the side, and Havocwing shot her a fierce glare.

Silvertongue stepped up to Insipid. She beamed up at him, barely able to stay still. He chuckled softly and patted her on the head, making her laugh. “Insipid. Your display of mimicking the capabilities of other ponies was impressive, and that your touch causes such powerful feedback intrigues me. I was unaware you could drain the power from a techno-magic construct as well, so that came as a pleasant surprise. However, your standard magic has room for improvement. In the future, remember that you are a unicorn, and that you can use your magic together with the powers you copy.”

Insipid stared up blankly at Silvertongue, and tilted her head. “Uh... does that, like, mean I did good?”

Silvertongue smiled. “Ninety-one points.”

“But daaddyy,” she whined, “I want a higher score, pleeease?”

Silvertongue laughed and ruffled her mane. “Ninety-two points then.”

“Whoopie!” She tilted her head over towards Curaçao and grinned wide. “Curie! I got the same score as you!”

“Très bon, good for you,” Curaçao said, shaking her head. “I am... proud of you.”

“Yay!”

Silvertongue moved next to Red Velvet.

She kept a serious look on her face, but Jetstream couldn’t help but notice she was glancing in his direction every other second. That same damned hungry look lingered in her eyes. He took half a step back and shuddered.

“Red Velvet. You displayed exceptional fortitude and capability for both enduring and distributing pain. Your primary power is exemplary, and I see no need to advise you on improving it, other than continuous practice to hone your skills. I also believe I witnessed the utilization of some fraction of your other power, and was quite impressed with how well that worked. However, remember, that secondary power you wield is not a guarantee for success. Creatures can conquer their fears, after all, even their fear of you. Ninety-four points.”

“Thank you daddy,” she said, bowing down as Curaçao and Grayscale had done.

Red Velvet glanced at Jetstream and gave him that wide, toothy smile again. It chilled him straight down to the bone.

Silvertongue approached the last of the six, Starlight Shadow. She stuck her nose in the air and kept that supremely smug grin on her face.

“And last but not least, to you, the youngest of my six wonderful little ponies,” Silvertongue announced. “Starlight Shadow. You displayed the most incredible magical power I have witnessed in a long, long time. You suffered no damage and destroyed your opponent’s entire regiment twice over. I see no need to advise you on your capabilities in combat. A perfect score, one hundred points.”

“It would have proven impossible for me to achieve anything less,” Starlight said, bowing low but not taking her eyes off of Silvertongue. “Your praise fills me with pride, father. Thank you.”

Silvertongue smiled and patted her on the head as well, causing her grin to widen. He stepped away from the line, then turned back and addressed them. “My daughters. You six are most precious to me, more than anything I possess in this world.” His words caused them all to smile brightly. “It pains me greatly to send you away, but you all have a greater purpose out there than you do here in the safety of my tower.”

Silvertongue motioned for Blutsauger to step forward again. “Doctor, if you would?”

“Ja, Herr Silvertongue.”

Blutsauger pushed a button on his datapad, which emitted a green light straight up and displayed a holographic projection of the six mares Jetstream recognized from that morning. The six mares here all looked at the images, and their happy smiles contorted into fierce scowls.

“These six have wronged you greatly, and they deserve to be punished,” Silvertongue explained, gesturing towards the holograms. “You have all recovered from the accident in such a short time. Now it is time you got your just and deserved revenge.”

“Booyah!” Havocwing exclaimed, pumping her hoof in the air. “Aw man, I cannot wait to break those punks’ faces in!”

Red Velvet rubbed her hooves together. “This is gonna be great. Like a feast! Ooh, ooh, or a buffet! I love buffets.”

“Havoc! Velvet!” Starlight hissed. “Cease your outbursts, father is talking.”

“It is quite alright, my dear,” Silvertongue laughed. He walked over to Havocwing and patted her on the head, making her chuckle. “Your sisters are merely excited. And with good reason.” He turned to Red Velvet and shook his hoof at her. “But, I do not want you to kill them, remember that. Do not succumb to your base desires. There is greater work to be done here, and you all are the keys to making it possible. Even you are not exempt from the same rules that I apply to all those who work for me. I do not tolerate failure.”

Silvertongue turned towards Jetstream, his mouth curling in a mocking smile. Jetstream gulped and straightened back to firm attention.

“Isn’t that right, Jetstream?” Silvertongue asked. “Oh, but where are my manners? I do believe this whole time you’ve been waiting to see whether or not I was going to give you a second chance, is that correct?”

Jetstream nodded. “Y-yes, milord.”

Silvertongue chuckled darkly, clapping his hooves together slowly. “I do applaud your efforts, commander. I suppose that I wasn’t really treating you with dignity, sending a plebeian individual such as yourself to challenge the likes of such powerful adversaries as these. It would be unfair of me to consider your inability to even pose a threat to them as a mark against you.”

Jetstream breathed a sigh of relief, completely unconcerned with the backhoofed compliments. “Thank you, milord, for—"

“‘Thank you’?” Silvertongue laughed. Loudly. His laughter was infectious, and the six mares started snickering as well. “Jetstream, correct me if I’m wrong, but do you believe you’ve earned a second chance?”

Jetstream glanced over at Blutsauger, who was the only one not laughing, then back to Silvertongue. “Uh... y-yes sir?”

Silvertongue sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Did I not just say that you failed to pose to them even a modicum of a threat? They barely exerted a minimum of effort. I don’t have time to wait for them to reach their full potential, as they need to catch up with those six mares. I remind you that your ineptitude this morning allowed the mares in question to gain quite some distance.”

“B-b-but—"

Silvertongue’s horn sparked, and Jetstream was jerked into the air. “I have no use for the likes of such a worthless pawn, Jetstream.”

Aw crap.

Silvertongue turned to Starlight Shadow and gave her a praising smile. “Starlight, my dear, Commander Jetstream here is in dire need of some punishment. Normally I have somepony to take care of such a task, one who relishes greatly in it, but he is... indisposed at the moment. How would you like to test your powers against a normal pony, rather than a simple machine?”

Crap. No. No!

Starlight’s horn glowed and she took over Silvertongue’s spell, pulling Jetstream over to her. She dismissively waved a hoof. “Father, I surmise that you and I both are aware of somepony present who would much preferably be blessed with such an opportunity.”

Jetstream frantically darted his eyes between the six mares. He couldn’t decide what was worse: Grayscale Force crushing him under his own weight, or worse, under hers; Havocwing roasting him alive, maybe blowing him to pieces; Insipid electrocuting him; or Red Velvet slicing him apart. He did know one thing for certain though:

I’m dead. I’m bucking dead. Dad’s gonna be pissed.

“Yeah! Me!” Havocwing exclaimed, bolstering over. “Can I, boss? I just wanna fill him up with so much fire that he bucking explodes, and then when he’s done, make him explode again. Please boss? Can I?”

Starlight snorted and pushed Havocwing away. “Havoc, as I recall, you received the lowest marks. As penance for detruding our aggregate average, I am prohibiting you from this undertaking.”

Havocwing’s jaw dropped. “What?! Oh come on boss! I really want to kill this guy! He’s an embarrassment to pegasi everywhere! Please? I promise I—"

“Puh-lease,” Insipid said, bouncing over and shoving Havocwing aside. “If, like, anypony should be allowed to kill him, it should, like, totally be me and junk? I mean, for. Sure.”

Starlight and Havocwing stared at Insipid, eyes half-lidded.

Havocwing balked. “What?”

Curaçao raised an eyebrow. “You would prefer to kill ‘im? Quelle surprise! Zis is unlike you, ma copine.”

“Yeah, since when do you care about killing and stuff?” Havocwing asked.

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Like, since now. I mean duh, if you want a piece of him, I want a piece of him. You should totally, like, share? Sharing is caring, after all.”

“Bullshit! Like you’d share with any of us!”

Insipid stuck out her tongue. “You’re just mad I got a higher score than you.”

“Oh, but ‘avocving ‘as already lost ‘er opportunity, ma copine,” Curaçao said, patting Insipid on the back. “Besides, Grayscale earned zee ‘ighest score, after zee capitaine, of course. She is zee one who should deliver zee coup de grâce, n’est-ce pas?” She turned to the mentioned pegasus. “Grayscale? What do you zink?”

Grayscale shrugged and lazily took a few steps towards Jetstream. “I guess that’s fine, if you say so. Better than wasting it on Havocwing.”

Starlight nodded. “That is acceptable. If Grayscale wishes to—"

“Hey, buck that noise!” Havocwing said, pointing angrily at Grayscale. “Check it, she doesn’t want to!”

“Hell-ooo?” Insipid said, waving her hoof in the air. “This totally means, like, that it should be me, right? Not little miss low score here? She’s, like, so worthless?”

“Buck off!” Havocwing lit her hooves on fire, and swiveled around between Insipid, Grayscale, and Curaçao. “C’mon, which one of you wants to bucking say something else about me, huh? I’ll kick your ass into next week!”

“Aha, oui. I would not wish to disparage, euh, insult you, dear ‘avocving,” Curaçao said, pursing her lips.

She morphed her face to take on Havocwing’s appearance. Then, in a perfect imitation of Havocwing’s voice, she said, “But I have no problems insulting myself! I sure am a bucking idiot! I smell too!”

Havocwing stomped her hooves on the floor. “That’s it! I’m gonna—"

Grayscale yawned. “Can you guys make a decision already? I wanted to take a nap after the test.”

Starlight groaned and put a shield up in front of Havocwing just as she was darting towards a taunting Curaçao. Havocwing bounced back and rolled away, swearing loudly.

“I am surrounded by juveniles,” she said, holding her head in her hooves. “Velvet! Jetstream is yours for the taking.”

She dropped her spell on Jetstream, and he fell painfully to the cold metal floor.

Red Velvet licked her lips. “Thanks boss. You have no idea how much I wanted this. I’m starving. Why, I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse,” she said.

Jetstream scampered back several paces and darted his eyes to Silvertongue. “Milord... please!”

Silvertongue turned to Starlight. “Starlight Shadow, I shall leave you and your sisters to this gruesome task. When Jetstream has been disposed of, you may proceed with your assignment.”

“Of course, father,” Starlight said, bowing down on one knee.

“P-please, milord,” Jetstream said, putting his hooves together. “Please! Let me have another chance! I... I’m sorry!”

“It’s far too late to beg me for forgiveness, Jetstream,” Silvertongue said, his mouth curled in a scowl. “Your life is in their hooves now, specifically in my dear Red Velvet’s very capable ones. I suggest if you want to keep breathing, you ask her.”

Silvertongue and Blutsauger disappeared in a blinding white flash.

Red Velvet sauntered forward, her eyes regaining the baffling red glow Jetstream remembered from before. “Come on then, you heard daddy. Beg. Beg me to spare you. I promise I’ll listen. I just want to hear it...”

Jetstream gulped. “P-p-please, Miss Velvet, d-don’t—"

“‘Miss’ Velvet? Well, aren’t you just so—"

She vanished.

Jetstream staggered back from where she’d last been. He bumped into something. Something fuzzy and warm.

“Polite?” Velvet breathed into his ear.

Jetstream shot upwards several yards, wondering how she’d managed to get behind him.

She beamed up at him. Tendrils of blood began to leak out of the slit along her spine. “Mmm... and so skittish too. I love when my stallions get all jumpy like that. It’s like seasoning! Come on then, let me hear some more begging.”

Jetstream made to say something, but was at a loss for words. Her voice echoed inside his head again, higher-pitched than before, with a deep reverberation. It was like having a migraine that talked.

“What’s the matter, stud? Cat got your tongue?”

A sharp pain ripped across his flank, and Jetstream stopped flapping his wings in shock. He crashed into the floor, but ignored that pain to look at his flank in a panic.

His armor around the pained area had been stripped bare, letting him clearly see the injury. Claw marks. The cuts were thick, deep, and bleeding heavily. He couldn’t see his cutie mark at all through all the blood.

“Such a thick flank! So tender. I can’t wait to just... sink my teeth in.”

He scrambled away from Velvet again, but when he looked up, she wasn’t where he remembered seeing her.

“I can smell your blood. Mmmm... oh stars, it smells delicious. It makes for great marinade, you know?”

“Stop this! Please!”

“You don’t need to be so loud,” Velvet’s voice whispered.

He turned around to see her right behind him again, her eyes glowing red.

“After all, there’s only just the two of us. I like to dine in private, especially with such a hunky stallion as yourself. A dinner date for two.”

Jetstream frantically searched his surroundings as he stumbled away from her. The other five ponies were gone too, without a trace. The room darkened around himself and Velvet, surrounding them with nothing but black that washed light away like vulgar graffiti.

Soon, it was all gone. He was alone with her in a small circle of light no bigger than ten ponies across. When he reached the edge, it felt like he’d backed into a wall.

“Come on,” she pleaded, stepping towards him. “I want to hear you beg some more. I need to hear you beg some more. Please?”

“Milord!” he called out. “Blutsauger! Anypony! Please! Call it off! I promise I’ll—"

“I said,” she growled, her voice deepening and acquiring a fierce echo, “BEG!”

Jetstream tried to flee again, holding on to nothing more than a fleeting hope that he could escape. Perhaps this was his test, he thought. If he managed to get away, he’d earn his second chance.

But, every time he managed to reach the edge of the darkness, she was there. Her eyes were stained red, growing brighter every time he saw them, and her pupils were tiny and black.

“I normally like it when they run, but you’re making this so boring,” she said.

A tendril of her blood lashed out and grabbed him by the neck, dragging him towards her. He began to scream, and her grin widened in response.

She cackled. “Now that’s more like it!”

“No! L-let me go! Please!” He tried to run towards the only light he could see.

The light flickered and died, and his hopes died with it. He collapsed to the ground, holding his head, and sobbed.

I’m going to die.

Velvet slumped on top of Jetstream, and her tendrils began to snap around him and strip off the rest of his armor. A thick tendril slid out along her side and oozed to the gash on his flank.

Jetstream screamed when her blood mingled with his, causing a severe, burning pain. His whole body was on fire within seconds.

“See? Now was that so hard?” she asked, pinning him down and running a hoof along his chest. “Mmmm... you’re not too shabby at all. Lots of thick meat, tasty juices, and just the right amount of seasoning. I give this dish—" she giggled, leaping off of him, “Five stars!”

“P-please... stop this...” he whimpered.

“Stop? But we’re just getting started.” She pouted, then lifted a hoof as if she’d been struck with an idea. “I know! This is a dinner date, and what’s a dinner date without a little serenade?”

Her tendrils wrapped around every part of his body. His blood ran cold when they lifted him into the air and stretched him out.

I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to-

“Yes, yes, die, geez,” Velvet said, rolling her eyes. “Stallions. Always got a one-track mind, huh? Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! Ahem...

“♫The femur bone’s connected to the... pelvic bone.”

Snap.

He screamed.

“Ooh that’s good!” she said, pointing her hoof at him in praise. “You’ll provide a nice little chorus for me. Where was I? Ah!

“♫The pelvic bone’s connected to the... spinal bone.”

Snap.

“♫The spinal bone’s... connected... hey. Hello?” She huffed and put her hooves on her hips. “Awww... shoot, there goes another one. I’m never gonna finish that song...”


	10. Interjection

Applejack couldn’t sleep. She lifted herself up from her resting position against a large rock and stretched her legs. It had been a long time since she’d ever had to rough it and sleep in the dirt every night like this, but circumstances didn’t favor ideal camping conditions.

Two days had passed since the Gate incident, and even in the dark of night, Applejack could make out the first landmark up ahead in the distance. The terrain ahead gradually shifted from drab grays and browns into striking reds and blacks, and sharp inclines replaced flat expanses. The tops of several great volcanoes loomed beyond, spewing fire and ash into the air and coating the sky above with thick, black smoke like a coven of dragons battling amongst themselves over a potential mate.

Tick Tock had insisted the group make camp several miles away, so that they wouldn’t be sleeping in range of any possible volcanic activity. The site they’d picked was littered with ash-stained rocks, but was otherwise the clearest spot they could find for nearly a mile around. Twilight had magically crafted a blueish-purple flame that flickered in the center of their campsite, around which most of the group now slept.

Their saddlebags, or rather what was left of their collection, rested nearby against the largest rock. In their haste to flee from the Gate, they’d left behind a full third of their initial number, leaving them desperately short of supplies. Fortunately, most of the bags they’d managed to keep carried their rationed assortment of Dolor products. Their fortune ended there. Other supplies were in much shorter availability.

Originally, Flathoof’s parents had given them substandard sleeping bags, one for each of them. They were now down to three, and one of them had been heavily torn. The two that remained in good condition were at first a topic of debate for the group, but Lockwood had insisted they be given to the less hardy members of the party: Rarity and Fluttershy. The other was being given out in rotation, and tonight it was Lockwood’s turn.

They also had no changes in clothes, something Rarity claimed to be an unmitigated disaster. The clothes they’d been wearing during their escape, which for the Ponyville natives were the same clothes they’d been wearing for the past two days, had long since become uncomfortable. They were barely used to wearing clothes at all, and certainly unaccustomed to wearing clothes while traveling, so some of them had to make some changes. Rarity had altered her dress in such a way that it no longer caught under her hooves. Pinkie had ditched her roller skates, as the desert terrain of the Wastelands wasn’t suited for wheels. Other than that, they were just matted with sweat, and covered with dirt.

Still, the journey hadn’t gotten off to too bad of a start.

Applejack inched around the campfire, making her way towards the perimeter of the camp to where Flathoof stood at attention. He’d agreed to take first watch, and it was nearing time for Applejack to take over for the next shift. Or so she guessed - she couldn’t be too sure. The sky above still churned with the murky orange veil of the ‘Beacon’, as Tick Tock had called it, so Applejack couldn’t see the moon or the stars at all.

“Y’all look like ya could use a little break,” she whispered, stepping up to Flathoof.

Flathoof half-turned his head towards her, and nodded to acknowledge her presence. “Are you still awake, Applejack? You really should be—" He interrupted himself with a loud, drawn-out yawn. “Getting some sleep.”

She chuckled. “I could say the same ‘bout yerself. Go on, get some sleep. I’m takin’ next watch anyway, so consider yerself relieved.”

“Nnnope, I’m not leaving my post until my shift is up,” he said, stomping a hoof in the dirt. “You can’t say anything that’ll change my—" Another yawn. “Mind.”

She laughed, feigning insult. “Don’t try actin’ all macho with me, sugar. That sorta thing might work on the others, like Twi and Rarity maybe, but it don’t hold with me.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Perhaps you’re right. You’re a tough cookie, I’ll give you that.”

He took another look at the smoldering red tops of the mountains in the distance, and let out a deep sigh. “I suppose I’m just trying to keep my mind off things. Whenever I get any sleep, I... dream. Not good dreams either. I’d rather put that off, if I could.”

Applejack frowned and nodded her head. She didn’t have the heart to tell him, but he talked in his sleep. “They’re ‘bout her, ain’t they? If ya need ta get somethin’ off yer chest, I’m here ta listen. That’s what I said I’d do.”

Flathoof stared at the ground for several moments. “Do they have magmaberries in your world?”

She blinked. “What-berries? Naw, I ain’t heard o’ nothing like that. What are they?”

“They’re a rare delicacy around these parts. Sweet on the outside, spicy on the inside... or was it the other way around? Popular in desserts around the holidays. My cousin Bundtcake works for a catering company that specializes in working with them.” He pointed off towards the volcanoes. “She says the Redblade Mountains are the only place in all of Equestria they grow, so they’re usually pretty expensive. They’re supposedly very dangerous to harvest.”

Applejack scratched her head. “Sounds awful fancy. I ain’t never been one ta like them high-falootin’ foods. I prefer my eats nice ‘n’ simple-like. Hay ‘n’ oats, apples ‘n’ carrots, stuff like that. Heck, I’m still gettin’ used ta this weird Dolor junk y’all got ‘round here. That Green stuff we brought... ugh.”

Flathoof laughed and scratched his chin. “Trust me, if you can handle the spice, they’re real tasty. I think you’d like them.”

“If y’all say so.” She adjusted her hat and stepped a little closer to him. “If these here things are so expensive, how d’ya get ta eat ‘em? No offense, but y’all said yerself that yer family weren’t exactly wealthy.”

“Well, my cousin always sends out a few magmaberry treats around the holidays to everypony in the family. Cousin Bundtcake is very popular, you understand. My mom makes the best magmaberry pie.” Flathoof closed his eyes and licked his lips.

“Last year, I invited Snapshot over, since she and her family were kind of on the outs. I felt it was the right thing to do, seeing as we were friends and all. She’d never tasted magmaberries before.” He laughed into his hoof. “We all got a good laugh. She couldn't handle it at first, but they grew on her.”

Applejack joined him in smiling. “See? There’s a happy memory. Y’all gotta hang onta those.”

“Yeah...” His smile fell. “A few weeks ago, she asked me about this year. My family just adored her, and they wanted her back so much that they asked her to come again. She wanted to know if we were having magmaberries, and asked me if I could get her a very specific kind of dessert she was interested in. She had a good taste in desserts, I think.”

He sighed. “Seeing these damned mountains reminds me all about it. I wish we didn’t have to come this way...”

Applejack remained silent a moment, then removed her hat and placed it over her heart. “If I’d known what this here place meant to ya, I would’ve argued goin’ ‘round another way.”

He sniffed and wiped a hoof under his eye. “Don’t blame yourself or your friends, Applejack. I don’t. I knew we were coming this way, and I chose not to argue it with Tick Tock. If this is the fastest way to get you all home and save your world, then this is the way we’re going. I’ve got to face these feelings eventually, and as much as I want to put some of them off... I know there’s no avoiding it.”

“Well that’s awful strong o’ y’all,” Applejack said, placing her leg around his neck. “I wish I could say the same ‘bout myself...”

They stood in silence for several moments.

Flathoof turned his head and looked at Applejack. “Applejack, what happened to your parents?”

Applejack shied away from the question, letting her hoof fall from around his neck. “It’s a long story,” she said, trying not to meet his gaze. “Ta be frank, I ain’t told nopony the whole story. My friends know just the most basic thing, that they ain’t with me no more. None o’ them know what it’s like, so I don’t feel right talkin’ ‘bout it much more’n that.”

“Don’t worry about it, Applejack.” Flathoof placed his hoof on her shoulder, putting her at ease. “I wouldn’t force you to talk about something you don’t feel comfortable with.”

Applejack nodded and grunted her appreciation. “Thank ya kindly. I don’t mean ta be short with ya, but—"

He smiled. “You don’t need to make excuses for me. I understand.”

Applejack turned back to look at him, hesitating for a moment before leaning her head into him. She laughed when he yawned loudly again. “My offer still stands, sugar. Go on, get some sleep. I’ll cover the rest o’ yer shift.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Fine. You win. You and your friends have a real way of convincing me to do what you want. I’ll have to watch out for that. Who knows what you girls might convince me to do.”

Applejack stopped him before he headed back into camp. “Y’all sure ya don’t need nothin’ else?”

He chuckled, continuing on his way. “Eeyup, pretty sure. Thanks again, Applejack.”

Applejack nodded. “D-don’t mention it, sugar.”

After he left earshot, Applejack shook her head, perplexed. “Did he just say what I think he did?”

That single word had deeply disturbed Applejack, and she wasn’t sure why. She’d heard that same word hundreds, perhaps thousands of times over the course of her life. Big Macintosh used it, and it was one of the only things he ever really said. Apple Bloom used it sometimes when imitating him, and Applejack used it herself every now and again. So why did it bother her now?

“Applejack? Are you taking over for Flathoof?”

Applejack jumped and swiveled to face the voice. “Oh! Twilight!” She let out a sigh of relief, then scratched her head. “Uh... yeah, ol’ Flathoof was gettin’ a mite tired. I don’t think he's used to late nights like this. Sent him off ta bed early.”

Twilight tilted her head and gave Applejack one of her analyzing looks. “Are you alright, Applejack? You look pale.”

Applejack tugged at the collar of her shirt. “What? Naw, I’m fine, sugarcube. Just... thinkin’ ‘bout somthin’, no big deal.” Her eyes darted back and forth in an attempt to think of something to change the subject, settling on the obvious. “So... what’re y’all doin’ up?”

“Tick Tock wanted to show me what kind of route we’re going to be taking, using that fascinating map of hers. She’s just gathering everything up.”

“Y’all seem ta be gettin’ along better with her, don’t ya?” Applejack chuckled, slapping Twilight on the back. She was just glad to get the focus off of herself. “Just a matter o’ time ‘fore y’all’re the best o’ friends.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed. “I wouldn’t go that far yet, Applejack. I like certain aspects of her, to be sure. She’s certainly intelligent and really knows her stuff about this world and all, so I’m learning a lot that might come in handy. But, there are a few things I think she’s gravely misinformed about.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Such as?”

“For one, that whole thing she tried to explain about the nature of magical energies?” Twilight huffed when Applejack kept a blank look on her face. “Well, it bothers me. See, I’ve done a great deal of studying, and I know where her point of view comes from, but I know she’s mistaken. I just don't know why she’s so adamant about it.”

Applejack shrugged. “All that talk went over my head last time y’all were arguin’ ‘bout it. Care ta tell me what exactly don’t make sense? I don’t like seein’ ponies arguin’ ‘bout somethin’ fer no good reason. Even if I don’t rightly understand, I’m a good listener.”

Twilight hesitated a moment and looked Applejack up and down, as if sizing her up. Then, she smiled and nodded. “Well, she says we all represent Law forces, right? You, me, and the other girls?”

“Yeah, I got that part.”

“And she said that we’re all opposed to Chaos forces, right?”

“Well yeah, that makes perfect sense ta me.” Applejack laughed, stomping a hoof. “We did fight off ol’ Discord right? The... funda... fondue... aw shoot, I forgot what y’all called him.”

“The fundamental representation and manifestation of the powers of Chaotic magicks?” Twilight said, eyes half-lidded.

“Yeah. All that hogwash.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, think about that for a second. She’s asking us to believe that Pinkie Pie represents a force of Law, not Chaos. Our Pinkie Pie. The same Pinkie Pie that operates a Party Cannon, randomly bursts into song, eats her weight in sugar every day, and keeps rubber balls hidden all over Ponyville in case of a ‘Ball Emergency’.”

Applejack chuckled and scratched her chin. “Now that y’all mention it, she did sorta enjoy all o’ Discord’s magic-y stuff. Chocolate milk rain and all.”

“See? It doesn’t make sense,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Pinkie Pie. But you have to admit, she’s not exactly the most... orderly.”

“Well I guess I can kinda see yer point, Twi, but do ya really need ta argue it so much with Tick Tock? It ain’t botherin’ nopony, right?”

Twilight sighed and slumped down. “It bothers me. It’s not so much that she’s wrong, so much as she’s so sure she’s right and won’t listen to reason. She still has a thing or two to change about her attitude.”

“And you still have a thing or two to learn about listening.”

Twilight jumped and wheeled around. She chuckled, her voice cracking. “Oh... uh, hey there Tick Tock. H-how long have you been standing there?”

Tick Tock snorted and pushed her way past Twilight and Applejack. “Long enough to know that I bloody well want to get this all over with, before you start trying to convince me I’m wrong about other fundamental world concepts. Like maybe telling me that up is down, or the moon is made of bloody cheese or something.”

“Well that’s just—"

Tick Tock ignored the other unicorn and turned to Applejack. “Applejack, you can get to bed now, if you’d like. Sparkle and I have matters to discuss, and we may be up a while. We’ll take over your watch.”

“If y’all don't mind, I’d like ta stay. I can't sleep,” Applejack said, looking off towards the camp. “I got a few too many things on mah mind, ta be honest.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked. “Like what?”

“Nothin’, don’t worry ‘bout it none.”

“Actually, this is good,” Twilight said, smiling and patting Applejack on the shoulder. “You’ve got better mountain climbing experience than I do. You’d probably be a better judge of what looks like a safer route.”

“Well thank ya kindly, Twi,” Applejack said, chuckling and tipping her hat. “I’d be more than happy ta help.”

“Good thinking, Sparkle. That experience might come in handy,” Tick Tock said. “I usually take the quickest route through, but I’m also usually by myself. Traveling as a group is a little different.”

“Fantastic!” Twilight said, clapping her hooves. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Tick Tock nodded and unfurled her map out of her vest pocket, fanning it out until it was about a yard long on every side. Her hoof flittered across it, prodding corners, and tapping images, causing the image on the map to erase and redraw itself rapidly until it looked like it was a detailed drawing of a mountain range.

Applejack shook her head in disbelief. “That map o’ yers always confuses me. How d’ya get it ta do all that? That some kind o’ magic?”

“To put it bluntly, yes,” Tick Tock said. “It’s a rare enchanted map, quite ancient in fact.”

“See? Isn’t it fascinating?” Twilight said, pointing her hoof at all the colorful displays, a huge smile on her face. “I’m not sure how many different spells were used to make it work, but there’s a lot of familiar magic here. This is better than any map I’ve ever used. Where did you get something like this, Tick Tock?”

Tick Tock paused for a moment, then started tracing her hoof along the map, creating a red trail. “My predecessor gave it to me a long time ago. It was a birthday present, the last he gave me before...” She waved her hoof and gestured to her map. “Come on, you said you wanted to help, so quit bloody talking and help.”

***

Rainbow snorted and pointed towards the trio of ponies that were wide awake on the other side of camp. She and Pinkie were resting just on the other side of the campfire, far enough away that they couldn’t be seen by the trio that was definitely awake. She didn’t want anypony else awake to see her.

“Look at them,” she whispered to Pinkie. “They’re all completely suckered in by this stupid plan. I can’t believe we’re going along with this. We’re agreeing to go slogging through a range a volcanoes. That’s just asking for trouble.”

“Tick Tock did say we could’ve objected at any time.” Pinkie yawned, snuggling tighter into Rainbow’s wing. “Kind of late to be complaining about it now.”

“I’ve been against it from the start, Pinks,” Rainbow said. “I didn’t know this place was a full range of volcanoes. I thought it was just one, and that we could find a way around it or something. Just how stupid does she think we are, taking us across a dangerous place like that?”

“Well of course they’re super dangerous, Dashie. They’re volcanoes,” Pinkie said, making an exploding gesture with her hooves. “But using common story logic, the adventurers must always pass over the most dangerous regions if they wish to take the shortest route, but then it ends up being longer. It’s part of the Eighth Law of Travel, only in this case the shortcut is actually shorter, but still more dangerous.”

“Pinkie, this is real life, not one of your weird games.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Same thing, as far as I’m concerned.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Well whatever, we’re all stuck walking along, climbing mountains covered with death and no escape plan. Twi’s gonna be busy focused on that aura spell or whatever to keep us cool, so I doubt she’d be able to get a teleport up for everypony in an emergency.”

“Well, Twilight and Applejack seem like they’ve got confidence in the plan, and so does Tick Tock. She says—"

“That she has plenty of experience climbing through here, yeah, I heard,” Rainbow said. She sighed and slumped into the dirt, narrowing her eyes at the green unicorn in the distance. “I still don’t trust that we’re not being led into some sort of trap, or something. I don’t know. I’m just still really suspicious of her motives.”

“Well at least you’ve moved on from not liking Mister Lockwood,” Pinkie said, kneading her hoof into Rainbow’s shoulder.

“H-hey, not so hard, Pinks. That spot’s still sore,” Rainbow winced.

“See, Dashie? You’re super stressed,” Pinkie cooed, working her hooves into Rainbow’s knotted muscles. “You need to relax. Twilight trusts Tick Tock, so we should trust Twilight’s judgement. Right?”

“I suppose.” Rainbow grunted, shifting as Pinkie began moving her hooves around to her other shoulder. “I’m just worried. Everything about this whole world just makes me feel... uneasy. I don’t know what it is.”

“You’re thinking of Finagle’s Law,” Pinkie said. She rolled her eyes and sighed at Rainbow’s blank look. “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, normally in the worst way possible.”

“Exactly.”

Pinkie blinked. “I was joking, you weren’t supposed to—"

“It’s like this,” Rainbow continued, “I’ve read enough Daring Do books to know that sooner or later something really, really bad is going to happen that just totally ruins everything.” She pointed incredulously at Pinkie. “If it wasn’t for you and Twilight, that explosion could’ve been it! Then, there was that whole thing at the Gate! We’re just barely making it through by the skin of our teeth here, Pinks, and now we’re storming into a whole mess of volcanoes.”

Pinkie giggled and bopped Rainbow’s nose. “Dashie, this is real life, not one of your story books.”

Rainbow stared ahead, then laughed. She tucked her wing tightly around Pinkie and ruffled her poofy mane. “Okay Pinks, you got me there. Still, I dunno, I’m just nervous about having so much faith that these ponies we just met are going to help us.”

“You don’t seem to have a problem with Flathoof.”

Rainbow stared off past the campfire at the large, breathing lump that was Flathoof. “Flathoof’s okay with me. He’s a decent guy. His attitude reminds me a lot of Twi’s brother, to be honest, even if he looks more like AJ’s. Both of those guys are pretty cool.

“Lockwood though...” She snorted, glancing off in the opposite direction to where Lockwood was sleeping in his sleeping bag not too far from Rarity and Fluttershy. “He’s too nice. Just gives and gives and gives, doesn’t ask for anything in return? I’ve met guys like that before. You think they’re all sweet and stuff, but...”

Pinkie gave Rainbow an expectant glance. “But...?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Whatever. I’m just worried about something happening. I don’t trust him. I know nopony else really brought it up, but don’t you think it’s weird that he doesn’t have a problem doing illegal stuff? He just kinda brushed it off as nothing.”

Pinkie glanced sideways at Rainbow, her eyes half-lidded. “Dashie, you admitted to having a fake ID. That’s exactly what he did for us.”

“Yeah well...” Rainbow muttered. She paused a moment, then huffed and scratched her ear. “That’s different.”

Rainbow then swished her hoof towards the three ponies talking on the opposite side of camp again. “Then there’s Tick Tock. I dunno... something about her just bothers me, I don’t know what it is.”

Pinkie sighed and wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s neck. “Look, you really just need to relax. Take it easy. Hakuna Matata. Everything will work out okay.” She nuzzled Rainbow’s neck. “I don’t like seeing you like this, Dashie. It makes me nervous...”

“Sorry, Pinks. I just worry about all of you...” Rainbow leaned into Pinkie and tucked a wing more tightly around her. “You most of all.”

***

Fluttershy tossed and turned, rustling along the inside of her sleeping bag and becoming more and more uncomfortable every second. She hadn’t told anypony yet, but she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since she left her cottage with Spike and Rarity to see what all the fuss was about concerning Princess Celestia’s letter to Twilight.

Fluttershy sighed when she noticed that Rarity still slept beside her. She was jealous that her best friend was able to focus on sleeping at a time like this. Strange, dangerous creatures could jump out at them at any moment. The volcanoes in the distance could erupt and spew flaming rocks that would crush them all. Sure, they had ponies standing watch to protect against both of those things—she could see Twilight, Tick Tock, and Applejack just at the camp perimeter studying something—but that didn’t put her at ease at all.

She needed somepony to talk to, somepony to tell her everything was going to be okay.

“Um... Rarity? Are you awake?”

Rarity stirred and began to mutter in her sleep. “Mmm... yes, I'll have the usual, please.”

She must be dreaming. Oh... I don’t want to wake her, but...

Fluttershy sighed, and prodded Rarity in the side. “Rarity? I... um... I need to talk to you.”

Rarity’s mouth curled up in a smile. “Oh yes, that is simply divine. A little lower please.” Her face became tinted with a soft, pink blush. “Ah... that’s the spot.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “What?” She paused, then put her hoof to her mouth. “Oh. Oh dear...”

Oh, she’d be so embarrassed if somepony heard her. Come on, Fluttershy. Be assertive.

She poked Rarity a little harder. “Rarity... w-wake up, please?”

Rarity grunted, and squealed in delight. “Mmm... such strong hooves,” she murmured, grabbing onto Fluttershy’s hoof and stroking it. “I bet you’re talented in other—"

“Rarity!”

“Eh?” Rarity smacked her lips together and blinked up at Fluttershy. “Fluttershy? Is it morning already?”

“No,” Fluttershy peeped, hiding behind her mane. “I’m sorry Rarity, but I c-couldn’t sleep. I was hoping I could... talk to you?”

“Oh?” Rarity yawned. “I don’t suppose this could wait until morning, could it? I was having the most amazing dream.”

Fluttershy blushed. “I know. I... um... heard.”

Rarity smiled. “Oh, you did?” She paused, then turned bright red. “Oh... you did.” She chuckled. “Eh heh... yes. Well. Um...”

“It sounded like a nice dream,” Fluttershy said, grinning. “D-do you want to t-talk about—"

Rarity coughed into her hoof. “Er... w-what did you want to talk about darling?”

“Oh, right. Well, I was wondering... d-do you think anypony is... upset with me? For agreeing with Miss Tock about the volcanoes?”

Rarity blinked, obviously surprised by the question. “Whatever do you mean? Why would you think such a thing?”

Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. “Well... do you think anypony is upset that I p-pushed for us to go along with it? I know that everypony was arguing about it at first... b-but—"

“Ohh... heavens darling, I don't think you have to worry about anything like that,” Rarity laughed, patting Fluttershy on the back. “They were all just upset that Miss Tock was so forward with the issue. I think Rainbow Dash and Applejack are just surprised you of all ponies would be her advocate. Nopony could ever be upset with you, Fluttershy, not unless you went out of your way to make it so.”

“I just... I want to go home, Rarity.” Fluttershy shied away into her sleeping bag. “I don’t like this place. I miss the colors and smells of home. I miss all my animal friends, my little Angel Bunny most of all.”

Rarity frowned and pulled the trembling pegasus in for a hug. “We all want to go home, my dear. We all have loved ones we’re worried about. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my dear little Opalescence. I’m worried about what my parents and sister are going through too, and my dear little Spikey Wikey of course. They must all be simply devastated. We’re all worried, dear. You’re not alone.”

Fluttershy sighed and let Rarity tighten the hug. “I... I know. B-but you all seem so much more... um... accepting of things here. This place is nothing like home. It’s dirty, cruel, dangerous, gloomy, and... I j-just don't like it here at all.”

“Oh... Fluttershy. You poor dear,” Rarity cooed, stroking Fluttershy’s mane. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” She placed a hoof gently on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Anything at all, you just say the word, and I’ll be there.”

Fluttershy sniffed and buried her face in Rarity’s neck. “I just... I w-want to know things are g-going to be okay. That we’ll all be safe. I’m s-so worried about everything. I... I’m s-s-scared, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled. “Don’t worry, darling. Everything will be just fine. After all, we all have each other here, right? And we have such knowledgeable guides with us to keep us safe.”

“Well... I suppose that makes me feel a little better,” Fluttershy said. “Miss Tock does seem to know—"

Rarity chuckled. “I was referring to Mister Lockwood, of course.” She winked. “He has been a most gracious traveling companion, has he not?”

“Oh... well, yes,” Fluttershy said. “He’s... nice.”

“I should say so. After all, these sleeping bags he provided are most comfortable, and they protect from the elements. A shame that some of them were left behind, but he did insist that you get to use one.” She coyly leaned into Fluttershy. “Wouldn’t you say that was awfully kind of him?”

“He insisted you get one too, though,” Fluttershy said, shying away from Rarity.

Rarity laughed. “Because I’m your friend, of course. The poor dear is nervous, I can tell. I think it’s charming, actually. Why, a mare should appreciate a little initial nervousness from a stallion.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Nervous? Why would he be nervous?”

“Well think about it, darling,” Rarity said, pointing her hoof out towards the sky in presentation. “You’re a beautiful young mare, considered one of the most delicate and graceful mares in all of our own Equestria. A former model, might I add? It obviously wasn’t my dress that drew Photo Finish to you, dear.”

“W-wait, he’s nervous... b-because of me? B-b-but—"

“Well of course he is, Fluttershy! And why not? In all the time I’ve known you, I have never once seen a stallion with enough courage to come up to you and attempt to court you. Imagine my surprise when I noticed! You, my dear, make stallions tremble at the knees.”

Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her mane again. “Oh... um... I don’t know about—"

“Funny how things like this work out though, is it not?” Rarity said, giving Fluttershy a teasing tap on the nose. “We had to travel across dimensions to finally meet a stallion brave enough to make a move on such a wonderful mare as yourself. It would make for a terrific romantic novel, don’t you think?”

“Oh... oh d-d-dear. I h-had no idea.”

“Oh I know, darling. He does such a fine job of hiding it. But, a mare with a keen eye for these sorts of things picks up on it quite quickly. The poor dear must be terrified of rejection! No wonder he isn’t so up-front about it yet. Why, I’m sure that’s the reason nopony back at home does it either, come to think of it.”

“Oh... b-but, what if you’re wrong, and—"

Rarity laughed. “Wrong? Oh Fluttershy, I don’t suppose you were paying much attention to certain things back in the city. Really darling, I can safely say that you two would be perfect for one another.”

“W-what makes you think—"

“Well for one, he’s such a sensitive individual, not unlike yourself. A little bolder than you in some respects, but that’s just the kind of companion you need. And while there aren’t many animals around for him to have much opinion of, he does care about other ponies, especially those poor foals in the slums.”

“Oh... that’s right,” Fluttershy mused. “I thought that was awful nice of him. I wish there had been something we could do to help.”

“And such a handsome gentlecolt too,” Rarity said, winking.

“Oh... um..” Fluttershy huddled into her sleeping bag again. “I... I wasn’t l-looking that much...”

Rarity exhaled. “It is a shame that we are not back at home with him. Why, I’ve been looking for a stallion with his physique to try out some male fashion lines, maybe branch out a little in my repertoire? Can you imagine him in a snappy tuxedo? Ooh, or a sleek collared vest? Oh, the possibilities. I bet he could keep me busy for weeks! If I could get him away from you, of course,” she added, playfully nudging Fluttershy in the side.

Fluttershy blushed even redder. “W-well, that does sound... nice. And I’m touched that you think he likes me and all, b-but what about that other mare? Um... Keeneye, was it? They seem to h-have... something between them. I w-wouldn't want to—"

Rarity chuckled into her hoof. “Oh, I assure you there is nothing going on there. Not to worry, darling. I’ll ensure everything works out between you two, or my name isn’t Rarity. After all, what could be more generous than helping my closest, dearest friend find her one true love?”

She yawned. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to my beauty sleep. Do try to get some sleep yourself, darling.”

“Oh, okay Rarity,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity set her head back down on her pillow.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. Then, her eyes widened. “Wait, what? I didn’t ask for you to help, Rarity. I’m certain if he... oh d-don’t fall asleep...” She poked Rarity, but the unicorn had already dozed off. “Rarity? Rarity? Oh dear...”

***

Nothing broke the monotonous stretch of barren desert that expanded as far as the eye could see. No trees blessed the arid sands with shade. No rocks beckoned travelers to rest. No landmarks stood as beacons of hope. Nothing. Just a vast expanse of nothing but sand, dirt, and dust.

The Wastelands. While the name for the region certainly wasn’t creative, it did get the point across.

Starlight Shadow marched across the inhospitable desert, her pace brisk and unfettered by exhaustion. Curaçao and Insipid were behind her, the former marching along at an even pace with Starlight, the latter bouncing along beside the former, giggling and talking a mile-a-minute. Starlight had learned to tune out the other unicorn’s incessant babbling.

However, she hadn’t learned to ignore Havocwing yet.

The pegasus fluttered up past the other two ponies and settled in alongside Starlight. “This is stupid,” she said, putting her hooves behind her head and kicking herself along in the air. “We’ve been traveling for two damn days, and we still haven’t caught up with those losers. How are they so far ahead of us? They didn’t get that big of a head-start.”

Starlight grunted and turned to glare at the pegasus. “Havocwing, clarify for me how your dissent is of any assistance, exactly?”

“Yeah Havoc, it’s, like, not all that bad,” Insipid said, picking up her pace to butt her head in between the two arguing ponies. “If we take a while, that’s just, like, more time I get to spend with Curaçao!”

She turned, and circled around the aforementioned earth pony. “You’re totally perfect and junk, Curie! I’m, like, totally learning so much from you? On how to be perfect, I mean.”

Curaçao sighed as Insipid nuzzled up against her, shying away just slightly. “Zut alors. I do not know what is worse: waiting to rendezvous wiz zose cretins, or ‘aving to deal wiz zee idolization. C’est la vie.”

“Oooh... fancy talk! I love the fancy talk! Say la vee! Teach mwah to talk all fancy and stuff, please Curie? That would be, like, tray sweet of you.”

Curaçao rolled her eyes. “Per’aps anozer time, non? We ‘ave much more pressing zings to be concerned wiz, vois-tu?”

Havocwing groaned. “Yeah, like catching up with those losers! Oh man, boss, you have no idea how much I want to find those jerks and pummel the ever-living crap out of them. You know what I mean, right? Well, maybe you don’t. Pummeling isn't your thing.”

Starlight snorted. “Patience, Havoc. We are certainly not far behind them now.”

She flared her horn and closed her eyes for a moment. Then, without a word, she stopped walking, and the other three followed suit. She pointed off in the direction they were marching towards.

“According to the information father provided us, we are merely another day and some hours’ march from our destination.”

“Still, we ‘ave not seen ‘ide nor ‘air of zem so far. Surely zere should be a trail?” Curaçao asked.

Starlight grunted and returned to marching, and the others fell back in step. “It is plausible they are attempting to bypass confrontation with any of the creatures out here. That grants us a crucial advantage. Those annoying arachnids are certainly not hindering our progress.”

“That’s my point!” Havocwing shouted, sweeping around in front of Starlight. “We should’ve caught up by now, yeah? Are you sure we’re going the right way, boss?”

Starlight stopped walking again. Her mouth curled in a scowl, her eyes narrowed, and her gaze shifted to Havocwing. “Havoc, correct me if I am mistaken, but are you questioning my sense of direction? Because it certainly sounds as though you are questioning my sense of direction.”

Havocwing gulped and shied away from Starlight’s intense glare. “Uh... n-no way boss. I was just repeating something... Grayscale said! Yeah! That bucking traitor.”

Starlight huffed, then turned her gaze upwards to the great-winged vulture that circled above them. “Grayscale Force! Present!”

Grayscale drifted to the ground like a feather caught in stagnant air. She yawned when she landed. “You called, boss?”

“Grayscale, have you been questioning my sense of direction?” Starlight asked, though her furious eyes were still directly fixed upon Havocwing.

Grayscale shrugged. “However you want to get where we’re going is fine with me, boss.”

“I presumed as much. That will be all, Grayscale. You may return to your duties.”

Grayscale stared at Starlight for a moment, then shrugged again. “Whatever you say, boss. I guess I’ll just get back to floating around, or whatever.” She flapped her great wings once, knocking Havocwing slightly off-balance, before taking flight and twisting back up into the sky.

“Now, what was it you expressed about Grayscale detesting my itinerary?” Starlight asked, stepping towards Havocwing until she and her were eye-to-eye.

Havocwing shuffled her hooves. “Uh... I... er...”

Starlight tilted her head and put her hoof to her ear. “Hmm? Please, enunciate more clearly. Once more?”

Curaçao coughed, drawing Starlight’s attention. “If I may, ma capitaine?” she interjected. Starlight nodded for her to continue. “I do not zink zat ‘avocving was questioning you, she is merely trying to ascertain zee situation. She is une idiote after all, non?”

Havocwing glowered at Curaçao, then jerked away when Starlight turned back to face her. “Uh, right. I just meant, what if they’re not taking this route? Then all of this is wasting our time, giving them a bigger lead. Right? They could have gone across Redblade.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “They would be exceeding the thresholds of stupidity and lunacy to travel via the Redblade Mountains. No, they are moving for Goldridge Pass and the ancient Gryphon Territories beyond the mountains. It is the only logical choice. I am aware of their rampant stupidity, but father maintains that their guide, the Chronomancer, is superbly experienced. At least she would not be so dense as to direct them along that route.”

Curaçao chuckled. “Oui, only a true imbecile would take zee ozer way. I know I would not want to go zere. Ah, it would ruin my perfect mane, non?”

Insipid sighed as she stroked the perfectly-styled mane in question. “And it is perfect, like totally perfect. I want a mane like yours, Curie.”

“Yeah, too bad all you’ve got is that mess on your head you call a mane,” Havocwing said, flicking her hoof through Insipid’s tangled curls. She tucked her hooves behind her head, her mouth curling in a cocky grin. “I’d go through Redblade if it were me.”

“Zank you for proving my point, dear ‘avocving,” Curaçao said.

Havocwing shot Curaçao another glare. “Because I can take the heat. Hello? I’m fireproof, you bucking idiot.”

“Like, watch your mouth, Havoc,” Insipid said, lurching forward so that she and Havocwing were nose-to-nose. “Like, ponies get hurt when they start bad-mouthing Curie around me. Got it?”

Havocwing snorted and pushed Insipid back. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” Insipid lifted a hoof, which started crackling with electricity.

Havocwing took a half-step back. “You... you kept that?” She sneered, then snorted and took another half-step back. “Whatever. Stay away from me. You smell like garbage.”

Curaçao rolled her eyes, but swooned. “Ah, mon chevalier en armure—my knight in shining armor.”

Insipid beamed in response.

“Enough, all of you,” Starlight said, stomping a hoof. “We are exhausting our precious supply of time and distance.”

“I don’t know what everypony's getting all worked up for,” Velvet said, suddenly appearing in the middle of the group.

Insipid and Havocwing jumped in surprise.

Velvet was covered in a grimy, greenish-red goop, but was obviously still busy cleaning the stuff off of herself. She scraped a great glob of the gunk off her flank and put it in her mouth, making pleasured mumbles as she cleaned it with her tongue.

“Quit doing that!” Havocwing shouted. “Gonna give me a bucking heart attack one of these days!”

Velvet licked her lips. “Mmm... myocardial infarction.”

“Yeah well, I... yeah! Take your... big words... and...” Havocwing took a sharp breath through her nostrils, then turned around and started off along their marching path. “Whatever, creep-job. Just stay away from me.”

Velvet shrugged and turned to Starlight. “As I was saying, I don't see what the big deal is. All these buggy things we’ve been killing has made this little trip fun! So much blood... mmmm...” She licked her lips and cleaned off more of the gunk. “Ohhh, it’s so tasty.”

Insipid blanched. “Like, gross. Gag me with a spoon.”

Velvet brightened and turned to Insipid. “Yeah, I know, right? Gargantuan blood isn’t quite as good as pony blood. Got a spicy kick to it, tastes kind of like booze? Eh, I miss Mister Jetstream already.” She sighed and rubbed her stomach. “I should’ve rationed him a little more, huh? But pegasi wings are just so good!”

Insipid pouted and rubbed her own stomach. “Can we take a break, boss?” she asked. “All this walking is making me just, like, so tired. And I’m hungry for some reason now?”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Hungry? We dined no more than an hour ago. Why are you—"

Insipid shrugged. “I dunno, like, Velvet mentioned food or something, and now I’m hungry too.”

Grayscale landed lightly amidst the group. “So, basically, you want to eat ponies too? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Like, where did you come from?” Insipid asked, sneering and giving Grayscale a once-over. “You never, like, talk? What’s it to you if I’m hungry and junk?”

Grayscale shrugged. “Oh, sorry. I thought you were gonna try being a cannibal now, and needed the moral support. I guess if you don’t, that’s okay too. Just trying to help.”

“Wait, huh?” Insipid scratched her head. “Cannibal. Cannibal... oh!” She blanched. “Like, total barf trip, ewww, no!”

She turned to Starlight, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Booosss, Grayscale’s being totally meeean. Like, punish her or something?”

“Wonderful, now you are whining as well,” Starlight muttered, holding the bridge of her nose. “I anticipated this trip grating upon my nerves. I detest my precognitive capabilities.”

Insipid snorted. “Like, nuh-uh, I am totally not whining, boss. I’m complaining. Do you, like, want to hear whining?”

“No!” Starlight shouted, her voice cracking. She coughed into her hoof, attempting to regain her composure. “Rather, if you insist, then I imagine that some repose may be to our benefit. Grayscale!”

Grayscale saluted. “Yeah boss?”

“We are assembling camp here. I am granting you the honor of primary patrol, so ‘shake a wing’, as Havocwing would say. Rouse us from our slumber in two hours, and we shall continue forging ahead. You may nap then, and rendezvous with us subsequently.”

Grayscale shrugged. “I’m honored that I get to stand here motionless for a few hours while everypony else sleeps. Thanks boss. I guess.”

“Excellent. Havocwing!” Starlight shouted, turning to glare at the other pegasus.

Havocwing swooped over and gave her own half-hearted salute. “Yeah yeah yeah, ‘get a fire started’. What else is new?” She snorted, igniting her hooves and spreading a flame along the ground in front of her. “So stupid... taking a break right now. I ain’t even bucking tired.”

“Oh moan moan moan, that’s all you ever do,” Velvet said, sticking her nose in the air. “If you really wanted to make yourself useful, you’d be a good barbeque and help me cook up these bugs for dinner. They’re not as good raw.”

“I’m not your personal bucking kitchen, Red!” Havocwing shouted, wheeling around to face Velvet.

Velvet snickered and loosed a cluster of bladed tendrils from her back that snaked around her. She dangled the sharp appendages in front of Havocwing’s face. “I beg to differ, Havoc. I bet your wings taste the best...” She licked her lips and sauntered towards the pegasus. “You’re so lean... and tender...”

Havocwing staggered back, though she tried to maintain a fierce scowl on her face. “You stay the hell away from me and my wings, psycho. You touch me, I’ll kick your ass, you got that?”

“Everypony’s gotta sleep sometime, Havoc...” Velvet said, her eyes gaining a red tint.

Starlight flared her horn and grabbed the two ponies by the neck, dragging them over to her and glowering at both of them. “Enough! I grow impatient with your constant quarreling! If I am required to repeat myself again, I will forcibly separate the both of you - atom by atom. Am I clear?”

The two shared nervous glances at one another, then nodded. “Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

Starlight released them, then snorted and curled up in the sand. Her horn flared again, taking a great scoop of sand and morphing into a pillow before resting her head upon it and getting to sleep.


	11. Inflammable

Twilight’s dilemma was perplexing at best, confounding at worst: was Tick Tock a complete and utter imbecile, or amongst the smartest ponies she’d ever met? Normally, Twilight felt she was able to determine within a short time the level of another pony’s intellect. Now, she admitted that perhaps academic measurements weren’t the absolute answer.

She certainly knew spell modification was possible, but in her experience it was mostly theories, rarely practice, and rarer still commonplace. Tick Tock had, with her usual snark, guided her through a process she thought preposterous, as if she were going over a baking recipe. Twilight wasn’t particularly impressed per se, just put off that somepony with such a lacking knowledge of fundamental magical forces could have such an understanding of obscure, specialized areas. It was like meeting a brilliant arcane physicist who couldn’t do simple addition.

Now, she was hiking along a volcanic mountain trail, generating an aura of magic that kept herself and her friends in moderate comfort, protected from the intense heat. The spell was officially known as a Personal Temperature Aura, and normally wasn’t suited for extreme temperatures nor for multiple ponies. A little tweaking had turned it into a Party Temperature Aura; Tick Tock insisted on the name to keep the abbreviation the same.

It wasn’t perfect by any means, as keeping it too large took a lot of concentration, and Twilight needed to keep it maintained for about three full days. They were thereby forced to travel in close proximity to one another. Only Tick Tock avoided being cramped up with the rest of them, taking the lead ahead of the group in her own personal aura.

The tightly-knit group rounded another bend of the cliff and climbed over a ridge. Up close, the Redblade Mountains looked every bit more imposing than they did from afar. The great, black volcanoes dotted the landscape for miles into the distance. Rivers of red magma flowed from the tops of many of them, trickling down into various craters and forming lakes. The entire sky was covered with black smoke and ash, and they could no longer see the orange veil of the Beacon whatsoever.

Worse, it was hot. Very hot.

Rarity groaned as the party clumsily climbed another small steppe. “I don’t know which is worse: the ravaging all this heat is doing to my beautiful mane, or the smell from the rest of you.”

She fanned herself with Lockwood’s hat, as the stallion had graciously lent it to her for expressly this purpose. Her dress, like all the others’ clothing, was damp with sweat. “Ugh... much too much pony sweat for such a confined space, and I know some of us haven’t properly bathed once since we got to this world,” she added, glancing at Applejack and Rainbow.

“What stinks is that I’m not able to fly.” Rainbow sighed as she attempted to flex her wings, but couldn’t really stretch them without slapping Pinkie or Twilight. “There isn’t any room in this bubble to really stretch out.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “What’s worse is yer moanin’ about it, Rarity. Give my ears a rest. Y’all been flappin’ yer gums fer the last two hours. What’d y’all expect? One o’ them fancy sauna thingies?”

Rarity snorted. “If it were, you would be certain I wouldn’t be having any complaints. Heavens, I could certainly use a trip to a spa when this is all over. I might even have to spring for the Deluxe treatment! Oh... my poor mane.”

“Sugarcube, y’all gotta get yer priorities straight. We’re here climbin’ up a dang volcano and you’re worried ‘bout yer dang mane?”

“And why not? Just because we’re in inhospitable conditions doesn’t mean I shouldn’t want to look my best.”

Twilight sighed. “Girls, really, it’s enough trouble trying to focus on keeping this spell steady without you all bickering back there. Can we at least save it until we hit the first checkpoint? Please?”

“How much longer is it, anyhow?” Rainbow asked, her eyes darting about. “We’ve been walking for hours already, and all the heat is making me thirsty.”

“It's beyond the next ridge, not much longer,” Tick Tock called back from her position further ahead.

The group had to cautiously tread across ground that they would have normally been much less concerned about. They coordinated climbing over boulders and steppes, sliding along crevices and cliffs, and hiking through winding paths and twisting slopes. It all seemed like trying to solve some sort of complicated puzzle. In most cases, the pegasi had to hover low while the earth ponies and unicorns were forced to crowd together, hence Rarity’s grievances about the smell. Other areas that alone would seem only slightly exerting were proving near impossible. Small chasms, not much wider than the one they remembered from Dragon Mountain, became gorges.

Such a problem presented itself to them now: a narrow chasm, no more than two yards wide, overlooking a slowly-churning river of molten rock. This was no matter that a little hop, skip, and a jump would solve.

Applejack looked over the edge, careful not to poke her head out of Twilight’s aura. “This sure wasn’t on the map, Tick Tock. I thought y’all said it was accurate? It sure as shootin’ showed a rock bridge here.”

Tick Tock grunted and pulled her map out to double-check, showing it to Twilight and Applejack as proof. “Volcanic regions are naturally in a state of constant flux. This is a recent change, sad to say. I last came this way no more than a month ago.”

The map subtly altered itself without any prodding from Tick Tock at all. The rock bridge that had been on the trail before was erased and replaced by the broken chasm that lay before them.

Applejack scratched her head. “Well don’t that beat all. It did that all on its own.”

“Fascinating...” Twilight said. “I really hope we get some time eventually that I can give this map a proper lookover. I’m constantly impressed at the capabilities it has. Your predecessor must have been some magician.”

Rainbow snorted, drawing their attention. “If we’re not too distracted praising the piece of paper, can we get back to the fact that our route just got royally screwed over?”

“Can’t we just go around?” Twilight asked, glancing back at the map. “Surely there’s an alternate route?”

“Sadly not,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. She pointed up along the trail to a higher point on the cliff. “Until we hit the second ridge, this is the only practical path in or out of the mountain range, or at least it will be for a few dozen years. When this magma cools, it’ll make for a proper nice shortcut up the slope, should save travelers a good couple of hours.”

Rainbow groaned. “Great. Just great. How are we supposed to cross this all at once? We can’t exactly jump it together, we’d risk misstepping and getting all of us killed!”

“Don’t look at it so negatively, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Think of it as a test. We just have to think it out a little, that’s all. Just keep calm, focus, and we’ll get through it, just like we have with every other problem we’ve faced.”

“Hmph, you would think of it like a test, Twilight.”

“Is this test multiple choice, or true-and-false?” Pinkie asked. “Or maybe it’s like an essay exam? Ooh, I hate those. I remember having to write some when I was in school, and sister let me tell you, it is hard writing without magic. Nah, this looks more like fill-in-the-blank. See ‘cause there’s a big gap in the middle that should be filled in with something else, and—"

Twilight breathed an exasperated sigh. “Not that kind of—" She paused. “Wait... say that last part again?”

“Well, I was until I was interrupted,” Pinkie said, rolling her eyes. “Like I was saying, there used to be a rock bridge here, like Tick Tock said, right? So the question would be, ‘There used to be a blank here’, and the answer would be, ‘rock bridge’!”

Twilight groaned. “Before that, Pinkie.”

“Oh, about my essay? Well the topic was about this book we were reading, The Great... Gallopsby? I didn’t really like the book too much, ‘cause there was a lot of really weird dialogue in it. Pfh, who calls anyone ‘old sport’, really? And that ending! So depressing. I mean—"

Twilight narrowed her eyes and gave Pinkie a grumpy look.

Pinkie laughed nervously. “Oh, right. Uh... fill-in-the-blank?”

“Yes, thank you.” Twilight hummed in thought for a moment. “Aha! That’s it!” she said, her eyes alight with an idea. “Pinkie Pie, I don’t often say this, but you are a genius.”

“Well thanks, Twilight, I appreciate it,” Pinkie said, her smile enormous. Smile still on her face, she leaned over to Rainbow and asked, “Why am I a genius again?”

“I wonder sometimes,” Rainbow replied.

“We’re going to ‘fill in the blank’, like you said,” Twilight explained, pointing out across the chasm. “As Rainbow pointed out, we can’t all jump across at once and stay under my spell without serious risk. So, we’re going to pretend the gap is the ‘blank’ and we’re going to ‘fill it in’ with my aura.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Applejack said. “Then we just jump across, right?”

“Precisely. The gap’s not that wide, anypony here could make it across with just a—"

“Hop, skip, and a jump!” Pinkie shouted. “♫It’s not very far, just move your little—"

Rainbow put her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth.

“Are you sure that’s wise, Sparkle?” Tick Tock asked, glancing over the chasm. “This aura is already a proper challenge to keep up, you’ve said so yourself. It wouldn’t do us any good for you to wear yourself out.”

Twilight laughed. “With Rarity’s help, I’m sure it’ll be no trouble at all.”

Rarity pointed at herself. “Me, darling? Oh! Am I to give you a little ‘boost’ again, as t’were?”

“That’s exactly right,” Twilight said, giving Rarity her most encouraging smile. “You’ve shown us how good you are at it already, so I see no reason not to use that to our advantage. If you can help me tear open two massive slabs of metal, why couldn’t you help me get a little more range out of my aura?”

Rarity smiled and brushed back her mane. “Well, yes, I suppose I am quite the natural,” she said, earning eyerolls from Rainbow and Applejack. “Very well, Twilight, let’s give it a try. No harm in trying, yes?”

“Do you need my help, Sparkle?” Tick Tock asked.

Twilight shook her head. “Not with the spell, no. However, I’d like you to be the first to leap across, if you would? Since you have your own aura magic, I’ll feel better sending you over to test the extent of the spell.”

Tick Tock nodded. “Very well. Whenever you’re ready, Sparkle, Rarity.”

Rarity and Twilight gave one another reassuring glances. Rarity channeled her magic, causing Twilight’s horn to glow bright blue instead of pink.

Twilight took a deep breath and willed her aura to expand. It grew and grew, growing large enough that it could easily contain all of them. It kept growing, and soon the edge of the magical field was just touching the opposite side of the chasm. She took another sharp breath as she continued expanding the spell, until it stopped expanding just past the ledge.

“Whoa nelly,” Applejack said. “It sure did get mite bit cooler in here, didn’t it?”

“You can say that again,” Flathoof said, wiping his brow.

“It sure did get a mite bit cooler in here, didn’t it?” Pinkie said in her convincing imitation of Applejack. Applejack and Flathoof both gave her a look of disbelief. “What?”

“Phew...” Twilight took a deep breath. She blinked her eyes open, and her mouth curled into a frown. “Drat... not quite far enough. I don’t think... I can expand much more... without expending too much... energy.”

“Are you alright, Sparkle?” Tick Tock asked. “I can help if you—"

“Hang on, I’m going to... modify the field’s shape...”

Twilight closed her eyes again and focused her mind. A perfect sphere was of no use here. They didn’t need to back up too far to make the jump after all, nor did they need much room on their sides. So, she elected on something else. Cubic? No, that held the same principle problems as a sphere and made the landing zone too strict. An ellipsoid? No, that made the issue worse by detracting from the height allowance. But, it did give them more room on the other side of the chasm. That was it then. An oblate spheroid.

As soon as her brain came up with the idea, the field of magic shaped itself to her whim. It expanded just enough on all sides to give them plenty of room to land safely, but left enough room above that they wouldn’t be out of the bubble while in mid-air either. Just perfect. Thank you Mathemagicks 201.

“See?” she said, gesturing out over the chasm. “Rarity and I... have this covered. No problem. Now then... let’s start getting you ponies across. Tick Tock, I believe... you’re our first volunteer?”

Tick Tock nodded. “Righto then, here I go.”

She stepped back from the chasm edge, then took a running leap, landing safely on the other side.

“Woo! Nice jump, Tick Tock!” Pinkie cheered, holding up a large card reading 10.

“Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.” Tick Tock waved over at the others. “Okay, girls, no time to dawdle. Who’s next?”

“Piece of cake,” Rainbow said, stepping forward. “Watch and learn from the master, ponies.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Dash, y’all can fly. This ain’t nothin’ hard at all.”

Rainbow snorted and laughed. “Oh AJ, please. If you’re going to leap a chasm, you may as well do it with style.” She snapped a hoof over at Pinkie. “Pinks, my cheering section all set?”

Pinkie raised a pom-pom covered hoof. “All set, Dashie!”

Rainbow stepped forward and snapped her wings open to flex them, earning a flustered sputter from both Rarity and Twilight who got faces full of feathers. She took a graceful leap over the gap. About midway through, she casually twirled into a loop, and ended up scraping the top of the aura, ending up outside of it for a fleeting second. She yowled and dive straight back down and landed on the other side of the chasm, beating her wings to cool them off.

“Ahhh hot hot hoott!” she shouted, stroking her slightly-singed wings. “Sweet Celestia, it’s like I just took a bath in boiling water!”

“Fancy that, it’s hot outside the protective aura. Who’d have thought, eh?” Tick Tock said.

Rainbow snorted. “Oh shut up...”

“Yay Dashie!” Pinkie cheered, waving her pom-poms around like a madmare.

“Well that was somethin’ alright, Dash,” Applejack said, trying not to laugh. “Y’all sure ya don’t wanna give it another go?”

“Yeah! Encore!”

“Not helping, Pinks!” Rainbow shouted.

Twilight turned to the others and gestured towards the other side. “That’s two down... who wants to go next?”

“Well shoot, I’ll do it,” Applejack said, adjusting her hat. “I’ve jumped wider at dang near every rodeo I ever entered. Like Dash said, ‘piece o’ cake’. Only I won’t go burnin’ my biscuits.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Rainbow said. She took a step back so that she was even with Tick Tock, who was standing exactly where she’d landed earlier. “Ten bits says you can’t make it over my head.”

Rarity snorted. “Girls, this is no time for—"

“You’re on, Dash,” Applejack said, her mouth curling in a smirk. “These legs o’ mine ain’t just good fer buckin’ apples, y’know? Tell ya what, double or nothin’ I don’t even need a runnin’ start.”

Rainbow huffed and paused to think a moment, then snapped her hoof at Applejack. “You’re on, AJ!”

Applejack chuckled, took a single step backwards, then leapt forward and with a great push from her hind legs. She sprung across the gap, an eagle in flight.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped as Applejack sailed over her head, ducking as the earth pony’s rear hooves narrowly missed her.

Applejack landed perfectly, just inches from the protective aura’s border. She turned, and gave a proud whinny. “Yeehaw!”

“Horseapples...” Rainbow muttered.

“This looks like fun!” Pinkie said, bouncing about. “I always did like the lava levels. Can I go next? Huh? Can I can I can I?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes. Fine. Just... be careful, Pinkie. This isn’t a—"

Pinkie took an exaggerated but effortless hop across the chasm, nowhere near good enough to make it across.

“Pinkie!”

Rainbow bolted forward and made to charge out and grab the tumbling earth pony, who was about to miss the other side of the gap and fall into the magma below.

But then, to everypony’s surprise, Pinkie somehow managed to bounce in mid-air and bound over Rainbow’s head, landing precisely next to Applejack.

Applejack stepped back. “What in tarnation...”

“How did... wait, what in the... did you just... how?” Rainbow blurted.

“Pshaw, piece of cake, Dashie. Or piece of Pie rather,” Pinkie said, snickering and waving her hoof. “Tutorial levels are really forgiving anyway. No trouble at all. You’re looking at the master of the double-jump.”

“There are no words,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head.

“Well... um, right.” Twilight coughed and turned back to the others still on her side. “Okay then, who wants to go next?”

Flathoof snorted and took a few steps back. “Step aside, please, Miss Sparkle, Miss Rarity. I’m the only actual jumper left anyway, I think.”

Lockwood laughed. “Oh, good for you, Flathoof. I suppose you were just being polite, letting the girls go first?”

“Oh shut up.”

Flathoof charged forward and leapt into the air, sailing across the chasm. He just barely landed in front of Applejack, almost bumping right into her.

Applejack chuckled, shaking her head. “Gosh, sugar, y’all barely made it as far as I did.”

“Uh...” He shook his head. “W-well, I didn’t want to show you up, is all. I could have made it as far as you.”

“Well alright then... now the other two pegasi... can cross,” Twilight said. “Fluttershy? Mister Lockwood?”

Fluttershy glanced over the side of the chasm and gulped. “Oh d-d-dear... do I h-have to?”

Lockwood gave her a bright, reassuring smile. “Nothing to be afraid of, my dear Miss Fluttershy. Why, as Miss Pie over there said, it’s just a—"

“Hop, skip, and a jump!” Pinkie shouted. “♫It’s not very—"

Rainbow stuffed her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth again, causing Pinkie to roll her eyes and mumble through it.

“B-but it’s so... wide.” Fluttershy shuddered and shied away from the gorge. “I c-c-can’t do this.”

“Would you like me to... carry you across, perhaps?” Lockwood suggested. “I mean, if it’ll make you feel safer.”

“Oh, I d-don’t want to trouble—" she started to say. She turned her head to Rarity, who was giving her a wide-eyed, expectant look. “W-well, I suppose if... you want to.”

Lockwood stepped over to the side of the gap and spread his wings, then gestured for Fluttershy to hop on.

She awkwardly got onto his back and wrapped her hooves around his neck. “Um... th-this is a little... embarrassing. I d-don’t usually take r-rides from anypony... w-well, except Rainbow Dash.”

“It’s no trouble, just keep a loose grip and mind your legs,” Lockwood said. He took a few steps back, then leapt out over the chasm and spread his wings, gliding slowly through the air. He turned his head back to his passenger and said, “Remember, don’t look down, okay?”

“D-down?” she asked, unable to resist the temptation.

The sight of her and Lockwood gliding over deadly magma made her squeal loudly and tighten her grip, causing Lockwood to fumble in the air and lose altitude. She continued clinging to him even as they landed on the other side, and Lockwood stumbled to the ground.

“M-Miss Fluttershy?” Lockwood wheezed. “If... if you could... loosen up a tad—"

She opened one eye and looked around. “Huh? Oh!” she squeaked, releasing herself and scrambling off of him. “Oh d-dear, I’m sorry! I j-just... got a little f-f-frightened and... oh no, I hope I d-didn’t hurt you. Are you okay?”

He took a deep breath. “I’m all right,” he said, tugging his collar. “A dainty thing like you choking me to death would probably be the least painful way to die out here.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Smooth.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Whew... okay, just two to go. Go ahead, Rarity. Your turn.”

Rarity nervously glanced over the chasm. “Oh dear. Uh... darling, I’m not too confident I can make that jump. Athletics aren’t exactly my forte, see, and—"

“It’s alright, Rarity.” Twilight called over to the other side, “Rainbow!”

Rainbow glided over and saluted. “Rainbow Dash Airlines, reporting! Ready for the ride across, O Delicate One?”

Rarity huffed and stroked her mane back again. “Hmph. Just try not to get your filthy hooves all over me, Rainbow Dash. It’s bad enough I have to clean up all this mess I’m already in, without you—"

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Rainbow interrupted, grabbing Rarity by the sides and gliding back over with the unicorn in tow.

“Rainbow Dash, you ruffian! You brute! I didn’t say I was ready!”

“Quit squirming, Rarity!” Rainbow dropped Rarity off safely on the other side, next to Fluttershy and Lockwood. “Sheesh. Over-dramatic much?”

“And that just leaves me,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath. “Rainbow, are you ready to—"

“*hic!*” Everypony stared at Pinkie Pie, who’d just randomly hiccuped. “Uh-oh...” she muttered.

A rumbling tremor shook the earth around them. There was a loud crack, and the edge of the gap Twilight was on lurched outward and started sinking into the magma.

“Twilight!”

Twilight stumbled and fell to the ground as it crumbled beneath her. In her panic, she lost some focus on her spell, and the protective aura began to shrink. The ponies on the other side of the chasm started shrinking towards the edge of the gap in order to stay in the bubble.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.

“Hang on Twi!” Rainbow darted over and scooped Twilight up just as the outcropping slid into the magma and was washed away. “Whew... that was close. You okay?”

Twilight gulped and nodded. “Yeah... yeah, I’m alright. Of all the times for an earthquake...”

Midway across the gap, another resounding crack filled the air.

“That... didn’t sound good...” Flathoof said.

“Aw horseapples...” Applejack said, stepping back and away from the edge of the gap.

The ground beneath the other ponies lurched forward the same as the other side had done, but the added weight hastened the crumbling.

Rainbow and Twilight watched in horror as the pillar of rock their friends were on started to tumble towards the river of magma below. They quickly landed on the side of the cliff that was still intact, and Rainbow lunged over the gap to start carrying ponies across, starting with Pinkie Pie. Lockwood helped get the trembling Fluttershy across, then he and Rainbow bolted back across to get Tick Tock and Rarity, respectively.

But, the pillar continued to sink, and with another crunch, it swivelled towards the lava.

Applejack whinnied and braced her rear hooves on the edge of the falling rock, lurching her fore hooves towards the edge they’d just split from. Despite it looking like it was much too far, Applejack’s hooves hit a chunk of solid ground that somehow had suddenly jutted out of the cliffside.

The pillar of rock stopped moving long enough for Flathoof to leap the distance on his own. Once he was across, Rainbow scooped up Applejack and delivered her to safety, letting the rock crumble into the magma.

“Whew... thanks, Dash,” Applejack said. She took a deep breath and fanned herself with her hat. “Golly, that was close.”

“Perhaps it would be best if we keep moving before more of the cliff breaks apart, yes?” Tick Tock said, starting towards the next leg of the trail.

“Yeah... good idea,” Twilight said, nodding. “Come on everypony. We can take a breather at the checkpoint.”

***

Applejack wasn’t exactly sure how it had happened, but she was glad that it did. When that rock spire had broken off, all she could think about was how desperately she wished the other side was just a little bit closer. When it happened, she didn’t know what to make of it; now, she just chalked it up to luck. There was no sense in dwelling on it now, though. There was climbing to do.

The group continued towards the top of the next ridge, avoiding perilous pitfalls, shaky slopes, and dangerous drops that barred their way. As they climbed higher and higher, their sweating intensified, and their panting became more frequent. Despite the checkpoint only being “just ahead”, as Tick Tock repeated every time somepony asked, it still felt like it was much too far. Every ridge they reached wasn’t the one they were moving towards.

At last, they climbed over another ridge and ended up on a flat, clear patch of rock midway up the peak of the first volcano. A river of magma from the volcano top churned along just beside the clearing, though it had long since cooled.

“And we’re here,” Tick Tock announced, trotting into the center of the clearing. “Time for a rest, everypony. Sparkle, you can decrease your aura’s radius a bit, we don’t need much room.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank goodness, a chance to relax. This spell is exhausting. I don’t know how I’m going to keep it going for three whole days. You still haven’t explained how I’m going to keep it up while sleeping.”

“We’ll worry about all that later, trust me,” Tick Tock dismissed. “For now, yes, relax. We’re going to need it.”

Twilight shook her head and settled herself in the center of the clearing next to Tick Tock, shrinking her aura as she did so. It now just barely covered the ridge, far out enough that her friends could stretch and breathe. Flathoof, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash set the collection of saddlebags down, opening them and passing out their supply of Dolor products.

They’d brought Dolor Green for food, which tasted like soggy green beans with too much salt, but was both nutritious and filling. They’d brought Liquified Dolor Blue to drink, which tasted like watered-down spearmint toothpaste, but was basically like drinking mineral water, at least according to Lockwood. Nopony agreed with him. Unsurprisingly, their rations turned out to be easy to ration.

Applejack’s curiosity was piqued by the series of berry bushes that stood alongside the cooled river of magma nearby. Bushes, here? If this were a regular mountain, sure, they could be any assortment of berry bushes, most likely blueberries. However, this was a volcano. When Flathoof had told her about these things called ‘magmaberries’ that grew here, she assumed it had just been a marketing gimmick, one older than dirt, to get customers to think the berries were exceedingly rare. Dishonest, but heck if it wasn’t effective.

Each bush was completely devoid of leaves and almost entirely covered with tons of little berries that Applejack had never seen the likes of before. They were tiny red and black spheres with thick, pulsing orange veins. She eyed them with caution, because to be fair they didn’t appear very palatable. In fact, they looked downright deadly.

But, Flathoof had claimed not only to have eaten them, but to have enjoyed them, and to have family who made a living harvesting them. She was fascinated just at the prospect of such a thing. The farmer in her could not resist the urge to figure out how this crop prospered under these conditions.

“So these are magmaberries, huh?” Applejack asked, stepping over to one of the bushes that was inside Twilight’s protective spell. It took her a great deal of effort not to just reach out and touch.

“Eeyup,” Flathoof said.

Applejack inwardly flinched at the word, but brushed off the feeling. “Well they sure do look a sight. And they’re awful big too, bigger than any berries I’ve seen at home.”

“This crop isn’t even the best,” he continued. He gestured towards the top of the volcano they were climbing. “The best stuff grows closer to the volcano top.” He paused for a moment, then picked one of the berries and presented it to Applejack. “See, the best ones are a bright orangish-red. These are more of a reddish-black.”

“I never pegged ya fer a berry expert, sugar.”

Flathoof chuckled and shrugged. “Well, I’m really just parroting a bunch of stuff Bundtcake told me. I was hoping your knowledge of farming would help me learn more.”

“Well, seein’ as I ain’t got much experience with ‘em, I can’t really answer much, but I’ll give it an honest try,” Applejack said.

She took the berry from Flathoof and began looking it over. She was used to examining berries and the like for quality, but this was something completely different. The berry in her hoof looked and felt strange, and when she glanced back at the rest of the bush, she noticed that all the other berries looked just as unique, not a one sharing the same red-black pattern. How was she supposed to judge their quality if they all looked different? What did bruises even look like on these? How could she tell if they were ripe?

“I ain’t never seen berries like this before,” she said, passing the berry back to Flathoof. “How do they grow in these conditions? Nopony tends to ‘em, right?”

“They’re magical,” Tick Tock interjected.

Applejack glanced over at the nosey unicorn, not remembering inviting her to join in the relatively private discussion she was having. “Magic, ya say?”

Tick Tock nodded, and gestured out into the distance towards the Wastelands they’d left behind. “The whole northern continent is covered with latent, subtle magicks. It makes for some proper strange phenomena, since it’s all Chaotic in nature.”

Applejack noticed Tick Tock shoot Twilight a quick look, as if expecting a rebuttal. Twilight must not have heard the quip, as she hadn’t reacted to it at all.

Tick Tock continued, “These berries are just one of the many things that all that magic has made possible, and sad to say is one of the only good things to come out of it.”

“Magical fruit... huh.” Applejack smiled and stomped a hoof. “Well shoot, that ain’t nothin’ new ta me. We got magical fruits ‘n’ the like back home, too. Heck, my family takes pride in our yearly zap apple harvest, an’ boy if those things ain’t just the pickiest eats y’all ever had. Only grow in just the right conditions.”

“Zap... apples?” Flathoof shook his head. “First it’s regular apples, now you’ve also got magic apples?”

Applejack chuckled. “An’ ta be honest, them zap apples sure as shootin’ don’t work like regular apples do neither. Had ta get used ta whole new guidelines fer judgin’ the quality.” She took the little magmaberry back from Flathoof and gave it another firm look. “Jus’ like these here magmaberries. I’m sure with a lil’ time, I could figure ‘em out. Granny Smith didn’t raise no fool.”

“Enough talk!” Pinkie shoved her way over to the bush, wedging herself between Applejack and Flathoof. They each gave Pinkie a disgruntled glance, which she didn’t notice. “It’s lunchtime, and I’m getting sick of these packets of soggy green stuff! I’m as hungry as a horse!”

Pinkie grabbed a hoof-full and moved them towards her mouth.

“Wait!” Flathoof yelped, reaching out a hoof too late to stop her.

Pinkie wolfed down the whole mouthful with enthusiastic chews and a very loud gulp. Flathoof and Tick Tock watched in awe, mouths hanging open.

“Oh. My. Celestia!” Pinkie grabbed the sides of Applejack’s face. “Applejack! This is the best food in the universe! Tell me there’s some way you can grow these at home!”

“Uh... I’ll try? Applejack said, squirming out of Pinkie’s grip. “I s’pose I could round up some seeds, give it a go when we get back. Won’t hurt ta give it a shot.” She tapped her chin and smiled. “Shoot, could make a real killin’ on the market too, havin’ a totally unique product ta sell like this. Hmm...”

Pinkie pumped her hoof in the air. “Yes! Oh boy, I can’t wait to put these in pies and cakes and punch and—"

“You ate half a dozen, all at once,” Tick Tock deadpanned, shaking her head. “Bloody incredible, that is.”

“Why’s that incredible?” Applejack asked.

“You’re not supposed to eat more than one at a time without a break in between! They’re too spicy!” Flathoof exclaimed, looking at Pinkie like she was some sort of oddity. Well, more of an oddity than normal.

Pinkie grabbed Flathoof's hoof and shook it with great enthusiasm. “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I looove spicy stuff! I also love sweets and bite-sized snacks, so magmaberries, which are all three, qualify as the best food ever!”

“Liking spicy food is one thing, but this is something totally different. How could you possibly build up that kind of tolerance?”

“She puts hot sauce on everythin’,” Applejack explained. “And I do mean everythin’. Salads, popcorn, flowers, heck, even ice cream ‘n’ cupcakes.”

Flathoof stared at the two other earth ponies, then shook his head and sighed. “You never cease to amaze and perplex me, Miss Pie. Most ponies can barely stomach these, and here you just made it look easy.”

“Well, y’all did say I’d like ‘em. Let me see how ‘too spicy’ they are.”

Applejack took the berry still in her hoof and popped it into her mouth, then bit down, coating her tongue in thick, bizarrely cool juice. For a fleeting second, she felt the urge to spit it out; the spice was overwhelming, like she’d placed a hot coal in her mouth. Seconds later, a strong, sweet flavor rushed in and replaced all the heat, enough to make the fur on her neck stand on end.

“You okay there, Applejack?” Flathoof asked, a tiny grin on his face.

Applejack flushed red, embarrassed to be caught looking like she couldn’t handle a little spice, and quickly swallowed. “Hoo doggie, these things got some kick, I tell ya what!”

“Told you.” Flathoof took one for himself and gulped it down with a shudder. “These mild ones are good for starters, though.”

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “Mild?!”

“Okay, okay, move aside, ponies,” Rainbow said, pushing her way to the front. “You guys aren’t the only ones who’re hungry, y’know.”

“Y’all might wanna be careful there, Dash,” Applejack said. “They might be more than ya can handle.”

Rainbow snorted. “You saying I can’t handle a little spice? Pft, whatever, AJ. Anything’s better than those packets of green junk.”

“Applejack’s right, Miss Dash—" Flathoof started.

“Look, you don’t need to keep calling me ‘Miss, alright? It’s cramping my style,” Rainbow said, giving Flathoof a sidelong look. “Just ‘Rainbow’ is fine.”

Flathoof nodded. “Well, okay then Rainbow, but really, Applejack has a point. Just be careful, okay?”

“Ah whatever, check it.”

Rainbow grabbed one and tossed it into the air, catching it in her mouth with an exaggerated chomp. Almost instantly, her face turned bright red and she spat it out all over the ground.

“Hot! Hot hot hot! Water!”

She scrambled for a packet of Dolor Blue and attempted to open it, but after a few failed attempts, she snapped the lid off and chugged down the liquid that way. She downed the entire thing in under three seconds flat, then let out a sharp exhale and started scraping her tongue with a hoof.

“Holy Celestia! It’s like I just ate fire! Who can eat this stuff?! I just about burned off my tongue!”

Applejack could barely keep herself from laughing. She nudged Flathoof in the side and winked. “We warned ya, sugarcube.”

“Aww, don’t sweat it, Dashie,” Pinkie said through a mouthful of more of the berries. “They’re not that spicy. You just need to get used to ‘em. They’re certainly not as spicy as a rainbow.”

“Says the pony with the iron stomach.” Dash rolled her eyes, taking another swig of unpleasant-but-soothing blue liquid.

“What makes these better is that they have flavor,” Pinkie continued. “It starts with a very aggressive bite, but is balanced out by a pleasant, luscious aftertaste.”

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Aggressive? Pinks, it’s a berry, not an animal. How can a berry be ‘aggressive’?”

Rarity chuckled. “They’re flavor descriptors, darling. Usually for wines, mind you. But, fruits and berries are used to make wine, so I suppose it might be applicable here.”

She hovered a berry over to herself, giving it a once-over before taking a small bite. Her reaction appeared much the same as Applejack’s - a brief tweak at the sudden kick, then relaxation and pleasure.

She giggled and gave Pinkie an appraising look. “Mmm, Pinkie dear, your assessment is quite accurate, I must say. I never knew you were a sommelier.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Goes with the territory sometimes. Not all parties have just punch, y’know? Gotta be ready to appease every kind of crowd.”

The magmaberries were passed around to the rest of the group. To the group's collective amusement, Twilight proved once again to be completely intolerant of spicy foods, and was left a sputtering mess for most of the next hour.

Rainbow chuckled and pat Twilight on the back. “Twilight, when are you gonna learn?” she asked before taking another swig of Dolor Blue.

“Isth not mah fauht,” Twilight mumbled after choking down a third serving of bland blue liquid. “Pinkie thed dey weh sthweet. I didid thin dey would be dad hod.”

“Even after we all told you they were spicy?” Tick Tock asked. She shook her head at Twilight’s apparent sheepishness. “Sometimes I wonder about you, Sparkle. Do you ever listen?”

“I jus wanted to twy it...”

“If the spice is giving you that much trouble, Miss Sparkle, here,” Flathoof said, offering Twilight one of the branches from the bush.

The branch had a bright green interior that could clearly be seen at the spot where Flathoof had snapped it off the bush, dripping a whitish-green liquid.

Twilight accepted the branch and looked it over. “A bwanch? Wad am I gonna do wid dis?”

“Bundtcake told me that you can suck on the branches and get the juice inside. It’s a little waxy, but instantly soothes your taste buds, plus it doesn’t taste half bad.” Flathoof grabbed another branch and lifted it to his mouth. “Here, like this.”

He chomped down on one end of the twig and suckled it to demonstrate. His expression remained mostly flat, but not displeased.

Twilight eyed her own branch, then followed his lead. Her ears perked up instantly, and she pulled the twig out of her mouth with a relieved exhale. “Oh wow, that’s incredible!” she exclaimed. “Magical foods never cease to amaze me. To think these wild berries are so spicy, but their branches have the method for counteracting it. It’s like they want to be eaten.”

“Well don’t that beat all,” Applejack said.

She took a branch for herself and did the same as Twilight and Flathoof had done. Her ears perked up as the thick liquid rushed over her tongue, washing away the lingering burn from the berries’ spice.

“Mmm hmm! That works like a charm.”

“Hey, how come you never told us about that little trick before?” Rainbow asked, slightly indignant. “That could have saved me a little bit of trouble.”

Flathoof chuckled and rubbed his neck. “Truth be told, you’re not really supposed to use it much, or you might become dependent. Only ponies who can’t handle the heat at all should be using it. The branches only carry so much, and if everypony here were using it, we’d run out before we finished all the berries.”

“Ah, the good ol’ ‘cookie-to-milk ratio’, albeit with different variables,” Pinkie said, nodding sagely and earning cursory glances from the others. “Truly the second-greatest conundrum of our time, just ahead of ‘why are we here?’, but behind ‘where’d I leave my keys?’”

“Well, hopefully Applejack figures out a way to make it more abundant,” Twilight said, licking her lips. “The aftertaste certainly was sweet, so I’d hate to miss out just because I can’t handle the spice. Any ideas, Applejack?”

Applejack barely heard Twilight talking at all. She was more focused on Flathoof chewing on a magmaberry twig. She couldn’t explain why, but the heavy feeling in her stomach made her think the sight was a little too familiar, and she didn’t like that one bit. She couldn’t put a hoof on why it made her feel so uneasy, and that actually made her more worried.

“Applejack? Hello?”

“Huh? Oh!” Applejack adjusted her hat, hoping nopony noticed what she’d been distracted by. “Right. Uh... well ta be frank, I’d have ta spend a few harvests ‘fore I started worryin’ ‘bout specializin’ ‘em. I guess ‘til then, a good glass o’ ice cold milk should do the trick.”

***

Tick Tock tucked her map away into her pocket again, as the remaining path ahead was straightforward enough to get by without it. Besides, keeping the map aloft via levitation was leaching magical energy that she needed to channel into her personal aura; the closer they got to the top of this first volcano, the hotter it got. It had reached the point that Rarity had insisted on assisting Twilight with the group’s aura in order to keep it at a manageable temperature, despite Twilight’s protests that she could handle it alone. Rarity hadn’t budged.

The cliffside path ahead twisted around the volcano until they reached the end at a point almost halfway up. Here, the path continued inside the volcano via a massive crack in the side, large enough that three ponies walking side-by-side could comfortably fit through. It was the only way forward, as the cliff ahead came into a sharp, almost vertical drop, and it was otherwise impossible to climb up the volcano.

“This is probably the stupidest thing ever,” Rainbow said, looking up at the smoldering crater far above.

Flathoof shook his head. “I can’t say I disagree, Rainbow. I thought it was crazy before, just going through a range of volcanoes. I didn’t know we’d have to actually go through one.”

“This is First Peak, so named because it is the first actual volcano in the typical path taken by travelers,” Tick Tock explained.

“The ponies around here sure do love creative names,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

Tick Tock laughed. “That they do, Sparkle. At any rate, it’s the first one because it is the least active volcano on the entire exterior circuit. It might be just as active as every other volcano in the range, but significantly less often. The last eruption was twenty-three years, five months, twelve days, fifteen hours, and... twenty minutes ago.”

Twilight blinked, staring at Tick Tock with a blank expression on her face. “That was... rather accurate.”

“Time is my special talent, if you remember? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

Tick Tock stepped towards the fissure and lit up her horn with a light-blue glow.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked. “Is that a diagnostics spell?”

“Yes, this is a diagnostics spell,” Tick Tock said without taking her attention away from her task. “As for what I’m doing, I’m taking measurements of geothermal readings. Volcanic activity in this region is chaotic and unpredictable, to a degree. It’s not impossible though.”

Twilight chuckled. “You mean... you’re attempting to predict a volcanic event? With a diagnostics spell? That’s typical of a medical procedure, not geology.”

“It’s all a matter of improvisation, Sparkle. A diagnostics spell can measure temperatures fairly accurately.”

“Huh... well when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense.”

“You mean she’s taking the volcano’s temperature?” Rainbow asked. “Of all the crazy—"

“Actually, Rainbow, that is one method geologists use to measure and predict volcanic activity.” Twilight gave Tick Tock a reassuring smile. “I really am impressed at your ingenuity, Tick Tock. I don’t think that’s the typical spell used with this sort of procedure.”

Tick Tock sighed, and her horn stopped glowing. “Unfortunately, without my Timekeeper, I’m forced to rely on more... elementary readings, nothing too precise. If I’m interpreting the data correctly, I'd say there’s roughly a fifty percent chance of minor activity.”

“Fifty percent?!” exclaimed the entire group.

“Give or take twenty percent,” Tick Tock continued, giving a casual shrug. “Like I said, my readings might be a little inaccurate. Margin of error and all that rubbish.”

Rainbow swept forward and got in Tick Tock’s face. “You’ve gotta be kidding! You’re telling me you basically just walked us up to a death trap?”

“What are we standing around here for?!” Rarity exclaimed, grabbing hold of a trembling Fluttershy. “This thing could explode any second!”

Flathoof snorted and stomped over to Tick Tock as well, giving her the same dismemberment-threatening glare Rainbow was. “You were supposed to be leading us along the safest route through! Remind me again what part of ‘safe’ you didn’t understand!”

“Everypony calm down, this is nothing to fret over,” Tick Tock said, putting a hoof to her temple. “Minor activity does not include eruptions. Minor activity would account for overflow, drainage, temperature anomalies, etc. Par for the course.”

“Oh, oh, I see, so you’re telling me we shouldn’t be worried that there’s a fifty percent chance the volcano could overflow while we’re inside?” Rainbow asked, her mouth curled in a snarl.

“Miss Tock, I am beginning to think that my confidence in you as a guide is sorely misplaced,” Flathoof added.

“You can think or not think all you want, fact is that fifty percent is lower than average,” Tick Tock said, not bothering to hide her angry scowl.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Twilight said, clearly trying to put herself between Tick Tock and the two glaring ponies. “Isn’t there any way to get around the volcano instead? I’ll admit that you and Applejack took over most of the route-planning.”

Tick Tock shook her head and pointed towards the side of the volcano. “As you can see, nothing but a steep drop down, or a steep climb up. Sure, our pegasi companions could certainly fly around, but what about the rest of us? What would the pegasi do without your aura?”

Applejack nodded. “As much as I don’t wanna agree ta what we’re doin’, I looked over that there map plenty. There ain’t no way we can get through inta the rest o’ the Redblade Mountains without goin’ through this here volcano.”

Tick Tock gave Applejack an appreciative nod in return. “Well said, Applejack. Glad to know somepony’s been bloody listening.”

“Point made,” Twilight said, looking out over the side of the cliff. “So I guess this is it then. We’re going through the volcano.”

“This is ridiculous!” Rainbow shouted. “I can’t believe we’re actually going through with this. We’re risking being inside the thing if it blows! I swear, if we all die, I am so gonna say ‘I told ya so’. I don’t wanna do it, but I will.”

“It’s not going to explode, Dash,” Tick Tock said.

“You just said we have like a fifty percent chance!”

“Of a minor event. Eruptions are a major event, obviously. Those are even easier to predict.”

“Well... what are the odds of an eruption then?” Flathoof asked.

“By my calculations, there’s less than a three percent chance of an eruption, with a three percent margin of error. In my experience, that means we’ll be plenty safe.”

“That’s still a three percent chance we all get killed,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves. “Call me crazy, but I don’t like the sound of those odds one bit.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Tick Tock replied. “The alternate route is longer and no less dangerous, but those dangers are guaranteed, not just probable. Call me crazy, but I’d rather risk a chance than risk a certainty.”

“And the more time we spend arguin’, the more likely there’s a bigger risk,” Applejack said, stomping a hoof. “So let’s mosey on outta here.”

“You’re not really okay with this, are you Applejack?” Flathoof asked.

Applejack shook her head. “Okay with it? Hay no, I ain’t okay with it. But it’s the best chance we got, and ta be frank... I’m confident that Tick Tock’s lil’ measurements or whatever are accurate.”

“You are?” Twilight asked.

Applejack shrugged and scuffed her hooves in the rock beneath her, giving it a curious look. “Call it a hunch, sugarcube, I dunno. I know the chance is there, but somethin’ tells me we’ll be fine.”

“Again, well said, Applejack,” Tick Tock said. “If we’re all done arguing about what bloody route we’re taking after we’ve already been taking it all afternoon, we need to get moving. Applejack is absolutely correct: the longer we stand around, the higher the odds of a volcanic event.”

She pointed into the crevice and started walking into it, and the rest of the party followed, though very few of them seemed at all enthusiastic. If it was hot before outside, it was even more so inside, enough that Twilight gladly accepted Rarity’s continued assistance without any protest. Once they passed through the initial arch and ended up inside the volcano proper, they were greeted by an incredible sight. The inner cone of the volcano was, as expected, completely hollowed out, barring a few important things:

First, there were several ledges of rock strewn about the walls. Most of them were pretty small, but some were large enough to support at least one pony. The one just at the crack they’d entered through was big enough to support several, and the one on the opposite side, just below another crack leading out, looked about as sturdy.

Second, many of these ledges were connected to others via large strips of rock that served as bridges. The smaller ones looked precarious, and most of them were cracked and broken. The larger ones didn’t look much safer, as they were so thin that they looked as though they couldn’t support much weight. This included the one straight ahead, which despite conveniently linking the two fissures leading to the outside, was terribly thin.

“You really expect us to cross these things?” Flathoof asked.

“They don’t look very sturdy...” Lockwood added, taking to the air.

“They ain’t too bad,” Applejack said, tapping her hoof against the bridge. “Just gotta watch yer step, I think.”

“Correct, you just have to tread lightly.” Tick Tock demonstrably walked over the rocky bridge, taking slow, careful steps. “Some sections might be weak until another lava flow reinforces them. One wrong step and—"

Tick Tock set her hoof to the ground. With a loud crack, it broke beneath her, and she nearly fell into the gaping hole her misstep had created.

Her eyes blinked open. She’d only fell for half a second, and had felt something snag onto her tail.

“Hang on, I gotcha,” Rainbow said, tugging Tick Tock back up through the hole.

Tick Tock slumped flat against stable ground, then let out a sigh of relief and wiped her brow. “By the stars...”

“You alright?”

Tick Tock staggered upright, and graciously shook Rainbow’s outstretched hoof. “Thank you, Dash. You’re the last pony I expected to rush to my rescue.”

Rainbow laughed, patting Tick Tock on the back. “Yeah well, I need somepony to yell at. Y’know, if you wanted to prove that we should watch our step, there were easier ways to do it.”

“Yes... well.” Tick Tock coughed into her hoof. “Ahem. Now you all see that we just need to tread lightly, and everything will be—"

“*hic*”

Tick Tock’s ears perked at the sudden noise. “The bloody hell was that?”

Pinkie raised a hoof, and delivered another hiccup. “Sorry *hic* but my Pink- *hic* Pink- *hic* Pinkie Sense *hic* is acting up *hic* again.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Oh dear, what lucky coincidence is it this time?”

“Hiccups... hiccups...” Twilight pondered aloud. “Say, didn’t Pinkie hiccup earlier, when we were at the chasm? That was a Pinkie Sense?”

“Well shoot, at least it ain’t that ‘doozy’ one,” Applejack said, her eyes darting around. “That’s the one I’d be worried about right now. Somethin’s got me feelin’ uneasy...”

“I think it's *hic* worse than *hic* that, App-*hic* App-*hic* AJ.”

“It is?” Rainbow asked. She shrugged. “Worse than a doozy? Really?”

“Hic-*hic* hic-*hic* hiccups is for *hic* ear- *hic* ear- *hic* ear- *hic*”

“Will somepony get her a glass of water? This is ridiculous. And it’s wasting time!” Tick Tock shouted.

“Ear- *hic* ear- *hic* earth- *hic* earthquake!”

“See? She got it out,” Twilight said. Her smile dropped quickly. “Wait, what?”

“Earthquake!” Pinkie yelped, grabbing onto the sides of Twilight’s face. “We’ve gotta get out of here!”

“Okay everypony, don’t panic,” Twilight said to the rest, who were starting to do so. “We have to move quickly, but carefully. No sense in causing trouble getting out of trouble.”

“Oh please,” Tick Tock said, rolling her eyes. “Are we really going through this again?”

“Just because you doubt it doesn't mean the rest of us do,” Rainbow said, pushing her way past Tick Tock. “Haven’t you seen enough to convince you?”

“Coincidences, nothing more. I’ve seen enough real magic in my lifetime to make me fairly certain that these sort of ‘premonitions’ are a bunch of bunk, no matter how contrived they may be.”

“Of all the—"

Twilight stomped her hooves. “We can argue later!” she interrupted. “We need to move. Go. Go!”

“Fine, but don’t get sloppy just because you’re in a bloody hurry,” Tick Tock said. “I still don’t see what all the fuss is. Earthquakes aren’t just spur of the moment, there are warning signs. If there were a quake coming, we would’ve felt a tremor by—"

She was interrupted by a fierce rumble that made the entire volcano shake.

“Well shite.”

“Move!” Twilight shouted.

Twilight’s horn flared, bathing the group in a much larger aura as they ran, letting them keep a fast pace without worry of separation. The aura was reinforced with a barrier spell, protecting them from crumbling rocks and dirt that fell around them.

The other end of the rocky path loomed ahead, ending in a shaky ledge and a sliver of light, the only beacon of hope for escape. Other, smaller bridges and ledges strewn about the cavern collapsed towards the rising magma below.

A loud crack came from behind them. Tick Tock chanced a glance behind, and saw the thick cracks in the rocky bridge spreading after them like lightning.

The light ahead grew closer and closer, brighter and brighter. Almost there.

The cracks behind them grew into deep gashes that caught up to and surpassed the fleeing ponies.

Almost there.

Another sharp crack behind them. The ground gave way.

Applejack leapt for the crumbling edge of the path. A spire of rock burst out of the ledge ahead, reaching towards her.

She fell terribly short.


	12. Infected

“This is so stupid,” Rainbow groaned, her face scrunched up against the inside of a magical bubble. “Yeah, let's go through the big ol’ active volcano. Great idea. And now look at the mess we’re in. I’m gonna go right ahead and say it: I told you so.”

She and the others were encased in a tightly wrapped ball of magic. Twilight was, for the most part, holding well with her barrier magic, though her face was noticeably strained. Tick Tock, assisted by a sweating Rarity, was weaving her temperature aura into the multi-hued bubble, strengthening the field between the squirming ponies and the boiling lava, which was partially obscured and colored a peculiar pinkish-green by the fluctuating shield.

They could not keep this up for long.

“I think ‘mess’ is puttin' it mildly, sugarcube,” Applejack muttered, shifting her position. “Whoever that is back there better watch where they're puttin’ them hooves! Don’t think I don’t feel ya.”

“Speak for yourself, Applejack,” Rarity said. “Pinkie Pie, your derriere is right in my face. Kindly move.”

“Psh, don’t act like you don’t like it,” Pinkie said, shaking her rear back and forth in Rarity’s face. “♫My milkshake brings all the mares to the yard.”

Rainbow gave a loud groan, embarrassed just by being in Pinkie’s vicinity. “Pinks, never say those words in that order ever again,” she said. “Ever.”

“Yes, well, if we can ignore the mild discomfort and all the distractions for a moment?” Twilight said, her voice cracking from the strain. “We need to think of a way out of this little... problem. Anypony have any ideas?”

“It’s not easy ta think what with all the heat, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“The positions aren’t making it easy to concentrate either,” Lockwood said, giving a content sigh. “Mmm... I know that most stallions would dream of being where I am now.”

“I think that’s my flank you’re touching,” Flathoof interjected.

Lockwood coughed and tried to yank his hoof away from where it was. “Oh! Uh... you working out there, buddy? You’ve got some... tone.”

Rainbow snickered. “Awww, you guys are cute together.”

The volcano lurched, causing the little pony-filled bubble to bounce along the waves of magma and roll into the wall, causing everypony to grunt when they were jostled around. The bubble blinked and changed colors for a brief second, then returned to normal as it floated back into the center of the lava pool.

“If we can get back on topic?” Twilight asked, shaking her head and putting more magic into her horn, causing it to glow brighter. Her breaths came in shorter bursts than before. “We’re running out of time here.”

“Well what do you expect, huh? We’re not exactly able to do much,” Rainbow said.

“Our only chance out of here is up there - the top,” Tick Tock said, pointing—or rather, attempting to point—at the open hole far above them. “As for getting up there, well, I’m fresh out of ideas. We'd need some sort of bloody miracle.”

“You know what's worse than all this stuffiness and heat?” Pinkie asked, shaking in place and causing the bubble to rotate around. “I’m getting seasick. Well, lava-sick. ‘cause we’re in lava, not... oh whatever, you get the idea. Is anypony else feeling all gurgly inside right now?”

Fluttershy hiccuped and put a hoof to her mouth. “Um... d-don’t move the bubble so much... please, Pinkie?”

“Oh, darling, are you feeling ill?” Rarity cooed, attempting to put her hoof on Fluttershy’s back to soothe her. This proved impossible as the two were on opposite ends of the bubble, so all Rarity accomplished was poking Applejack in the face.

“Rarity, d’ya mind?” Applejack grunted and shifted her face out of the way of Rarity’s prodding hoof, causing the bubble to rotate again.

“Oh... please... s-stop making it move...” Fluttershy mumbled.

Pinkie giggled. “♫Rock the boat, don’t rock the boat baby. Rock the boat, don’t tip the... boat... over...” When the bubble rotated around again, she put a hoof to her mouth, her face turning green. “Hurk... okay... bad idea. No more singing from me...”

“Pinks, I swear, if you lose it all over the inside of this bubble...” Rainbow said.

“It wasn’t me this time, Dashie. The bubble’s moving itself more than ever!”

The lava began to sink, rise, and shift like a rough, stormy ocean of oranges, reds, and yellows.

Tick Tock watched all this, her eyes narrowed and her mouth moving quietly, as though she were talking to herself. Her face brightened as if she’d come to a sudden realization.

“My word!” she said, putting both hooves on the side of the bubble. “Dash, it would seem your worries were proper accurate: the volcano is ready to erupt, and soon. Very soon, in fact.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Rainbow said, not trying to hide her sarcasm. She sighed and pressed her face against the bubble. “Sometimes I hate being right, y’know? This whole thing is straight out of Daring Do and the Mystery of the Dragon’s Eye, only without the promise of treasure. Three percent, my flank!”

“On the contrary, this is quite a boon,” Tick Tock said, a certain pep in her voice. She pointed up at the hole in the top again. “If Sparkle puts the proper amount of force required into her shield so that it can endure the blast, the eruption would quite literally fire us out of the top, like a cannon.”

“Cool! Like a little pony-fueled and pony-filled cannonball!” Pinkie cheered. “Ooh, that gives me great idea for my next party! I wonder if I can rig my Party Cannon to fire ponies? Hmm...”

“You’re kidding. That’d work?” Rainbow asked, arching a skeptical eyebrow. “I dunno, that seems pretty... uh... contrived? Is that the word I’m looking for, Twi?”

“Yes, that would be appropriate,” Twilight said. “Truth be told though, it could work.”

“Sure sounds like a long shot,” Applejack said.

“That’s because it is. It could work, but the variables are preposterous. We’d have to be pretty precise with all the measurements for both angles and timing, otherwise we’ll end up way off course. Who knows where we’d end up?”

Applejack hummed, then gave a stern nod. “Well, what choice do we have? We’ll all be safe, right? No chance o’ us, y’know, gettin’ blown ta bits or nothin’, right?”

“Not if we have enough power in the barrier, no.” Tick Tock shifted slightly, looking out and around the cavern interior again. “I think Sparkle has more than enough force to handle it. She might need to give it a little extra kick though.”

“How much longer until the eruption?” Twilight asked, shifting again and taking a deep breath. “And exactly how much more power would the shield need to handle it? I’m running out of juice here, Tick Tock...”

Tick Tock hummed. “Judging by the level of fluctuations, maybe ten to fifteen minutes. We wouldn't need much more power than this, though. This is a small volcano. It shouldn’t have enough force, even with a pressure build up.”

“Guess we just hope for the best then,” Flathoof said, giving a quiet sigh. “I hate leaving things like this to chance.”

“Well, it could be worse,” Lockwood said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I don’t see how it could be worse.”

Lockwood laughed. “It could be raining!”

Everypony groaned, minus Pinkie.

“Ha ha!” she snorted. “Good one!”

Minutes passed, and the lava steadily began to rise and churn at a faster, more consistent rate. Tick Tock looked on, her eyes wide and bright. She swiveled her head back and forth between the lava pool beneath them and the crater above, apparently doing the calculations needed.

Rainbow wasn’t sure if she trusted Tick Tock’s judgement, and wished that Twilight were in a better position to do it herself. “Are you sure you’ve got this right this time, Tick Tock? I don’t want another ‘margin of error’ excuse.”

“Well, you’re just going to have to trust me, Dash,” Tock Tock said. “Unless anypony else here has experience with ballistic physics? No? Nopony?”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Rainbow snorted.

The volcano gave a great shake, causing the bubble to twirl around and sink slightly into the magma, which was beginning to recede.

“Right! Here we go!” Tick Tock shouted. “Sparkle! Rarity! Time to crank up the bloody juice. Ready, everypony?”

“As we’ll ever be...” Applejack gulped and tugged on her hat. “May Celestia watch over us...”

“One...”

“Oh boy oh boy oh boy!” Pinkie cheered, grabbing onto the nearest pony in her excitement, which happened to be Flathoof. “You ready for some fun! We’re gonna ride this sucker!”

“Two...”

Rainbow took a deep breath, keeping her eyes locked on the hole above them. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this...”

“Three!”

***

Almost full three days had passed, and yet Starlight Shadow and her sisters still had not seen hide nor hair of their quarry. Starlight couldn’t decide what was worse: that Havocwing wouldn’t shut up about how long they were taking to catch up to Twilight Sparkle and company, or that perhaps Havocwing may have been right last night about an alternate route.

The Chronomancer would surely not lead them through the Redblade Mountains, would she? That route was exceedingly dangerous, something that perhaps the Chronomancer herself may not have considered a negative, but father had insisted that Twilight and her friends were, in comparison, much less of a risk-taking group.

Worse, what would be the sense in taking that route? Hope’s Point was certainly further by taking the safer route, by a rather decent margin as well, but nopony in their right mind would risk that much danger to take a shortcut. Unless, of course, they were some manner of time limit. Was that an issue here they had not been informed of? No, it couldn’t be. Father wouldn’t neglect information to them unless he was certain that it would have no impact on the outcome.

“Ugh, another day completely wasted,” Havocwing said, grumbling and exaggeratingly slogging her hooves through the sand. “I’m so bored! Are we almost there, boss? Killing worthless bugs and shuffling through the desert with nothing challenging to fight is driving me nuts.”

Starlight sighed and rolled her eyes. “I shall repeat myself for the thirtieth time today, Havoc: yes, we are nearly there. The checkpoint lies only another two miles south. We will arrive there well before nightfall, and ascertain whether our quarry has made passage through.”

“But—"

“Please, ‘avocving, could you perhaps relax?” Curaçao said, trotting forward and patting Havocwing on the shoulder. “We will catch zem soon enough, oui? Zen we can get to work. Zey cannot be much furzer. Besides, our goal is not to fight zem, remember?”

Havocwing groaned and took to the air, circling around. “Yeah yeah, I remember. Still wish that wasn’t the case. I wanna see what a good old-fashioned firestorm will do to a pony.”

“Probably the same thing it does to everything else,” Grayscale said as she drifted by.

“Patience, Havoc,” Starlight said, giving the red pegasus another terse glare. “If you continue your unabated—"

She stopped in her tracks, snapping her head to glare to the west. The fierce, white glow from her eyes made everypony else step back in either fear or wonder. She stood there, seething, for a good few moments before anypony said anything.

“Whoa... uh, boss? You okay?” Havocwing asked. She reached out a hoof for half a second, then apparently reconsidered and pulled it away.

Red Velvet bounced with excitement, circling around the others. “Ooh, ooh! I know that look!” she said, pointing a hoof at Starlight’s angry glare. “I get that look when I smell blood. Oh boy! Do ya smell blood boss? Huh? Do ya, do ya, do ya? I could really go for some right now. Some toasted pegasus wings with a stuffed unicorn horn, dripping with blood gravy! Aww... now I’m hungry again.”

“Idiot, she’s not a blood-starved maniac like you,” Havocwing said, sneering and elbowing Velvet out of the way.

“Ma capitaine, is somezing zee matter? Are you... euh... okay?” Curaçao asked.

“Yeah, boss, are you, like, okay?” Insipid asked, zipping up along side Curaçao. “Oooh, your eyes are pretty, boss. How do you make your eyes do that? Hey Curie, can you make your eyes do that?”

Starlight squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head. When she reopened them, the glow was gone, but the anger was not. “Twilight Sparkle...”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow, and shrugged in Curaçao's direction. “Twilight Sparkle?”

Curaçao stepped forward again. “Ma capitaine, is zere un problème? You said somezing about Twilight Sparkle? Is she ‘ere?”

“Ooh! Are they close?!” Havocwing exclaimed, shoving Curaçao aside. “Tell me they’re close!”

Starlight shook her head. “To the west, the Redblade Mountains. I can detect... an extraordinary, intense magic. Powerful, unlike anything I have sensed since father...”

“Since dad... what?” Havocwing asked.

Starlight coughed into her hoof. “Pay it no heed. Nopony could even theoretically exert that much magic, excepting of course myself and father, and possibly that simpleton, Twilight Sparkle. It seems that their guide has directed them along that route after all.” She sighed. “Havocwing was correct...”

“Ha! In your face, loser!” Havocwing whooped, prodding Curaçao in the side. “How does it feel to be bucking wrong, huh?”

Curaçao flicked her mane. “Alas! Mais oui, you were right, little ‘avocving. You must be proud.”

“Aww...” Insipid frowned and pawed at Curaçao’s tail. “Curie, you’re totally not a loser. Don’t let that dumb meanie get you down. You’re, like, tray awesome and junk?”

Curaçao rolled her eyes. “Merci, Insipid, zat means so much coming from you.”

Insipid gave a giddy squeal in reply.

Curaçao turned back to Havocwing, a coy smirk on her face. “Alzough, as I recall, it was not ma idée in zee first place. It was zee capitaine’s, non? Oh! Are you telling moi zen zat you did not like zee capitaine’s idée?”

Havocwing’s eyes darted back and forth between Starlight and Curaçao. “Uh... we... we had this discussion, right? I’m an idiot? Eh heh?”

“The truth, she speaks it,” Grayscale said, patting Havocwing on the shoulder.

Curaçao turned back to Starlight. “Ma capitaine, does zis mean zat zey ‘ave given us zee slip? Papa will not be pleased...”

Starlight continued to glare west, not having taken her eyes away once. “No... they have certainly journeyed along that route, but they have not yet eluded us. I sense that Twilight Sparkle’s magical signature is traveling southeast of its point of origination, with an extraordinary haste that I cannot discern the cause of. A most outlandish circumstance...”

Grayscale gave an exaggerated yawn. “So I guess we’re going in that direction then?”

“Affirmative, Grayscale.”

“Whatever you want to do boss, I guess.”

“Oh boy! This sounds like fun!” Velvet said with a cackle. “Who says we make this a race? First one to the twerps gets first dibs!”

“Oh you are on, sister!” Havocwing yelled. “We go when Starlight says to move out, okay?”

“Ooh! Prizes! I love prizes!” Insipid bounced in between Velvet and Havocwing, getting into a running stance. “You guys are, like, gonna totally eat my dust and junk?”

“Just... uh... stay upwind, okay?” Havocwing said, inching away and holding her nose.

Starlight stomped a hoof. “We march southwest, sisters! Forward!”

***

Above the Redblade Mountains, a single shining light disrupted the smokey black skies. Twilight’s voice barely carried above the din of screeching winds, the panicked wails of her friends, and enthusiastic cheering.

“Well, at least we don’t need that temperature spell to keep us cool anymore!”

Pinkie attempted, unsuccessfully, to throw her hooves in the air. All she managed to do was smack Lockwood in the face. After putting a hoof to her mouth, she just shrugged and resumed cheering.

“Wheeee! Hee hee, this is great you guys! Feel that wind in your manes!” she yelled. “Oh man, I wish we could put our hooves up—sorry Mister Lockwood—whoo hoo!”

The bubble crashed through clouds of thick black smoke, sailing higher and higher still until it then pierced through the red-orange layers of churning magicks above the smoke. When they cleared through that, they could see the sky above them. The real sky, unobscured by the Beacon’s magicks.

It was nighttime.

Everypony let out an awestruck breath, even Flathoof and Lockwood, but especially Twilight. The sky was a perfect, untainted black, dotted with bright, white stars. There were two moons, one large and silver, the other small and red. Twilight cursed the fact that her magical bubble tumbled and tossed through the air, as she couldn’t get a solid look at the new constellations. The sea of orange below added a unique, magical look to the night sky that few ponies had ever seen.

A moment passed, and the bubble tumbled downwards, back through the layers of magic. There was no smoke beneath them on the other side, allowing a clear look at the arid Wasteland for miles around. Twilight could even just barely catch a glimpse of the massive wall surrounding New Pandemonium City from this altitude, and more clearly the Gate jutting from one section.

The bubble continued to tumble, and Twilight’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the ground far, far below them approaching at a dangerous rate.

“Oh dear. Not good! We’re coming in too fast!” she shouted.

“What’s the big deal?!” Rainbow asked. “This shield of yours can take it, Twi!”

“Yeah, the bubble might survive the drop, but that’s not the problem! Think of it like dropping a box of eggs!”

Rainbow’s face paled. “Oh... oh geez.”

“I don’t wanna be eggs, though!” Pinkie wailed, grabbing on tightly to the nearest pony she could, which was Rarity this time. “I mean, I like eggs because we use them in cakes and stuff, but that doesn’t mean I wanna be an egg!”

“Okay, I’ve got a plan!” Rainbow shouted, turning her head to look at the others. “I’ll push the bubble from the other side! That should slow it down, right?!”

“That might work!” Twilight shouted back.

“Can ya do it by yerself?!” Applejack asked.

“Fluttershy and Lockwood can help!” Rainbow shouted. “Right?! Normally I wouldn’t ask, but right now every little bit makes a difference!”

“W-well... I... I g-guess...” Fluttershy mumbled.

“I’m all for it, Miss Dash!” Lockwood said, grabbing hold of his fedora.

He accidentally brushed his hoof along Rarity’s hind leg in the process. “Heavens, Mister Lockwood, mind your hooves!” she shouted.

Rainbow pushed against the side of the bubble to try to get out, but found it still as solid as before. “So, uh... how do we get out of this thing?!”

“I’ve adjusted the shield to let you out!” Twilight shouted “Just think about being on the other side with all your might! You’ll pass right through it!”

Rainbow nodded and closed her eyes, then pushed against the edge of the bubble. She fell through the magical field like it wasn’t even there, and briefly bounced against the slick opposite side which was still definitely solid. She flew off of the rear end of the bubble as it continued to fall faster than she was, so she dove down to catch up until she was just underneath it.

“Well that worked!” Rainbow shouted, giving a cocksure grin. She beckoned for her assistants to come out and join her. “C’mon you guys, let’s do this!”

Fluttershy and Lockwood followed her example, and Rainbow caught them each as they tumbled out of the bubble. They flanked her on either side, then all three placed their hooves on the outside of the bubble, their backs to the rapidly approaching ground, and began to beat their wings. Lockwood’s fedora flew off his head and soared away into the distance, much to his disdain.

The ground drew closer, but at a much slower rate. Soon enough, the descent of the magical bubble slowed to a crawl, just in time for everypony to see that they were mere yards away. The three pegasi placed the bubble carefully on the ground and spread out, allowing Twilight, Rarity, and Tick Tock to at last relax their magic. The group of ponies inside tumbled about as they fell from the now-vanished bubble, landing in assorted piles. 

“Phew!” Applejack huffed, standing tall and shaking her head. She adjusted her hat to make sure it hadn’t suffered the same fate as Lockwood’s. “That sure was a close call, I tell ya what. Good thinkin’, Dash.”

“Yeah well, I’m not Equestria’s top flier for nothin’ y’know. Anything airborne, and I’m an expert on it,” Rainbow said, trotting over and helping Pinkie up.

“Way to go Dashie!” Pinkie cheered, crushing the pegasus in a hug. “You sure got us out of a jam! Mmmm... jam. Hey, I’m hungry. Anypony got any of those yummy berries to eat? Or eggs?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Pinks, seriously?”

”What? I’m in the mood for eggs all of a sudden. Or chocolate lava cake.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes and sighed, patting Pinkie on the back.

“Aw dang it...” Lockwood patted his head, his mouth turned in a colossal frown. “That was my good fedora, too...”

Rarity patted the stallion on the shoulder. “Oh darling, it looked tacky on you anyway.”

Lockwood made a visible frown, which made Rarity chuckle.

“Oh don’t fret, darling. You look much more charming without it, I can assure you of that. I’m sure somepony,” she said, shooting a quick aside glance to Fluttershy and back, “would rather you showed off that well-groomed mane of yours, hmm?”

Lockwood blinked and ran a hoof through his mane. “My mane? It’s nothing special.”

“Au contraire! Why, it’s a rather dashing color.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, darling, don’t you think Mister Lockwood does just a marvelous job at grooming his mane?”

“M-me?” Fluttershy blushed and hid her face behind her bangs. “Oh... um, yes? It’s... nice.”

Once things had calmed down and everypony confirmed that they were safe and healthy, the group took a much-needed break. Tick Tock, the only pony present not taking advantage of the break, took out her map and began to scrutinize it with vigor.

Twilight noticed that the other unicorn looked rather troubled, and trotted over. “Everything okay, Tick Tock?”

“Hmmm...” Tick Tock shook her head and tapped her hoof on the map a couple of times before folding it up and putting it away. “No, Sparkle, everything is decidedly not okay. No matter, just a minor change of plans. I’ll take care of it.”

“Change of plans? Now what’s the matter?” Twilight asked, giving a pronounced groan. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. I’m actually getting tired of running into all these problems.”

“In my line of work, Sparkle, setbacks are the norm, and complaining about them never bloody well gets you anywhere. If you want to get anywhere in my world, you’d do well to take things as they go.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “So you expected this to happen? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“I hardly expected these exact circumstances, no, but I’m not going to let that ruin my attempt to get you all home.” Tick Tock turned to Twilight and gave her a stern, but not-unfriendly look, her mouth remaining firm and straight. “Chronomancers have a bit of a motto when it comes to these sorts of things: keep a stiff upper lip. It’s a term of endearment, and basically means ‘don’t get emotional’. You can ask Time Turner about it when I get you home.”

Twilight returned Tick Tock’s look with a terse nod. “Okay, Tick Tock. I trust you to get us back, but... I also expect to know what’s wrong when things come up. I don’t like just being told ‘I’ll take care of it’, like I’m some sort of foal. We deserve to know what’s going on.”

“I hadn’t planned on hiding this from anypony, Sparkle, don’t you worry.”

Tick Tock strode past Twilight and called for the attention of the others. “Well everypony, I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” she said. “The first bit of good news is, we all survived that little adventure.”

“‘Little adventure’? Is that what that was?” Rarity asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Yeah, we all survived that death trap you led us into,” Rainbow said, stepping forward and pointing her hoof at Tick Tock. “Boy, I am sure am glad we listened to you about—"

Tick Tock cut her off. “More good news is that we managed to land far enough south that we technically made some proper fantastic time. Bloody good luck, that.”

Twilight smiled. “Oh, well that is good news. I was worried this might—" She paused, and raised an eyebrow. “Wait, ‘technically’? I don’t like the sound of that...”

“Well, the problem is that we landed too far east, on the wrong side of the Redblade Mountains.” Tick Tock sighed and wiped her brow. “In other words, it’s as if we basically just wasted our time taking that route, in a manner of speaking.”

“Oh, that’s just fantastic,” Flathoof said, stomping a hoof. “We all nearly get killed thanks to your brilliant idea, and we have nothing to show for it. Miss Tock, I’ve said it before, but I am really doubting your ability to guide anypony through anything.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “However, as I said, we have technically saved some time. We landed within a day’s walk of the Goldridge Pass, which is the entrance to the longer, safer route you all originally wanted to take. So, truth be told, assuming we had wanted to take that route in the first place, we’ve actually saved two days on our trip by landing where we are now.”

“So basically we’re back at square one, but we gained an extra two days? Well, that’s not bad,” Twilight mused, tapping her chin. She did the math in her head briefly, then nodded in understanding. “The way you described it, even if this new development is still the slower route, those two days will make it worthwhile.”

“But then, there’s the bad news,” Tick Tock said, rubbing her neck.

Pinkie raised her hoof, as if expecting to be called on. “Well, how bad is it?” she asked.

Tick Tock and Twilight shared glances. “Well, to be perfectly frank, it’s bad.”

Pinkie groaned. “I hate bad news! Wait!” she shouted, holding a hoof up to stop Tick Tock from talking. “I have an idea. Maybe, if you tell us the bad news in a good way, it won’t sound so bad.”

“The bad news... in a good way?” Tick Tock shook her head. “Look, there’s really no way to tell you this in a good way. It’s very bad news. We landed too far south, by about three miles. Maybe if we’d had a little more weight we wouldn’t have been launched as far. Maybe.”

“So... where are we then that makes this so bad?” Rainbow asked.

“We’ve landed in the largest region of gargantuan nesting grounds on this side of the Redblade Mountains. Bloody bad luck.”

Applejack blinked. “Garga-what?”

“Gorgonzola?” Pinkie asked, tapping a hoof to her chin.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “She didn’t say ‘gorgonzola’, she said ‘gargleblasters’.”

“What? No way, she said something about garbanzos,” Pinkie said, crossing her hooves over her chest.

Rainbow shot her hooves in the air. “Like the beans? What? I’m telling you, it was gobbledygook!”

Pinkie gave a sagely nod. “Nice... nice. Okay, you win, Dashie. This time.”

Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof.

“Gargantuans,” Tick Tock repeated. “We bloody well had this conversation before everything went sour at the Gate. Don’t tell me you all forgot?”

Twilight shook her head. “I remember what you and Lockwood said about them, but to be honest it wasn’t a very clear picture.”

“Simply put, gargantuans are the fiercest—rather, only—predators in the whole northern continent. Let’s just say that we’re lucky we haven’t seen any yet.” Tick Tock’s eyes darted around, and she was noticeably keeping still. “I’m actually kind of concerned that we haven’t, to tell the truth. All the commotion from our landing should’ve attracted some attention.”

“I’ve heard some stories about them from ponies that have ventured out here,” Lockwood added, tapping his chin. “Really terrible things. Very violent, very dangerous.”

“Who do you know that has any kind of knowledge like that?” Flathoof asked.

Lockwood didn’t meet Flathoof’s gaze. “Well... somepony that’s probably in Hope’s Point at the moment. Anyway, I lack any firsthoof knowledge. Miss Tock? Perhaps you could enlighten us a little more? You seem to act as though you’ve dealt with the things before.”

“I certainly have, and I’d love to explain, but we’re pressed for time,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “I’ve given you all proper time to rest, but now we need to get moving, and fast. But, we also need to try to keep from drawing any attention to ourselves. Well, any more attention. We’re only a few hours away from the region’s edge, and then we’ll be mostly home-free.” She started walking east, gesturing with her hoof for them to follow. “Come on, everypony, we need to get moving. We can rest more properly when we’re out of danger. The checkpoint’s not too far from the edge of this region.”

Rarity grumbled and let out an exasperated sigh. “Ugh... really, darling, this is most uncalled for. I ache all over from using all that magic. Is there really no time for a longer break?”

“No, there isn’t,” Tick Tock said, not turning back. “If we’re lucky, we won’t encounter anything, but our landing has probably already alerted some of them that there’s prey in the region. Just because you don’t see any right now doesn’t mean they’re not coming from far off. So we need to get moving. Now.”

“This sounds serious,” Twilight said, trotting ahead to catch up to Tick Tock. “If you’re concerned about it, it must be dangerous.” She turned back to the others and gestured for them to follow suit. “Come on then, everypony, you heard her. We’d better get moving.”

Rainbow shook her head and took to the air. “I swear, when we get out of all of this...”

The party began moving east at a brisk pace, though they were exhausted and found the pace difficult to maintain. It was clear none of them had it in them to run too fast, but they seemed to have little choice in the matter.

Twilight and Tick Tock kept referring to the latter’s map to check on their progress. Tick Tock’s concern with getting out of the area worried everypony else, Twilight especially. She hadn’t seen the other unicorn look this nervous since they’d met, even when she was falling into an active volcano.

A fierce rumble from the ground alerted them. The earth ahead burst apart in a spray of sand and rock. The group screeched to a halt as a creature unlike anything they’d seen before—Tick Tock excluded—scrambled out of the ground.

Jaws dropped and panic set in. Twilight could now see why Tick Tock was so worried.

She had seen plenty of insects before, but this beast was such a strange amalgamation of so many different bugs that she couldn’t really tell what it was. Its body resembled a giant tarantula, larger than Flathoof, the biggest pony present, by a factor of three-to-one. Its entire body and all eight legs were covered in gray, armored exoskeleton and bristly, reddish-brown fur. A thick scorpion-like stinger curved up from the rear of its abdomen, swaying back and forth and pointing at the ponies in front of it at random. It stared at Twilight and her friends with six large, unblinking red eyes.

The creature swung one of its great, mantis-like claws down at Applejack, who happened to be the nearest target.

“Whoa nelly!” Applejack leapt to the side, letting the claw collide with the dirt.

The creature did not relent, and moved at Applejack again, swinging across like a scythe. Applejack staggered back, out of the thing’s reach.

“Shite!” Tick Tock shouted, immediately circling around and blasting the creature in the back.

That seemed to draw its attention, and it started stomping towards her and away from Applejack.

“Everypony, whatever you do, do not let that tail get near you!”

“Frankly, I’m more worried ‘bout gettin’ sliced ta bits!” Applejack shouted, rushing forward and kicking the creature in the side.

The creature staggered slightly, but shook it off and swung a claw at Applejack again.

“Take this you ruffian!” Rarity called.

She fired off a tiny spark of magic at the creature’s face. It fizzled and burned fur, but did nothing to its armored hide. It did, however, attract its attention.

“Oh dear...” Rarity muttered as the thing raised a claw to strike at her.

“Hey ugly, think fast!”

Rainbow rushed at it from the side, delivering a swift kick to its midsection, then bounced away and grabbed her hoof. The creature shifted away in discomfort, then turned to Rainbow and advanced on her instead.

“Ow! What the hay is this thing made out of?!”

“Don’t bother with any of that rubbish!” Tick Tock yelled, firing a spark at the thing’s face before it could reach Rainbow. It gave a loud hiss and turned to face Tick Tock again. “That exoskeleton can shrug off anything you throw at it! We need to use magic, powerful magic. Sparkle!”

Twilight nodded, lighting up her horn. “Keep it distracted, I’m going to need to be precise if this is going to work.”

“Oh my... please d-don’t be too rough on it,” Fluttershy said, putting a hoof to her mouth.

Lockwood, who stood beside her, gave her a look of confusion. “Rough? My dear, that thing is trying to kill us. We’re merely defending ourselves.”

“Oh... b-but it’s just an animal.”

“This bleedin’ thing is not an animal!” Tick Tock shouted, dodging to the side to avoid another swipe. “It’s a monster, plain and simple!”

“Oh... p-please, don’t—" Fluttershy shook her head and turned back to Twilight. “I know we’re its prey, but that’s... that’s no reason to be cruel to it. It’s just doing what comes naturally. Please, Twilight... don’t hurt it...”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, not taking her eyes off her target. “I won’t hurt it, I’m just going to convince it that we’re not worth the trouble. A little enchainment magic should do the trick!”

She aimed her horn forward and fired a bolt of magic, catching the beast in its front leg. The magic trail remained in the air and fell limp, like a rope, until she jerked her head back. The magic went taut and lassoed itself around the creature’s other legs until all the legs were wrapped up, at which point the magic manifested as a set of bright chains.

The creature tripped, and one of its claws smashed against the rocky ground while trying to break its fall. It screeched with a high-pitched whine, seemingly in great pain. Its claw was mangled from landing in such an awkward position, and a green goo could be seen from where it had snapped.

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh no... T-Twilight, not so—"

“It’s down, time to bring the pain!” Rainbow hollered. “Trying to eat us, chump? Eat this!”

She charged and aimed for an exposed section of its armor, kicking the beast again as it was stumbling to get back up. The kick knocked the insect off balance, and it screeched again. It struggled to rise once more, stymied by Twilight’s magic.

Fluttershy stepped forward and reached a hoof out. “P-please, Rainbow, d-don’t—"

The thing screeched and burst its legs out of Twilight’s magical chain before swinging its other claw at Rainbow. The pegasus sailed off out of its reach, making it sputter in a rage.

While it was distracted, Applejack charged forward and bucked one of its legs. Everypony present could hear the snap. The kick had likely been enough to shatter a tree.

The gargantuan stumbled and fell, screeching in agony. Its leg certainly looked broken and was bleeding the same sickly green ooze as its right claw.

“Yeah! Nice one AJ!” Rainbow made to charge back in again, but stopped in mid-air when a voice called out.

“Waaait!” Fluttershy shouted, swooping forward and barring Rainbow’s path. “Please! That’s enough! You’re hurting it!”

With everypony frozen in surprise, she glided over to the thing and pat it gently on its armored head.

“Fluttershy! Are you off your bleedin’ trolley?!” Tick Tock shouted, galloping forward to intercept. “Get away from—"

The creature gurgled, and Fluttershy’s grin spread across her face. “There there, little guy,” she cooed. “Don’t worry, my friends aren’t going to hurt you anymore. Isn’t that right girls?” she added, shooting a glare at Applejack and Rainbow in particular.

The two of them both exchanged nervous glances. “Well shoot, we were only defendin’ ourselves,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her neck. “It was tryin’ ta eat us...”

“I didn’t think you could do that with all animals,” Rainbow said, placing her hooves together and avoiding Fluttershy’s eyes. “I mean... this thing didn’t look as, uh, ‘cuddly’ as a manticore.”

“Rainbow Dash, really... all creatures are my friends. This creature was only looking for food. It’s not a monster.”

Tick Tock stomped a hoof. “Yes it is. Fluttershy, you need to slowly move away from—"

“As for you, Twilight?” Fluttershy’s glare transferred over to the unicorn. “Your magic can fix this helpless thing’s injuries, right?”

Twilight flustered and scuffed a hoof through the dirt. “Y-yes, I suppose I could try.”

“See?” Fluttershy said, patting the gargantuan’s head again. “My friends are going to make up for all of what they did to you. Poor thing...”

Tick Tock took another deep breath and lit up her horn. “Yes yes, that’s very nice, now get away from it. I don’t want you getting hurt when I draw its attention.”

Fluttershy turned her glare to Tick Tock. “And you! Stop calling him a monster, this poor animal is hurt.”

“Relax, Tick Tock,” Twilight said placing a calming hoof on the other unicorn’s shoulder. “Fluttershy’s got a gift with animals, apparently even creatures in this world. I’m as surprised as you are, but she’s got this handled.”

Fluttershy smiled wide and gave Twilight an approving glance. “I’m glad you understand, Twilight. There was no need for violence here.”

Tick Tock shrugged Twilight’s hoof off her shoulder and stomped forward. “Listen, you deluded twit, that thing is not an animal. Get away from it! Now!”

Twilight snorted. “Tick Tock! Really? There’s no need for that kind of talk.”

“What’s got yer saddle so sore, huh?” Applejack asked, stepped forward and poking Tick Tock in the chest. “Ain’t nopony talks ta Fluttershy that way ‘round us, y’hear?”

Tick Tock shot both Twilight and Applejack a fierce glare. “I am trying to protect your idealistic friend here. Keep out of it!”

Twilight’s mouth curled in a scowl. “Tick Tock, can’t you see she’s got it handled? You’re acting like kind of a jerk. What’s the big deal?”

Fluttershy huffed, stepping towards Tick Tock. “What is your problem with this creature, anyway?”

“Uh-oh...” Pinkie muttered. “Pinchy knee!”

Tick Tock’s eyes widened. “Fluttershy, don’t turn your back—"

Fluttershy stomped her hoof. “Listen! You’re being—"

Her eyes widened for only an instant before they snapped shut. She didn’t even get a chance to yelp in shock or surprise before she fell to the dirt in a crumbled heap. The thick stinger from the creature’s tail jutted from her back for a brief moment before crumbling to dust.

Everypony shouted in unison, but Fluttershy laid still.

“That’s it! You’re going down!” Rainbow lurched forward to attack the creature again, but the creature merely slumped to the earth, its eyes dulled, black, completely lifeless. Rainbow poked it. “What the... hey, what gives? It just died on me. I didn’t even touch it!”

“No time to worry about that!” Twilight shouted.

She and the others rushed in and gathered around Fluttershy. The pegasus lay limp on the ground, completely motionless, eyes closed. The large wound on her back, just below the base of her neck, had a sickly green tint.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh no... no no no no no...”

Rarity reached her hooves to Fluttershy’s side and shook. “Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Wake up, darling!” She shook harder. “Wake up!”

“C’mon sugarcube, this ain’t no time ta play possum,” Applejack said, removing her hat.

“C’mon, Fluttershy, get up...” Rainbow said as she latched onto Pinkie’s shoulder.

Rarity put her hoof to her mouth and shook her head. “Oh dear. No... please... please no...”

“Everypony relax,” Tick Tock said, stepping through their circle to kneel at Fluttershy’s side. “She’s alive. Look, see? She’s still breathing.”

True enough, Fluttershy’s chest was just barely puffing in and out. They all breathed a sigh of relief, but looked at each other with worry. Fluttershy’s breaths were short, labored, and erratic.

Rarity sniffed and wiped a hoof under her eye. “Oh Fluttershy... thank goodness...”

Tick Tock lit up her horn, creating a green glow around Fluttershy’s wound.

“Is she going to be okay, Tick Tock?” Lockwood asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

A moment passed, and Tick Tock drew away, shaking her head. Her horn remaining glowing, but it and the glow around Fluttershy’s wound shifted to a dull pink. She sighed and turned to face the others.

“This is bad. Very, very bad. The gargantuan venom is already spreading.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Rarity asked, stepping forward. “Tell me!”

Tick Tock remained silent for a moment, then averted her gaze from Rarity’s. “No point in sugar-coating it. Even an adolescent gargantuan’s venom is fatal to ponies. She’s dying.”

Rarity fainted, and Lockwood stepped forward to catch the falling unicorn, fanning her with his hoof. She woke up seconds later, and immediately started bawling.

“Is there anything we can do?” Twilight asked. “Please... please tell me we can do something.”

“Luckily, it’s not instantaneous,” Tick Tock said. “I can keep the venom from spreading too much, but it’s not an effective method. It’ll just delay the effect, buy her a few hours.”

“How long does she have?” Rainbow asked.

Tick Tock remained silent, keeping her eyes closed in thought.

“How long?!” Rainbow asked again.

Tick Tock nodded. “If we’re lucky, I’d say about twenty-four hours. I’ve seen average ponies last about that long, so I can’t say we’d have much more, if even that. Fluttershy’s frailer physiology complicates my calculations.”

“What do we need to do?” Twilight asked. “Is there a cure?”

Tick Tock pointed northeast, in the direction they’d been traveling in the first place. “The Goldridge Pass checkpoint. I know the caretaker has antivenom, I’ve seen his stores myself. We’re less than a day’s run from there, so we’re going to need to move quickly.”

“Well then what’re we waitin’ around flappin’ our gums?!” Applejack asked, stomping a hoof.

“We need to get moving, yes,” Tick Tock added. “But, we need to be careful. We can’t just waltz about and hope for the best. Gargantuan venom also carries a very powerful pheromone and will attract the attention of any and all nearby adolescent gargantuans. Possibly adults, too. They tend not to leave the nesting grounds to even chase after prey, so if we can get out of this region we should be fine.”

“Rarity. Lockwood,” Twilight said, turning to the pair. “You two can carry Fluttershy together the easiest while allowing our effective distractions to move unhindered. Keep close to the rest of us.”

Rarity shook her head. “Move her? Twilight, we can’t move her so suddenly, and certainly not so brusquely! We’d risk hurting her even more!”

“Rarity, listen, we need to move quickly,” Twilight explained, as carefully as she could. She could see that Rarity was in hysterics, and didn’t want to agitate her any more than she already was.

“I understand that, Twilight, but she’s likely in pain. We need to be concerned about making sure she’s comfortable if we’re to move her. I know time is of the essence, but—"

Lockwood interjected, placing a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Rarity, Twilight’s right, we really should—"

“I will not risk her well-being just to make things go faster!”

Twilight’s horn flashed, and Rarity felt the sting of magic upon her cheek. “Rarity!” Twilight shouted. “Get a hold of yourself! If we don’t get moving now, more of those things are coming, and then what? We’d be putting ourselves and Fluttershy at risk! I understand you don’t want to risk hurting her en route, but we don’t have a choice!”

Rarity flustered for a moment, then sighed. “Yes... yes you’re right, Twilight. I apologize. I’m just... terribly frightened.” She cleared her throat in an apparent attempt to regain her composure, then turned to Lockwood. “Mister Lockwood? Can I trust you to help me with her? She is my dearest friend... and if I lose her—"

“You can count on me,” Lockwood said with a bow. “She’ll be in safe hooves with you and I, I assure you.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the others while Rarity and Lockwood lifted Fluttershy onto their backs. “Pinkie, Flathoof, and Tick Tock will lead ahead, and I’ll bring up the rear with Rainbow and Applejack. If any of those things pop up, the rest of you keep moving. The three of us will distract them and keep them busy, to keep them away from you. Just. Keep. Moving. We’ll catch up.”

Flathoof nodded. “I’ll keep us moving at the fastest pace we can afford.” He turned to Pinkie and Tick Tock. “You ladies ready?”

“Yes sir, Officer Flathoof, sir!” Pinkie said with a brisk salute. “You can count on us! C’mon everypony! Time to hustle! Hup two hup two! Gotta get Fluttershy to safety!”

“Well then, let’s move out!” Applejack shouted.

***

Applejack dove to the ground as one of the beasts swung a claw at her head, narrowly avoiding losing it. She’d felt the bladed edge sweep past her ear. Too close.

“A little help down here would be nice!”

“Yeah yeah, I've got you!”

Rainbow swooped in low and grabbed the stinger of another creature that was moving in on Applejack from behind. She tugged the appendage in an attempt to knock it off balance, but the creature was too heavy and its many legs kept it firmly grounded.

It took a haphazard swing in her direction.

She yelped and released her grip on its tail, snapping it hard into the thing’s face and making it stumble around in a daze.

“Rainbow! Be careful of the tails!” Twilight called.

She fired a bolt of magic to launch one of the monsters flying, then projected a barrier to deflect the claw of another that had come from behind. The bubble popped and knocked the creature off-balance. She lassoed another as she’d done before, swinging it into this one to knock them both off their feet.

“We ain’t got time fer this!” Applejack shouted as she bounded out of the fray to Twilight’s side. “We gotta catch back up ta the others, Twi.”

“Agreed,” Twilight said. She turned away from Applejack and moved towards the oncoming set of returning creatures. “You two go on, I’ll keep this batch busy.”

“Twi, we should really stick—"

“Just go!”

Applejack made to argue, but decided against it. She grunted and nodded, then turned to Rainbow as she started galloping off. “C’mon, Dash! We’re moseyin’ on outta here!”

Rainbow swept low, swooping up alongside Applejack and matching the earth pony’s pace. “Right with you, AJ!”

The pair sped along to catch up with the rest of their friends. En route, they noticed more adolescent gargantuans bursting forth and giving chase than they’d really expected. Their pace quickened when they caught sight of their friends ahead being accosted by a group of the creatures.

Applejack and Rainbow burst into the battle, knocking the few attacking creatures aside and providing an opening.

"Move move move!” Applejack shouted, charging ahead to lead the others on before any of the gargantuans got up

Tick Tock sped up to match Applejack’s pace. “Where’s Twilight?”

“She’s right behind us,” answered Rainbow from overhead.

“I certainly hope so.” Tick Tock pointed ahead to where the ground was slowly changing from dry, cracked earth back to smooth sand. “We’re almost the edge of the territory, everypony! Just keep up the pace, and we’ll be—"

Pinkie hiccuped.

Tick Tock shot a look back at Pinkie. As the earth pony was running at a full gallop, she was unable to stymie another barrage of hiccups. “Oh... great. Another earthquake?”

“Well maybe this’ll be a good thing, and it’ll scare off some of these bugs?” Rainbow said.

“That’s ‘bout all we can hope fer at this point.” Applejack sped up. “C’mon, everypony, pick it up back there!”

“We’re trying, Applejack!” Rarity shouted, speeding up to stay even with Lockwood.

The ground rumbled and lurched about, shaking with much more intensity than Applejack remembered from the earlier quake. The bugs behind were completely undaunted, and continued their pursuit.

The ground in front exploded, spitting chunks of rock and dirt everywhere. Again, the group grinded to a halt, this time under a barrier from Tick Tock, who even with Rarity’s assistance, visibly struggled to live up to the expectations of the absent Twilight.

This time, something much bigger ripped its way out from the earth.

“Whoa nelly...” Applejack muttered, glancing upwards as the encroaching shadow engulfed her.

“Okay... scratch that. Earthquake: not good,” Rainbow said while latching onto Pinkie.

Tick Tock sighed. “I hate being right sometimes...”

The adult gargantuan screeched at the party of ponies below it, causing them to back away and shield their ears. The noise was so loud that the glass on Rainbow’s goggles broke. The creature towered above them, standing several dozen ponies tall and even more wide and long. Applejack was daunted by the sheer size of the thing: it made the Ursa Minor look small in comparison, easily big enough to crush any of their homes under a single leg. Its armored hide was black rather than gray, and its large, twin-pronged stinger was red rather than black.

It reared up a massive claw the size of several train cars.

Tick Tock squeezed her eyes shut and flared her horn, half-blinding the group in her attempt to protect them.

The claw sliced down.

A small pop resounded from the center of their group, accompanied by another bright flash. The claw struck the magic shield, bouncing back.

Applejack blinked up at the new shield that had appeared, one that was distinctly purple, not green. She turned to the group’s center, where sure enough, they’d been joined by-

“Twilight! Just in time, sugarcube.”

“I see we have a situation here,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath. Her eyes were half-lidded and her mane was drenched with sweat. “Wow... that thing hits hard...”

The creature struck at the barrier once more. Twilight gasped as the blow rebounded off her magic, and the shield’s color began to flicker.

Twilight’s breaths came in slow puffs. “I don’t know if I can hold it much longer,” she said.

“What’re we gonna do, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“Well, hopefully once we establish a strong-enough shield, we can worry about moving. I don’t know if I’ve got enough in me though.”

Rarity stepped forward, enshrouding Twilight’s horn with her own blue glow. “I’ve got your back, darling.”

“I don’t have much left in me either,” Tick Tock said, lighting up her own horn, “but I’ll do what I can.”

The monster delivered another slam to the shield. Tick Tock flinched and stumbled, her horn’s light flickering out. With another resounding strike, the shield flickered. Rarity and Twilight together stood firm, but their faces were contorted with strain.

“Okay... okay I think we’ve got it,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath. “Is everypony ready to- ah!”

Some adolescent gargantuans joined in the assault. The color and shine of Twilight’s shield dwindled with every strike.

“Change of plans. When I drop the shield... the rest of you are going to run... as fast as you can. Understood? No... looking back.”

“We ain’t gonna abandon ya, Twi,” Applejack said, stepping up alongside Twilight. “Rainbow ‘n’ me can distract it, an’ then—"

The adult reared its claw back again, and prepared to strike once more.

“Aw horseapples...”

“Too late!” Rainbow shouted.

Applejack watched in horror as the claw came rushing downwards. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for the strike. Everypony else held their breath.

“Hey ugly! Eat heat!”

There was a loud screech of pain.

Twilight blinked her eyes open. “What?”

She and everypony else looked out of her fading shield to see the monster swerve to its left, apparently distracted by something in the air.

To Applejack’s surprise, she spotted a red pegasus, a mare if it was the owner of the voice from before, gliding about in a strafing maneuver and launching fireballs, each of them-

“Wait, fireballs?” Applejack muttered. “Is that pegasus up there shootin’ fire?”

“It certainly seems so.” Tick Tock shook her head. “I thought I’d seen everything.”

Each burst of flame exploded with a loud blast as they struck the gargantuan’s thick, armored hide.

The thing took a heavy swing upwards at her, which she dodged with a dexterous twirl. Once out of its way, she fired a volley of blasts at its claw, causing the monstrous thing to screech and jerk its claw away from her.

“Well... at least the big one... is occupied...” Twilight said. “But... the little ones are still- ah!”

She grimaced, and with a heavy groan the bubble around her party died out at last. Though the adult was distracted by the surprise assault, the young ones were unimpeded and moved in on what was now likely easy prey.

“Shoot... so much fer a darin’ rescue,” Applejack muttered as she settled in to defend herself. She turned to Rarity. “Rarity, y’all keep Lockwood ‘n’ Fluttershy close ta the center—"

One of the bugs rushed towards Applejack, swinging its claw when she wasn’t looking. She raised a hoof in front of her face to defend herself out of sheer panic.

Luckily, this kept the blood spatter from hitting her face. The insect squealed in agony and stumbled away.

Applejack stared at the creature’s missing claw, which had landed yards away. “What in tarnation?” she muttered.

She turned her head to her side, and nearly leapt when she spotted the pink earth pony standing beside her. She even had to do a double-take to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, and turned to look into the rest of her group. Sure enough, there was Pinkie Pie just behind her, standing back-to-back with Rainbow. She shook her head and looked back to the other earth pony who bore an uncanny resemblance. She didn’t know why she’d made the mix-up, since this other mare was wearing a silver jumpsuit, had a different cutie mark, and styled her mane and tail differently.

“Are y’all the one that did that?” she asked.

The earth pony nodded and gave a gleeful chuckle. “Yup! Oh hey, you and your pals here might wanna step back. Things are gonna get messy.”

The pink pony leapt away, up and above another of the bugs before landing on its head and punching it in the face, drawing blood.

Applejack was stunned. This pony was strong enough to punch clean through that creature’s armor? How did she do that? Applejack hadn’t seen the pony do anything special to allow it.

She turned to her right and saw another of the gargantuans barreling towards her. A quick glance to her left told her that the pink pony from before was already occupied with more of the things, so Applejack settled in and prepared herself for a fight.

A blast of lightning tore through the air and collided with the creature’s midsection, blowing a hole in its armor and knocking the monster flying.

A black unicorn, who wore a silver jumpsuit much like the earth pony, landed in front of her. Landed, of course, meaning she actually landed on her face, not on her hooves.

“Ow...” the unicorn muttered as she shook herself off and stood upright. “Okay, like, I totally need to get some powers that make me more... uh, not clumsy.” She turned and waved at Applejack. “Oh! Hi there! Uh, like, stay where it’s safe and junk? We’ve got these buggy things totally taken care of, okay?”

“Uh... sure, right,” Applejack said with a nod. “Thanks.”

“You are so totally welcome!”

“Who the hay are these guys?” Rainbow asked, pointing at a big, bluish-gray pegasus that was circling above them.

“I don’t rightly know. Ta be frank, Dash, they’re helpin’ us out of a mighty big pickle, so I don’t really care neither.”

“I hear that.”

The large pegasus above them dove towards the ground, landing on and smashing one of the creatures, hooves-first. Her hooves were protected by what looked like silver metal boots adorned with colorful gems. She too wore a silver jumpsuit.

The bug she’d landed on splattered into large, gory bits that coated the face and body of the pink pony, who had been moving in to attack the same target herself.

Said pink pony’s face contorted in anger. “Tch... kill stealer. Go find your own target.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this one had your name on it,” the gray one said with a shrug. She sprung off the crushed bug and soared into the sky.

The pink one glared upwards at the other mare’s retreating form. “Just keep to your own side, before I carve my name into you!”

Twilight, who had gotten a chance to catch her breath, stared at the red pegasus that still flew circles around the adult, launching fireballs into the weak, sensitive joints to make the thing angrier and angrier.

“Applejack’s right, who they are isn’t important, they’re helping us.” She shook her head. “What I want to know is, is that pegasus using... magic?”

“That seems appropriate to me,” Tick Tock said. “It definitely feels like magic. I also detected some minor magic signatures from the other pegasus, and the earth pony.”

“As did I,” Twilight said, nodding her head. “Curious.”

“Who cares what it is?” Rainbow said. “Whatever it is, it works.” She pointed her hoof at the red pegasus. “Ha! Check that one out. Chucking fire... so awesome.”

The adolescent gargantuans that had surrounded Twilight’s group soon dwindled down to nothing more than messy corpses. The earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn that had cleared them all out now turned their attention to the adult that the other pegasus was still dealing with.

“Uh... attack pattern Gamma!” the unicorn shouted.

“Attack pattern wh—" the earth pony started to say.

The gray one flicked her wings towards the earth pony. She then swept down, picked the earth pony up and tossed her, apparently without approval, up onto the creature’s back.

The earth pony bounced a few times before managing to latch on, somehow. “Hey! Watch it!” she shouted, shaking her hooves towards the gray pegasus.

The gray pegasus shrugged. “Oh sorry, was that not Gamma?”

She swooped around behind the gargantuan and delivered several kicks to the creature’s legs, hard enough that Applejack and the others could hear the armor crack.

The creature wobbled off-balance, forcing the pink pony to move on with her assault with a bit of awkward-looking climbing. She moved towards its eyes, then attacked one in such a way—Applejack couldn’t see how—that made the beast screech loudly and stumble back.

This was more than enough of a distraction for the red pegasus to have an opening, and she flung a large fireball right at the creature’s mouth.

The pink pony yelped again and dove off to avoid being struck, and the ball of fire struck where she’d been, exploding like a bomb and blowing off large chunks of exoskeleton and flesh. They lost sight of the pink pony through the fire and smoke.

The beast slumped forward into the dirt with a loud crash, sending dust and earth blooming out in a weak cloud.

With the gargantuan defeated, the two pegasi, the unicorn, and the earth pony gathered in front of Applejack, Twilight, and the other ponies they’d rescued.

Twilight stepped forward. “Thank—"

At which point the four other mares immediately began arguing.

“Did you go blind or something, you feather-brain?!” the earth pony shouted, poking the red pegasus in the nose. “Watch where you’re aiming! I know you’re just mad I’m winning, but cheating? Grow up.”

She wheeled around and poked the gray pegasus in the chest once, then readjusted her aim to poke the mare’s nose instead. “And you! Whatever happened to carrying ponies, y’know, like a normal pegasus? Keep your stupid tricks to yourself.”

She then wheeled around and poked the unicorn, who stumbled back onto her rear. “And what the hell was that ‘attack pattern Gamma’ crap? We don’t have any attack patterns, and even if we did, who in their right mind would give you authority to make that kind of call, huh?”

The gray pegasus shrugged. “My aim was perfect, and you landed precisely on the center of the target’s back. I thought I was doing you a favor. Is it my fault you didn’t react in time? No. But if you want to blame me, fine. Whatever helps you sleep at night. I don’t really care.”

The red one poked the earth pony right back. “Pfh, yeah, and it’s not my fault you decided to stand in the most vulnerable spot. Maybe next time you’ll leave the big ones to me, yeah? Instead of being a little kill-stealer? I heard you down there, you buckin’ hypocrite. The big one was mine! I got here first, that was my prize!”

The earth pony rolled her eyes. “Right, because you were doing so well by yourself up there. Last time I checked it was my hoofwork that made the thing even vulnerable to your little ‘fireworks’ display. If you weren’t such a show-off, maybe you’d have killed the thing yourself.”

“Whatever, moron. You’re just mad I got the kill after all my hard work. I think that puts me at... what? Eighty-five?” The red mare’s mouth curled in a cocky smirk. “Guess I just took the lead, then. Suck it, Red.”

“Like hell it does! That still only counts as one! I’m not the moron, you’re the moron here. Just a weak little moron with nothing to show but a bunch of pyrotechnics. And you suck at math, too! You wanna let me prove it? I’ll cut you into little steaks! See how many you can count!”

“Oh bring it on, freak show,” the pegasus snickered, igniting her hooves.

Now that Applejack could see it up close, she really couldn’t believe it. The red pegasus had made fire. With her hooves. She was holding fire. “Man, these guys sure are rough,” she whispered to Twilight. “I’m beginnin’ ta wonder if we should be careful.”

“Let’s see where this goes,” Twilight whispered back. “I wouldn’t want to offend them. They seem to be having some sort of competition and are arguing over rules and prizes. You know how you and Rainbow get.”

“I ain’t never threatened ta cut Rainbow up inta lil’ bits.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s not like you never threaten other kinds of bodily harm, AJ.”

“Ooh! Ooh! Fight!” The black unicorn started bouncing in place and giggling. “Can we take bets? I, like, so wanna take bets. Who’s your bet on, Gray? Huh? My bet’s on Havoc.”

The earth pony shot the unicorn a fierce glare.

The unicorn gulped. “Er... maybe my bet’s on Red?”

Now, the pegasus shot her a glare.

The unicorn threw her hooves in the air. “Like, what-ever! I didn’t wanna bet anyway if you guys are gonna make this lame and junk? Pfh. Cha.”

“Girls girls girls, there’s no need to be at each other’s throats. Here, I’ll settle this,” the gray one interjected. She pointed at the earth pony, but looked at the other pegasus. “You think she’s a moron, yes? And you,” she said, pointing at the pegasus but looking at the earth pony, “think she’s the moron?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” the red pegasus said with a nod.

“Well the way I see it, you’re both right. You’re both morons. Congratulations. Don’t you just love being right?”

The red pegasus wheeled around and aimed her enflamed hoof at the gray one. “Why I oughta—"

“Enough, all of you,” came another voice.

Everypony, Twilight’s party included, turned their heads northeast, towards the source of the voice. A violet unicorn was approaching, followed by a blue earth pony. The unicorn trotted up to the four others, who each immediately saluted. The unicorn cantered in a line before them, then snorted and turned to Twilight and the others.

“Forgive my associates. Sometimes they can seem... obnoxious. I trust they did not make any trouble for you?”

“Oh, don’t mention it,” Twilight said with a smile and a nod. “I think I speak for my friends when I say that frankly, we’re just glad to be alive.”

The unicorn waved her hoof in dismissal. “No need for gratitude, but if you insist, your praise is accepted,” she said, giving Twilight a terse, scrutinous look.

Her gaze drifted over the others in the group. It made Applejack feel slightly uncomfortable, as if the mare was looking for something or attempting to read her mind.

“It would appear that introductions are in order,” the unicorn said after a moment of silence.

Both the red pegasus and the blue earth pony took steps forward, as if to interject, but the unicorn shot them both a coarse look. They both nodded and backed off, though they did share glances with one another.

Twilight nodded. “Ah, yes, I agree. Uh... well since you’re the ones who saved us, I suppose we should give you the honor of going first?”

The other unicorn nodded in agreement. “My name is Starlight Shadow,” she said, putting one hoof over her chest and bowing. She turned to the others in her group and tilted her head just slightly towards Twilight. The others all nodded at once.

The blue earth pony stepped forward first and gave an elaborate, flourished bow. “Enchantée! Je m’appelle Curaçao. To meet you is a pleasure.”

The red pegasus came up next. She snorted and rubbed her nose. “Havocwing.”

“Name’s Grayscale Force,” the gray pegasus said before covering her mouth with a hoof to stifle a yawn.

“I’m Red Velvet!” the pink earth pony said, giving a wide, oddly bright smile.

The black unicorn giggled and waved. “And I’m Insipid! It’s, like, so cool to meet everypony and junk?”

“Right. Well, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said, gesturing towards herself. She then waved a hoof over the others, and introduced them all one at a time, coming to an awkward pause when she reached Fluttershy. “Oh dear... yes, and... Fluttershy.”

Rarity coughed and turned to the newcomers. “While I would hate to appear rude to our saviors,” she said before turning back to Twilight, “don’t you think we have more pressing matters to attend to, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded and gave Starlight Shadow’s group an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, ladies, but we’re in a bit of a hurry. I’d hate to have you save us like that and not give proper thanks, but we’ve got a pretty strict time limit.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow and nodded when she saw Fluttershy’s limp form. “Ah, I was curious as to why your introduction spiel suddenly veered off-course. She has become stricken with gargantuan venom?”

“Yes,” Tick Tock said, “and we really must be moving. Thank you all for your time and for the rescue, but if we don’t get her medical attention soon, we may likely lose her. I apologize if we seem ungrateful, but Goldridge Pass is still a ways off.”

“Goldridge Pass? Why, we were mobilizing in that direction ourselves until I detected the evidence of combat here, were we not?” Starlight asked with a bright smile to her companions. She turned back to Twilight and the others. “I would be most discouraged to bid you all farewell without engaging in further conversation.

“Ah, though I believe a solution has presented itself!” She tapped her hooves together. “We shall escort you. Seeing as there remains a possibility of attracting more unwanted attention, our capabilities should prove enough to grant you safe passage.”

Twilight hummed, and nodded. “Well... that does seem reasonable. What do you girls think?”

“Is that a serious question, Twi?” Rainbow asked. “Let’s take them up on it! You don’t say ‘no’ when somepony offers to help you cross dangerous terrain.”

“Looks like the horseshoe’s on the other hoof, there, Dash,” Applejack said, giving Rainbow a good-natured poke in the side. “I’m all fer gettin’ across safe, if y’all are, Twi.”

Twilight smiled and turned back to Starlight. “Alright, I suppose if you’re heading the same way, there’s no harm in traveling together. Thank you again. We can talk a little on the way and get properly introduced then, I suppose.”

“Then we have an accord.” Starlight turned to her companions. “Sisters! We are to provide escort for Twilight Sparkle and her companions. Please be courteous to our new friends, and be polite. Is that clear?”

“Sir, yes sir!” the five of the shouted in unison.

Starlight held up a hoof as they began to follow. “Curaçao. Havocwing. Hold. I desire a conversation with the two of you. The rest of you,” she added, turning her head to face Grayscale, Velvet, and Insipid, “continue forward.”

Twilight turned to her friends and gestured for them to follow her. “Come on girls, let’s get moving.”

“Well, things are finally lookin’ up,” Applejack said as she trotted up to Twilight. She turned to Starlight and her friends as she passed. “Thank ya kindly, Miss Shadow.”

“The pleasure is ours, Twilight Sparkle and friends,” Starlight said with a bow. “We will rendezvous shortly.”

***

As everypony else got some distance away and Starlight was sure nopony would hear her, she turned to the two remaining members of her team. Her eyes shifted between them, attempting to read their opinions on the matter without asking. Havocwing, of course, was an easy read; the anger in her eyes could ignite an inferno. Curaçao was, as always, unreadable.

“Well, sisters?” she asked at last. “It would appear as if the situation has diverted from what our information led us to believe.”

Havocwing stomped her hooves in the dirt. “Yeah, what gives, boss?” she asked, darting forward and gesturing in the direction the others had left. “They didn’t even recognize us! They acted like nothing happened! Of all the—"

“Cease your agitation, Havoc,” Starlight said, brushing Havocwing aside. “I am just as perplexed as you are, perhaps more so. Something strikes me as peculiar about this. Father was concise in saying that these six are responsible for our... accident, so naturally our expectation was that they held knowledge of it.”

Curaçao tapped her chin. “C’est problématique. ‘ow can zis be? Per’aps zen, zee ‘accident’ really was zat. Un accident.”

“Psh, either that or they’re faking it,” Havocwing said, snorting smoke from her nose. “Pisses me off!”

Starlight hummed in thought. “An interesting conundrum: either the accident was legitimate, or these inferior ponies are merely shrouding their influence. However, regardless of the situation, it still stands that they retain responsibility for our amnesiac status. Father asserted as much.”

“What are we going to do, boss?” Havocwing asked, shuffling her hooves. “I don’t think we really prepared for this. They were supposed to recognize us, and we act all amnesiac, which we are, and they feel really guilty and—"

“Havoc, is there a particular reason you feel the need to exposit upon my original plan?”

Havocwing shrugged. “Uh... just refreshing it in my head, I guess? Trying to think of something we can do?”

“Ah, per’aps then it would be wise to pretend we are in zee same boat, non? Zat we do not know zem?” Curaçao said. She let out a long sigh. “Zat may be très difficile. Zut! we ‘ave to trust zat zee ozers do not ruin zee illusion. I don’t suppose Grayscale would do anyzing rash. But Velvet, and ma copine? Zey are not so... patient, nor are zey very bright. Not to mention ‘avocving.”

“Hey! I can be just as much of a buckin’ lying sneak as you,” Havocwing said, poking Curaçao in the nose. “I ain’t gonna be the one to ruin this... this whatever we’re doing.”

She turned to Starlight again. “I still say we just kill ‘em. They’re too nice-nice to do what dad wants, anyway... whatever it is dad wants. You saw them. ‘Fluttershy this’ and ‘antivenom that’.” She ground her hooves into the sand. “Buckin’ Fluttershy. Something about that one makes me so mad.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Curaçao’s scheme appears the most practical. We shall feign ignorance for the time being. It was merely a... coincidence that we arrived and offered salvation. That is the farce we shall maintain, understood?”

Havocwing snorted smoke into the air. “Hmph. Still doesn’t sit right with me, saving their skins like that. Should’ve just killed them while we had a chance.”

“And antagonize father? I think not.” Starlight shook her head. “Remember, murder is our last resort. We shall maintain our farce and acquire the advantage of our status as ‘saviors’, and manipulate them as such. Remember your assigned targets.”

“Roger that, boss...” Havocwing sighed.

Curaçao saluted. “Oui, ma capitaine.”

Starlight nodded and turned northeast. “Now then, let us rendezvous as promised. We would not desire our new friends getting suspicious now, would we?”


	13. Instigation

Twilight stared off into the east at the large range of mountains that made up the Goldridge Pass. They stood as a beacon of hope, and even at this distance she could see where the range got its name. It was a vast stretch of what looked like solid gold for miles across the horizon. Some mountains were taller, others shorter, giving the ridge a sort of jagged appearance, but it did not appear unpleasant. It was certainly a more welcome sight than the Redblade Mountains had been.

The mountains were only hours away, but to Twilight it may as well have been on the other side of the world. The past twenty-four hours had been nearly non-stop, and the only real break she and her friends had gotten was the one measly hour on the Redblade Mountains. They were tired, hungry, and recent developments had crushed their spirits. Fluttershy’s condition was a devastating blow to all of them, but to Twilight and Rarity especially. Twilight just couldn’t figure out how to fix the problem, and every passing moment was one step closer to-

Twilight shook her head. There was no good in thinking about that.

Still, after another few solid hours of running, she and her friends were spent. So, at Tick Tock's insistence, and against Rarity’s vocal disagreements, the group had decided to take a much-needed rest. This was more than acceptable to Starlight Shadow’s group, as they had no manner of timetable to keep.

Twilight was grateful that Tick Tock seemed to be competent in handling gargantuans and their venom, as her assurances were all they really had to go by. According to the other unicorn, the venom was spreading quickly, but she was able to keep Fluttershy’s condition stable in the most unorthodox manner Twilight had ever heard: she was using precisely aimed barrier spells to isolate the venom, drastically slowing the infection’s progress. This gave them between seven and eight hours, which Tick Tock based on the bluish-green coloring of Fluttershy’s lips.

Rarity still fidgeted and paced in circles around Fluttershy, who now lay beside a campfire. The campfire was real this time, provided by the red pegasus from Starlight Shadow’s group, Havocwing. Twilight was still baffled by the pegasus and her ability to wield Pyromancy magic not only without a horn, but without any sort of aid. It didn’t seem possible, but there it was.

After being assured of Fluttershy’s current well-being, Twilight had been focused entirely on Havocwing. She kept her distance, trying her best not to be rude or intrusive. It was a fascinating sight, really, seeing the pegasus stoke the flames with her bare hoof. Was she flameproof as well? That seemed a logical benefit, but that just raised further questions.

Her focus was such that she didn’t notice another pony walk up beside her.

“Do Havocwing’s flames intrigue you, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight jumped to the side, clutching a hoof to her chest. Starlight Shadow had taken her completely by surprise. “Oh... well, to be frank, yes. I’m curious as to how a pegasus can wield Pyromancy in this manner. I know that talented pegasi can, if their flight speed is high enough, generate trails of a semi-magical nature, but this is... not that.”

Starlight chuckled. “It is quite a boon, is it not? However, apprehension in this situation, as understandable as it is, is a fool’s errand. Neither myself nor Havocwing can comprehend the manner of which she is granted this capability, but she possesses it, so that is all that matters.”

“I suppose if she doesn’t understand it either, there’s no sense in being intrusive about it.” Twilight sighed. “It would take too long to perform experiments anyway, especially without my equipment. A non-unicorn using unicorn magic... just think of the academic possibilities.”

“Ah, you fancy yourself a scholar, then?” Starlight smiled and patted Twilight on the shoulder. “I sense an opportunity for an enthralling conversation. Would you object to engaging in some amiable discourse?”

Twilight glanced sideways over at where she could still see Tick Tock slaving over Fluttershy. She felt she should be helping, but Tick Tock had insisted that she could handle it alone. Still: “I still don’t know if I should be leaving Fluttershy,” she said. “I know Tick Tock said she can handle it, but—"

Starlight laughed and patted Twilight on the shoulder again. “Twilight Sparkle, this is your opportunity to replenish yourself, as well. If Miss Tock desires the opportunity to ‘handle it’, then allow her to do so. I understand your concern: your friend is standing at death’s door, and you are entrusting her livelihood to a pony other than yourself.”

“That’s... mostly true, I suppose. I may not be an expert in Restomancy, but Tick Tock is self-admitted as having zero knowledge of the subject. I don’t see how she’s more of a help than I am. Still...”

“Allow your mind to be at ease, to temporarily place these issues along the wayside.” Starlight began to trot away, and gave Twilight a gesture to follow. “Come, converse with me. I am certain you will not be disappointed. You may even attain fresh knowledge.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes... yes, I think you’re right. Tick Tock is taking care of Fluttershy, and doesn’t want or need my help. A little friendly conversation may do me some good.”

Twilight followed Starlight a few dozen paces away from the rest of the camp. She glanced sideways at Havocwing again, then shook her head. As she shifted her eyes along her friends, she could see that some of them were talking with other members of Starlight’s group as well. Pinkie and Red Velvet had taken to each other rather quickly, it seemed, and while she couldn’t see very well from here, it looked as though Applejack and Curaçao were too.

“Sparkle?”

Twilight snapped to attention. “What? Oh, sorry Miss Shadow, I was just.... nevermind. You were saying?”

Starlight shook her head. “I am aware that I intended to distract you from unpleasant thoughts, but a curious conundrum has arisen.” She placed her hoof over her heart in some manner of apologetic gesture. “I hope I am not intruding, and it was not my intent to eavesdrop, but I did overhear some manner of argument you had with your friends earlier. Rarity and Rainbow Dash, was it?”

Twilight frowned. This wasn’t surprising, but it was still disappointing. “I don’t blame you for overhearing, Miss Shadow—"

“Please, no pleasantries are necessary, Sparkle,” Starlight said with a smile.

Twilight returned the smile. “I don’t blame you for overhearing, Starlight. Rainbow wasn’t exactly... tactful, in keeping that entire conversation private. I’m glad that they both saw it my way in the end, though. We really needed this rest, even if it is short. I know I’ve had my doubts before about Tick Tock, but...”

Starlight glanced off into the air. Twilight followed her gaze up to where Rainbow was circling above at a slow, deliberate pace.

“Your friends’ faith in you is waning, if I may be so bold to make such an accusation,” Starlight said, returning her gaze to Twilight. “Perhaps you are even beginning to doubt yourself?”

Twilight shifted, pawing at the dirt beneath her. “Well, I... do sort of feel that some of the things that have happened these past few days are my fault, in a manner of speaking. Certain things could have been avoided had I been more attentive.” She gave Starlight an appraising look. “How did you know that, though, just from that little conversation?”

“I am a very astute judge of character. I once found myself in a similar position as your present self. Not for an extended period mind you, only a matter of hours, but I do understand and sympathize.”

“Well, I thank you for that,” Twilight said, tilting her head slightly. “What do you mean by ‘a similar situation’ though?”

Starlight smiled and gestured towards the campfire and those sitting there. Rarity was missing now, for some reason, but Tick Tock, Lockwood, and Flathoof still stood watch over Fluttershy.

“You and your companions are a most captivating bunch,” Starlight said. “You are so diverse in personality and ability, and yet you work cohesively. I believe I can relate that to my sisters and I.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Sisters?”

“Why, yes. Not by blood, mind; we were adopted. But enough of that, back to the topic at hoof. While I am not completely certain, it is my understanding, Sparkle, that you are the leader of your group?”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that,” Twilight said, tilting her head to the side so as not to let Starlight see her blush. “I just have good organizational skills, really. I guess if being able to organize and direct others makes me the leader, then I guess that’s what I am. I don't know if I’d call myself ‘leader’, though. More like a... manager.”

Starlight laughed and shook her head. “Ah, you are modest. Do not be. I witnessed your diplomatic initiative earlier, and I notice the manner in which your friends seek out your guidance. You may not agree, but I do not theorize any of them hesitating to nominate you to such a position, if pressed.

“I also detected the barrier spell you utilized in defense of your comrades, and not from some trivial distance, either. You wield extraordinary magic, Sparkle. If not for you, your friends would not be present in camp, enjoying reprieve. They would surely have perished, and you alongside them. Your friends require your power to continue this journey of yours. Do not be shy in admitting it.”

Twilight blushed and rubbed her neck. She had an odd relationship with being praised for her ability. On one hoof, it felt nice to be good at something and have others acknowledge it. On the other, she still felt self-conscious about seeming like a braggart or a show-off, even if she’d been told a hundred times that she should be proud.

“Well, I suppose when you put it that way, I do have some capability,” she said. “Tick Tock certainly jumped on that bandwagon quickly enough... and now you are too. Am I really that special?”

“I am well aware of the notion, Sparkle,” Starlight said with a nod, “that without your intervention, nopony in your vicinity would accomplish anything? It must be—"

“My friends and I don’t have that kind of relationship,” Twilight interrupted, trying to keep her voice from cracking. “I rely on my friends just as much as they rely on me. I value their opinions, their contributions, and their friendship. Without them, I wouldn’t be the pony I am today.”

“I did not intend insult.” Starlight’s mouth curled in a tiny smile. “Though, perhaps if you did not pay heed to others quite so much, you would not have entered into this predicament in the first place. Rather, if you paid more heed to your own evaluations.”

Twilight made to speak again, then stopped a moment to think. “What do you mean by that?”

“This friend of yours, Miss Tock? You claim she is serving as your ‘guide’, correct? And, you claim that it was she that decided to make across dangerous volcanic territory?”

“Yes, that was Tick Tock’s plan,” Twilight said. “But we all agreed to it. We are on an awfully strict time limit. I know that not all of us thought it was worthwhile though.”

“Were you amongst those that disagreed with Miss Tock?”

“I was, yes. Rainbow, Captain Flathoof, and myself were outright against it on grounds that it was dangerous. Everypony else eventually agreed that the danger was worthwhile... but...” Twilight sighed. “But I still think we’re not in that big of a hurry that we needed to endanger ourselves so much.”

Starlight’s smile grew into a smirk. “So then, you proceeded with her plan anyway, because of, I assume, a majority vote?”

“Yeah... we did.”

“A foolish endeavor, if there ever was one.”

Twilight laughed and rolled her eyes. “That’s what we said... well, not exact words, but you know. I mean, what was she thinking, carrying us—”

“Her? Oh no, Sparkle, you misunderstand. I was not referring to Miss Tock’s plan—though it was foolish, to be sure—I was referring to yours.”

“Mine?” Twilight sputtered. “B-b-but—"

Starlight laughed again and gave Twilight a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You encountered a dilemma, Sparkle. Your theory was that that route seemed unnecessarily dangerous. Rainbow Dash and Captain Flathoof joined you in voicing disagreement. But, eventually, you succumbed to Miss Tock’s argument anyway, despite your own misgivings, which you based as much on logic as she claimed to utilize to support her own.”

Twilight frowned. “She’s our guide. She... knows her way around out here. I mean, that’s what she says...”

“That is beside the intention of my argument, at any rate. No, the unfortunate circumstance here that led me to my earlier statement, is that you failed to utilize your greatest gifts to ensure the safety of yourself and your friends.”

“My greatest gifts?”

“Your intellect, for one,” Starlight continued, pointing at Twilight’s head. “I can discern quite a lot just from how you speak. You are highly-educated, or at the very least extremely well-read, if not a combination of the two. You are certainly intelligent enough not to desire wandering through active volcanoes.”

Starlight gave Twilight an appraising look, which Twilight met with a sheepish grin and another blush. Her grin widened. “Why you did not assert yourself and your superior intellect is beyond me.”

Twilight shook her head. “She sounded so confident. She said she’d done it before, dozens of times. I’ll admit that I don’t have her experience in the terrain around here, and she certainly proved she’d traveled that route before when she showed me how to modify a Personal Temperature Aura to survive extreme temperatures and cover an entire group.”

“So, you surmise that just because of that simple explanation, she is more well-versed than you?” Starlight shook her head. “Perhaps her experience exceeds your own, but your power far outstrips hers. As you posses that manner of power, that places you in control. Without your incredible magical stores, she would not have been able to attempt that route in the first place. You possessed the upper-hoof in negotiations, and you relinquished it.”

“Well... just because I’m a little stronger—"

“Again with the modesty?” Starlight snorted and stared directly into Twilight’s eyes. “Sparkle, let me forward with you. You are the single-most powerful unicorn present here, excepting myself.”

Twilight tilted her head. “You?”

“I am unhesitant in declaring myself superior, which is where we divert. Surely you do not doubt my claims, Sparkle?”

Starlight lit her horn up just slightly, enough that Twilight could easily detect and see the bright silver glow, for a brief second. A very simple spell intended to coat one’s body with latent magicks.

“If you did before, I implore you to consider otherwise. Go on, then. Read me.”

Twilight nodded and closed her eyes, letting her mind relax so that she could detect Starlight’s magical signature. She cracked one eye open when the magical sensation flowed through her.

“Hmm...”

“Does something trouble you, Sparkle?”

Twilight shook her head. Starlight’s mostly-passive magicks resonated with such strength that Twilight was almost convinced the other unicorn was cheating somehow. She knew that some unicorns back at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, when taking magical exams, would divert excess magic into their spells to make them seem more powerful at the expense of having less magic to use.

After taking a moment to examine the spell, Twilight knew otherwise. Starlight had a great deal of magic, and was not afraid to flaunt it. She couldn’t be sure of the full extent of the other unicorn’s powers with a spell such as that, but it was enough to convince her that Starlight was not like any other unicorn she’d ever met. There was no certainty that Starlight could match her strength, but she certainly did exude the confidence that she was able to.

“You certainly make a valid point, as there is a great deal of magic around you,” Twilight said at last. “I appreciate the compliment, being compared with somepony with such ability, but I don’t follow.”

“I am disappointed that you do not, but I am not surprised.” Starlight grinned and gestured towards the camp again. “You have become acquainted with my sisters and witnessed the strength they possess. Do any of your companions share that level of strength?”

Twilight remained silent and gave a despondent shake of her head.

“I suspected as much. But I digress. Despite each of my sisters possessing suitable lethality that they need not fear anything, there is something that they all respect: me.”

Twilight made to speak.

“Do not misinterpret, Sparkle,” Starlight continued, giving Twilight a careful glance. “I am willing to entertain their opinions, and I value the input of my lieutenants. But, even they are aware that at the conclusion of discussions, my word is final. It eases the maintaining of order, and believe me when I claim that such a diverse, complex collection needs order. Surely you agree?”

Twilight hesitated a moment before speaking. “I agree that being orderly and disciplined is nice and everything, but I don’t know if I agree with your... methods. You can’t treat your friends like tools, and you can’t rely on fear to—"

“Fear?” Starlight laughed and waved her hoof to dismiss the idea. “Again you misunderstand. I merely speak of my self-confidence. The power I wield is far beyond their own. While they need not fear anything, they are but ponies. They fear all the same. Myself? I possess no hesitation in braving any challenge presented to me by this harsh world. Thus, I posses no apprehension that any would challenge my authority.”

“Your companions are awfully... violent,” Twilight said, glancing again at Havocwing’s fire. “I’m honestly amazed that you can keep them all in line. Are... all ponies around here like this? The ponies I know back home aren’t.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Back home? Ah... you are attempting flight for home, correct? You mentioned that earlier. That would imply you are from... Utopia, then?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Understand, Sparkle, that this hemisphere is incomparable to your own. If you are not willing to utilize all of your power to defend yourself, you are liable to perish. The gargantuan may be the deadliest predator in the Wastelands, but their territory is self-contained, thus it is simple to divert one’s route around it. There are dangers that you cannot simply plot a detour around, however, and I warn you that they are deadlier than those ridiculous creatures by a fair margin.”

Twilight gulped. Greater dangers than the ones they’d already faced? If that was true, then perhaps Starlight had a point. Perhaps it was folly to hesitate in using her powers with confidence, rather than act as if Tick Tock’s expertise was the end-all be-all solution to their problems. Each time she and her friends had gotten into a dangerous situation thus far, she’d been the one to solve the issue using her magic.

Starlight continued, apparently unfettered by another of Twilight’s distractions. “My sisters respect my confidence, and comply with my commands because I am an inspiration. You, on the other hoof, do not wish to risk coming across as pretentious, so you downplay your intellect and magical prowess. That is the source of your misfortune. Your friends are hesitant to follow you unquestioningly, because you lack the confidence to lead them unquestioningly.

“You certainly do not have to agree with my leadership techniques, but I do implore you to consider my philosophy. If you do not assert your authority more strongly, you and your friends may be gambling with your lives.”

“I... guess I can understand that,” Twilight said. “I don’t know if I can follow your example to the letter, but... your philosophy makes sense.”

“My father’s words to me when I took on the mantle of leadership would benefit you, Sparkle. Listen well: ‘audacity leads to courage; hesitation, fear’.”

“Your father sounds like a wise stallion. A strong leader.” Twilight smiled and nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Starlight. I do appreciate the rescue earlier, so I don’t want come off as unappreciative.”

Starlight smiled and offered her hoof. Twilight took it, and gave it a firm shake. “Please, do not mention it, Sparkle,” she said with a smile. “After all, what is one favor between two like-minded individuals?”

***

Applejack busied herself with Tick Tock’s map, still confused as to how the thing worked. She’d seen Tick Tock use it, and attempted to mimic the motions, but each attempt was met with little result. Magical fruits, yes, that was a field she felt well-versed in. Magical maps? Not so much. Twilight had insisted she try and figure out a bit more about their upcoming route, but without Twilight or Tick Tock to explain the map’s intricate nature she may as well be reading another language.

She figured this was just Twilight’s way of trying to help them both learn more about the new world around them. If she could, perhaps Twilight would have somepony she truly trusted and had faith in to help direct them. Twilight hadn’t said as much, but Applejack knew her well enough to guess. Granted they’d still have to rely on Tick Tock for certain things, but at the very least it wouldn’t be a total reliance.

She’d been able to figure out the basics at the very least, or at least what they meant. For instance, she knew what the tiny green dot with Tick Tock's name above it was, same with all the other colored dots with similar names above them. Accurate locations of herself and her friends on the map would come in handy if they ever got separated. She figured that the dotted green line stretching northeast into the Goldridge Pass was their planned route, and that the red one leading southwest was the space of that route already traveled. She recognized the compass, she knew how to read the legend, and for the most part the map itself was outstandingly clear.

It was the other features she didn’t know how to work. Tick Tock was able to zoom the map in on specific locations, as she'd done when planning the route through Redblade. The map seemed to update itself automatically to fit whatever shape she held it in. But, she didn’t know how to draw her hoof along to make the routes Tick Tock did, nor did she know what sorts of shapes she could fold the map into for different effects. Apart from those, it was just a regular old map.

“Ah, Miss Applejack, are you ‘aving trouble viz ta carte?”

Applejack turned to face the blue earth pony that had approached her. “Oh, howdy there Miss...”

She frowned, and silently berated herself for not remembering the other pony’s name. It had sounded fancy, she knew that much. She glanced at the map, at the blue dot that matched this pony’s coat.

“Cure-a-cow?”

“Curaçao,” the other pony said with a smile. “Zee second ‘c’ is pronounced like ‘s’, oui? It is a common mispronunciation.”

“Oh... right. Sorry.” Applejack removed her hat and fanned herself with it. “I ain’t much used ta fancy names like that. My tongue’s got a hard time sayin’ ‘em, is all.”

Curaçao chuckled and gave Applejack a pat on the shoulder. “It is quite alright, Applejack. You ‘ave only known me a short time, non? It takes time to learn to pronounce such beautiful names as mine.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, another Rarity. “Right, well, ta answer yer question, yes, I am havin’ some trouble tryin’ ta figure out this here map. I ain’t much on magical things like this, y’see, and—"

“May I?” Curaçao asked, reaching out a hoof for the map. “I ‘ave some experience wiz zese sorts of zings. Like a fish to water, voyez-vous?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, but passed the map over. “Well sure, I guess it won’t hurt none ta give ya a fair shot.” She shrugged and replaced her hat on her head. “I don’t rightly see what y’all can do with it, not havin’ any magic yerself, but—"

Curaçao crumbled the map into a ball.

“What in the hay are ya doin’?!”

“Ah, ‘ave no worries, dear Applejack,” Curaçao said, jerking away to keep the ball of paper from Applejack’s hooves. “Watch and learn from une professionnelle, hmm?”

She finished molding the map into a ball, then offered it out to Applejack and waited a brief moment. “Voilà!”

Applejack watched in surprise as the ball flashed white, then formed itself into a perfect sphere. Rather, a globe. Having never seen it before, she found it fascinating to look at. The planet was divided into mostly-even thirds. Her dot, and those of those beside her, was just a tiny pinprick on the vast, brown northern continent. The southern continent, a lush green in color, bore a large golden star on the eastern quarter marked, Utopia. Separating the two was a massive ocean with a thick, black smear across the equator.

Applejack took the globe in hoof for a moment and studied it. “How’d y’all do that?” she asked as she passed it back to Curaçao.

Curaçao shrugged and unfurled the map back into a neat, compact square. “Zese magical maps, zey are très facile. Well, pour moi, at least. I understand if some ponies are less zan adept wiz zis sort of zing. No offense intended.”

“So y’all ‘re an expert in maps, huh? Are ya the navigator fer yer group?” Applejack asked, glancing at Curaçao’s cutie mark. Oranges, huh? Heck if that wasn’t a familiar sight. “Yer cutie mark don’t really look like it makes ya no expert in that kinda thing, if ya don’t mind my pryin’.”

Curaçao laughed. “Ah, per’aps I ‘ave a little talent wiz navigation skills, but it is more of an ‘obby, voyez-vous?”

Applejack joined her in laughing. “I hear ya. Seems ta be the case with me too. My cutie mark don’t got nothin’ ta do with a lot o’ the stuff I’m asked ta do.”

Curaçao scratched her head. “Oui... ta cutie mark n’est pas claire. What are zose?”

“They’re apples.” Applejack waited a moment, but Curaçao’s blank expression didn’t falter. She sighed in defeat. “I guess that means y’all don’t know anythin’ ‘bout ‘em either.”

“Je suis désolé. I meant no offense.”

“Don’t sweat it. Y’all were sayin’ ‘bout yer navigation bein’ just yer hobby?”

“Ah oui, I am une experte wiz navigation, but I am not zee autorité. Starlight is zee leader, and if she wants to go anozer way, zat is ‘er decision and it is our job to follow ‘er orders. I find it une bonne idée to ‘elp ensure zings go smoozly zough, so she listens to ma opinion. I am sure zat you do zee same for your capitaine, n’est-ce pas?”

Applejack tilted her head. “My... capi-what?”

“Your leader. Zee one zat makes all zee important decisions. Ah! Unless you are une démocratie? I zought zat zee unicorn was your leader, zee purple one?”

“Oh, ya mean Twilight?” Applejack scratched her chin. “Well, she does sort o’ take charge ‘n’ all, so I guess y’all could call her the leader if’n ya really stretched it. I s’pose I do help with those kinds o’ things lately. Twilight respects my know-how o’ mountain climbin’, and what with us goin’ through another range o’ mountains, I guess I can see why she’d rely on me.”

Curaçao smiled. “Zee rest of your friends trust you too, zen?”

“Well, yeah,” Applejack said, returning the smile. “I’m the most trustworthy, hardest workin’ pony there is. O’ course my friends trust me, an’ they know they can depend on me fer just ‘bout anythin’ there is that needs doin’. Ain’t nothin’ to it.”

“And you ‘ave so many friends, too! Merveilleux!” Curaçao flipped her mane and gave a dreamy sigh. “I wish I knew so many ponies so well. But ah, zis Tick Tock? She is a newer friend, non? Zat is what your Twilight explained, zat you all met ‘er in zee city?”

“Well... yeah, we only met her recently. Her, an’ Mister Lockwood, an’ Flathoof are all our new friends.”

Curaçao’s mouth curled in a coy grin. “Just ‘Flathoof’, zen? No ‘Mister’? Ooh là là, you two are on a first-name basis zen, à ce que je vois? You must zink ‘ighly of ‘im.”

Applejack hesitated. “Well... yeah I s’ppose y’all could put it that way. I just feel more comfortable ‘round him, is all. He kinda reminds me o’ myself, ta be frank: he’s got a nice family, he’s hard-workin’ ‘n’ honest. Can’t go wrong with a combination like that, no sir.”

“Ah, la famille is très importante to many ponies, n’est-ce pas? I can see why you like ‘im so much.”

Applejack turned pink and coughed into her hoof. “Whoa there, missy, don’t go makin’ assumptions like that. He an’ I ‘re just friends.”

Curaçao frowned. “Oh, je m’excuse. I did not mean to intrude.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it none.”

“So you say you two are not togezer, c’est bien ça?”

Curaçao tilted her head towards the campfire. Applejack followed her gaze over, seeing Lockwood, Flathoof, and Tick Tock talking amongst themselves while they watched over Fluttershy. For a second, Applejack was concerned with why Rarity wasn’t there.

Curaçao speaking up again distracted her. “Ooh là là, per’aps ‘e would be interested in moi?” She chuckled and smoothed her mane back. “‘e is très beau, wouldn’t you agree? Il est plutôt robuste, non? Mmm, magnifique.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. It took all her effort not to snort too. “Sorry ta burst yer bubble, but I don’t think he’d go fer ya. Mister Lockwood might be more yer type: he likes dainty lil’ things like you, though y’all might be outta luck if Rarity gets her way.”

Curaçao laughed, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, Applejack, do not worry. I vill not be stealing your boyfriend.”

Applejack flustered, knocking her hat off her head. “Now I just done told you—"

“Relax. C’est une plaisanterie. A joke.”

“Yeah... a joke, right.” Applejack snapped her hat out of the dirt and placed it back on her head. “Let’s just change the subject.”

“Bien sûr. Blague à part, you say you ‘ave famille, non? Tell me more about zem. I am curieuse.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I thought yer name was Curaçao? Don’t go changin’ on me now, I told y’all I can’t—"

Curaçao raised a hoof to stop Applejack from talking. “Ah! Non non, je m’excuse. I am curious. Sometimes I forget zat not all ponies pick up so easily on my native tongue.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Right. Well, as much as I’d like ta go inta the details an’ all, we’re kinda pressed fer time don’t ya think? I don’t know if I really got time ta go over my family.”

Curaçao gave a big pout that reminded Applejack a little too much of Rarity. “Oh non... just a little bit, s’il vous plaît?” After a moment, she clapped her hooves. “Ah, très bien, I know! I’ll tell you about ma famille, so we are even, d’accord? You already know zer names, n'est-ce pas?”

“What?” Applejack laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know anythin’ ‘bout yer family. I ain’t never met y’all before.”

“Ah, but you do know zem.” Curaçao gestured towards Tick Tock’s map. “See? Look at zee map, you can see zem on zere.”

“Now that don’t make no—" Applejack started to say. Then, she glanced at the map and saw the other five new dots, and it all clicked together. “Wait... ya mean yer travelin’ companions?” She laughed and nodded. “Well shoot, I getcha now! Twilight ‘n’ the others are just like ma family too.”

“Ah, but of course.” Curaçao smiled and put a hoof over her heart. “‘owever, we are more zan zat. You see, we are all sœurs... ah, sisters. Adopted of course, but sisters none zee less.”

“Y’all ‘re adopted?” Applejack frowned. “Ya mean... none o’ y’all got any parents?”

Curaçao shook her head. “Our only parent now is our papa, who took us all in and ‘as taken such good care of us since we were very young, just little fillies. So we are all sisters, voyez-vous? Our real parents... well, I do not know what happened to zem. I was too young to remember...”

Applejack removed her hat and put it over her heart. “No parents...” She shook her head. “Well hang on now. I hope y’all don’t mind if I pry, but if y’all were raised together, how come only y’all got an accent?”

“Well... zat is because I was born on vacation. Or so I ‘ave ‘eard.”

“Hmm...” Applejack nodded. “Yep, sounds legit.” She laughed. “Well, since y’all shared a bit ‘bout yerself, I don’t feel right not tellin’ ya somethin’ in return. I guess I could tell ya ‘bout the Apple Clan a lil’ bit, if that’s what y’all want.”

“C’est magnifique,” Curaçao said with a bright smile. “I am sure zis will be très intéressant.”

***

Rarity paced in a circle around Tick Tock and Fluttershy, her eyes darting between the two with every action the former took. Fluttershy’s breathing had steadied, a fact that Tick Tock attributed both to keeping her warm, and to the slower infection rate. Lockwood’s jacket served as an excellent blanket, so Rarity made sure to add an extra check under Selflessness in the list in her head. A large campfire blazed only a few feet away, stoked occasionally by Havocwing. Rarity reminded herself to thank the pegasus later.

Tick Tock, in the meanwhile, was hard at work keeping Fluttershy stable. She’d told Twilight earlier that she was applying barrier magic with the necessary precision to slow the spread, and as such, her horn hadn’t stopped glowing once since they’d stopped to rest. The strain of keeping her magic up like that was making the green unicorn sweat bullets, but she had yet to doze off or divert her attention for a second.

Rarity could not help but worry. This was no minor injury, and this was not a hardier pony. “Are you absolutely certain she’s going to last long enough to make it?” she asked, stepping over to Tick Tock for the dozenth time in the past five minutes.

Tick Tock sighed, but kept herself focused on her work. “I don’t know how many times I have to answer this bloody question, but yes, she’ll last. My original itinerary was twenty-four hours, if you recall? We are six hours away from the checkpoint, seven at most. She’ll be fine. You’re all doing a fine job at helping, by the way. Well, those of you who are,” she added, nodding at Lockwood and Havocwing.

“It’s no trouble at all, really,” Lockwood said with a bow. “Anything to help a friend in need. I still don’t even know what sort of help I’m lending anyway. This isn’t like a cold, is it?”

“Either way, thank you again, Mister Lockwood,” Rarity said, putting on her brightest smile. “I’ll make certain Fluttershy knows all you’ve done for her.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “The thing with gargantuan venom is that it saps body heat at an alarming rate. Think hypothermia on steroids with a personal trainer. This should buy an extra thirty minutes or so, more than enough to excuse taking a little breather. We’ll be fine so long as we don’t run into any more bleedin’ delays.”

“I don’t see how any more delays would be possible,” Lockwood said. He gestured towards Havocwing and her campfire. “These new friends of ours are appropriate bodyguards, wouldn’t you say? Lucky we came across them, I say.”

“They certainly did help us out of a jam,” Flathoof said. “They seem interested in getting to know everypony, too. I get the feeling they do a lot of traveling and spend most of their time alone together. Probably don’t meet too many other ponies.”

Tick Tock snorted. “Interested in us? Right. I don’t know about you two, but they’ve hardly said a word to me. In fact, I think I’ve caught them giving me a few strange looks. I’m a little bothered by it.”

“Sounds like somepony’s jealous,” Lockwood said with a laugh. “I’ll admit I feel left out not getting to know them just yet, but everypony comes around eventually.” He glanced sideways at Havocwing, then coughed and turned back to Flathoof. “I rather like the jumpsuits they’re wearing. Very stylish, very... form-fitting. Right, Flathoof?” he added, nudging Flathoof in the ribs.

“Hey hey, I didn’t say anything,” Flathoof said, taking a step back. “They have an interesting look, sure, but—"

Rarity snorted. “Tacky is more like it. Why even bother to wear anything at all if that’s what they’re going to wear? And such a gaudy color, silver. They’re traveling across a desert, not holding a... rock concert.”

“They’re out in the Wastelands, there’s no law out here that they have to wear anything anyway,” Tick Tock explained.

“That’s absolutely right.” Lockwood turned to Rarity and gave her a bright smile. “Seems odd to me that you other girls are still following it even when you’re not from around here. Loosen up a little.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “If you’re asking what I think you are—"

Lockwood put his hooves up in defense. “Not what I meant! I mean, we all have our quirks. Maybe it’s a uniform?” He tugged his collar. “A uniform that doesn’t leave much to the imagination...”

“Always good to see you’re not letting things get you down,” Flathoof said, sighing and shaking his head. “Though maybe you shouldn’t keep thinking with your—”

Rarity gave Flathoof a look, as if daring him to finish the sentence.

“Er... wallet,” Flathoof finished. “I’m... sure those jumpsuits are expensive.”

A greasy streak of yellow, black, and silver sidled up to Rarity, so fast that Rarity leapt to the side in surprise.

“Oh! Hey... hey—" Insipid apparently forgot what she’d come for.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Um... can we help you, dear? Insipid, was it?”

“Hey... Rarity!” Insipid shouted at last, throwing her hoof in the air in realization. “Can I, like, borrow you for, like, just a teensy minute?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t really spoken much with the other unicorn outside of introductions, so this was a rather sudden surprise. “Yes, darling? What is it?”

Insipid leaned forward, putting a hoof to the side of her mouth. “Well, I wanted to, y’know, like... talk to you, uh... alone?” she said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Rarity noticed that Insipid’s hoof was on the wrong side of her mouth and that everypony else could easily hear what she was saying, judging by the raised eyebrows all around and Havocwing putting a hoof to her face.

“Whatever for, dear?” she asked.

“Um...” Insipid tapped her hooves together. “It’s kinda embarrassing, see, and I, like, really don’t want anypony else butting in? Totally super secret stuff.”

Rarity sighed and shifted her glance to Fluttershy. “To be honest darling, at the moment I am rather preoccupied. I really must make sure that Fluttershy is taken care of.”

Insipid followed Rarity’s eyes to the limp yellow pegasus and gasped. “Oh yeah, I totally forgot! She got, like, stung by one of those buggy things and junk? That’s totally sad! But, like, isn’t your friend, here, uh... Timey... Wimey?”

“Tick Tock,” Tick Tock said, still not averting her gaze from Fluttershy.

Insipid pointed at Tick Tock in confirmation. “Tick Tock, right! It’s like, y’know, you’re the one taking the most, like, care of her? That’s right, right?”

“That would be the case, yes. I’ve got things handled here, Rarity. Fluttershy is going to be fine. If I need any assistance, Lockwood and Flathoof are here too. You can spend as much time as you’d like with your new friend.”

“That’s right,” Lockwood said, patting Rarity on the shoulder. “I’m more than happy to keep an eye on things in your stead, if Miss Insipid wishes to speak with you about something. Fluttershy will be fine.”

Rarity frowned and stroked Fluttershy’s mane. “I don’t know... I’d really rather not leave her when she needs me the most...”

“Aww, c’mon, please?” Insipid asked with a pout that Rarity openly cringed at. She looked rather like a duck. “Your friends are, like, gonna take care of her and stuff! It’ll be totally fine? I mean for serious, maybe you could spare, like, a few minutes to help me solve a little problem? Prettiest pleases?”

“Well...” Rarity sighed, finding no polite escape. “I suppose."

“Oh! Thank you so, so, so totally much!” Insipid bounced into the air and grabbed Rarity up in a hug.

Rarity winced at the sharp static shock that Insipid had delivered. How did the other unicorn even generate a static charge out here in the sandy desert? She turned to Tick Tock. “You’ll come get me if anything changes with Fluttershy’s condition, won't you?”

“Of course,” Tick Tock said with a terse nod.

“Trust me, Rarity, she’ll be fine,” Lockwood said again.

Rarity nodded, then followed Insipid away from the campfire, not really sure what to expect. She and Insipid shared so little in common that she wasn’t able to figure out what the other unicorn could possibly want with her.

Insipid stopped and turned to face Rarity, a scrutinous look on her face. “Okay, like, here’s a good spot?”

“Darling,” Rarity said, “what is this all—"

“Can you make me look, like, pretty?”

Rarity blinked, then tilted her head. “I... beg your pardon?”

“Pretty! I want to be pretty!” Insipid shouted. “I mean, for real, like, just look at me! I have no clue how to fix all of this... this.” She spun her hoof around herself.

“Darling, you just gestured to all of yourself,” Rarity said, aggravation creeping into her voice.

“I know! Like, everywhere!” Insipid wailed as she slumped down onto her rear. “I don’t know, like, what to do!”

“This is what you came to me about? Seriously?” Rarity shook her head, finding it harder than ever not to let her impatience get the better of her. “You dragged me away from Fluttershy to give you a makeover?”

“I know! It’s totally super serious, right?” Insipid said, as if there wasn’t any problem with it at all. “Please tell me I’m not, like, a hopeless case? Oh please please please!”

Rarity hesitated. True, this mare and her friends had certainly done a lot to help them out, but couldn’t this wait? No, better to do it now. Show that generous spirit, Rarity.

“Well... I suppose I could do something with you.”

“You can?” Insipid said, her eyes widening and her mouth cracking a bright smile.

“For sure.” Rarity realized a second later what she’d said and put a hoof to her face.

She cleared her throat to retain her composure, then began to scrutinize her client with her expert eyes. “Firstly, your coat desperately needs a good washing, preferably with a shampoo that promotes shine. There’s nothing I can do about that at the moment, unfortunately, but perhaps the checkpoint has a bath you can use. Next, your mane and tail I can help with, at least temporarily seeing as I lack any product or even a brush. Like your coat, you need a good shampoo, preferably something that treats tangles and split ends.”

“Anything... good?” Insipid asked before biting her lip.

Rarity hummed, then nodded. “You at the very least have beautiful eyes, darling. There’s no need to touch those at all. You’ve got a knack for applying eyeshadow and false eyelashes, that much is for certain. It’s actually sort of strange, like looking in a mirror. ”

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Insipid squealed, clapping her hooves together. “This is going to be, like, so totally awesome and junk? Major. Fresh.”

Rarity blinked and shook her head, trying to process everything that the mare was saying. Insipid’s manner of speaking was truly astonishing. Rarity was not quite able to tell when Insipid was telling or asking something. It was the mare’s habit of raising her voice at the end of her sentences, making half of them sound like questions.

“Right... well, I do have one question though, before I get started on all of this,” Rarity said. “Why? Yes, okay, your look is certainly... unique, but it is nothing I would consider too far below average standards. If anything, it looks like a cheap knock-off of my style, truth be told. Only you’ve got too many cowlicks to make this kind of curl practical,” she added as she bounced her own mane curl, “and whoever did your dye job—I do apologize if you did it yourself—hasn’t a clue what they’re doing and should have their license revoked immediately.”

Insipid pawed at one of her dangling bangs. “So like... you really don’t like my mane?”

Rarity shook her head, flinching away slightly. “Please tell me you didn’t try this yourself, darling. Really now, using paint is hardly a good idea.”

“This is, like, totally my natural color? I swear to stars I’m not using, like, anything!”

Rarity frowned. It was a sad situation that not every mare had perfect coloring schemes from birth, and she knew a few mares at home that resorted to dyes to properly complement their coat colors. Insipid was slightly different, in an unusual way. Gold certainly meshed exceedingly well with black in the same way it did with white, giving the illusion of royalty but with an air of darkness to it that attracted an entirely different class of stallion. This particular hue would work if only it weren’t so unsaturated.

“Uh... hello?” Insipid said, tilting her head.

Rarity shook her head and chuckled. “Oh, forgive me. I was in my own little world for a moment there,” she said, dismissing her inner monologue with a hoof. “Back on topic, I believe I was asking you why you wanted an expert’s advice? Out here. In the middle of nowhere?” She laughed and gave her best smile. “Normally I’d jump at the opportunity, but you’re asking me to divide my attention away from something very important to me.”

Insipid squirmed for a moment, clearly going through her own inner discourse. “I... I can’t... like, say?”

“And why not?”

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Uh, duh. I don’t want to? I mean, hell-ooo?”

Rarity snorted. “Darling, really—"

“Look, can you, like, help me or can't you?”

“Well, perhaps then you can you at least tell me why you want my help in particular,” Rarity said, narrowing her eyes. “Granted, I certainly do look like I’d know my way around a brush, but I have other priorities at the moment. Can none of your other companions—"

Insipid waved her hooves around in a panic. “No! No-no-no. I totally don’t, like, want them to know what I’m trying to do. They’d make fun of me forever! For-ev-er! Like, you see? So not fresh. And you... you’re, like, the second-prettiest pony here, so—"

Rarity balked. “Second?! Of all the uncouth—" Her eyes narrowed and she stuck her nose in the air. “So, who’s the first then, in your opinion?”

“Oh come on! Don’t make me, like, say something all embarrassing?” Insipid said, glancing behind her. “Somepony might hear and then I’ll, like, be totally super caught!”

Rarity’s nose remained up, and she turned and started walking away. “If you won't tell me, then I won't help you. My assistance doesn’t normally come easily, you know, yet all I’m asking for right now is a simple response to a simple question.”

Insipid flustered and waved her hooves around in a vague attempt to convince Rarity to stop. “But... but... grrr, this is what I get for asking!” She slumped back on her rear again and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Hmph. Okay. Okay! Whatever! But, like, you promise you won’t tell anypony? Like, super swear?”

“Of course, dear,” Rarity said, turning back and giving an easy smile. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Insipid blinked and tilted her head.

Rarity chuckled. “Sorry. Old habit. Let’s just say it means I promise, yes? Now go on darling, you were saying?”

Insipid looked around to make sure nopony was eavesdropping, then, in a hushed whisper into Rarity's ear, she said: “Curaçao is the prettiest.”

Rarity drew her head back in surprise. “You can’t be serious...”

Insipid remained firm.

“You are serious. I see.”

Rarity glanced over to the other side of the camp, where the blue earth pony in question was busy chatting with Applejack, much to her curiosity; how those two could have possibly hit it off was beyond her. The distance didn’t allow much as far as a keen eye was concerned, so she thought back to their introductions. Curaçao was certainly pretty, yes, but this silly unicorn thought that Curaçao was prettier than her, the always-fashionable Rarity. Preposterous.

And yet, perhaps the opinion of the scatterbrained mare beside her had some merit. “Hmmm...” She shrugged. “While I disagree with your position, I certainly can see why you have it. Curaçao does have a certain fanciful quality to her, I’ll give her that. Her mane is styled wonderfully; a simple style that fits her facial structure and body tone, and she maintains a perfect shine. I’m impressed that she can do so out in these conditions.”

Insipid spoke as soon as Rarity ended her sentence, apparently forgetting she’d ever been whispering. “Oh I know, her hair is all silky smooth and there isn’t a tangle or anything anywhere! So much better than mine? And it’s got, like, this orange smell? Totally fresh.”

“Her choice in accessories is simple and practical. That headband perfectly matches both her coat and hair, and is a good choice for traveling conditions. Her... jumpsuit is unfortunately quite a tacky choice, but as it seems to be a uniform, I cannot fault her for that. The form-fitting nature certainly accentuates her toned figure.”

“Oh, tell me about it! She’s got, like, no fat at all and is all poised and trim?” Insipid gushed, poking herself in the sides. “She’s got, like, the totally perfect body, y’know?”

“Does she do pilates? Yoga, perhaps?”

Insipid tapped her chin. “I think she’s into some other stuff, like, she really gets into it? Like, sometimes I see her training and junk, and gets totally major sweaty.” She swung her hooves around in a wide arc. “Hi-ya! All, like, making noises like that?”

“Hmm... martial arts, then?” Rarity shrugged. “She’s also fluent in Romantique! C’est magnifique!”

Insipid’s jaw dropped. “You speak fancy-talk too? Oh. My. Stars.” She grabbed Rarity’s hoof, her eyes as wide as dinner plates, and her lips puckering in that duck-like pout again. “Teach me. Now.”

Rarity laughed. “I’m still learning it myself, sad to say,” she said, earning a colossal frown from Insipid. “I think I have a few years left ahead of me before I can come close to her fluency. I’m rather jealous. It’s as though she was born speaking it.”

Insipid regained her bubbly composure immediately. “I know! It sounds so totally pretty when she says it in, like, that voice of hers? ‘May wee boo-coop!’ Right?”

Rarity suppressed the urge to groan at the horribly mangled language.

Insipid’s face suddenly contorted into a foal-like frown. “It’s not fair. I’m, like, totally never gonna be as fancy as her. You said it takes, like, years to go out and learn that language? I totally don’t have that kind of time. I want to learn it, and learn it now!”

Rarity tapped her chin. “Well, I could teach you a little bit so long as we’re traveling together, if you’d like?”

Insipid brightened back up. “Ooh! Yeah, that would so totally work! For. Sure.”

“For sure,” Rarity said with a nod. She then stopped and put her hoof to her face. “Wonderful, there it is again. You’ve got me doing it now.”

“Doing, like, what?”

“Nevermind, you were saying, darling?”

“Oh! Right. As long as the boss thinks I’m doing, like, a good job, she’ll let me talk to you and junk, so like—"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon? Good job at what?”

Insipid’s eyes widened. “In protecting you guys, I mean!” she blurted. “Yeah, like, if she thinks I’m, y’know, goofing off or something, she won’t let me do anything in my free time? She’s totally all super strict, y’know?”

“Well, wouldn’t asking me for a makeover and fashion advice count as ‘goofing off’, darling?” Rarity asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Oh, like, not really, that’s all totally a part of the plan? Or whatever,” Insipid said with a nod. Her eyes widened again and she shook her head. “Because... because, uh... oh! She, like, wants me to make some new friends! So, uh... the plan is, like, for me to make new friends, y’know? Yeah. So, like, anyway, you were gonna help me and stuff?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. This one was a bit scatter-brained, but the poor dear was obviously ecstatic to have somepony help her with her little problem. She’d forgive the bout of nervousness, as well as pulling her away from Fluttershy. After all, Insipid was, for all intents and purposes, a crime against fabulosity. She could not allow that. Would not allow that.

“So you want to be as ‘pretty’ as Curaçao, do you?” she asked, giving Insipid another once-over. “Well... as I said, that is not going to be an easy task. It takes a lot of work and dedication to be as pretty as she and I are,” she added, “and it takes diligent discipline to maintain it, and you may not have that kind of luxury.”

“I so totally don’t care how much work it takes, or whatever. I just, like, want to be pretty and fancy like her, y’know? I’ll do, like, anything!” Insipid grabbed Rarity’s hoof again, and gave her a fierce look. “Anything.”

Rarity nodded, then flared her horn and analyzed Insipid’s mane first. Just from looking at Insipid’s mane and tail she could see more than a few cowlicks, but combing through it she could feel dozens more that she couldn’t see with her naked eye. This might take a while, she thought. This wasn’t just a job, this was a project.

“So tell me, how long has your little troupe been traveling together?” she asked, hoping to calm the fidgeting unicorn down so she could work more easily.

“Um, like, as long as I can remember?” Insipid said with a shrug. “So, like, a super long time? What about you and your friends? You all seem, like, totally close and junk.”

“Well, we all became friends as a group a few years ago, when Twilight first moved to Ponyville.” Rarity tugged her magic through a messy tangle, earned a yelp from Insipid. “Sorry. A few of us knew one another from before that, though. Why, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy knew each other from flight school, at least until Fluttershy dropped out and moved to Ponyville.” She drew her magic to smooth out a cowlick that was not cooperating. “That’s when I met her.

“I heard a rumor about a new animal care-giver in town, and thought I’d drop by to see if she could help with my precious Opalescence. My cat,” she added, noticing the confusion on Insipid's face. “Apart from her, I had little interaction with the others before Twilight arrived, since we weren’t all friends yet.”

“So you’ve, like, known... uh... Fluttershy the longest?” Insipid asked, pawing at one of her loosened bangs.

“Not exactly, no, but of my closest friends she is the one I’ve been close to the longest,” Rarity said, catching Insipid’s new plaything and smoothing it through the rest of the unicorn’s mane. “Which of your friends did you meet first?”

“Curaçao,” Insipid said with a dreamy sigh. “She was the first thing I saw after the... uh...”

Rarity stopped combing. “Yes, darling?”

Insipid shook her head, setting Rarity’s progress back several minutes. “Like, Curie was the first thing I ever saw that looked as beautiful as she does or whatever? So she, like, opened my eyes, as if she was the first thing I ever saw?” She rubbed the back of her neck, obviously unsure if she’d said the right thing. “Uh... yeah. We all met pretty much right after that, so like, I’ve known the others nearly as long. But Curie the longest, for. Sure.”

Rarity smiled at the way Insipid was fumbling. She knew that kind of nervousness anywhere. “That’s quite a way to put it, darling. Very poetic. You certainly are trying to sound as romantic as I’m sure ‘Curie’ is.”

Insipid blushed and turned her face away from Rarity. “So you and Fluttershy, like, get along really well and stuff? Utopia sounds like it has some, like, pretty tight-knit communities?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Utopia? I never mentioned anything about—"

Insipid laughed, perhaps a little too loudly. “I was making, like, a... guess, y’know? Yeah, uh... because Pandemonium doesn’t have anything like flight schools? I guess this little, like, journey of yours is trying to go back home? Changed your mind or whatever? Decided to go back?”

“Yes... changed our minds,” Rarity said with a small smile.

“For sure. So yeah, you and Fluttershy? I’m like, on pins and needles here. You two: bestest friendsies, right?”

“Yes, she and I are the best of friends.” Rarity tugged her magic through more of Insipid’s mane, straightening it out. Progress! “Do you and Curaçao share anything like that? She seems to me like she’s your closest friend.”

Insipid sighed. “I dunno! All I know is, like, Curie is the bestest pony in all of Equestria. For. Sure. None of my other sisters even, like, compare?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Sisters?” She coughed into her hoof. “Darling, you do realize that would make your relationship with Curaçao... awkward.”

“Pshaw, no way. We’re, like, adopted and junk?”

Rarity blinked. That complicated matters. What was the social acceptability of adopted siblings in this manner of relationship? “What about their gifts?” she asked, dismissing the awkward topic. “I have yet to see Curaçao use any manner of abilities like your other companions, even if I don’t quite understand the rest of them. Yours, for instance! Was that some manner of weather magic you were using? I don’t see how that meshes up with your cutie mark.”

“Curie and the boss said I should, y’know, keep that on the, like, down-low? Because it’s like, the boss doesn’t want me to throw away a good opportunity and junk? Then she always says ‘as usual’ and, like, I don’t see—"

Insipid interrupted herself again, speaking faster than she had been already, “Oh. Oh! B-because my power’s for, like... cleaning... stuff. Like garbage? Yeah! I like, use lightning to... clean. It’s... uh, what did the boss say to call it? ‘Eco-friendly’ or some junk? I, like, can turn trash into energy... or something. I dunno! I just, like, do it? Cha!”

Rarity just gave her an awkward smile.

Insipid continued, unfazed, “And the others? Like, none of the others really have much of what I would care about anyway, y’know? Havocwing’s fire powers? Like, yawn, boring. I can’t fly, so Grayscale’s powers don’t really, y’know, interest me? And Red’s? Like, gag me with a spoon! Let’s just say I’d, like, rather not talk about hers?” she added with a shudder.

Rarity continued to stare, perplexed by the black unicorn’s stream of consciousness. After a moment, Rarity realized it had gotten quiet again; Insipid had stopped talking, and was looking at Rarity expectantly. Not for the first time, her thoughts raced and tried to decipher the last thing that had been said.

“Ahem,” she said, returning to combing Insipid’s mane. “Strange, I never really saw much of Miss Velvet’s abilities to earn such a reaction. Well, what about your ‘boss’, Miss Shadow?”

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Well, like, the boss is super powerful and junk, so like, her powers are awesome? But she isn’t anywhere near as pretty as Curie is.” She leaned over and added in a whisper, “Don’t tell her I said that, okay? She’d kill me. I’m totally not kidding. I don’t know what ‘atom-by-atom’ means, but it sounds messy?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, darling.”

Rarity combed her magics through Insipid’s mane once more, and the other unicorn’s hair was finally starting to straighten out. But, Rarity found that without the proper tools, she was likely not going to make it hold up. Insipid had more cowlicks than she had ever seen in three ponies, let alone one. There were atrocious split-ends at every turn, the hair just seemed to want to tangle and knot at every opportunity, and it was a miracle most of the stuff hadn’t just up and fallen out altogether with the horrendous condition of her roots. She was wondering if perhaps it would be better to try a new style entirely, rather than try to fix the disaster the poor girl called a mane.

Again, Insipid’s curiosity broke the silence, like clockwork. “Sooo, like, how did you and... Fluttershy, get to be such total PFFs anyway?”

“Hmmm? Oh!” Rarity laughed. “Yes well, as I said, I sought out her services to assist me with caring for my dear Opalescence. She was just a kitten then, and I was having trouble with figuring out her diet—cats are so finicky, you understand, and kittens even more so. Fluttershy was most helpful and gave me just the best advice. I starting going back once a week to chat with her about things, and we bonded together like two halves of a whole.”

“Cha, I know the feeling,” Insipid said with a sigh. “I’d, like, do anything for Curie, too.”

Rarity smiled. “Is that why you want to look pretty, then? For her? How romantic, darling! Trying to earn the affection of the one you love by making yourself look your best, are we?”

Insipid flustered. “Pfh, no? I just want to be as pretty as she is, for sure. I mean, like, just look at her! Everything about her look is perfect. I want that look... I want it! And I’d, like, do anything to get what I want. Don’t you, like, have something that you’d do anything for or whatever? What about Fluttershy? You’d, like, do anything to make her happy, right?”

“I’d do anything to make my friends happy, of course.”

Insipid snorted and stuck her nose in the air. Rarity was bothered by how perfectly she’d emulated her own gesture from earlier. “I’m just saying that makes me think, like, that you totally might want her as more than a friend, y’know?”

Rarity caught herself mid-fluster. “Good... good heavens, darling! I think you might be over-thinking this just the tiniest bit? Fluttershy’s my best friend and I’d do anything for her, yes, but I’d do that for any of my friends.” She hesitated, then shook her head. “Okay, I’ll admit, I’d jump through more hoops for Fluttershy than for, say, Applejack. Applejack rarely asks for help anyway. But that’s not because I like her like her.”

Insipid shrugged. “Okay, like, no need to get defensive. I didn’t mean anything by it and junk?”

“Right... right, of course you didn’t,” Rarity said. “I suppose I should not have made assumptions of your feelings for Curaçao. I apologize.”

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, what-ever? Totally no problem? Anyway, are we, like, almost done? I want to see how super mondo pretty I look!”

***

Rainbow slowed her gliding to a lazy drift, letting out a loud yawn and stretching out her legs, giving her wings a brief moment’s rest. It had been a long day, and every extra minute she stayed awake just added to her irritation. Except for the rarest of occasions, she wasn’t used to pulling all-nighters, and this was definitely the longest time she’d ever gone without sleep, or even a nap. Worse, there wasn’t a cup of coffee in sight.

Even worse that that, there wasn’t any sign of stopping. She wished she could use this short break to catch some shut-eye, but even with their new escorts, she just didn’t feel that her friends’ safety was assured. Thus, she’d taken it upon herself to maintain a vigilant watch of the camp from high above. None of those gargantuans, big or small, would get anywhere near the camp, not on her watch.

She would’ve liked to stay nearer to the ground so she could pass the time with Pinkie, but the abundantly-excitable mare had made a fast friend in Red Velvet, a pony from the other group. Rainbow still felt a disturbing sense of familiarity whenever she looked at the other pink pony, and it wasn’t just that she and Pinkie happened to look and sound extremely similar. I really hope we don’t have to go through that again, Rainbow thought, recalling Pinkie’s duplication accident.

The sound of wings flapping somewhere beneath her drew Rainbow out of her thoughts. Another pegasus, Grayscale Force, was floating her way up to meet Rainbow with grand sweeps with her impressive wingspan. Rainbow still felt uneasy when she looked at this other pegasus; that wingspan certainly made her feel just a little self-conscious. It wasn’t the wings, though, that truly awed her.

No, it was her power.

Sure, at first she’d thought that Havocwing had just the coolest superpower—Pinkie’s word, not hers. Throwing fireballs, how cool was that? But Rainbow had seen Grayscale land on a bug the size of a manticore and crush it like a grape. That implied either incredible strength, or incredible speed, and either one was something Rainbow found awesome.

Plus, this pony had style. The boots Grayscale wore on each hoof had a distinct metal—the music, not the material, since they were obviously made of metal—feel to them that just oozed cool. The matching jumpsuits she and her companions all wore were definitely cool as well, and gave them a look of tactical organization that reminded Rainbow of the Wonderbolts. Cool. Radical. Awesome.

Grayscale finally swooped up to meet Rainbow, giving a great beat of her wings and knocking Rainbow just a little off-balance. “Hey,” she said.

Rainbow just slightly tilted her head up. “Sup?”

She stayed silent for a moment. Okay, Rainbow thought, she seems cool. So, she offered her hoof up, expecting a hoofbump.

Grayscale gave a small grin, then raised her own hoof.

Hoofbump.

Yeah, Rainbow thought, definitely cool.

“You keepin’ watch?” Grayscale asked. “We’re not in gargantuan territory anymore, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Rainbow said, dismissing the idea with a hoof. “Tick Tock said we don’t need to worry, right? But she’s messed up so bad lately, especially today, that I’m not really trusting her judgement right now, ya feel me? Like, she’s just got some stupid ideas.”

Rainbow laughed and shook her head. “I mean, ‘hey everypony let’s walk through an active volcano!’? That sound like a good idea to you? I don’t think her head’s on straight, if you know what I mean. I think she’s gonna get us all killed at this rate.” She then reconsidered herself and rubbed the back of her neck. “But, I really shouldn’t be talking about this with anypony. I mean, I don’t want anypony getting the wrong idea or anything.”

“She does seem a little overbearing,” Grayscale said. “I wouldn’t like her either. Weird that she’s all important.”

“Yeah... for somepony with so much ‘experience’, she sure doesn’t have many good ideas.”

A silence followed. Everything that needed to be said had been said; no need for awkward small talk. If Rainbow thought Grayscale was cool before, then this just solidified it. She definitely liked this other mare, the only pony she’d met that was this cool, but wasn’t a member of the Wonderbolts—Pinkie aside, but that was a different kind of cool, of course.

Grayscale yawned and cracked her neck. “So, what about your friends? They like her, or what?”

Rainbow snorted. “I wouldn’t say they like her, just that they’re willing to go along with what she says. I know I’ve got Flathoof on my side, but Twilight’s a hit-or-miss. Sometimes she disagrees, sometimes she doesn’t. She’s a... a—"

“Flip-flop?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow smirked, and hoofbumped Grayscale again. “I just don’t get why the others listen to Tick Tock so much even over Twilight.”

“So they don’t listen to you, either?”

Rainbow snorted. “Oh, they listen alright.” At Grayscale’s brief, sidelong glance, Rainbow sighed and rubbed her neck again. “Well... I mean, they’re always willing to listen to what I have to say, even if they don’t agree with me. I’m probably thinking about it too much.”

Grayscale shrugged. “Better not to think about it at all, right?”

Rainbow stayed silent a moment. “I mean, okay,” she said, “it is a little odd. Tick Tock supposedly knows her way around out here, so I guess her words just have more weight. But then, whenever we end up in a mess, everypony’s there to give out excuses. I’m with them, all the way, I just...” Rainbow lowered her gaze to stare at the ground for a moment. “Well, I’ve gotta stick by ‘em, no matter what dumb moves they make. I have to. Sometimes, I don’t know what they’d do without me. You get me?”

Grayscale chuckled, crossing her hooves over her chest and giving a small nod. “I get you entirely.” She gestured towards the camp below and all the little ant-sized ponies. “My team? Aside from the boss and Curaçao, nopony’s got any clue what they’re doing. They’d fall apart without those two. Then again,” she added with a smile, “the boss is really the one that holds the others in line. The fancy one isn’t imposing enough to do it.”

Rainbow laughed. “Ha ha, yeah. We’ve got our own fancy problems. Back in the city, Rarity wanted to decorate the apartment we were going to be in for like, a week? We’re going home, and she wants to put up curtains or something. Can you believe it?”

“Maybe she wanted to wallpaper the place, too? Get a bunch of tiny pillows that nopony can even use?”

“Yeah, exactly! I mean, I know she’s not trying to be so... difficult. I mean, I know the place was pretty dreary, and probably the scene of a murder or something, but a party made more sense than to get ready to live there.”

Grayscale tilted her head. “A... party?”

“Yeah, a party. Pinkie’s idea. She does that, she’s all about parties.” Rainbow smiled and nodded. “I mean, I get parties. A party can start and stop whenever, so it’s always a good time to party. Pinkie’s always got the right idea, even if sometimes she gets a little... goofy.”

Grayscale nodded. “Heh... goofy, but her heart’s in the right place, yeah?”

“Yeah...” Rainbow sighed. “I know that sometimes we all argue, but we’re all still together because we can’t just abandon one another because of one dumb idea. We gotta stick together, no matter what, even if some ponies like dumb pillows and others think walking through a volcano is a good idea.”

Grayscale chuckled, and Rainbow found it easy to join in. “Better yet, at least now Tick Tock won’t suggest anything too stupid. She can’t, right? Fluttershy’s life is on the line.”

Rainbow grimaced, and glanced downwards again with overpowering worry. The amount of trust they were putting in Tick Tock to keep Fluttershy alive hadn’t really occurred to her. What if she was wrong? Again? The others still trusted her enough to allow it, even—and especially—Rarity. That was about the only thing Rainbow could think of to keep herself calm.

“Rarity... really cares about Fluttershy,” she said after taking a deep breath. “If she trusts Tick Tock enough to put Fluttershy's life in her hooves, I can’t see how arguing would help. Besides,” she added, “Fluttershy’s in good hooves with Flathoof there too.”

Grayscale rubbed her chin. “And that other stallion too, what was his name? I didn’t really pay any attention to him. He’s helping watch Fluttershy too, yeah?”

“Who, Lockwood?” Rainbow rolled her eyes and scowled. “Yeah, I bet he is.”

“Hmm? Oh, I didn’t know you didn’t like him, either.” Grayscale shrugged.

“He’s just too nice,” Rainbow said, not bothering to hide her opinion. “I get that he did a whole bunch of stuff for us and didn’t ask for anything in return, but that’s exactly what makes me worry. Well, that and that he associates with criminals. Everypony ignores that fact, of course. And don’t bother trying to convince Rarity of any of this, she’d shoot you down so fast your head would spin.” She snorted. “I don’t even get why he wanted to come along.”

“Sounds shady.”

“Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing.” Rainbow hoofbumped Grayscale again, then laughed. “It’s nice to talk to somepony who gets it. I mean, I guess I could always talk about Lockwood with everypony else too, but... you know. Gotta keep the group together, so I don’t wanna rock any boats, right?”

Grayscale nodded. “I’m glad to give you an ear, and I can keep an eye on Lockwood for you, if you’d like? My team trusts me as a scout; I’m very good at spotting suspicious activity,” she added with a wink.

“You’d do that? Oh wow, that’s so cool. Thanks.”

Rainbow sighed and let her legs dangle. “Sometimes I think none of them understand why I don’t like him. They keep telling me I’m being mean or harsh.”

“Well, that’s just what friendly ponies do. Your friends are a friendly bunch.”

“Yeah... it’s just what they do.” Rainbow smiled and gestured towards the pair of pink dots down below. “Back at home, Pinkie knows everypony in town, and they all love her, and she loves them all. She takes pride in that, and frankly, I’m proud of her too.”

“She special to you?”

“Yeah... yeah, she is.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she helped out when the others decide you’re being too mean, then.”

“She—" Rainbow started to say.

Then, she remembered her conversation with Pinkie from night before. Pinkie hadn’t agreed with her, and in fact didn’t think any lesser of either Lockwood or Tick Tock, despite Rainbow’s passionate dislike of them both. Pinkie had told her to just “relax”, and was worried about her behavior. Still, it wasn’t as though Pinkie had agreed with the others and thought she was being too harsh.

Right?

Rainbow shook her head and smiled at Grayscale, trying her best not to let it falter. “Pinkie’s... always there for me. She’s got my back.”

“Sounds pretty awesome, having somepony special like that.” Grayscale smirked and crossed her hooves. “You’re lucky to have such a loyal group of friends.”

Rainbow swallowed and nodded, though she did so with hesitation. That word, loyal, seemed alien to her all of a sudden. Her friends were supposed to be at her back when she needed them, but now they were mostly ignoring her. Instead, they listened to a pony who had yet to prove herself reliable and in fact had proven unreliable. They put their trust in a pony who had all the signs of being underhooved in his dealings with society.

She shook her head clear of those thoughts. She was overthinking this again. All of this would be put behind them when they got home, and they’d all be able to get back to their normal lives. “And I’m loyal to them, too,” she said with a hint of bitterness, “through thick and thin.”

Rainbow turned away too quickly. She hoped Grayscale hadn’t noticed. “Yeah. Hey, um, I... need to get back to my watch. If that's cool?”

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Grayscale said, waving her hoof. “Good talking to you, Dash.”

Rainbow nodded and hoofbumped Grayscale again. “Yeah. See you around, Gray.”

***

Two pink earth ponies sat huddled together a distance away from the rest of the camp, speaking to one another in hushed, excited tones.

“-and the best part is when you just slice right in,” one said to the other, demonstrating a precision slice. “I find that a serrated blade work best, since it gets through the thick stuff so that you can get to those sweet, sweet innards.”

“I love that part the most!” said the other. She licked her lips and rubbed her stomach. “The juices just gurgle and ooze all over the place. I find thicker juices have a better texture. Also, it makes it easier to keep neat. Nopony wants stains, y’know?”

“Oh absolutely, the messes are the worst. Sometimes you gotta get rid of the evidence, and stains make that really tough.” This earth pony laughed and circled her hoof around in the air. “But yeah, speaking of juices, you can tell when you’ve got something really good when it’s just the right shade of red.” Her eyes flashed. “The darker, the better.”

“Ohh, what about the smell?” asked the other. “If you get the job done just right, you can smell all the insides and stuff before you even start cutting.” She hummed and tapped her chin. “How long do you think is the best to let it sit for before eating?”

“Not too long, else you lose all that fresh, juicy flavor!”

“Can you believe some ponies refrigerate it? Or worse, freeze it? Blech, yuck. Then what do they do, microwave it? Just gross.”

“To hay with that, I eat it straight away!” the first pony exclaimed, laughing and patting her stomach. “It’s best when it’s fresh and warm.”

The second mare wrapped a hoof around the first in a friendly hug. “Sister, you have no idea how good it feels to have somepony to talk to about this kind of stuff. Everypony else just doesn’t understand my passion, y’know? But you? I’ve got a good feeling about you.”

“I know, right?” laughed the first, returning the hug. “It feels like we’re... kindred spirits or something! We really need to share our recipes some time. I bet your cherry pie tastes delicious.”

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. “Wait, we were talking about cherry pie?”

“Well, duh.” Red Velvet rolled her eyes. “What did you think we were talking about?”

“Strawberry pie, of course,” Pinkie said with a nod, crossing her hooves over her chest. “Though I can see where there might have been some confusion for somepony that might have just wandered into the conversation right in the middle of it, especially without any frame of reference.”

Velvet snorted. “Yeah, they might have thought we were talking about murdering, cutting up, and then devouring some hapless pony. What a ridiculous idea. Murder. Ha ha!”

Pinkie giggled. “Good one!”

Velvet’s grin curled into a tight smirk, and she gave Pinkie a sidelong glance. “Though now that you mention it, I could go for a good slice of pony right now,” she said, sizing Pinkie up and licking her lips. “You look pretty tasty yourself actually. Nice. And. Juicy.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “Uh... what?”

Velvet growled and approached Pinkie, her menacing grin widening every second. She bared her teeth. “I bet you taste really... sweet too.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Pinkie said, taking a step back. “Uh... maybe if you covered me in sugar?”

“Now there’s an idea,” Velvet said.

Then, she vanished.

Pinkie gulped. “Uh...”

Velvet reappeared behind Pinkie, causing the other pink pony to bump into her. As Pinkie turned to face her, she leaned and whispered: “I wonder what kind of pie you taste like.” Her grin widened, exposing a row of gleaming fangs.

Pinkie yelped and fell back on her rump, scrambling away from Velvet. “W-w-what’s going—"

Velvet licked her lips and took another step forward. Pinkie was shaking, holding a hoof to her mouth in an obvious attempt to hold in a scream. Velvet continued advancing as her tongue slid across her fangs, drawing a thin trace of blood. The sensation of fear in the air was palpable, she could almost taste-

Pinkie burst into laughter. “Oh man, good one!”

Velvet recoiled as the sweet taste of fear turned sour. “What the—"

Pinkie giggled into her hoof, ending with a loud snort. “Hoo boy, you had me goin’ there for a second, Red,” she said, dismissing the situation with her hoof. “Pfft. Eating ponies. Ha! You’d have to be pretty twisted to do stuff like that,” she added, crossing her eyes and twirling a hoof around her ear.

Velvet strained to keep herself in check. Instead of exploding in rage, she chuckled lightly in response, just managing to keep herself under control. “Right. Ha ha... twisted, yeah. I sure got you good, Pinkie.”

Pinkie wiped her eye and sighed contentedly. “No really, that was great! You’d be a blast at my next Nightmare Night party! You should totally—" Her excitable bouncing was cut short, and she deflated to the ground like a balloon. “Right... you probably can’t come. Well shoot, there goes that idea...”

Velvet arched an eyebrow, curious to what the name meant. “Nightmare... Night?”

“Ooh, ooh, I know!” Pinkie exclaimed, continuing on with her own train of thought, apparently not hearing Velvet’s question. “I should have Rarity make up a dress for me that looks like it was sewn together from the coats of dozens of ponies! Really add to the image, y’know? Oh man, that’ll scare the horseshoes right off of anypony!”

Velvet’s tight lips curled in a very brief smile. Now that was an interesting idea. Then, her confusion returned: “Hang on, you... want to scare other ponies?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did somepony mix something up somewhere? She was supposed to be talking this pink putz into either feeling true terror, or delighting in delivering that same fear to others. But here Pinkie was, enthusiastically rambling on about traumatizing ponies with a dress seemingly made from other ponies.

“What is this I don't even—"

Pinkie laughed and shook her head. “Pfft, no, not all the time or anything. But on Nightmare Night, there are three super-duper, really, really critically-important things you need to do in order to call the night a complete success.”

Pinkie held up one hoof: “Important Thing One: you need lots of candy.”

“Lots of candy?” Velvet asked, pulling a small notebook and pen out of her mane.

“Lots of candy.” Pinkie pointed her hoof into the air, signifying an incoming lecture. “Rule One of Important Thing One is: chocolate is the best, followed by caramels and taffy, with fruity stuff way down on the bottom. Rule Two: if your tummy isn’t full to bursting by the end of the night, you’re doin’ it wrong. Rule Three: eat as you go so you have plenty of room in your pillow case. Rule Four: trick-or-treating isn’t just for foals, and anypony who says so is jealous of all your free candy.”

Velvet scribbled down her notes. “Free... candy...”

“Important Thing Two,” Pinkie continued, lifting a second hoof. “You need the absolute perfect costume. And by perfect, I mean quality; it doesn’t matter what it is, only that it’s good. Last year, I went as a chicken. Bugawk!”

“Costumes...”

“Important Thing Three,” Pinkie shouted, lifting a third hoof into the air. “You need to either get scared completely out of your wits, or you do the same to somepony else, preferably everypony you possibly can. That’s the whole point of the holiday after all! It’s also Dashie’s favorite part, because she’s so fast and sneaky.”

“Scare... ALL the ponies...” Velvet said, jotting down her last note. She bit the butt of her pen. “A whole holiday dedicated to scaring ponies... why am I just learning about this now?”

She glanced sideways at Pinkie. “So... you don’t get frightened very easily I take it?” she asked, a deep-seated worry starting to creep in.

Pinkie giggled. “Well, yeah! The way I look at it, there’s nothing out there to be afraid of that you can’t stand up to. Dragons, spooky forests, Cthulu, you name it!”

“Even, say, death?”

“Well you’d have to be just plain dumb to be unafraid of that,” Pinkie said with a roll of her eyes. “But you just gotta face your fears, and when it’s all said and done you can make those death-defying adventures into stories to tell your friends and family! If you can’t take what scares you and get some fun out of it, you may as well just lock yourself in your house. Why, I even wrote a song about it!”

Pinkie took a deep breath.

“A song? Right now?” Velvet said, taking a few steps back. It was already starting to hurt, being around the bundle of joyful energy that was Pinkie Pie, but the mention of a song had sparked up a fresh surge of happiness that made Velvet cringe. “Tell me you’re not—"

The sound of a band playing an upbeat tune filled the air around them, and Pinkie began to sing: “♫When I was just a filly and the sun was going down—"

Velvet slumped onto her rear. “You are.”

***

Tick Tock took a deep breath. All things considered, the situation could be worse. Despite the continued tension between the others, she remained calm and composed; stiff upper lip, exactly as she had said. There was no need to be pacing about or worriedly kneading hooves. She was taking care of everything, as she’d always done. Fluttershy would be fine, as Tick Tock had confidence in her own work. These miniature barrier spells were difficult to cast, and wouldn’t last long, but it was the only option she really had. This break in their itinerary was tolerable, but only because she’d needed time to give Fluttershy a more proper evaluation, and to ensure that the venom didn’t spread throughout Fluttershy’s system. Let the others think they were taking this breather just to rest their hooves, she thought.

Hoofsteps behind her caused her to perk up her ears. Just one pony, not two.

“So, what did she want to talk about?” Lockwood asked the approaching pony. “You were over there a while.”

Ah, Rarity has returned, and without Insipid. Thank goodness for that. 

Tick Tock tilted her head just slightly to acknowledge the other unicorn’s return.

Rarity gave them a coy grin. “Oh, just a little girl talk, mostly fashion and beauty tips. Nothing any of you boys would take interest in.”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “That’s what she called you away for?”

“Yes yes, but what does it matter now?” Rarity turned to Tick Tock and her smile fell into a frown. “How is she?”

Tick Tock wiped her brow with what was left of her sleeve. “She’s in a deep sleep, so she won’t be in any pain. The venom’s spreading has been slowed to a crawl, so as long as we hurry, she’ll be fine.”

Rarity sighed and nodded. “I am putting a lot of faith in you, Tick Tock. I only wish you’d allow Twilight or myself to help.”

“I’d ask, but this is a proper complicated procedure. I don’t need any manner of power boost, and I can’t ask Sparkle to assist directly; the process is too delicate.” Tick Tock shook her head. “I do apologize for not being able to do more.”

“You’ve done your best,” Lockwood said, his smile unfaltering, “and we’re all grateful to you for it, I’m sure.”

Tick Tock closed her eyes in thought for a moment, calculating the time. “Break time is nearly over,” she said with a nod. “I’m going to make my final preparations on Fluttershy for the journey.” She turned to Flathoof. “You’re going to be carrying her this time, Captain Flathoof. I very much doubt we’ll require your assistance in combat.”

“Oh, I simply must thank Miss Havocwing, before I forget.” Rarity said, turning and starting towards Havocwing and the campfire.

Tick Tock found it peculiar that Havocwing hadn’t struck up a conversation with anypony, as the other five of her group had done. The pegasus had been stoking the flame all this time, keeping oddly silent for how loud she’d been earlier. Tick Tock decided to keep an eye on the conversation out of the corner of her eye.

“Miss Havocwing?” Rarity said as she trotted up to the pegasus, who tilted her head in acknowledgement. “I want to thank you for your assistance in maintaining Fluttershy’s well-being. This means a lot to me, really it does.”

“Yeah yeah,” Havocwing said with a dismissive wave of her hoof, causing the campfire to die down a little. She sighed and turned fully towards Rarity, crossing her hooves over her chest. “Look, don’t thank me too much, okay? I’m not doing this for anypony, I’m just following my boss’s orders. So boom, campfire.”

Rarity did not falter in the face of such a blunt answer. “Even so, I’ll make sure Fluttershy knows you lent a helping hoof. She’d want to thank you.”

Havocwing hummed. “Huh... I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe that’s why...” She tapped a hoof to her chin, causing the fire behind her to crackle and send wayward sparks into the air.

“Beg your pardon, darling?”

“Eh... yeah, sure.” Havocwing nodded and turned back to the fire, snuffing it out with a wave of her hoof. “You’re welcome. Send the creampuff my way when she gets better, or whatever you want.”

Tick Tock stood up, and trotted over to join Rarity and Havocwing. “Well, everything’s settled up back here. I’m going to fetch Sparkle and Miss Shadow so we can begin moving. Go ahead and get ready, okay?”

Tick Tock left the campsite and made for the boundary, where two purple unicorns still sat locked in apparently deep conversation. She shook her head to rid herself of sleep; it felt like days since her last good rest. Now was not the time to lose sight of the task at hoof or to lose her focus on recent events.

She wanted to talk with Twilight and Applejack, the only two in the group she felt had any sort of valuable opinions about these new “friends”, as Pinkie had called them. She’d been around too long to think that this proposed coincidence was what it seemed. Starlight Shadow’s explanation of detecting Twilight’s magic and coming to investigate was believable enough. Their destination, the Gryphon Ruins within the Goldridge Pass, certainly put them in the right place. Everything added up, but Tick Tock just found it too convenient to ignore. Then again, she’d been kindly reminded that Flathoof, Lockwood, and even herself had all come to meet Twilight’s group through the same sorts of circumstances. Why shouldn’t they trust Starlight’s group too?

She approached Twilight and Starlight. They must have seen her coming, as they dropped their conversation before she even got within earshot. That was a disappointment, as she’d actually hoped to at least have some understanding as to what they were talking about.

“Sparkle, we should get moving,” Tick Tock said when she got closer. “Fluttershy’s condition has been stabilized, but we need to ensure she gets the medical attention she requires.”

“Ah, what good tidings,” Starlight said with a smile in Twilight’s direction. “It gladdens me to hear your friend will soon recover, Sparkle.”

“Me too,” Twilight said, returning the smile before directing it to Tick Tock. “I appreciate everything you’ve done to help. So we continue straight east, right?”

“Minus a small detour yes, straight east,” Tick Tock said. “The nesting grounds have a lopsided shape, and a small bulge pops up directly east of us here. We’ll need to circle around it, but with the time we’re making we can certainly afford it.”

“Afford it?” Twilight snorted. “If your information is accurate, Fluttershy is dying a little more every second. I thought you would be the first to agree to take a shorter path?”

Tick Tock sighed and shook her head. “Look. I’m not keen on venturing into gargantuan territory willingly like some sort of lunatic. Fluttershy is still giving off pheromones, which only increases the risk. The detour would take five hours at most, and Fluttershy easily has another eight hours left, so—"

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop referring to my friend like a clock counting down.”

Tick Tock stopped a moment, her face turning red from embarrassment, then shook her head. “I... apologize. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. Force of habit, always looking at things in terms of time. I didn’t realize I was coming off as insensitive.” She rubbed her neck, hoping to think of something, anything, to say to save face. Twilight’s stern glare was not letting up. “Right, um...”

“If I may?” Starlight interjected, lifting a hoof and drawing attention to herself. “My companions and I are more than capable of ameliorating the situation at hoof. We can eliminate any foe that bars our way, presenting an unobstructed route forward. If memory serves, a straightforward path east would reduce our itinerary to three hours, accounting for relatively minor delays such as enormous mutant abominations.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Starlight,” Twilight said, her smile returning. “I didn’t want to impose on you and your sisters, so I appreciate the offer.”

“As good as that sounds, I will remind you again that Fluttershy is giving off pheromones, and the scent only increases with time,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “We’d risk attracting a lot of bloody attention, more than we dealt with before.”

“Attention, which I can assure you, my sisters and I are more than capable of surpassing,” Starlight said.

Twilight nodded. “I don’t doubt your ability to keep us covered, Starlight.” She turned to Tick Tock. “I say we take Starlight up on her offer. No sense in taking extra time to do something that we can do in less with no extra effort.”

Tick Tock huffed. “Really now, Sparkle—"

“I know you’re our guide and all, Tick Tock, but this seems to be a no-brainer situation here. I want to try and make the smart decision here, and with Fluttershy’s life in the balance, time is our major deciding factor.”

“A few hours may make some difference, so... ” Tick Tock sighed. “Very well, but don’t say I didn’t bloody well warn you if something happens en route.”

“Excellent,” Starlight said, patting Twilight on the shoulder. “A wise decision, Sparkle. I shall rally the troops, so have yourselves prepared for departure in no more than fifteen minutes.” She trotted away towards the campsite, leaving Twilight and Tick Tock behind.

Twilight did not remain still for long and made to follow. “Come on then, let’s make sure everypony is ready.”

Tick Tock reached out a hoof to stop Twilight before she could go too far. “Sparkle, we need to have a little chat.”

Twilight frowned. “Right now? Look, if you're going to argue with me about—"

“Not about that, you’ll get no argument from me. I understand your position, I was merely suggesting a safer route. I’d just like to make up for my mishaps earlier, is all.” She gave Twilight an uncomfortable smile. “You understand it was all circumstantial... don’t you? I didn’t lead any of you into anything I didn’t think we could handle. It’s just my bloody bad luck rearing its ugly head.”

Twilight remained silent a moment, then nodded. “True, a few unforeseen elements came about that I really couldn’t have expected you to predict. I can’t say I would’ve done much better given the circumstances.” She raised an eyebrow. “Is this what you wanted to talk about? Apologizing?”

“Well, no, not exactly.” Tick Tock shifted her glance towards the campsite, making sure she was out of earshot of anypony else. A quick glance upward told her that none of the pegasi were nearby either. All clear. “Something about these other ponies bothers me. I can’t put a hoof on it.”

Tick Tock shook her head and gave a nervous chuckle when Twilight just stared at her, eyes narrowed. It would seem that her worries were her own; nopony else had any suspicions. “Oh, nevermind. I’m just letting my paranoia get hold of me again. We need to get ready to move, don’t we?”

Twilight nodded and started towards the camp. Tick Tock purposefully lagged behind, keeping her eyes on the figure of Starlight Shadow, who was busy moving between her sisters and getting them moving. She had yet to see the other unicorn work any magic, but she could still feel it. Living in this world had taught her to always be on her guard, and that included detecting the inner magicks of things, be they unicorns or techno-magic constructs. This other unicorn was brimming with power, easily enough that she could probably match or even surpass Twilight. But the amount of magic wasn’t what bothered her. It was the way it felt. There was a strange familiarity to it that she thought impossible.

She was going to have to keep an eye on this Starlight Shadow.

***

Tick Tock led the way through a winding, rocky trail that led towards the Goldridge Pass checkpoint. It was a mostly flat climb that nopony had any trouble navigating, not even Flathoof, who carried a limp Fluttershy across his back. They rounded a bend, and at last the checkpoint, a large structure built just against the side of the mountain pass, came into view.

The checkpoint building was an unimpressive complex made of a drab green, rust-stained metal. Many sheets of brown metal had been placed over narrow, jagged holes, kept in place by thick metal bolts. It had exactly four windows—two on the ground floor, two on the second—that were all strangely intact and clean compared to the rest of the building. The foundation was large, some twenty ponies across and tall, but the way it met with the earth made it apparent that the structure continued underground. The whole thing was topped off with a large smokestack that even now had a thin funnel of black smoke trailing out into the open air.

Tick Tock’s ears and hooves had begun pounding the moment they entered the perimeter markings; a rumbling sensation came from the ground below her hooves. She nodded in content approval, satisfied that the checkpoint’s measures to repel gargantuans were still in good working order.

She approached the large gold door, knocked, and waited. She heard no sounds from the other side, so she knocked again.

“Keep your horseshoes on, I heard you the first time,” said a gruff voice from the other side.

A moment later, the door was answered by a brown unicorn stallion that stood a full head-and-a-half taller than Tick Tock. He wore a very simple set of survival gear: a thick vest over a tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt, decorated in a camouflage of several different shades of brown, as well as a belt laden with assorted tools. The stallion stood silent when he saw the group of ponies standing outside his door, glancing over the crow with wide-eyed surprise.

“Well shucks, I don’t usually see groups this big. I think I can make room for all of you, though.”

“I certainly hope so,” Tick Tock said, reaching a hoof up to poke the stallion in the chin and draw his attention down to her.

The stallion glanced down, and his already-wide eyes widened even more. “Tick Tock!” he said, his tone jovial and his smile beaming. “It’s been ages. How are you?”

“I’ve been better, Pewter.”

“Sorry, stupid question. I can see how you are just by looking at you,” he said, shaking his head and pawing his hoof at her torn bow tie. “My goodness, you look like you’ve been through Hell and back. What in Equestria happened to you?”

“It’s a long story, and it can wait.” Tick Tock turned behind her and gestured for Flathoof to step forward. “One of my traveling companions,” she said, pointing at the limp pegasus laid across Flathoof’s back, “was stung by an adolescent gargantuan on our way here.”

“Oh dear.” Pewter nodded rapidly. “Right, of course. Take your friend here upstairs while I fetch the antivenom.” He turned his head to address the rest of the group. “Come on in everypony, and make yourselves at home. Your friend is in good hooves with me, so you can just relax.”


	14. Inoculation

Twilight took a long, hard look around the checkpoint’s reading room. She took special notice that the walls were lined with books, real books, of every size and genre. She shook her head. This was no time to think about books. There were more important things to worry about, such as Fluttershy’s condition. The pegasus was laying limp upon the largest of the room’s sofas, still in her venom-induced coma, her breathing slow and labored and her face drained of color. Rarity’s persistent pacing threatened to wear a hole in the room’s only rug. Lockwood stood at the end of the sofa nearest Fluttershy’s tail, his face a picture of worry. Only Tick Tock, who kept Fluttershy’s head and neck still, seemed perfectly calm.

Pewter entered the room, cantering over to the sofa with a large needle kept aloft in his magic. “Tick Tock, would you assist me in locating the exact point of infection please?” he said as he strode straight over to Fluttershy’s side.

Tick Tock nodded and lit up her horn, enshrouding Fluttershy’s neck with a dull green glow. Moments later, several neon green trails appeared over the back of Fluttershy’s neck, congregating on a single spot. “All set, Pewter,” she said.

Pewter took a deep breath and wiped his brow, then lowered the needle tip to meet with the congregating trails before forcing it through. After pushing it down so that the needle was almost an inch deep, he squeezed the plunger, forcing a sickly blue liquid through the syringe. He seemed to be going deliberately slow, only allowing a small dose through every other second.

“So... how exactly does that stuff work anyway?” Twilight asked, pointing at the needle.

Pewter smiled, but did not take his eyes off the needle. “Gargantuan antivenom is complicated. I’m essentially injecting venom laced with anti-magic antibodies that seek out and repair damaged tissue and nerves.”

“Anti-magic antibodies...” Twilight murmured, tapping her chin. “So, these antibodies fight off the venom in the same way, say, dispel magic is used to remove magical illnesses? How does that work? Is the venom itself magical?”

“Correct, the venom itself is semi-magical, and in fact is resistant to many major supersets of magicks, Restomancy included. It takes months to get the antibodies laced properly into a dose much smaller than this, but it’s a necessity. The venom inside the patient will immediately resist, so we ‘trick’ it into thinking there’s just more venom being injected. Then, the antibodies can cleanse the venom from the inside out. It works in the same way as a flu shot. I assume you know how those work?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I see... so that’s why my magic didn’t work.”

Pewter finished injecting the antivenom into Fluttershy, and withdrew the needle before placing it in a pouch at his side. “There we are, all finished. She’ll regain consciousness in a few hours, but it may take some time before she fully recovers.”

Rarity pushed herself in between Twilight and Pewter so that she was next to Fluttershy again. “How long?”

“Luckily, the venom didn’t spread upwards into her brain or reach her spinal column. I estimate a full recovery in four, maybe five days if not sooner.”

“Whew...” Twilight let out a deep breath, glad to know that everything was going to be okay. “Hear that, Rarity? She’s going to be okay.”

Rarity nodded and wiped some sweat off her brow. “It’s a great relief, to be sure. I was so worried when that... that thing attacked her! Such loathsome creatures, these gargantuans.”

Twilight turned her head back to the rest of the room, specifically to the rows and rows of books. With Fluttershy’s well-being assured, her mind could not help but open itself to the distraction. The shelves were catalogued so precisely that she could see every thick, enticing volume that sat upon them perfectly. The texts seemed to bulge out of the shelves, begging for release, eager to be read, scanned, perused. Her mouth watered at the thought. She’d gone so long without a solid reading that she feared she was having withdrawals.

“I’d like to learn more about those creatures.” she said, tilting her head just slightly in Pewter’s direction. “You wouldn’t happen to have a book around here with more information, would you?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes of course.” Pewter pointed off towards one of the shelves that was marked Guidebooks. “Look in there for a book called The Wasteland: A Traveler’s Primer. It has just about everything you’d need to know.”

Twilight smiled and trotted over to the bookshelf. She scanned along the line of books until she found the one she was looking for, then grabbed it with her magic and pulled it down before returning to the others with it in tow. The book wasn’t as thick as she’d have liked, maybe only good for a little bit of light reading. Still, even that would suffice in scratching her reading itch at this point.

“This should do nicely, thank you,” she said. She turned back to Rarity.

“Yes, and thank you so much for what you’ve done for Fluttershy also, Mister Pewter,” Rarity said. “I don’t know what I would have done if dear Fluttershy was like this forever...”

“Don’t forget to thank Tick Tock and her improvised barrier magic,” Pewter said, turning and giving Tick Tock a beaming smile. Twilight noticed her respond with a small one of her own. “Had the venom spread to any vital areas, your friend here may well have lost control of basic motor skills, or worse, brain function. She’d be alive, but... only just.”

Twilight and Rarity each gave Tick Tock a deep nod.

“Thank you, Tick Tock,” Twilight said first, stepping forward and offering a hoof to shake. “You’ve done us all a great—"

Tick Tock dismissed the gesture. “Don’t get sentimental on me, Sparkle, I’m just doing my job. If any of you died, things might become... complicated.”

“Well... all the same, thank you, darling,” Rarity said. “This means a lot to us. Doesn’t it, Mister Lockwood? You’ve been awful quiet, dear. Are you okay?”

Lockwood nodded. “Sorry, I’ve just been thinking is all. This was all a very close call, you know?” He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “A... business partner of mine once encountered one of those creatures, and barely escaped with her life. Seeing this all for myself makes me wonder just how close she came. She never told me much.”

“Miss Fluttershy just needs a little bed rest now until she wakes up,” Pewter said, replacing Lockwood’s jacket over Fluttershy’s body and tucking her into it. “For now, we wait, and you all can rest. She’ll be very weak and may need assistance moving when she does awake. We’ll see about finding something to make that easier on you all.”

He turned to Lockwood and gave the other stallion a short nod. “You’ve done a lot for Miss Fluttershy as well, you know? This is your jacket after all, correct? I’ll make sure that I get a suitable replacement for your journey, as she’s going to need to remain warm until she makes a full recovery.”

“You don’t need to go through all that,” Lockwood said with a smile. “I’d be willing to let her use it for as long as needed, if it will help.”

Rarity smiled at the offer. “That is most gracious of you, Mister Lockwood, parting with your jacket like that. Is it special to you? I’ve yet to see you change out of it.”

Lockwood averted his gaze from Rarity’s. “It was a gift from a... friend. Same one as I mentioned earlier, in fact. Don’t pay it any attention, it’s not really that big of a deal.”

“Come along, everypony, let’s leave her to rest,” Pewter said as he started towards the door. “I’ll mix up a batch of some gryphonroot stew for her to help accelerate her recovery. She’ll be back on her hooves and wings in no time.” He gestured for the others to follow. “Your friends have likely gotten the dining room prepared by now, and they may need some assistance in the kitchen.”

Twilight followed behind Pewter and Tick Tock, with Rarity right beside her. She noticed that Lockwood was not following at as quick of a pace. “Mister Lockwood? Are you coming?” she asked.

Lockwood sighed and shook his head. “I’m just wondering if somepony should stay with her until she gets up. What if she wakes up and nopony’s here?”

“We all want to stay with her,” Twilight said, turning back and putting a hoof on his shoulder, “but we’re all exhausted, hungry, and need some rest, yourself included.”

“Twilight, darling, perhaps Lockwood has a point?” Rarity said, her gaze shifting over to Fluttershy. “I do feel terrible leaving her here while we all go downstairs and enjoy ourselves. But... then again, we’re all simply famished.”

“Perhaps we should watch in shifts?” Lockwood said. “I’ll volunteer for the first shift. You girls must be hungry and tired, so go ahead and get some food and rest. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve dealt with the idea of going an entire day without either.”

Rarity stood firm, her hoof on her mouth. “I don’t know... I think I should be the one to take first watch. She is my closest friend, after all. No. In fact, I insist.”

“Miss Rarity, I insist that you allow me. You’re easily just as exhausted and hungry as the others, whereas I can handle the feeling for a few hours longer.” Lockwood sighed and put his hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Please, let me take this off your hooves? I assure you, I’m not troubled.”

“Hmm...” Rarity smiled and nodded. “Very well. I appreciate the offer, Mister Lockwood. However, if you take the first shift, then I shall relieve you after I’ve had a good meal... and a hot bath. You could deal with one of each yourself, especially the latter,” she added with a smile. She turned to Twilight. “Come along, dear, I think Fluttershy is in good hooves with this gallant stallion.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Mister Lockwood. We’ll bring you something to eat soon.”

“You girls can stop with all the ‘Mister’ nonsense whenever you want, you know?” he said. “We’re all friends here, right?”

“I suppose so, Lockwood,” Rarity replied.

Twilight followed Rarity out the door and into the hall, all the way to the stairwell that led downstairs to the den and the dining area. She stopped when Rarity turned to face her.

“Twilight, darling? I need to speak with you a moment.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Sure thing, Rarity, but can it wait? I’m starving. We can talk after—"

Rarity snorted. “I’d prefer if we just get it out of the way now, if we could? Privately?”

“Oh... okay. What’s on your mind?”

“Listen, Twilight, I know we already discussed this, but Rainbow Dash was present and frankly I would rather not give her any reason to be upset with you.”

Twilight remained silent, but nodded in understanding. She knew if anypony in the group was ready to blow up at any moment, it was Rainbow. The pegasus was not doing an adequate job of hiding her frustration with everything that had happened since they’d left the city.

“You’re lucky that most of her anger is being directed at Tick Tock, darling,” Rarity continued. “I, on the other hoof, do not see fit in blaming all of our problems on her. The fact is, dear, you’ve proven yourself to be extraordinarily gifted in the past, and yet you seem... hesitant to use your gift to help us.”

Twilight sighed and nodded. It would seem as if Starlight’s observation earlier had been spot on, and now Twilight wondered how long it would be before anypony else wanted to have this discussion with her.

“Rarity, please understand that I never wanted any of this,” she said, taking on a careful tone. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing, as the situation was delicate. “I... honestly thought that Fluttershy was in no danger around that thing. I didn’t listen to Tick Tock’s warnings when I should have. I’m sorry.”

Rarity huffed. “Sorry? Darling, your gross underestimating of the situation nearly cost Fluttershy her life. Sorry doesn’t cut it.”

“Well, what would you like me to say? That it won’t happen again?”

“That would be a good start, dear.”

Twilight frowned. “Rarity, you know I can’t—"

“Promise me, Twilight,” Rarity said, stepping forward and putting her hooves on Twilight’s shoulder. “Look, darling, we all look to you for guidance, we nearly always have.”

“I still would rather you all didn’t act like that,” Twilight said, avoiding Rarity’s gaze. “I haven’t done anything to deserve that kind of position, really. I’m just as important as the rest of you.”

“Darling, it was you who rescued us all from a terrible fate under Discord’s magic, was it not? It was you who spotted the inconsistencies in your sister-in-law’s actions before her wedding, was it not? We need you, Twilight. Promise me we’ll be safe.”

Twilight remained silent a moment, then nodded. “I promise. I’ll lead us home, and I’ll keep us safe. You have nothing to worry about anymore, Rarity.”

***

The bright glow from Starlight’s horn lit up the checkpoint’s dining room far better than the dim ceiling lamp above. Objects flew to and fro around the room as she set the dining table. The large checker print tablecloth flawlessly folded around the table corners. Dining plates soared through the air like frisbees, each landing such that they were a precisely-measured distance apart, and that there were enough seats for sixteen ponies; as she did not know for certain how quickly Fluttershy would recover, she considered it good form to assume the best and set a spot for her anyway. Forks, knives, spoons, and napkins danced about, each placing themselves alongside their respective plates. Lastly, she placed the chairs, of which, to her surprise, there were more than enough. Everypony would be sitting rather close, but there would definitely be room for all.

With the last touch of lighting, a few candles along the table’s center, she dimmed her horn and waved a hoof along the display. “This should be satisfactory. What say you, Curaçao?” she asked, turning her head to her left to address the pony standing there.

Curaçao tapped her chin, then circled around the table for a short moment. She shook her head when she reached the other table end. “Ma capitaine, you ‘ave set zee salad forks on zee incorrect side.”

“Like, yeah, the salad forks are totally not on the right side?” Insipid said, placing herself at Curaçao’s side and giving one of the forks an accusatory glare. “Wait, Curie, there’s, like, two forks here? Which one’s the salad fork?”

“Zee right one, ma copine.”

Insipid blinked. “Uh, so wait. The fork on the right... isn’t on the right side...” She stopped for a moment before taking a seat at the table. “Nope! Don’t get it.”

Curaçao sighed, then returned her gaze to Starlight. “As I vas saying, c’est un agencement inacceptable pour un festin. ‘ow peu professionnel.”

Starlight’s eyebrow twitched. “Would you kindly cease with your insufferable Romantique babble, Curaçao? Communicate in a language I can more clearly comprehend.”

“Aww, but boss,” Insipid whined, “I like the fancy talk! Even if I can’t understand it! Besides, it’s not like anypony can, like, understand anything you say?”

Starlight narrowed her eyes. “Are you insinuating that my manner of speech poses the same quandary as Curaçao’s bizarre vernacular?”

Insipid stared at Starlight for too long of a moment. “Uh... is that like a... trick question?”

Curaçao coughed into her hoof. “Zis arrangement is not suited for a feast of zee sort ve are to ‘ave. Zese sorts of zings need to be done perfectly, non? Zee salad forks go on zee left.”

“It is acceptable enough. Given the condition of our recently-acquired traveling companions, I have no doubt that any arrangement would be satisfactory.” Starlight snorted and strode around to the seat that she’d assigned herself at the head of the table. “Meanwhile, confirm whether or not dinner preparations are complete. I anticipate Twilight Sparkle and her friends are quite sufficiently famished, so we must not tarry.”

Curaçao nodded and started towards the kitchen. She only traveled about halfway across the room before the kitchen door burst open.

“Hot soup, coming through!”

Curaçao leapt aside as Havocwing sailed into the room carrying a large tray with a bowl on top in her hooves. “Hé! Fais attention!”

Havocwing circled around and placed the bowl and tray on the dining table about two seats away from Starlight. “Told ya I was coming through,” she said, shooting a quick look at Curaçao. “Gotta get dinner all set up. I’m bucking hungry.”

Starlight clapped her hooves. “Ah, how punctual!”

She waved her hoof to shoo Havocwing out of the way, then leaned forward and took a whiff out of the large bowl in front of her. She pulled back only a little, as the scent wafted up into her sinuses, clearing them in seconds. The soup had a brownish-orange color to it, with flecks of red spread throughout. Chunks of tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and sprigs of some type of leaf floated atop the soupy mixture surrounding a single large pepper in the middle.

“A pleasant aroma, to be sure. Very pungent. It isn’t... spicy, is it?” she asked, giving Havocwing a hard glare. “You are aware that I loathe spicy foods, are you not?”

Havocwing rubbed her neck. “Yeah... well, it is a bit on the spicy side, sure. Not to worry boss! Everypony in there is whipping up something, and I couldn’t resist making something I like, and some of the others in there thought it was good. The two pink nutjobs are making something more your speed.”

Starlight huffed. “I see. So you are accepting requests from them?”

“Uh... well, yeah I guess? I thought we were supposed to be playing all nicey-nice—"

There was a noise from the kitchen. The door opened. Starlight shoved a napkin into Havocwing’s mouth just as Applejack backed into the room, causing the pegasus to sputter and spit it out. She carried a large tray in her mouth, laden with all manner of sliced fruit: bananas, oranges, pears, pineapples, kiwis, and more. They were stacked in a pyramid atop the plate, which Applejack sat upon the center of the table with a loud clang.

“Hoo doggie! I knew I should’ve asked fer some help with that’n,” Applejack said, wiping her brow and rubbing her jaw.

“Ooh là là!” Curaçao said, sidling up to Applejack’s side and gazing at the tray of fruit. “Comme c’est appétissant! Are zese all fresh?”

Applejack scratched the side of her head. “Well I didn’t pick ‘em or nothin’, but they were all in Mister Pewter’s fridge, and he said that kept ‘em fresh fer weeks. They tasted right fresh ta me, I tell ya what. Kinda weird though, they got a funny texture to ‘em, but they sure do taste good.”

“Oh. My. Stars! Oranges! My favorite!” Insipid exclaimed, reaching across the table to grab one.

Curaçao slapped Insipid’s hoof away. “Ma copine, vait until zee rest of zee party is seated.”

“But I’m hungry, Curie! I want it now!”

Curaçao sighed and sat beside Insipid. “Ma copine, it is impolite to eat food before everypony is seated. To be une bonne dame, you must practice proper table manners, vois-tu?” She sat up straight in her seat, her nose high in the air. “‘ere, fais comme moi—do as I do.”

Insipid hesitated, then nodded and followed Curaçao’s lead, putting her nose into the air so far that the back of her head tapped the back of her chair. “Like this?”

“Oui, a good start!”

The kitchen door opened again, and Pinkie and Velvet came striding out, followed by Rainbow and Flathoof, each carrying a large tray of their own. All were set on the table: two platters of assorted breads and a collection of pitchers filled with colored water. Starlight went about serving the latter to everypony with her magic, filling each of their cups to the top.

The presentation was complete.

“Wow, this is quite a setup, Miss Shadow,” Flathoof said as he took a seat across from Applejack. “What’s with all the silverware? Are we expecting royalty or something?”

“I discovered it in the dining area, and felt it was an appropriate addition,” Starlight said. “Presentation and atmosphere comprise of over seventy percent of the enjoyability of a meal.”

“Golly, I don’t even know where ta start,” Applejack said, scratching her head as she glanced around the table. “We didn’t even bring a salad, so... do we start with the appetizers, or what? Which one’s even the appetizer?”

“‘avocving’s soup vould count as zee appetizer, and vould be zee best place to start,” Curaçao said. “Ve are just vaiting for zee ozers now, non?”

“I hope Twi and them aren’t having problems up there,” Rainbow said, taking her seat next to Pinkie, who was seated next to Velvet. “It’s been like an hour.”

“I’m sure they’re fine, Dashie. Mister Pewter seemed like a nice guy, I’m sure he’s fixing Fluttershy all up,” Pinkie said, leaning forward towards the bowl of soup and taking an exaggerated whiff. “Mmm... spicy! I love spicy!”

Starlight waved her hoof through the air. “If I may alleviate your fears, we did arrive in well under Miss Tock’s proposed itinerary. Your worries, while well grounded, are unnecessary.”

“I just feel bad bein’ down here while they’re all up there,” Applejack said, slumping back in her seat. “We should be up there helpin’... or somethin’.”

“You are ‘elping, Applejack,” Curaçao said, patting Applejack on the shoulder. “Vhen zey come downstairs, I am sure zey vill vant to eat right away, non?”

“I just hope they don’t take too long,” Velvet said, licking her lips as she stared at the fruit tray. “All this stuff looks good! I mean, it’s not my usual fare, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look good, right?”

Grayscale swaggered into the room from the den, taking her seat across from Rainbow. “They’re coming downstairs now,” she said through a yawn.

“Ah, splendid!” Starlight said.

She gave Applejack and Rainbow a reassuring grin, which they returned after a moment. While her assignment was to focus on Twilight Sparkle alone, Curaçao had suggested building a rapport with the others, as that would make her official assignment that much easier to accomplish. She did admit, having Twilight Sparkle’s friends on her side certainly wouldn’t be a negative.

A moment later, Pewter and Tick Tock entered the dining room. Nopony else was with them.

“Well now, you all got everything set real quick, didn’t you?” Pewter said, nodding in approval as he looked out over the table. “Quite a setup you’ve got here. Hey, you even brought out the family silverware! This looks downright fancy.”

“Thank the stars, I’m bleedin’ famished,” Tick Tock said, taking her seat near the opposite end of the table.

“Where’s everypony else?” Rainbow asked.

“Fluttershy needs time to recover,” Pewter said, stepping up to the side of the table and grabbing a plate with his magic. “Misses Sparkle and Rarity are on their way down. I think they’re having a talk with Mister Lockwood about taking shifts to stay with Fluttershy.”

“You mean... they’re gonna just leave her up there alone with him?” Rainbow shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

“Does that pose some trouble?” Starlight asked.

Rainbow looked at Grayscale a moment, then shook her head. “Not really, no.”

Starlight shifted her glance to Grayscale and gave the pegasus a slight nod before turning back to Pewter. “So then, they are choosing to watch over Miss Fluttershy in shifts?”

Pewter shrugged and began loading the plate with small bits of fruit, bread, and a bowl of soup. “Well, I don’t know exactly what they’re deciding on, but I’m going to bring a plate up to whoever is staying up there.”

“That would be Lockwood, incidentally,” Twilight said from the doorway. She was carrying a large book with her, which sparked Starlight’s curiosity. The other mare was supposedly a scholar of some type, so it was good to see confirmation of that fact.

“Ah, everypony is here at last,” Starlight said, beckoning Twilight over to sit by her. “If you would permit us, Mister Pewter, I am sure everypony would prefer we begin eating.”

“Go ahead, everypony, I don’t mind,” Pewter said as he started for the door to the den.

As Pewter left, everypony immediately began loading their own plates with food. Some, such as Pinkie and Rainbow, barely even used their plates and just started eating straight from the trays.

“Man, you guys weren’t kidding when you said you haven’t eaten anything,” Havocwing said as she served herself a bowl of soup.

“Ladies, really, at the very least observe some semblance of table manners,” Rarity said from her end of the table across from Twilight.

“Y’all’re one ta talk,” Applejack said through a mouthful of food.

“Yeah, you’re scarfing everything down just as much as the rest of us,” Rainbow added.

Rarity shot Rainbow a quick glare. “Oh please. I may be eating quickly, but I am certainly not ‘scarfing’ anything down, Rainbow Dash. I’m offended that you even think I am.”

“I’m not used ta seein’ y’all eat like that, is all. Any reason fer it?” Applejack asked.

“Well, I simply must finish dinner as quickly as possible, then I can get washed up and relieve Lockwood of his watch.”

“Oh yeah, you guys let him watch Fluttershy? Alone?” Rainbow snorted and shook her head again. “I don’t get you guys.”

“What’s there to get, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, not drawing her attention away from her book or her food. “He’s been very helpful so far. It was our collective idea to leave someone with Fluttershy at all times until she recovers, and he offered to go first.”

“Hmph. I just don’t know if I’d trust him to get first watch.” Rainbow gave Rarity a disapproving glance. “I’m just surprised you didn’t take ‘first watch’ or whatever, Rarity. Aren’t you supposed to be her best friend?”

Rarity frowned. “Well, yes, of course. I asked to have it, but Lockwood seemed insistent and claimed that he wasn’t bothered by lack of food or rest. Though with Mister Pewter bringing up a plate of food for him, I suppose I don’t see why I couldn’t have stayed with her too...”

“See? You got suckered in—"

Pinkie put her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Dashie, please? We’re supposed to be trying to relax here, and you’re getting all worked up.”

Rainbow snorted and slumped back in her seat. “Fine... whatever.” She gave Grayscale a quick glance and a nod, and the other pegasus returned it.

Starlight did not show it, but inside she was smiling. They’d only been in the company of Twilight’s party for half a day, and already the seeds of dissent were being sewn. She made an inward note to have a word with Grayscale, who seemed to be making excellent progress.

Pewter returned from downstairs and took his seat at the opposite end of the table from Starlight, next to Tick Tock. His plate had already been filled. “Ah, thank you Tick Tock,” he said, giving the other unicorn a smile.

Tick Tock nodded back. “Figured I’d save you some time. These are bloody good eats, I tell you.”

“They certainly look like it. I’m glad to see my stores were used for a good purpose. Is this... dragonpepper soup?” He took a spoonful of the soup and tasted it, then nodded his head. “Mmm! It is! Who made this?”

Havocwing raised her hoof. “Yo! You like it?”

Pewter shook his head and took another spoonful. “I haven’t met a pony yet that makes a better dragonpepper soup than my dad did, but damn if this doesn’t make me second-guess that. How you managed that when you’re from Pandemonium is beyond me.”

Havocwing rubbed the back of her neck and slinked back into her chair. “Oh, uh... thanks dude. It just sort of comes naturally, I guess.”

“Somepony actually likes Havoc’s cooking, huh?” Velvet shook her head. “Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything. She usually burns everything so much you can’t even taste it! Blech!”

“Buck off, Red.”

“Yeah Red, ease up,” Grayscale said, giving Velvet a disapproving glance and shaking her head. “Havoc’s cooking isn’t completely terrible for once. You should be proud of her.”

“Yeah, thanks Gray.” Havocwing nodded in appreciation and returned to her food.

Velvet shook her head. “One... two...”

Havocwing looked up from her plate and tilted her head towards Grayscale. “Hey... wait a minute!”

“Where do you even get all this?” Flathoof asked, pointing his fork at the array of fruits and vegetables he had stacked up on his plate. “You can’t expect me to believe you walk from here to either Pandemonium or Hope’s Point and lug a ton of food with you.”

“I have it delivered, actually,” Pewter said. “Hope’s Point has a very efficient delivery service, if you have the right connections,” he added as he speared a chunk of pineapple. “My grandfather knew the right ponies, and we have a sort of agreement set up.”

“Huh. I’m going to have to ask Lockwood about that later. He’s got some friends in Hope’s Point, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he knows whoever your delivery pony is.”

Applejack sighed and shook her head. “I still don’t get how y’all got pineapples an’ even named ‘em pineapples, but y’all ain’t never heard of an actual apple.”

“What the hell is an ‘apple’?” Havocwing asked.

“It certainly does pose an interesting conundrum,” Starlight said, tapping her chin. A question she’d had since she’d been given her assignment came to her. Now seemed an appropriate time to bring it up. “I have studied all varieties of text, and not once have I encountered anything termed ‘apple’ before. It makes one wonder where you acquired your name.”

Applejack frowned. “Well... uh...”

Rarity coughed into her hoof. “Applejack, darling, perhaps it would be best to drop that subject? Ponies might think it quite odd if you bring up a bizarre extinct fruit they’ve never heard of before and that your family just happened to name you after, hmm?”

“Yeah... uh, right.” Applejack shook her head. “Anyway, this sure was quite a selection y’all had, Mister Pewter. Ya have more fruits ‘n’ veggies here than I ever seen in one place before.”

“Well, they’re not actually fruits and vegetables, to tell to truth,” Pewter said. “Barring a few things here and there that I personally grow or make, such as the dragonpeppers and the bread, everything here is actually fake.”

“Fake?”

“Dolor products formed to look like and taste like real fruits and vegetables.”

Applejack quirked an eyebrow and stared at her plate. “Y’all mean... this stuff ain’t real fruits ‘n’ veggies?” She shook her head and laughed. “Heh, y’all’re just pullin’ my leg, ain’t ya? That’s a good one, Mister Pewter.”

Pewter shrugged and returned to his food.

“It is a welcome adjustment to our usual fare, whatever it may be,” Starlight said with a nod. “And a pleasant change of pace, to have other ponies with which to hold a conversation.”

“Yeah! It’s always good to make new friends!” Pinkie said through another mouthful of food. She leaned over and threw her leg around Velvet in a half hug. “Isn’t that right, Red?”

Velvet’s eyebrow twitched. “Yeah! Always good to make new friends. I am overjoyed,” she said, giving Starlight a pleading look and an obviously-forced smile. “Don’t I just look overjoyed, boss?”

Starlight ignored Velvet’s complaining and instead turned to Twilight, who was so engrossed in her new book that she was eating slower than anypony else at the table. Starlight would be the first amongst her own group to admit that she enjoyed a good read, but reading at the dinner table was beyond even her understanding.

“Sparkle, what manner of reading is it that has you so distracted?” she asked, leaning over to try and take a peek.

“Hmm? Oh!” Twilight blushed and cleared her throat. “Well, this is a survival guide for the Wastelands. I was interested in finding out more about the dangers out here. I don’t expect you and your sisters to take us all the way to Hope’s Point, so I figured I’d try to prepare myself for whatever’s out there.”

“Ah, an astute decision if there ever was one,” Starlight said, giving Twilight her most pleasant smile. “Precautionary measures would supplement the limited knowledge that your other guide has provided you thus far.”

Tick Tock grunted from the other end of the table. “My knowledge has been more than ‘limited’, Miss Shadow. I’ve been traveling the Wastelands alone on a near-weekly basis for the better half of a decade, and I’ve studied under experts much more qualified than I’m sure you are for much longer than that.”

“Far be it from me to call into question your experience, Miss Tock,” Starlight responded, her mouth curling in a smirk. “I merely claim that from the information I have gleaned, you have yet to provide a complete picture to the ponies you are escorting. Am I mistaken, or have you indeed given them all the information they would require to survive beforehoof?”

“I have provided all the information necessary as it became relevant. There was no need to go into detail on a great deal of things until we encountered them.”

“Yeah, and look at all the trouble that got us into,” Rainbow said, pointing her fork at Tick Tock. “If you’d told us anything about anything, we could’ve tried to prevent all this bad stuff that keeps happening.”

“Starlight certainly has a point, Tick Tock,” Twilight said, still not taking her attention off of her book. “I would have liked to know more about those creatures before we encountered them. It would have prevented a colossal mistake on my part in assuming Fluttershy would be safe around one.”

Tick Tock remained silent a moment, then returned to her food. “I suppose I could have been more upfront about certain things. I didn’t plan on keeping you all in the dark on everything. Things just got... out of hoof.”

“Hmm, what sort of experience do you possess, Mister Pewter?” Starlight asked with a wide smile. “Residing in the Wastelands by your lonesome must grant you a multitude of stories to tell. Are you one of the ‘experts’ that Miss Tock speaks of?”

“I suppose I am, yes. My family’s lived off the land out here for generations. What sorts of things would you have liked to know, Miss Sparkle?” Pewter asked, giving a sidelong glance to Tick Tock. “I’m sure Tick Tock and I could fill in anything you have questions about. Isn’t that right, Tick Tock?”

“Don’t look at me. I’m beginning to doubt that my knowledge is wanted at all,” Tick Tock muttered as she absently stirred her soup.

“I do have a question, actually. Why is the word ‘gargantuan’ capitalized here?” Twilight asked, lifting up her book and pointing at a passage on her current page. “You don’t capitalize animal names unless it’s a breed.”

“That’s because Gargantuan is a breed,” Pewter replied.

“It is?”

“Great, and all this time we’ve been calling them ‘gargantuans’, lower case,” Pinkie said, shaking her head. She tilted her head towards Starlight, who quirked an eyebrow. “Somewhere, an Equine professor is crying, lamenting our abuse of the Equine language.”

“You mean... there are more things like those creatures out there?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide. “Oh my...”

“Well, there used to be. You won’t find this information in that survival guide there,” Pewter said, pointing his fork at Twilight’s book, “but Gargantuans are a breed of insect called ‘chimera beetles’, which were known for being distinct mixtures of the qualities of many different species of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. Each breed was named for its defining characteristic: Jumpers, Ironhides, Lurkers, that sort of thing. The ponies that named them weren’t very creative, but they got the point across.”

“You said ‘used to be’,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow. “What happened to the other breeds?”

“Killed off by the Gargantuan breed, naturally. All the evil magicks in the air around the northern continent warped their minds, and as Gargantuans were the biggest and strongest, their increased aggressive nature made short work of the other breeds. Worse, they mutated over generations to adopt the best qualities of the breeds they killed.”

“They ought to call them ‘Horrors’ for what they really are,” Tick Tock added, stabbing her fork into a slice of strawberry. “Bloody monsters, like I said. But no, let’s let the resident animal expert try and bloody well tame one. Let’s not listen to the pony that’s traveled in the Wastelands and encountered them before. Proper brilliant idea, that one.”

“No need to get defensive, Tick Tock,” Twilight said, with a scowl. “We all feel terrible that we- that I didn’t listen to you when it counted.”

“Monsters, perhaps, but horrors? I disagree,” Starlight said. “As my sisters and I have made apparent, they are not as menacing as their reputation boasts. As long as we accompany you, your safety is assured. What other sorts of information does your new guidebook hold?”

“Well, I haven’t seen anything else that’s particularly worrying just yet, but I’m reading slowly since I’m eating.”

“You really shouldn’t be reading at the dinner table anyway, darling,” Rarity said. “It’s not polite.”

Twilight blushed and made to close her book. “Oh... sorry. It’s just, I haven’t had a chance to read anything for days now, and I don’t think Mister Pewter is going to let me keep this book long enough to read the whole thing... are you?”

Pewter frowned. “I would if I could, Miss Sparkle, but that’s the only copy I have and I need it for other travelers.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Still, darling, you should really be trying to be more sociable, don’t you think?”

“I am certain none here would take offense to Sparkle’s attempts to educate herself on the hazards of the Wastelands,” Starlight said, giving Twilight another smile. “I for one enjoy perusing texts of any subject, and am not bothered in the least by Sparkle’s enthusiasm.”

“Well-read, huh?” Tick Tock asked as she stabbed a grape. “What sort of books do you enjoy, then?”

Starlight stared at Tick Tock with a blank expression on her face. “Why... I just claimed I enjoy perusing texts of any—"

Tick Tock pressed the question: “But surely you have some sort of favorite?”

Starlight repressed the urge to let her eyebrow twitch. The Chronomancer was infuriating on many levels, not least of which was her intrusive personality.

Curaçao spoke next. “Vhy, ma capitaine adores books about magicks. She is an, ‘ow you say, magical scholar? Just zee ozer day ve vere reading about une théorie for teleportation, voyez-vous? I did not understand some of zee more complicated aspects, being un poney de terre, but ma capitaine ‘elped explain.”

Starlight cleared her throat. “Teleportation is my speciality, and the subject fascinates me so.”

“Ooh, teleportation theory? That sounds fascinating,” Twilight said, finally tearing her gaze from her book of her own accord. “What sort of theory was it? I hear mass teleportation is the most popular.”

“Yes, that is precisely it, Sparkle,” Starlight said, giving Twilight another smile. “I have been studying the theory of mass teleportation to assuage my sisters’ worries of extended travel times. The ability to travel extraordinary distances in minuscule fractions of time would surely be a great boon to your own party, would it not?”

Tick Tock snorted. “Yeah, if mass teleportation were even possible, sure. That’s all it is though: a theory. The amount of magical power you’d need to teleport even one pony a distance greater than fifty miles exceeds that of any known unicorn, present company included. No offense, Sparkle.”

Curaçao dabbed her mouth with a napkin. Her plate was empty. “Vell, as interesting as zis discussion ‘as become, I must bid you all adieu. Zis vas a most vonderful dinner.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re done already?” Havocwing asked.

“It ‘as been a long day, and I vish to take un bain and zen retire.” Curaçao patted Insipid on the shoulder. “I vill try not to be long,” she added, glancing over at Rarity before trotting out of the dining room and towards the den.

Insipid waved. “Oh wev are, Curie!”

Havocwing turned to Insipid. “What was all that about? Where’s she off to in such a hurry?”

Insipid shrugged. “Like, I dunno? You know how Curie is. She’s like, totally into her own thing and junk? Cha.”

“She certainly does take great care in her appearance. No wonder she keeps that figure if she doesn’t eat anything,” Rarity said. Though her voice was pleasant, the glance she was giving the doorway that Curaçao had left through was less so. She turned to Grayscale, and her expression brightened. “Miss Force here certainly keeps in shape as well! I must say, I don’t often see a mare with such a broad figure.”

Grayscale absently poked one of her peach slices with her fork and placed it in her mouth.

Rarity paused, then cleared her throat and attempted conversation again: “Miss Force, I must say I am impressed with your choice in fashion accessories. Those boots of yours have quite an interesting look. Are those real fire rubies?”

Grayscale took her time chewing her mouthful of food, then swallowing, before responding. “Yeah, I guess they are.”

“Ah, splendid! Might I ask what purpose they serve?”

Again, Grayscale remained silent, just giving a light shrug. Starlight’s eyebrow twitched, and it took her a great deal of effort to resist kicking Grayscale under the table. Why did the pegasus insist on being so unsociable?

“Well duh, Rarity, they look cool,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

Starlight turned to Rainbow for half a second before returning her gaze to Grayscale. She could swear she saw Grayscale’s mouth curl in a tiny smirk.

Rarity chuckled. “That is one way of putting it, I suppose. I, for one, wouldn’t use such rare, splendid gems in any article of clothing I expected to be wearing for extended periods of time, especially in such conditions as this desert.”

“Well, they must serve some practical purpose then,” Twilight said. “Fire rubies are magical gems, so you wouldn’t use them just because they ‘look cool’. Maybe for fancy occasions, like Rarity said, but using them in day-to-day clothing seems more of a practical choice to me.”

Grayscale shrugged. “Dunno. They just look cool to me.”

Starlight interjected. “They serve as the focal point of the enchantment that gives her boots their impact-resistant nature,” she said, giving Grayscale an impatient glance. “You witnessed Grayscale’s divebomb combat tactics, did you not? Well, her boots absorb any and all exertion of force, thus Grayscale can, so long as she lands hoof-first, impact most any surface without experiencing any physical harm.”

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Rainbow said. “Boss-looking and practical? So. Awesome.”

“Though I do question your taste in other attire,” Rarity continued, shaking her head. “Those jumpsuits aren’t exactly fashionable, you understand. Why do you all wear them anyway? Are they some manner of uniform?”

Starlight paused a moment, racking her brain to think of an excuse. She hated to admit it, but Curaçao was much quicker at coming up with fabrications at a moment’s notice. “Ah, we represent an... archaeological research expedition. Hence why we are venturing into the Goldridge Pass.”

“Oh, you’re all looking to explore the Gryphon Ruins then?” Pewter asked.

Starlight smiled and nodded. “Correct.”

“That’s quite an enterprise you’ve got going. Don’t meet many folks headed in there, what with all the rumors.”

“Rumors? What rumors?” Twilight asked.

“They say the place is haunted,” Tick Tock explained, keeping her gaze fixed on Starlight out of the corner of her eye. “Long story short, nopony wants to risk it. Load of rubbish, if you ask me. In my experience there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“So you’re all members of a research team, then?” Twilight tapped her chin. “That sounds fascinating. You must all be experts in assorted scientific fields then.”

“Also correct,” Starlight said. She gave a grandstanding presentation of herself, flourishing her hoof through the air. “I serve as our team’s linguistics expert.”

“You don’t say? I couldn’t tell,” Tick Tock said, rolling her eyes. She chuckled and pointed at Insipid. “You’re telling me Miss Insipid here is a scientist? I find that difficult to believe.”

“No need to be rude, Tick Tock,” Rarity said, shooting Tick Tock a glare. She patted Insipid on the shoulder. “I’m sure Insipid has some sort of practical purpose for being brought along, even if she lacks the... expertise her sisters possess.”

“Yeah!” Insipid said, giving Rarity a half-hug. “I totally have a practical purpose and junk?”

Starlight stared at Insipid a moment, who was giving her an expectant grin. Through clenched teeth, she said: “Insipid is our... digging specialist.”

“Oh, she’s special, alright,” Havocwing said, barely stifling a laugh.

“Yeah, she’s got special coming out the wazoo!” Velvet added, not bothering to hide her own laugh.

“Aww, thanks girls,” Insipid said, giving the other two ponies a bright smile. “Yup! I’m totally super special.”

Grayscale pushed her plate away and got out of her seat without a word.

“Grayscale? You have barely eaten anything,” Starlight said, giving the pegasus a terse glance. “Do you not wish to converse more with our new friends?”

“Nah, I was more tired than hungry anyway,” Grayscale said, with a shrug. “I’m headed upstairs to take a nap.”

Starlight and Grayscale stared at one another a moment, then Starlight waved her off. “Very well, I shall not hinder your desire for repose.”

Rarity pushed her plate away too, before Grayscale could get too far. “I think I should be going as well.”

“You’re done already, Rarity?” Twilight asked.

“I’ve had my fill for now,” Rarity said, trotting off to follow Grayscale. “I want to see if Miss Curaçao has finished her bath yet. I want to have one of my own before I go relieve Lockwood to watch over Fluttershy.”

“You’re kidding,” Rainbow said. “You’re gonna take a bath before you go check and make sure Fluttershy is okay?”

“Certainly, Rainbow Dash. I plan on remaining with her for the remainder of the night, after all, and I simply cannot wait until morning for a proper bath. Lockwood won’t mind waiting, and in fact insisted that I take care to eat and rest before relieving him.”

“Let us know if she needs anything, Rarity,” Twilight said.

“Certainly, darling. I wouldn’t dream otherwise.”

As Rarity left, Rainbow shook her head. “Ridiculous. If that were my best friend up there, I wouldn’t have even been down here in the first place.”

“Well then, why ain’t ya?” Applejack asked, giving Rainbow a hard look.

“What?”

“If y’all wanna get on Rarity’s case fer takin’ the time ta eat ‘n’ rest ‘fore she takes over fer Mister Lockwood, then why don’t y’all go do it yerself?”

“I... well I mean, if she trusts Lockwood to take watch, then I guess I don’t have a problem with it. Whatever, nevermind. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Really, Rainbow, you need to just relax,” Twilight said. “According to this guide, that antivenom Mister Pewter gave Fluttershy is gonna let her make a full recovery. She’s fine, okay? It’s okay to be worried—we all are—but there’s not much else we can do right now, and we all need to get some rest ourselves.”

Rainbow snorted, then returned to her food without another word.

Starlight smiled inwardly again. Everything was going according to plan.

***

For the third night in a row, Applejack couldn’t sleep. She was tired, sure, but it felt strange sleeping in a bed that wasn’t her own. She had barely slept at all back in the city, and in fact got her first decent night’s sleep the night after they’d left. Even then it had been less than what she was used to back at home.

She’d come outside, where it was quiet and she could be alone with her thoughts. Only the soft thumping of the “seismic generators”, or whatever Tick Tock had called them, disturbed the otherwise-silent night. It felt good, having real, honest earth beneath her hooves again, rather than the hardened cement of the city or the cold, dead sand of the Wastelands. Together, the thumping and the feel of good earth was enough of a distraction to keep her from focusing much on why she couldn’t sleep properly. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but ever since that night at the campfire, there had been a little thought in the back of her head that was bugging her.

“Bit for your thoughts, darling?”

So much for being alone.

Applejack sighed, then turned slightly to face the voice. “Howdy, Rarity. What’re y’all doin’ out here? I figured ya’d be keepin’ watch on Fluttershy by now.”

Rarity chuckled and came around Applejack’s side so that they were face to face. “Fluttershy’s in good hooves for now, I have no doubts about that. I’m just waiting my turn to use the washroom, since Miss Curaçao is certainly taking her time.”

“Well shucks, looks like y’all finally met yer match, huh?” Applejack laughed and elbowed Rarity gently in the ribs.

“Yes, well, she can do as she pleases, I won’t hold a grudge. What about you, darling? I heard you’d come out here all alone and I was worried.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Who told ya that?”

“Why, Insipid of course. The dear is so eager to earn ‘brownie points’, as she calls them, that I think she wants to help me with anything. One of my dearest friends being alone when the rest of us are building new friendships certainly seems like something I can help with.”

“Well ta be frank, Rarity, I don’t know how well that Curaçao gal an’ me are gonna get along. We’re too... different.”

Rarity laughed. “Oh pish posh, darling, she’s no more different from you than I am. If you can make friends with me, I’m certain she couldn’t be so bad.”

“I s’pose...”

“So, why are you out here all by yourself?”

“Oh, just thinkin’ ‘bout a few things, nothin’ important.”

“I see.” Rarity smiled. “Well then, since I have you here, I was wondering if perhaps you couldn’t help me with a little problem?”

“Uh... sure, I guess. I don’t see what kinda problem y’all could have that I could help ya with.”

“Well, it involves you, for one,” Rarity said, leaning in, “and Captain Flathoof for two.”

Applejack kept a firm face, determined not to betray her surprise. “What d’ya mean?”

Rarity’s eyes darted around behind Applejack for a moment, obviously to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. “Well, darling, I’ve noticed that you’ve been acting strange lately. Around him, I mean. Frankly, dear, your behavior at dinner did you no favors. Staring at somepony can be construed as rude, you understand.”

“Ya... ya saw that?” Applejack shook her head and looked away from Rarity, determined not to meet the unicorn’s eyes. “I wasn’t starin’ at anypony. I was just... lookin’ ‘round is all.”

“Is that so?” Rarity’s smile widened. “Is there something going on between you two?”

Applejack snapped her head back to look at Rarity again, eyebrows narrowed. “I don’t think that’s any o’ yer business.”

Rarity backed off a little, but did not lose her smile. “Oh I don’t mean to intrude darling, I was just... curious, as t’were. I tend to notice these sorts of things. Comes with the territory.”

“Didn’t y’all learn nothin’ from our lil’ sisters last Hearts ‘n’ Hooves Day? Y’all ain’t gonna whip out no love potion or nothin’ are ya?”

“Love potion? Heavens, Applejack, I’m not trying to force anything, I’m just trying to glean some information, is all. You act as if I don’t have more experience in these matters,” Rarity said with a pout. “Besides, it doesn’t take a genius to see the way you were acting around Flathoof. It just leads me to think there’s something more there.”

Applejack snorted. “And so what if there is? Frankly Rarity, I’d just as soon prefer y’all stay outta my personal matters.”

Rarity’s smile curled into a knowing smirk. “So there is something going on between you two?”

“N-no, I just... shoot, walked right inta that one, didn’t I?” Applejack sighed. “Not that it’s any o’ yer business, but... no, there ain’t nothin’ goin’ on ‘tween the two o’ us.”

“I see.” Rarity let out a heavy sigh. “Thank goodness for that.”

Applejack raised her eyebrow again and fought the urge to scowl. “Now what in the hay is that s’posed to mean?”

“Heavens, Applejack, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”

Applejack just stared forward and shook her head.

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth and gasped. “You haven’t! Oh, you poor dear. Well, you should be most thankful you didn't start up a relationship, then. Things may have gotten... awkward.”

Applejack held up a hoof. “Hold on, ya lost me. Awkward? What in the hay‘re y’all talkin’ about?”

Rarity sighed and put her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Tell me, does Flathoof remind you of anypony in particular?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well shucks, ain’t that obvious? He’s just like me! Hard-workin’, honest, strong family ties—"

“Heavens darling, that sounds like most anypony in your family, truth be told. Let me be more specific. Does he remind you of anypony more... masculine, perhaps?”

Applejack put a hoof to her chin, then nodded. “Well, now that ya mention it, I s’pose he... kinda reminds me of Big Macintosh?”

Rarity smiled and nodded.

“Well, okay. I... guess I can see that. Heck, they even sorta... look alike,” Applejack said.

Now that it’d been brought up, she really couldn’t help but notice that Rarity had a point. Flathoof and Big Macintosh could almost be twins, if Flathoof were just a few hairs taller. Flathoof was certainly as broad as her brother, and their coat colors were identical. Big Macintosh had a darker mane, though. Still, the resemblance was there.

“So you see where there may be a problem, then?” Rarity asked.

“Uh... no?” Applejack chuckled.

Rarity sighed and shook her head. “Oh Applejack, darling, you have no idea, do you? Why, just think of the implications. Everypony might start getting the wrong idea.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes, more out of curiosity than anger. “What kinda idea would that be?”

Rarity said it so simply it may as well have been assumed as a common fact: “Why, that since you can’t have your brother you may as well pick the next closest stallion.”

Applejack’s face paled and her jaw dropped. Then, her cheeks flared red, and she stomped a hoof. “Of all the- listen! That there is just the dumbest thing I ever did hear! I don’t care what th’ rumors are, th’ Apple Clan don’t practice none o’ that... that hogwash!”

“Well, if you want to make sure those rumors stay rumors and don’t turn into news, perhaps it would be best not to give anypony an excuse? I’m not one to fall into that sort of thing, but other ponies? Let’s just say that Rainbow Dash isn’t known for her tact.”

Applejack snorted and looked away. “Well it just so happens that I don’t have any o’ those kinda feelin’s fer Flathoof,” she said, her voice cracking. “So there ain’t no worry with thinkin’ I want nopony just ‘cause they’re like my brother, y’hear?”

“Glad to hear it darling,” Rarity said, patting Applejack’s shoulder. “You’re one of my dearest friends, you understand, and I’d hate to see anypony have a lower opinion of you just because of your taste in stallions. Not there’s anything wrong with Flathoof or Big Macintosh, but—"

“No more! I don’t wanna hear any more o’ this here nonsense,” Applejack said, raising her voice. “An’... not a word o’ this ta anypony neither. Last thing I need is fer anypony ta go gettin’ ideas. Y’hear me?”

“Of course, darling, I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, just between you and me?” Rarity whispered as she leaned in. “Even if there weren’t any issues with you two getting together, I don’t think it would work out anyway.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Now what the hay is that s’posed to mean?”

“Well, I should say that it is in bad form to try and court a stallion who is so obviously attracted to somepony else.”

“...what?”

“Let’s just say that I think our dear Flathoof is rather more attracted to unicorns.”

Applejack’s jaw dropped. Rarity couldn’t be saying what she thought she was saying, but that tone in her voice made it abundantly clear. Rarity was, after all, a unicorn who back at home needed to fight the stallions off with a stick.

Applejack fought the urge to spit fire, resorting instead to an angry sputter: “Why ya... ya double-crossin’—"

Rarity’s eyes widened. “Calm yourself, Applejack,” she said, waving a hoof in front of her face. “I wasn’t referring to myself, of course. He’s not really my type anyway, you understand. Good heavens, what ever would give you the idea that he and I had eyes for one another?” She laughed, putting her hoof over her mouth. “I mean really, darling, you should know me well enough by now. Besides, I think he’s more into a mare who’s an intellectual.”

Applejack’s anger settled a little bit, but she was upset with herself for possibly blowing her cover. Then, Rarity’s last word struck her, and she repeated it out loud: “Intellectual.” She let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I s’pose I saw that comin’. The two o’ them been on the same side in just ‘bout every talk we all had. Shoot... I didn’t expect this kind of thing from Twi of all ponies...”

Rarity chuckled and put her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “No no no, of course I’m not referring to Twilight either. The poor dear’s head is too full of books and spells. I highly doubt that thoughts of romance have even crossed her mind. I was thinking of somepony more... green?”

The words struck Applejack like a truck. She narrowed her eyes. “Tick Tock?”

Rarity nodded lightly in response.

“Why that... that no good—"

“But what does it matter though, darling? You said you don't like him like that anyway.” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Unless you weren’t being entirely truthful, of course.”

The hint of doubt in Rarity’s voice made Applejack hesitate, and she averted her eyes from Rarity, knowing all too well that her eyes would give her away. “I... no, y’all’re right, it don’t matter. Flathoof can do what he wants.”

“Is everything alright, Applejack? You look pale.”

“Naw... naw, I’m fine. Listen, if ya don’t mind, I—"

“Oh, yes of course, darling. I am sorry I interrupted your ‘alone time’. Curaçao should be just about done with her bath by now, so I’ll just leave you be.”

“Right... y’all go on ahead. Thanks, Rarity... fer not makin’ a big ol’ deal outta this.”

Rarity trotted away.

As soon as Applejack was sure Rarity was out of earshot, she slammed her hoof on a nearby rock. “Dagnabit!”

Applejack began to pace, her mind racing. She was angry with herself for fibbing to Rarity, who she was sure wasn’t fooled. She’d admitted to herself early on that she was attracted to Flathoof, but Rarity’s words rang with a certain terrible truth. She’d noticed the similarities before, but now realized why she felt disturbed when he said or did things that were a little too close for comfort. He really did remind her a little too much of Big Macintosh now that she really thought about it.

Well, she thought, at least she could discount one shared quality: honesty. Here she was, worried about pursuing her feelings because she didn’t know if he had genuine feelings for Snapshot—and he had told her as much—and he’d gone ahead and forged a relationship with somepony else. Worse, he didn’t tell anypony else and apparently had only been caught by Rarity’s keen eye for that sort of thing, so he was a sneak too. It wasn’t that he was in a relationship with somepony else, no. It was that it was with somepony other than herself.

“Applejack? Oh, there you are.”

Applejack didn’t turn to face Flathoof as he came trotting out of the checkpoint door, only just tilting her head. 

“I thought for sure you’d be inside with Rainbow checking out Pewter’s exercise room. This place sure is loaded with all sorts of stuff. What are you doing out here all alone?”

“Thinkin’,” Applejack said, deciding to keep her answers short and simple. The less time spent talking, the better

Flathoof laughed. “Ha, I know what you mean. What about?”

“Nothin’. Y’all come out here fer a reason?”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Uh... Tick Tock and Twilight are looking for you. They want to start planning the route through Goldridge with Starlight and Curaçao.”

“Right. Tell Tick Tock I’ll be there in a moment. I’m sure she’d be glad ta hear y’all tell ‘er.”

Flathoof scratched his head. “Is there something wrong, Applejack? You seem upset. Anything you want to talk about?”

She snorted. “Nope, I’m just dandy. If I wanted ta talk ‘bout somethin’ I’d go lookin’ fer somepony ta talk to. Now if y’all’d excuse me?” She turned and stormed past him.

***

Fluttershy groaned as she came to, trying her best to ignore the burning aches all over her neck and upper back. She couldn’t remember much of anything, only small snippets of information: being in the Wastelands; a creature that her friends had injured; trying to tend to the creature; Tick Tock yelling something about getting away and not turning her back. Then her mind went blank.

Thus, when she pried open her eyes, she was confused and a little frightened at the change in surroundings. Where was she? This wasn’t the desert; this was a nice, cozy room in some ramshackle building that was hopefully someplace safe from whatever else was out there in the desert. The room had rows and rows of books lining the walls, enough that, for a fleeting moment, she thought she’d see Twilight somewhere nearby gushing about finally having a book to read. Was this the checkpoint?

Her mind raced with a hoard of unanswered questions:

Why couldn’t she feel her legs or wings? Why was the only thing she could feel a burning pain in her neck? What was causing the burning anyway? What was this heavy thing covering her? It was warm, had a slight musky scent to it that she didn’t find unpleasant, and was a familiar shade of brown. Lockwood’s jacket? Why was his jacket draped over her like a blanket? If this was his jacket, where was he? Better yet, where were her friends? Had something happened? Was everypony okay? Where were they? Why did her-

A quiet snore came from nearby, startling Fluttershy. She made to leap away, but the attempt sent a fire ripping through her veins. She cringed in pain, and elected not to attempt moving quickly again. Instead, she tilted her head to her left so that she could now see the rest of the room, though even this caused her a great deal of pain. She spotted the large, cozy chair directly next to the sofa, and the familiar gray pegasus resting comfortably in it. 

Phew, it’s only Lockwood.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, so small that not even she could hear it. Well, she thought, at least somepony was there so that she wasn’t all alone. Her friends must all still be okay. At least, that’s what she hoped. But then, where were they?

Across the room, Fluttershy heard the door creak open. She couldn’t help but attempt a smile, but it quickly curled back into a frown as a green unicorn’s head poked into the door frame and looked straight at her. Of all the ponies Fluttershy wanted to see, Tick Tock was not at the top of her list. This other mare was rude and had a temper that made Rainbow Dash look pacifistic. She’d much rather see Rarity, or Twilight, or Pinkie. Well, maybe not Pinkie just yet; she was much too tired to handle her energy, even though she’d appreciate the attempt.

Tick Tock’s eyes darted to Lockwood for a brief moment, then she entered the room, shutting the door behind her without a sound; clearly, she did not want to wake the sleeping stallion.

“You’re up sooner than I expected. Maybe you’re made of tougher stuff than I thought,” Tick Tock whispered as she took a seat beside the sofa. “Are you feeling okay?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I feel like I’m burning all over...”

Tick Tock frowned. “Residual effects from the venom. Blast it all. Hold on, let me see if I can help you with that.” She lit up her horn, and Fluttershy could feel the light probing of magic around her. Some of the pain melted away as a tingling, soothing sensation flowed along her neck and back. “There, is that better?”

“Oh... yes, much,” Fluttershy said with a nod. “Um... Miss Tock?” she asked, her voice as low as she could get it while still being heard. “W-where am I? Where are the others? Is everypony okay?”

Tick Tock continued her work, her eyes locked onto whatever she was doing, but she answered Fluttershy with a calm, understanding tone: “We’re at the checkpoint at Goldridge Pass, a few miles east of the Gargantuan nesting grounds we landed in. Your friends are okay, but right now they’re all over the place. Lockwood here insisted on watching you first, I was just coming to check on you.”

“Um... w-what happened out there, anyway? Why am I like this?”

“You had a pretty nasty experience.” Tick Tock shook her head and stopped using her magic. “Gave us all a bloody fright, I tell you. Do you remember anything?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “L-last thing I remember, I... was tending to that c-creature after the other girls attacked it...”

“Well, it’s dead, you have no reason to fear it now,” Tick Tock said.

Fluttershy’s voice cracked. “Oh... oh dear... h-how could they—"

What had her friends done? She had asked them to be gentle. How could they betray her trust like that?

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter? Oh... ohhh, right, you think- I apologize.” She placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Your friends didn’t kill it or anything like that. It killed itself. See, Gargantuans share a lot of aspects with all sorts of insects. You’ve seen that they look like a spider shagged a mantis—"

Fluttershy cringed at the mental image.

“If you’ll pardon the expression,” Tick Tock added. She cleared her throat and continued, “Well, as far as the sting is concerned, it shares qualities with honey bees. When they sting, the stinger dislodges itself and tears out their venom sac. Since the Gargantuan’s venom functions as their blood, they only sting as a last resort, because stinging sends them into a shock that outright kills them.”

“So... it stung somepony?” Fluttershy frowned. “Oh dear... it was probably just defending itself. Are they okay? Who was hurt?”

“Actually, it stung... you.”

Fluttershy shut her eyes and racked her brain, trying to make sense of it. She was helping the creature, and it had responded so kindly to her gesture as well. She said as much to Tick Tock: “Why w-would it sting me after I t-tried to help it? No... t-there has to be some m-mistake. No animal would... ever harm me.”

Tick Tock breathed a heavy sigh. “Fluttershy, you have to understand that Gargantuans are not normal animals. I am led to believe you have some talent in handling beasts at home, but that won’t work on something like a Gargantuan.”

“I don’t believe it,” Fluttershy said, her voice as firm as she could manage. “I was just... exhausted, that’s all. Yes, I must’ve... f-fainted from all the excitement. Oh no! T-that means that poor thing is still hurt out there!”

Fluttershy made a futile effort to leave, ignoring the slight pain caused by moving, but Tick Tock put a stop to it by tucking Lockwood’s jacket under the folds of the sofa.

“Fluttershy, listen, I’m telling the truth,” Tick Tock said as she eased Fluttershy back into her rested position. “That thing attacked you the moment you dropped your guard. It’s what they do.”

Fluttershy struggled, but the more she fought, the weaker she felt. Eventually, she relented. The story made some sense: the pain in her neck, the numbness, the inability to remember any events in between. They all seemed to point to her being stricken with a sudden malady. But from the creature’s sting? That still seemed a stretch. What would make this animal strike at her, when no other animal ever had?

Fluttershy sighed. “I... I don’t understand. What makes them different?”

“Centuries of exposure to horrible Chaotic magicks and magically-forced mutations have turned Gargantuans into monsters. They’ve always been big, but centuries ago, they were actually rather docile. Now, they’re just heartless, single-minded killing machines. When there’s nothing to hunt, they kill each other for food and territorial dominance. When they breed, the males kill each other for mating rights to a female, who is bred, then kills her mate to serve as an incubator for its eggs before she dies. The newborn adolescents then often kill one another out of instinctive territorial behaviors. Killing and eating is all they live for.”

Fluttershy’s eyes betrayed the horror she felt. No creature she’d ever known, even the fiercest of predators, were that cruel or violent.

Tick Tock frowned, but continued, “Forgive my bluntness, and perhaps too-graphic descriptions of their habits, but you need to understand. These creatures don’t know compassion. They are born from violence, they become violent at birth, they never will know a mother’s love and will never love their own young. They cannot be tamed or reasoned with. They’re monsters, nothing more, nothing less. I just don’t want you to do some fool thing like try to tend to one of those things again, should we encounter any in the eastern Wasteland once we’ve crossed these mountains.”

Fluttershy whimpered, but nodded. She’d learned a hard lesson at the Gala so long ago that she couldn’t force animals into being her friends, and since had been considerably more patient with all animals. Now, this world seemed to have a new lesson in store for her. Here, the one thing she felt confident she could still contribute to the others was her ability to befriend wild creatures and perhaps keep them out of danger. With that potential stripped from her, what use was she?

“Now then,” Tick Tock said as she stood back up, “I do believe that my good friend Pewter has prepared some gryphonroot stew for you. I’ll nip down and get it, you just take it easy. You’ve got a long day ahead of you, and some new ponies to meet.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “New ponies?”

“Long story,” Tick Tock said with a roll of her eyes. “But don’t worry, they’re... alright, I suppose. Somepony like you won’t have any trouble making new friends, which is more than I can say for me.”

As Tick Tock began to leave, Fluttershy squeaked to get her attention. “Oh... thank you Miss Tock. Could you tell the others I’m awake? I’d like to see them.”

Tick Tock sighed. “You really must get your rest, Fluttershy, and having your troupe all here might well make a bloody mess of that. They can see you in the morning.”

Fluttershy frowned. “Oh... well... if that’s what’s best...”

“Don’t you worry, Rarity should be in soon,” Tick Tock said, patting Fluttershy on the head. “She agreed to take next watch after Lockwood there, but she’s in the washroom at the moment. I’ll let her know you’re up though.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, and Tick Tock silently left the room to fetch the stew she’d mentioned.

A snort from the chair drew her attention back to Lockwood. Had he really been here the whole time? And without his jacket? He must be cold in just that flimsy shirt. Fluttershy felt her cheeks flush. The gesture was touching, and she had to admit it made her feel nice. She recalled Rarity’s words about him, and how they seemed to weigh more now. He didn’t need to do what he was doing.

Lockwood’s eyes blinked open and he gave a loud yawn as he stretched out his legs. “Shoot... must’ve dozed off.” He glanced over at Fluttershy, who was looking right at him. “Oh... you're awake...” he mumbled. He started to drift back into his sleep, before snapping awake again. “You're awake!”

“Uh... hi,” Fluttershy peeped.

Lockwood wasted no time in getting out of his chair and making a beeline for the door.

“W-where are you going?”

He turned back and answered: “Rarity asked me to get her as soon as you woke up, so—"

“Oh... well, Tick Tock was already here. She’s getting Rarity, so... y-you don’t have to go. Besides, she said that Rarity’s... in a bath, so...”

Lockwood hesitated a moment near the door, then nodded and trotted over to the sofa. “Very well. At your insistence, I shall stick around until Miss Tock returns with dear Miss Rarity. Anything I can get you?” he said with an exaggerated bow.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No... I’m fine, th-thanks.” She stared at him a moment, and he stared right back. She shifted uncomfortably in place, bothered by the long pause. “I... want to thank you,” she said in an attempt to clear the air. “For w-watching over me, I mean. You didn’t have to...”

He gave her a small smile. “It was my pleasure. Caring for those in need is just something I do. You seemed to be in need of a helping hoof, so there I was. I don’t think Flathoof would object to my generosity in this situation. He always gets on my case for giving more than I have.”

Fluttershy remembered his jacket. “Oh! Y-you can have your jacket back, if you’d like. You must be cold...”

“For now, it’s your blanket,” he said, shaking his head. “Pewter said that keeping you warm is important to helping your recovery. It just so happened that my jacket was big and warm enough to do the job, though believe me, Miss Dash certainly tried to insist on loaning hers. Shame we lost those sleeping bags in the volcano. Is it warm enough?”

“It’s... very nice.” Fluttershy snuggled into the fabric. She wasn’t quite sure what it was made out of, but it was indeed warm and comfortable. “I... wouldn’t mind using it a little longer. I mean... i-if you don’t mind...”

His smile widened considerably, showing off his bright teeth. “I don’t mind at all. Anything to help you along your road to recovery.”

“Thank you, Mister—"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “And please, no need to use that ‘Mister’ moniker anymore. We’re friends, right? It makes me feel like I’m an old stallion. You don’t think I’m an old stallion, do you? What do you think? Still in my prime?” He flexed a foreleg and flared his wings, giving her a beaming smile. “Maybe not Studs Monthly material, of course.”

Fluttershy giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. It was nice having somepony to cheer her up. Rarity was right, this stallion was something special. It wasn’t so much that he had a sense of humor so much as he had a sense of moderation about it. Given what she’d heard him joke about before, that he wasn’t making those sorts of jokes now was comforting.

“I... don’t think many stallions are Studs Monthly material, to be honest,” Fluttershy said.

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you read that magazine?”

Fluttershy turned pink. “Oh... w-we have that in our world t-too.” That made Lockwood’s eyebrow raise further. “N-not that there’s much to read.” Lockwood’s eyebrow threatened to disappear into his mane. “Uh... I mean, R-Rarity has a subscription, but she says she only reads it f-for the articles. I may have... g-glanced in them once or twice.”

“I see...” Lockwood coughed into his hoof. “Well, uh, since you don’t really read it, I don’t suppose I should be asking you if I’d qualify... should I.”

“W-well like I said, I d-don’t read them myself...”

“But you said you’ve at least peeked once or twice, right?” Lockwood winked. “C’mon, you’ve got to be able to tell me I have an impressive... I dunno, wingspan or something.”

She found herself growing redder with every word until she was sure she would explode from sheer embarrassment. Her wings strained to rise out of his jacket, causing some minor pain. She tried desperately to look anywhere but his wings.

He chuckled. “Y’know, if you’re trying to figure out what my cutie mark means, it would be quicker to just ask.”

Her eyes widened. Caught. “Oh! Oh... I d-didn’t mean to s-stare, I just—"

“Relax, Fluttershy, I’m just teasing. Yes yes, I know, none of you have seen it yet since it’s always under my jacket,” he said, turning just to the side to give her a better look. “Can’t help it if the dang thing’s too big. Perfectly understandable for you to try and figure it out. I know it’s a bit dull, and probably confusing, but there it is.”

Lockwood’s cutie mark was a perfectly ordinary, drab, black umbrella.

“An... umbrella?” she asked.

“It’s actually a long, incredibly boring story. I hear you need some bed rest, so if you want me to help you get to sleep I’d be happy to oblige.”

She smiled. “I’d like to hear it.”

“Well, I grew up in the Outer District, if you’ll recall. Terrible place all around to grow up in, and the state of things bothered me. The foals without parents, food, or schooling. The homeless beggars on every other corner. The astounding crime rates, particularly robbery and murder. I wanted to help make things better, to turn it all around so we could be like the Mid Districts. But I didn’t have the resources, the know-how, or the connections to actually change anything. Then, I made a friend: Flathoof.”

Lockwood laughed and gave a wistful sigh. “He protected me one day from some bullies. I was a bit of a wimp back in school, see. His selflessness inspired me to seek out a way to do the same for others in need. But me, I had no talents. I was weak, and I had nothing to offer. But, I was friendly, so I made more friends. Those friends introduced me to their friends, and they introduced me to their friends, and so on.”

“You sound like you know a lot of ponies...” Fluttershy sighed. “I wish I could be as outgoing as you...”

“It isn’t easy knowing so many ponies, let me tell you,” Lockwood said, giving her a look of total exhaustion. “Eventually I realized that I was really good at making connections with ponies of any social creed and standing. I don’t know if Miss Sparkle told you, but I know ponies from just about everywhere in the city, from entrepreneurs in the high rise skyscrapers of the ritzy Inner District, to the social criminals, like Keeneye, in the Outer District. I formed myself a beautiful little social network that I could use to help ponies in need. My own ‘umbrella’ if you will. Hence, the cutie mark. Pretty silly, eh?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh... I don’t think that’s silly at all. It’s... nice. You want to... help ponies in need. I thought that little charity service you ran was really... sweet. I... I sort of do something... similar, only with animals instead of ponies.”

With a loud slam, the door to the room burst open and a white blur streaked across the room like lightning, shoving Lockwood aside to come to a rest beside the sofa. Rarity wasted no time in cradling Fluttershy in her forelegs and peppering the yellow pegasus with care.

“Oh my dear, dear, dear Fluttershy!” Rarity said as she stroked Fluttershy’s mane. “You’re awake, darling! Oh thank goodness.” She grabbed the sides of Fluttershy’s face and forced the pegasus to stare at her. “Are you alright, sweetie? Do you need anything? Are you warm enough? Are you comfortable, darling? Please tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” Fluttershy peeped. She glanced up and down Rarity’s figure, then cleared her throat. “Um... Rarity? Y-your coat and mane are... wet. Did you run straight here from your b-bath?” she asked, darting her eyes towards Lockwood as discreetly as possible, hoping Rarity would catch the hint.

Rarity apparently didn’t hear her, she was so focused on Fluttershy’s condition. “You’re not sore or anything, are you dear? Do you need a pillow? Are you hungry? More blankets?” She glanced down at Lockwood’s jacket. “Oh dear, that’s it isn’t it? Your poor, delicate nose isn’t used to the stark... pungency of stallion sweat. And look at this thing, it’s so lumpy! Here, let me get this rank thing off—"

Fluttershy tugged the jacket closer, realizing that without it, Rarity would be able to see the compromising state of her wings. “N-no, that’s okay. I’d... like to- w-well, Lockwood said I could—"

Rarity brightened and tapped herself on the forehead. “Well, if that’s what you want, darling, far be it from me to object, even if does reek of- oh, nevermind.” She turned to face Lockwood. “Thank you... so... much?”

Fluttershy followed Rarity’s gaze to Lockwood. His face was bright pink, and his wings flared out to full wingspan. He was biting his lip in an obvious fit of nervousness, and his face was turned to the side, away from the sofa, though his eyes occasionally darted back to it.

“N-n-not... a p-p-problem at all!” he sputtered.

Fluttershy tugged the jacket’s collar up over her face as best she could. She knew what was coming.

Rarity turned pink from her muzzle all the way down to her flank. Her jaw dropped.

“Um... p-p-perhaps I sh-sh-should just leave y-you two... alone...” Lockwood said as he tugged his collar.

“Out!” Rarity shouted, grabbing the entirety of Lockwood’s body in her magic. She pushed him towards the door. “Out out out! Oooh, I never expected such perversion, not from you! Why, if I had the same candor as Applejack- ooh!”

“H-hey, w-w-wait! Y-you’re the one that just b-b-barged in—" Lockwood pleaded as he tried to avoid being shoved into any myriad furniture. His wings clipped the door. “H-hey! W-watch it now, t-t-those are s-sensitive!”

“Not another word!”

The door slammed shut behind him.

“And it’s n-n-not my f-fault you f-forgot your clothes!” his voice called from the other side. “I’m s-sorry!”

“Oh! Of all the excuses! You can just wait out in the hallway until I’m decent. Hmph!” Rarity stuck her nose in the air. “Ooh, the nerve, and from a pony I did not expect such things from at that. Not that I blame him for wanting to see my gorgeous figure, but really, in front of—"

Rarity paused and turned to Fluttershy, her earlier smile returning and her voice lowering to a pleasant demeanor. “I do apologize that you had to witness that, darling. I’m sure the poor dear didn’t mean anything by it. I do suppose I should have grabbed something to wear on my way out, but I just needed to see you.” She raised her voice so that he could hear her: “But it’s his fault for just standing there and staring like some hormone-addled school-colt! Have you no shame?”

“I said I was sorry!” Lockwood called from the hallway, his voice muffled by the door.

“You didn’t have to chase him out,” Fluttershy said, trying hard to keep a small smile off her face. The spectacle had certainly made her feel better.

“Be that as it may, darling, I just can’t allow such... such debauchery to take place in front of you. Why, I imagine if he’d stood a while longer we’d have to sterilize the room! A sensitive lady like you shouldn’t have to see anything so candid. Allow me to get dressed, and I’ll let him back in. Maybe by then he’ll have calmed down a little.”

Rarity grabbed up one of the spare blankets that had been provided but had not been used, then dried her mane, coat, and tail before draping it over her back. When she seemed satisfied that the not-at-all fashionable blanket would serve as a temporary covering, she opened the door to let Lockwood back in, but stood firm in the doorway for a moment.

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Ahem?”

Lockwood looked to his sides and saw that his wings were still a little rigid. “Eh heh... r-right. Um...” he muttered as he tried to flatten them against his sides.

“Oh whatever, just try and maintain some semblance of tact, darling? Hmm?” Rarity rolled her eyes and let him in, then trotted back to the sofa. “Well then, with that little debacle behind us, Tick Tock should be coming up soon with a nice, hot bowl of stew that Mister Pewter was making specifically for you,” she said as she tucked Fluttershy into her jacket blanket. “If it’s anything as good as dinner was, you’ll enjoy it a great deal, darling. And complimentary room service as well, how exquisite! It’s like being in a little hotel.”

“That sounds... nice,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “I’m... really hungry.”

“Then it looks like I’ve got perfect timing,” Tick Tock said from the doorway.

“Oh! Goodness, Tick Tock,” Rarity exclaimed, “how about a little warning next time you come into the room?”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes and cantered into the room. “Yes, well, stew’s here, so let me through and I can—"

Rarity stopped Tick Tock with a raised hoof. Her horn glowed, shrouding the bowl with her own magic to cover Tick Tock’s. “No need for any of that, darling. Allow me to take that off your hooves. You’ve done so much already and certainly haven’t had any time to rest yourself, so why don’t you take a load off?”

“Far be it from me to argue the point,” Tick Tock said with a shrug. “Here you are then. Trust me when I say it tastes better than it smells.”

“Yes, thank you darling.” Rarity took the bowl of steaming-hot stew, which had a smell that crinkled Rarity’s nose.

Fluttershy could smell the stew from across the room, and it only got stronger as Rarity brought it over: a pungent aroma, not unlike overcooked cabbage blended with radishes, too much garlic, and too many onions. It was a sickly brown color with a thin, watery texture, loaded with what looked like blackened potato chunks and stringy, leaf-like greens that reminded her of wilted spinach or lemongrass. Did she really have to eat this? She was hungry, sure, but this seemed a little much.

“I’ll leave you to it then, if you insist on handling it yourself,” Tick Tock said. She gave a short wave to Fluttershy and Lockwood. “Night, all. And do try to get some sleep yourselves, eh? And let her get some sleep, or you’ll just delay her recovery more.”

“Of course, of course. Good night, darling, and thank you again,” Rarity said in a sing-song voice as Tick Tock left. Rarity shut the door with her magic and turned back to Fluttershy. “Now then, darling, let’s get some food in you, hmm?”

Fluttershy took another sniff of the stew, and gave Rarity a weak smile. “Yay...”

***

Tick Tock flopped down onto the sofa, with all four of her legs hanging off the edges at varying angles. A weak fire crackled in the nearby fireplace, casting a faint orange glow across her face and legs. The gentle warmth creeped into her tired body. She felt a sense of comfort that she hadn’t had in what felt like weeks. Finally, a chance to take it easy. To help herself relax, she had stripped to just a cotton bathrobe and her bow tie.

Pewter sat beside a desk at the opposite end of the room, his back to Tick Tock. His horn was aglow, wielding a needle and thread with practiced precision to mend the tears in Tick Tock’s sweater vest. Her undershirt had already been fixed and lay draped over the desk’s overly-large chair.

“How in the hay did you manage to damage your clothes like this Tick Tock?” he asked, shaking his head as he tore off another section of scorched wool. “Not to mention yourself, of course. You look like you've been through Hell and back.”

“Close enough,” she said, putting her hoof to her temple. “I’m just glad all this is going to be behind me in another week or so. I have a headache the size of the bleedin’ moon, and I ache in places I didn’t even know I had.”

“I’m glad that through all this, you didn’t get yourself or anypony else killed.”

Tick Tock sighed. “Hmph, you sound just like them. It’s not my fault I seem to be on some bad luck streak lately, but all they’ve been on about is how much of a bloody idiot I am.”

“Smart ponies.”

Tick Tock snapped up and threw her pillow at Pewter, hitting him square in the back of the head.

He laughed it off. “Kidding, kidding. That’s not what I meant. Still, they have a point, Tick Tock. Redblade is dangerous enough by yourself, and you tried to traverse it with a full party? What were you thinking? What if Miss Sparkle hadn’t been able to put up an aura like she did?”

“Then I wouldn’t have even attempted to cross, simple as that. You don’t think I’d try it if I wasn’t confident we could make, do you? How dumb do you think I am?”

Pewter’s silence made Tick Tock frown. Then, he turned his head just to the side so that she could see his small smirk, and passed the pillow back to her.

His smile put her at ease, and she rolled her eyes as she took her pillow back. “I know I’m dumb enough to do a lot of things, Pewter. I’m telling you, everything was going just swimmingly until that bloody earthquake. How could I have predicted that, hmm? You tell me.”

Pewter shook his head. “Nothing you could’ve done about that, no. Truthfully, your route would’ve probably been fine if it hadn’t happened.” He sighed and pouted his lips. “I guess I’m just hurt you were going to skip my checkpoint on your way to Hope’s Point.”

“I would’ve stopped by on my way back, no need to get mopey on me,” she said, closing her eyes and dismissing his pout with a wave of her hoof. She gave him a small glance, seeing that his pleading look hadn’t left his face. “Knock off the puppy eyes, eh? I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, then lifted her sweater vest over the desk chair and laid it over her undershirt. “Good as new!” he said, gesturing towards the fixed clothes with pride. “Difficult work, but I think you’ll find I did a better job than last time I had to fix your stuff up. I think I’m getting better at sewing, which is good if I’m going to fix up all the other clothes by tomorrow.” He scratched his head. “Don’t know why they’re bothering. That law—"

“I know, I know, I told them it doesn’t apply out here, but you know how it is.”

Pewter shook his head. “Well, whatever the case, I’d still like to know why you need to get those mares to Hope’s Point so quickly. They’re certainly an... odd group, if you don’t mind my saying. None of them act as if they have the slightest idea what’s going on.”

Tick Tock hesitated, as she recalled protocol. She felt bad that she couldn’t tell Pewter the whole story, especially since Flathoof and Lockwood knew, but the situation hadn’t been in her favor when they had found out. She could make exceptions in unfortunate circumstances, but this did not qualify.

She sighed. “Well, they’re not exactly from around here, you understand. It’s a long story, so let’s just leave it at that, eh?”

“Ooh, the hush-hush treatment? I assume this is all official Chronomancer business then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. She nodded. “Then I won’t ask anymore; I know how work is. All that timey-wimey stuff goes right over my head anyway. Always has, always will. At least I understand it better than my father did.”

Tick Tock chuckled, recalling memories of fonder times. “I remember that he used to excuse himself from the room when Master Zenith tried to talk about work at all.” She cleared her throat. “Well, this particular job might just make you reconsider what counts as ‘complicated’, so yes, let’s just leave it alone.”

“Anything you can tell me? I’m a good listener, you know,” he offered, stepping over to the sofa and taking a seat on the floor beside Tick Tock.

“Well, I suppose as long as I don’t go into any details.” Tick Tock sighed and rolled over onto her stomach. “This whole week has just been an absolute bleedin’ nightmare. I’ve rubbed elbows with death so many times that I think I’m on his ‘most wanted’ list or something.”

Pewter frowned. “I didn’t think your duties usually included much danger, outside the usual Wastelands problems. You usually don’t seem this riled up about work.”

“Normally no, I don’t deal with anything worse than what you deal with on a daily basis. But ever since those six...” She grunted and buried her face in her pillow. “Nevermind. Let’s just say that I’ve had a tough week, and the sooner I get those six to Utopia and out of my mane, the better off I’ll be.”

“So I take it they’re not your friends?”

Tick Tock snorted and quirked her eyebrow at Pewter, not believing it was a serious question. “Friends? Right. A few of them are friendly enough, but...” She rolled her eyes and flicked her hoof. “What does it matter, anyway? As soon as I get them all to Utopia, I can put this all behind me.”

“I wish you the best of luck then. It sounds like you’re gonna need it.” Pewter gave Tick Tock a bright smile. “I enjoy your visits Tick Tock, even if they’re random and infrequent. I don’t like seeing you upset, though. You’re usually a lot less... grumpy.”

“Yes, well, you try traveling for days with a group of ponies that disagree with everything you say. See how grumpy you are then, eh?”

“Just try to take it easy, okay? Don’t let it get you down. My father always liked your fine spirit. Imagine what he’d think if he saw you all down in the dumps like this.”

“I’m sure he’d give me a bit of a break. Your father always did like me better than you anyway,” Tick Tock said with a laugh. “It must be hard, knowing you’ll always play second-fiddle to a little filly like me.”

“Ha! He changed his tune when I killed my first Gargantuan, unlike some mares in present company, who still to this day haven’t accomplished the feat.”

She poked him in the chest. “That’s just because I’ve never had to resort to lethal methods to get away from the bloody things, and that’s why you’ll never get one of those bloody needles anywhere near me. I know you can’t say much for yourself. I’ve been keeping a tally on how many times you’ve been stung.”

Pewter laughed. “You have, have you? What am I at now?”

“Hang on, let me...” Tick Tock remembered that she didn’t have her Timekeeper with her. “The tally’s on...” She trailed off, her smile falling into a frown.

“Your... Timekeeper, right?” he completed. He made to continue, then stopped and scratched his head. “Hold on... I didn’t find it in your vest. Don’t you always keep it on you? I thought it was work-related?”

Tick Tock grunted and diverted her attention elsewhere in the room, wishing she’d never brought the situation up. “Don’t remind me. I’d bet a million bits that if I had my Timekeeper, we’d be halfway to Hope’s Point by now. Now we’re stuck in this mess, all because of a bit of damned bad luck and because I lost my only piece of gear like a stupid, stupid little foal. I’m such an idiot. I never should’ve set the bloody thing down...”

“Hey, it’s not so bad, is it? You do amazing things all the time, you should be able to get by without it.”

She huffed and turned away from him. “Like what?”

“Well... you deal with Gargantuans better than anypony I’ve ever seen, for one,” Pewter said, breaking into a proud smile. “Dad always said he should be taking lessons from you.”

Tick Tock smiled. “Yeah... I suppose...” Then, her smile fell again. “But... that’s only because my Timekeeper has a seismic detector. I know more quickly when Gargantuans are coming...”

Pewter’s smile faltered for half a second. “Well, nopony else I know would attempt Redblade even if it could shave months off their travel time. If anypony could’ve gotten those mares through, it was you.”

Tick Tock did not smile this time. “And then the bloody earthquake had to go and ruin everything.”

“That’s not your fault. You couldn’t have predicted that.”

“Sure, not without proper measurements, and without my Timekeeper I was unable to make those accurately.”

She let out a loud sniff and wiped her nose with her hoof, trying not to let Pewter see her do it and failing horribly, since he was looking straight at her. She was surprised that he didn’t look away or look disgusted by the gesture. The smile he still wore was almost infectious. Almost.

She sighed and shook her head. “I’m bloody useless without the thing, I see that now...”

Pewter put his hoof on her shoulder. “Come on now, Tick Tock, you know you’re not—"

“I am, okay!” Tick Tock blurted, shrugging away from Pewter’s hoof. His earlier smile finally fell, and that just made her feel worse. She buried her face in her pillow to hide her tears. “Just ask the mares downstairs! I’m a total screw-up without it, just a bleedin’ tour guide with a map! I may as well just have handed them the damned thing and let them go off on their own for all the good I’ve done them!”

Pewter frowned and remained silent for a long moment, then rose to his hooves with a sigh and trotted into the center of the room, where he began to pace.

Tick Tock pulled her face out of her pillow to look at him. She remembered that Pewter always had a habit of pacing when in thought. What was he thinking about? Every time he circled around towards the sofa, he moved his gaze from the floor, upwards. She followed his gaze and found him looking at the mantlepiece just over the fireplace, at a series of photographs, some of them fairly recent.

She particularly remembered the one on the far right. She’d just been a little filly then, and she remembered how much she had hated the uniform at the time. Master Zenith, an elderly earth pony with impeccable poise, stood behind her, that familiar aloof gaze of his fixed directly at the camera. Pewter stood beside his father Obsidian, a gruff unicorn with bulging muscles. The young colt looked nervous, with his eyes just off to the side in the direction of the Chronomancer and Chronomancer-in-training.

She sunk back into her pillow. That picture always made her sad. It was the first and only time anypony had ever managed to talk Master Zenith into taking a photograph—the old codger was notoriously camera-shy—and thus it was the only thing she had to remember him by. It also reminded her that Obsidian was gone as well, killed in an accident while mining in the Goldridge Pass. It would be another decade after that picture that she underwent the official Chronomancer induction trials and exams, and never saw either of them again.

When she turned her attention back to Pewter, she noticed he was standing still and looking right at the same picture she was, his face brightening. Then, he rushed over to his desk.

Tick Tock watched him, not sure what to think as he rifled through the desk drawers, tossing everything he came across aside: a few bits of shiny metal, some packets of seeds, a pocket-sized pickaxe that matched his cutie mark down to everything but the colors, a small glass case—this one he did not toss aside, instead setting it down on the desk with great care.

Finally, he found the object of his search: a tiny wooden case, not much larger than a slice of bread. He brought it over to the sofa, a coy grin plastered on his face.

Tick Tock wasn’t used to seeing him in such an excitable mood and was genuinely curious as to why. “What’s got you all chipper for?” she asked, wiping her eyes on her bathrobe. “You made a mess of your room, you dumb git.”

He sat beside the sofa again, and presented the box to her. “I remembered something I wanted to give you. Your last visit was such a long time ago that I’d almost forgotten about it. I know it’s not much, but... well, take a look.” He opened the case.

Tick Tock’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Is... is that what I think it is?”

Inside, laying upon a fold of dark crimson silk, sat a plain-looking golden stopwatch. It looked old, at least a century or so if not more, and was covered in scratches and cuts. The only space on the entire watch that was still in good condition was the center, where there was an engraving of the letter ‘Z’ in pristine gold. The watch as a whole looked as though somepony had attempted to clean it to no avail.

“I know it doesn’t look like it’s in the best shape,” Pewter said, drawing Tick Tock’s attention back to him, “but it doesn’t respond to many of the restoration attempts I’ve tried.”

“Where did you get this?” Tick Tock asked, her voice soft with wonder as she floated it out of the box, letting its rusted copper chain fall limp. Her eyes were beginning to water up. She knew exactly what it was.

“Found it in one of my father’s storage cases while cleaning a few months ago. Please tell me I didn’t get your hopes up. That is what I think it is, right?”

Tick Tock nodded, causing some tears to fall off her face to her pillow. “Master Zenith’s Timekeeper. It still looks like it did last time I—" She stopped and brought the watch in close, touching her hoof to it.

Pewter smiled and nodded. “I thought it looked familiar. I remember ol’ Zenith pulling this thing out on you all the time, constantly asking you what buttons did what and demanding demonstrations. You were always so ornery about it.”

“‘Constant vigilance’,” Tick Tock said, her smile beginning to return. “The old coot insisted I always know what to do with my Timekeeper in any situation. Sometimes though, I like to think he was going senile and actually was asking me what buttons did what.”

“I still remember that time my father and I were walking you two back to the city when that adult Gargantuan showed up.” Pewter sighed and shook his head, though he still bore a wide smile. “What did he ask you to do again? Activate the—"

“Barrier scale! Ha ha, yes!” Tick Tock laughed and shook her head. “I was too small to make a barrier of my own then, so he asked me to assist your father in conserving magic.”

Pewter joined her laughter. “I kept getting on my father’s case the entire way home for letting an old stallion and a little filly tell him what to do. He tanned my hide good when we got back, I tell you. Never got old bringing it up whenever we had our arguments.”

Tick Tock hesitated, then hung the watch’s chain around her neck. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen this. After he disappeared, I... I felt like I’d lost a part of me. You have no idea how much this means to me, Pewter.” She leaned forward and wrapped her legs around his neck in a hug. “Thank you.”

Pewter blushed and returned the hug. “I’m glad if it makes you happy, Tick Tock. Can it replace yours though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I figured that maybe... if you didn’t have your Timekeeper, maybe his could... you know, be used instead?”

Tick Tock gave a weak smile. “I can use it, sure. It’ll be lacking some features of the newer model, and I’ll have to remember the older operation guidelines. I wonder...”

She floated the watch up to eye level and flipped it open. The actual clock was still working, which was a good sign, and still completely accurate. She clicked one of the buttons on the side, and the clock face flickered a moment before gaining a dim red glow. The light brightened as Tick Tock turned knobs until at last the glow was bright enough to illuminate her face. Then, she twisted the knob on the rear of the watch to the left, then to the right, then back to left. The red light turned green.

The clockface no longer displayed the time, but instead a catalogued series of dated notes. Tick Tock shuffled silently through them, using her magic to navigate the menu. The dating system was as she expected, each note’s preface dictating how many days the Chronomancer who owned the Timekeeper had been in service. She marveled at some of the notes that had been taken after she’d first met him. Had the old stallion really been working that long? If that was true, then some of these notes confirmed his age to be over one hundred and fifty. She knew Zenith was old, but this was astounding.

“What are you doing?” Pewter asked.

Tick Tock snapped to attention. She turned red, realizing she’d been so engrossed in the device that she’d been treating Pewter like a piece of furniture, leaning against him but otherwise not paying him any attention. He was looking right at her, that bright smile of his having returned.

“I’m... looking through notes that Master Zenith left,” she said, turning her attention back to the watch. “There might be something important in here, some sort of clue.”

There’d be plenty of time to wander aimlessly down memory lane later, she thought. Right now, only one note was of any interest to her: the most recent entry. She hoped that maybe, just maybe, she’d learn what had happened to him, what had driven him to leave. After a moment of searching, she found the note, queued it up, and began reading silently to herself.

“‘Chronomancer: 5-068 (Zenith)  
Service Date: 55,173  
Coordinates: 42.31° N, 71.07° W

Tick Tock,  
I have utmost confidence that you have completed your Chronomancer trials and exams, and are reading this now. It took me more than a decade to find a pony with the aptitude and attitude to take the mantle of Chronomancer, and you surpassed all of the expectations I had. If anypony could and should be a member of the Chronomancer family, it is you.

It is my only regret in life that I did not see you return, that I never got a chance to congratulate you, that I did not get to say goodbye. I am sorry for that. I suppose that you think ill of me for leaving, but I assure you that I have my reasons.

The ancient gryphon city of Aeropolis was once the cornerstone of magical study in Equestria-V, a place of wonder and majesty where even a veteran Chronomancer such as I could hope to learn something. Though the city now lies abandoned, its population decimated and its great stores of magical knowledge long stolen, it has long been a theory of myself, my predecessors, and other astute minds that the ruins still hold untold secrets greater than anything we’ve seen before. The gryphons were well known for their taciturn nature, after all.

It is now, in my twilight years, that I have finally decided to explore the ruins for myself, to quench my thirst my knowledge and sate my curiosity. My body grows old and frail, and illness has gripped my heart. Though I am loathe to do so, I fear I do not have long for this world. Weeks, perhaps, but more likely days, and so I use my remaining time to travel into the Gryphon Ruins in hopes of gaining some new knowledge before I die. I find it a cruel irony that I, a Chronomancer, wish that I had more time.

I am sorry that I could not see you one last time, Tick Tock. You were like a daughter to me, and one of the only friends I had. Though this comes too late, know that I am proud to have known you, and that I wish the best for you.

Your mentor,  
Zenith’.”

Tick Tock snapped the Timekeeper closed, snuffing out the dull green glow. She fought back the urge to cry, and failed miserably. The visible effort was not missed by Pewter, who leaned down and wrapped her in one-legged hug, pulling her close. She returned it with earnest, wrapping both forelegs around his broad figure, finding a comfort in pressing her face against his chest.

“Thank you, Pewter,” she said, her voice hoarse. “This... this is a great gift, far greater than I deserve. You really have no idea how much this means to me...”

Pewter smiled and tightened the hug. “I’m glad I was able to brighten your spirits, Tick Tock. I hate seeing you upset.”

“Your father raised you right,” she said, looking up and returning his smile. “Nopony else would have bothered with my sorry self.” She sniffed and returned her face to his chest. “What did I do to deserve a friend like you?”


	15. Innocence

Havocwing paced back and forth, threatening to wear out the rug at the foot of her bed. Starlight had decided on an unannounced meeting in the dead of the night and insisted they review Havocwing’s assignment again. Reviewing seemed to Havocwing to be a total waste of time and effort, and if Havocwing hated one thing—and she hated a lot of things—it was wasting time and effort.

So, she huffed, snorted, grumbled, groaned, and in general made such a complete show of her discontent that an average pony would have dropped the whole thing just to avoid a confrontation.

“This is so stupid,” she said, snorting smoke out her nose as she shot Starlight another impatient glare. “Why are we wasting our time with this? Why are you making me waste my time with this? Again?”

Starlight, obviously, was not an average pony. “It would be appreciated if you could maintain a lesser volume, Havocwing,” she said, meeting Havocwing’s glare with one of equal irritation. “This is completely necessary, so pouting does you no favors. The situation has become more complicated since we departed from the city, and I am inclined to ascertain your suitability to effectuate your orders.”

Havocwing sighed and held her hoof up. “Look, boss, I’m tired. I have no idea what the hell you just said.”

Starlight narrowed her eyes, then stuck her nose in the air. “I wish to ensure that you do not ‘screw up’, as you and Grayscale would so eloquently put it.”

“Me?!” Havocwing exclaimed. She snorted more smoke and pounded her chest. “I ain’t gonna screw up squat, boss. You know damn well I’m the most reliable in the group. Working that wuss over is going to be a piece of cake. What could be so different that we need to review, huh?”

“Well for one, I would theorize her opinion on things has perhaps adjusted in light of recent events. After all, she has met her very first Gargantuan. Have you adjusted your tactics to incorporate this new information?”

“Well, duh. I’m not some blind, dumb idiot, boss.”

Starlight snorted. “However, a threat has arisen that was not in our original debriefing: the stallion, Lockwood.”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow. “What? How’s he a threat?”

“Did you not just iterate to me that you are, quote, ‘not some blind, dumb idiot’?” Starlight asked through clenched teeth. “In case it has not made itself apparent, allow me to clarify: he and your target are enamored. Fluttershy is not likely to respond to your tactics if she possesses somepony else to rely on, especially one such as he.”

“They are, huh? Hmm... yeah, I can see where that might be a problem. So let me guess, we need to have him ‘taken care of’?” Havocwing shrugged. “Damn shame, he’s kinda cute. Oh well, you kill ‘im, I grill ‘im.”

“What? No. No, you imbecile.” Starlight sighed and put her hoof to her face. “I merely advise caution in proceeding with your assignment so long as he is present. I otherwise do not perceive any complications in convincing that diminutive weakling that her compassion for nature is sorely misplaced given the Gargantuan incident.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever, ruin my fun why don’t you? Fine, I’ll try to play it smooth around him,” Havocwing said, waving her hoof. “Last chance to change your mind, y’know. It’d be real easy to make it all look like an accident.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “For the last time, Havoc, we will only utilize force as an emergency measure, and lethal force is absolutely out of the question unless father is convinced it is necessary.”

A cackle sounded from behind them. “Which is such a shame, since I bet those guys taste reeeally good!”

Havocwing leapt several feet into the air as something cold probed her wings, then wheeled around, hooves ablaze, to assault the surprise assailant. Her panicked expression hardened into an angry scowl the moment she saw Red Velvet slink out of the shadows of the corner of the room, a smug smile on her face. Tendrils of Velvet’s blood retracted themselves back into a gash along her spine, save for one that was holding a plateful of fruit and bread from dinner. Havocwing had to fight the urge to throttle the pink pony until there was nothing left but a pile of ash.

“Dammit Red!” she shouted, swooping forward and butting her face against Velvet’s so that they were nose to nose. “Stop buckin’ doin’ that! One of these days, I’m gonna—"

Velvet snickered and patted Havocwing on the head, ruffling the red mare’s mane. “Aww, don’t be so jumpy, Havoc. You’re not on the menu. I mean, I’ve thought about it plenty of times since you’re really lean and tender, but you’d probably give me heartburn.” She blanched, pretending to shove her hoof down her throat. “Blech. No thanks.”

“Yeah well, you just stay the hell away from me,” Havocwing snarled, hovering away from the pink psychopath. “What are you doing here, anyway? I don’t remember inviting you, so get the hell outta my room!”

“Hey boss!” Velvet said with a brisk salute to Starlight. “You called?”

Starlight nodded. “You are quite punctual, Velvet. I was not expecting anypony else so soon. I was just privately recapitulating Havocwing’s assignment, as her target parameters have been modified since our departure.”

“Wait, you called her here, boss?” Havocwing asked. She threw her hooves in the air. “Aw come on, I don’t need this freak show in my room.” Havocwing’s eyes darted to the plate of food, which Velvet was casually snacking from, dropping crumbs everywhere. “Dammit, Red! You can’t bring food upstairs! That’s how you get ants! Out!” she shouted, pushing Velvet towards the door.

“Havoc!” Starlight snapped, stomping her hoof again. “If I am required to repeat myself again, I will seal your mouth shut.”

Havocwing snorted and pushed Velvet away. “Yeah yeah, whatever. But c’mon, boss, look!” she added, pointing at her rug, which was now not only covered in bread crumbs and flecks of fake fruit, but blood stains as well. “She’s tracking blood too! The other ponies’ll think I was doing something and’ll worry about being safe around me.”

“Aww, and here I thought you'd want everypony to think you were a dangerous murdering sociopath,” Velvet said, laughing and covering her mouth with a hoof. “Not everypony can be as intimidating as me, y’know. I figured I’d help you prove it.”

“I don’t need your help proving it,” Havocwing spat, igniting a hoof. “If you want to help, just stand still so I can cook ya. Then we’ll see who the intimidating one is, ya bucking nutcase.”

“Oooh, I’m shakin’ in my horseshoes here,” Velvet taunted. The gash along her spine reopened, letting strips of blood seep out and form into various bladed and pointed objects. “You’re gonna need more than threats if you want to scare me, Havoc. Speaking of cooking—"

“Enough! Both of you!” Starlight snarled, slapping them both across the face with a lash of magical energy. “If you two wish to mutilate one another, it can wait until after we have completed the assignment at hoof.” Starlight cleared her throat and turned to Velvet. “Now, Red Velvet. I summoned you to deliver a status report. How fare you with Pinkie Pie?”

Velvet hesitated, scuffing her hoof on the rug. “Well... to be honest? Not so swell.”

Starlight narrowed her eyes. “How so? Your assignment is rather elementary, Velvet. Father did not foresee any difficulties, and neither have I. In what manner is Pinkie Pie complicating matters?”

“She’s just... impossible!” Velvet exclaimed, throwing her hooves and tendrils into the air. “Nothing I do frightens her for longer than a few seconds, and when it’s all done she just laughs it off! I’ve never seen anything like it, boss. I can’t work under these conditions!”

“Maybe you are simply not putting forth an adequate-enough effort? Make more vigilant attempts. I will not have our impeccable strategy negated because of your sloppy performance.”

“Sloppy?” Velvet laughed, twirling her bladed tendrils around. “Please, if I was allowed to be sloppy we wouldn’t have this problem, boss. Look, everything I’m doing here would work wonders on anypony else. They’d be wetting themselves at night for weeks. Months, even! I mean check it, my techniques have no trouble giving Havoc the heeby-jeebies.”

Havocwing snorted smoke and made to protest, but reconsidered it when she saw Velvet gazing at her with a dark, hungry look that sent chills down her spine. She tucked her wings close to her body out of concern for their well-being and took a step back.

Velvet smirked, then continued. “The pink putz must be immune to my techniques or something. She’s a little touched in the head, I think.”

Havocwing snickered. “Sounds like you two were made for each other.” She shrunk back again when Velvet shot her an angry glare and flared out her tendrils.

“What exactly is complicating the situation, Velvet?” Starlight asked. “Surely there must be some variable we have not considered that is modifying the scenario in her favor.”

Velvet rolled her eyes and gestured at her tendrils. “Well for one, if I were allowed to use my blood magic, I’d—"

“You would accomplish nothing save for abandoning a key element of surprise for any possible-though-unlikely future confrontations,” Starlight said, swatting the bloody appendages aside. “Additionally, if you did terrify her in such a manner, she would most certainly alert the others to your doings and risk driving a decisive wedge between them and us, which would devastate all of our efforts as a whole. No Hemomancy.”

Velvet groaned and slumped onto her backside. “But boss, I’ve tried everything I can think of. I’m using the Grade-A material here, and nothing’s working.” She threw her hooves in the air again. “She thinks my special talent is pranks. Pranks! Everything I do just gets a laugh in the end!”

“Lower your voice, Velvet,” Starlight hissed. “Surely you possess more techniques in your repertoire.”

Velvet sighed and rubbed her temples. “Well, earlier tonight I tried to do my dream trick.”

“Dream trick?” Havocwing asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah!” Velvet’s wide, fanged grin sent shivers down Havocwing’s spine. “You don’t know about it?” She threw her leg around Havocwing in a half-hug, pulling the nervous pegasus in close. “Well, it’s like this: I pop into your head while you’re asleep and I can see your dreams, and with the right application of effort I can turn them into nightmares. And, if I get a really good hold in there, anything I do to you in dreamland happens to you in reality.”

“Y-you can do that?” Havocwing gulped and turned to Starlight. “Boss, can she do that?’

Starlight shook her head. “If she is capable of such an ability, I am unaware of it.” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “Hmm... though it does sound as if it would prove quite effective.”

Havocwing tittered and waved off the idea with a hoof. “Aw, no way she can do that. Eh heh... g-good one, Red. You’re just bucking with me. If you could see what I was dreaming, you’d be able to tell me—”

Velvet’s mouth curled in a tiny smirk. “Bunnies.”

Havocwing froze and stared at Velvet for a long moment.

“Problem, Havoc?”

“Ha... ha ha, what? Man, ain’t no way I dream about... bunnies.” Havocwing shook her head. “You’re full of crap, Red. Nice try.”

Velvet’s smirk widened, causing Havocwing to gulp. Then, she shrugged and continued, “Anyway, that didn’t work either. Her dreams were filled with rainbows, candy, and all that kind of sappy-happy, lovey-dovey stuff. So much of it, in fact, that I bet Havoc here would puke her guts out at the sight of it all. Mmmm...” she moaned, licking her lips, “entrails...”

Havocwing inched away from Velvet, making sure to keep her eye on the pink psychopath. She prefered to keep her guts where they were.

“That’s how sickening it all is!” Velvet shouted as she threw her hooves in the air, causing Havocwing to stumble away in panic. “I would rather not go back in there, okay?” She shuddered, and she continued, her tone becoming nervous. “It felt weird. Super weird. Like, I felt like all that happiness and stuff was just going to swallow me up and never let me go. Freaky.”

Starlight rubbed her temple. “A most unfortunate circumstance, but surely you possess other methods?”

“I’m running out of ideas, boss! Listen, maybe if I traded with Havoc?” Velvet asked, giving a bright smile and plopping herself down at Starlight’s hooves. “Please? Oh please? Her target should be so so so much easier to scare!”

“Hey buck off, freak show!” Havocwing snarled. “Dad gave this assignment to me. Just because you’re losing your touch—"

Starlight interjected, yanking her hoof away from Velvet as the pink pony grabbed it. “I grow impatient with these excuses. Red Velvet, re-evaluate your situation and, if need be, elect a different—"

Velvet’s eyes widened and she scooted forward, wrapping her hooves around Starlight’s leg in a pathetic pleading gesture. “But boss, I—"

“Do not interrupt me!” Starlight spat, her horn flaring up and shoving Velvet away. “Father assigned you a task, and you will complete it as requested!”

“Boss... voice,” Havocwing said, keeping her own voice low.

Starlight snorted and stomped a hoof. “Frighten the joy and laughter out of that ridiculous mare, Velvet, or you will soon be attempting to frighten moon rocks for the remainder of your pitiful existence. Am I clear?”

Velvet whimpered. “But boss—"

Starlight flared her horn again. “Am. I. Clear?”

Velvet nodded, defeated. “Crystal clear, boss...”

“Heh... looks like we’ve got a new pony on the bottom of the totem pole,” Havocwing said, with a laugh. Velvet glared at her, her eyes red with rage, but Havocwing was loaded with newfound confidence in light of Velvet’s losing face. “How does it feel to replace Insipid down there, huh? I never thought anypony would make that airhead look good.”

“I’d be glad to put you down on the bottom myself, Havoc,” Velvet said, rising to her hooves and brandishing a single overly-large bladed tendril. “Dead ponies might not look so good to the boss, y’know, since they’re not gonna do anything but sit there and rot.”

“Problem, Velvet?” Havocwing asked, her hoof ablaze.

Velvet seethed for a moment, then took a deep breath and returned to an eerily-serene state. She gave Havocwing a bright smile. “Bunnies.”

Havocwing froze up and sputtered: “Sh-shut up!”

Starlight sighed and separated the two of them again. “It is in situations such as this where I find it difficult to believe that I am the youngest.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Aww, now what?” Havocwing groaned. She trotted over to the door, and was genuinely surprised at who was on the other side. “Gray?” she muttered, raising her eyes to meet with the larger pony’s. “The hell are you doing up this- oh, right. The boss called you too, huh?”

Grayscale completely ignored Havocwing’s presence, and instead looked around the smaller pony’s shoulder and saluted to Starlight.

“Ah, Grayscale, you are more punctual than I expected.” Starlight nodded back and beckoned her into the room with a simple tilt of her head.

Grayscale shoved her way past Havocwing, who watched the bigger pegasus with irritated disdain before circling around to Starlight’s side. “You needed something, boss?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Starlight quirked an eyebrow. “Grayscale, are you well? You appear fatigued.”

Havocwing noticed it as well. Grayscale’s mane and tail were unkempt, and her eyes were bloodshot and had bags under them. It appeared as if Grayscale hadn’t slept for days, despite it having only been hours.

Grayscale grumbled. “Choosing the room next to Dash seemed a good idea at the time. Then, I discovered the walls in this place are paper-thin.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Havocwing asked.

“Pinkie Pie.”

Havocwing tilted her head and continued to look at Grayscale, expecting more to the story.

Starlight shook her head and patted Grayscale’s shoulder. “Most unfortunate that this was the manner of which it was discovered, but at the very least you have confirmed that fragment of intelligence. I was beginning to worry that perhaps father’s information was inaccurate.”

“What the hell are you—" Havocwing paused and her eyes widened. “Ohhh...”

Grayscale snorted. “I’d like to try and get some sleep, so what did you call me for boss?”

Starlight cleared her throat. “Yes, well, father requested that I obtain a periodical status report from each of you. Seeing as how we have completed our first day of activity, I feel it would be prudent to get some initial impressions. How would you gauge your progress with Rainbow Dash, Grayscale?”

“Ugh... can’t this wait until morning?” Grayscale asked, her plea sounding bizarrely genuine.

“Status report please, Grayscale. As recompense, I possess knowledge of a spell that will assist you in earning some repose.”

Grayscale sighed and ran her hoof through her mane. “Fine. To be honest, there’s not much I really need to do to make this work. Dash already doesn’t like the Chronomancer or Lockwood and is pretty upset that her friends don’t feel the same. She just needs a little... push.”

Starlight nodded. “Yes, I bore witness to some of your accomplishments at supper. Excellent. I am pleased that you are fulfilling father’s expectations so admirably. If everypony else could accomplish your results,” she added, shooting Velvet a disapproving glance, “our task could be completed by week’s end. I only hope Insipid and Curaçao are encountering such success.”

“Ah, speaking of which,” Grayscale continued, “I was taking a nap in the hall after dinner and—"

“You were taking a nap... in the hall?” Havocwing interjected. She shook her head in disbelief. “What the hell is wrong with you? I knew you liked sleeping and stuff, but necrology?”

“Narcolepsy.”

“Whatever.”

“Well, unlike some of us,” Grayscale said with a yawn, “I know the importance of shutting up and listening. I could instruct you, but I doubt you’d listen. Kinda defeats the purpose.”

“I’ll teach you how to shut up,” Havocwing said, igniting a hoof.

“Havocwing, Grayscale is delivering her report,” Starlight said, shooting Havocwing an angry glance. “Keep silent.”

Havocwing snorted and glared at Grayscale. “Kiss-ass,” she muttered under her breath.

“Continue, Grayscale.”

Grayscale shrugged. “As I was saying, right after dinner I headed up to the hall outside the washroom, where Curaçao was taking a bath. Rarity decided to wait when she got there, then later Insipid came up and told her she saw Applejack go outside alone.

“Here’s where it gets weird,” Grayscale continued. “Later, Applejack came by. Rarity pulled her aside and they got engaged in a pretty deep discussion. I didn’t hear anything since they were real quiet about it, but it must’ve been something important and it looked like pretty heated. Any ideas?”

Starlight tapped a hoof to her chin. “Hmmm... this perhaps poses complications,” she said, her tone becoming more serious than usual. “Applejack is, according to father, possibly the most difficult mare in the group to persuade into our fold. Her unflinching honesty may perhaps provide her with adequate ability to discern deceptions.”

Velvet suddenly perked up and bounded over. “Ooh ooh! Maybe Curaçao’s having trouble too? Oh please, oh please, oh please. Being on bottom stinks.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “It is much too soon to assume anything. I can only hope Curaçao possesses a proper control of the situation. Her report should... hmmm...” She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. “She should have already arrived. Curaçao is normally the most punctual.” She turned to Grayscale and pointed at the door. “Grayscale, check the hall.”

Grayscale nodded, then trotted over to the door and opened it before glancing out into the hall. “Speak of the devil,” she said. “Huh. She looks happy. Really happy.”

Starlight and Havocwing shared puzzled looks, then moved to Grayscale’s side and glanced out into the hall. Curaçao was prancing towards Havocwing’s room, an energetic bounce in her step. She bounded into the room without acknowledging the ponies in the doorway, ignored Starlight’s greeting, and plopped herself directly in front of the room’s grooming station while humming a happy tune. She was humming it terribly off-key.

“What the—" Starlight muttered. “What has you in such high spirits this evening, Curaçao?”

Curaçao began combing her mane with the station’s provided brush.

“Curaçao? What in Equestria are you—" Starlight shook her head and stomped a hoof. “Nevermind. I summoned you here to deliver your status report. Grayscale made mention of suspicious activity involving Applejack, and I anticipate your ability to aleve my worry?”

Curaçao, now done with brushing, began to strike poses in front of the mirror, giggling madly at every one.

Starlight’s eye twitched. “Curaçao! What is wrong with you?!”

“Yo, miss fancy pants!” Havocwing shouted. “The boss is talking to you! Quit checking out your stupid mane!”

Curaçao snorted and rolled her eyes at Havocwing. “Okay, like, my mane is totally not stupid? And I’m not even, like, wearing pants? Jumpsuits totally don’t count and junk. I mean duh.”

Havocwing’s eyes narrowed into a half-lidded stare. “What.”

Starlight flared her horn, bathing Curaçao in a bright silver light that washed over her, inch by inch. With a bright flash, the spell was complete, and the blue earth pony was no more. Standing there instead was-

“Insipid,” she snorted, clearly not amused at the deception.

“Oops. Uh... h-hi?” Insipid flustered. She sounded dejected as she looked at herself in the mirror. “Aww... did you have to do that? I was, like, checking out how totally super pretty I—"

“Explain yourself. Now. Where is Curaçao?” Starlight asked through clenched teeth as she stepped towards Insipid.

“She, like, told me not to tell!” Insipid blurted, backing away. “She said you’d all, like, totally ruin her plans and yours if you knew what she was up to!”

“Our plans?” Havocwing asked, quirking an eyebrow. “What, like she’s helping us? Psh, like hell she is. I haven’t seen her do squat except take a bath.”

“Hmmm... I wonder...” Grayscale mused.

“She presumes to aid us from the shadows?” Starlight asked with a sneer. “Curaçao’s pretentiousness vexes me at times.

“Ooh, she’s so sneaky!” Insipid said, her bubbly pep returning in earnest. “I’m, like, so super glad she wanted my help and junk. This is major fresh, y’know?”

“I suppose when she arrives I may need to remind her that it is not her assignment to assist us with our own.” Starlight snorted. She took a deep breath before taking another step towards Insipid. “How about you, then? Status report, Insipid. How fares your assignment with Rarity?”

“Oh, she like, totally made my mane all pretty and junk, see?” Insipid said, pointing at her hair.

Havocwing noticed that Insipid’s mane was a little different, actually. The curls were a little curlier, the straight bits were a little straighter, and most of the tangles had been untangled. It was different, certainly, but definitely not “pretty” just yet. It would seem that even Rarity’s supposed expert touch could not improve Insipid’s style, but to Insipid it seemed that it was the thought that counted.

Havocwing shrugged. “You still look like you brush your mane with a rake.”

“Like, what-ever,” Insipid said, rolling her eyes and crossing her legs. “Curie liked it, and that’s, like, all that matters. She said it was, uh... ‘tray moy on’? I totally don’t even know what that means? But Curie said it so it must be good! Right?”

Starlight held the bridge of her nose with her hoof. “Insipid, how can I communicate this simply enough for your primitive brain to understand? I inquired as to your progress with bending Rarity to our methodology. So please: elucidate.”

Insipid pulled her head back and gave Starlight a nervous look. “Uh... right here, boss? Now?”

“Yes, Insipid, here and now, if you please.”

Insipid’s eyes darted around the room to the other mares present. “But... but everypony’s watching...”

Starlight stared at Insipid, then groaned and rubbed her temple. “Elucidate means ‘explain’, you imbecile.”

“Oh? Ohhhh... right! I thought you meant- nevermind. See? You think understanding Curie is hard? Like, cha.”

Starlight narrowed her eyes. “Proceed with your report, Insipid.”

“Yeah yeah, okay. Rarity’s, like, totally under my hoof? I mean, I got her to give me a total makeover, right? So like, I think I kinda figured out what she, like, wants, and I’m totally working on getting her to go after it! That’s what I was supposed to do, yeah? Right? Do you, like, want to hear the details or something?”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “No, that is adequate enough. I would rather not listen to your brainless babble any longer. Very good, Insipid.”

Insipid beamed. “You think I did good, boss? Yay! Curie’s gonna be so proud of me!”

“Incidentally, I suppose Curaçao herself is all that remains. Where is that devious charlatan? It is most unlike her to be tardy.”

“I bet she’s just taking another bath,” Havocwing suggested. “Can’t have too many baths when you’re otherwise useless, so you may as well make yourself look pretty, right?”

“Not that she ever gets her hooves dirty,” Velvet added.

Insipid bolted forward and poked Havocwing in the chest. “Hey, like, that perfection of hers takes diligence? That’s what, like, Rarity said anyway, and she’s totally, y’know, in-the-know?”

“I don’t think she spends any time or effort on her looks,” Grayscale said with a shrug. “I mean, she can change appearance, so she’s probably able to look however she wants without actually doing anything.”

“Like, oh. My. Stars. You can’t be, like, serious? She totally puts effort in, ‘cause, like, otherwise what’s the point? If she was, like, cheating, it would be so. Major. Unfresh.”

Grayscale nodded. “Good point. Curaçao couldn’t possibly be cheating.”

Insipid nodded in agreement. Havocwing and Velvet shared sidelong glances at one another, and Velvet swished her hoof over her head.

“I don’t care how long she spends or how much effort she takes, the fact is she doesn’t do squat otherwise,” Havocwing said. “If she spent as much time doing her job as she does looking pretty we’d all be done by now! She’d have probably done all of our jobs for us.”

Starlight snorted. “That seems to be precisely what she is attempting, Havocwing.”

“What kinda jobs ‘re y’all talkin’ ‘bout?” asked a familiar drawl from the doorway.

Everypony wheeled around to face the voice. Insipid, whose back was to the door, did so too fast and tumbled face-first to the floor. Applejack stood in the doorway with an accusatory glare.

“Aww crap,” Havocwing muttered. Velvet elbowed her hard in the ribs; Havocwing quickly adjusted her words. “Uh... h-hey there, Applejack, h-how long have you been there?”

Applejack frowned and immediately began to backpedal. “Long enough.”

“Eavesdropping, hmm?” Starlight asked. She stepped out into the hall with Havocwing and Grayscale flanking her sides and Velvet trailing just behind. “What did you hear?”

“I heard everythin’,” Applejack said as she backed further down the hall. Her eyes flicked to the stairs, probably to judge the distance she’d need to move in order to escape. “I knew it! Tick Tock was right, y’all ‘re up ta somethin’! I’m gettin’ Twilight, then we’ll see what she—"

Starlight’s horn flashed.

Applejack, who’d tried bounding for the stairs at that instant, became bound in magical chains that had appeared from the floor, trapping her just a yard away from the stairs. She struggled to free herself, but the chains tightened with every attempt until she could barely move at all. She was caught.

She glared at Starlight. “Let me go ya sneaky—"

“Most unfortunate,” Starlight tutted, stepping over to Applejack and glancing over her. “It would seem as though father’s forewarning was well-warranted.”

“Boss, she heard way too much,” Havocwing said, sidling up to Starlight’s side. “We can’t just let her go.”

Starlight frowned and nodded. “Indeed. Perhaps now would be an appropriate instance to evaluate my capability with memory-altering magicks...” She turned back to the doorway, where Insipid had just exited to join them in the hall. “Insipid, fetch Curaçao. I should like to ascertain her opinion on—"

Insipid’s eyes brightened. She giggled, then leapt all the way down the hall from Havocwing’s door to Applejack in a single bound, sailing over Velvet, Grayscale, Havocwing, and Starlight in the process. As soon as she reached Applejack, she gave a happy squeal and wrapped Applejack in a tight hug, pinning the earth pony to the floor.

Havocwing snarled, and stepped forward to pull the flighty unicorn away. “Insipid, what are you—"

“What in tarnation‘re y’all doin’?!” Applejack shouted. She struggled harder against the chains that kept her bound, apparently more desperate now than ever to get away. “Call ‘er off!” she yelped, looking right at Starlight. “Y’all don’t need ta torture me, I promise I won’t talk! Just get her off...”

“Awww, it’s so, like, totally super cute when you try to be sneaky,” Insipid cooed, nuzzling her cheek against Applejack’s.

“Oh stars I’m gonna be sick,” Velvet muttered, holding her stomach. “So... much... joy...”

“What the hell is going on?” Havocwing demanded.

Insipid let out a dreamy sigh. “You can’t fool me, Curie.”

Applejack grumbled, then melted away, hat and all, into the familiar blue form of Curaçao. “Merde. Zis is vhy I ‘ad to be careful, voyez-vous? You may ‘ave blown my cover, ma copine.”

Starlight’s jaw dropped. “Curaçao?” She released her spell, not that it would help Curaçao get off the floor so long as Insipid pinned her even more tightly than the chains had. “What in Equestria are you doing?”

Grayscale nodded sagely. “Saw that coming.”

“Hee hee, I, like, totally told you she was good,” Insipid said as she stroked Curaçao’s mane with loving adoration. “She even fooled you, boss. Like, how totally cool is that?”

“Quite,” Starlight said, eyebrow twitching. She cleared her throat and glared at Curaçao. “I suppose you should consider yourself fortunate that Insipid ascertained the truth before I deleted your memory, Curaçao. I do not much appreciate being duped.”

Insipid’s expression became panicked. “Oh! Y-you weren’t really going to wipe her brain, right boss?” She tugged Curaçao closer, gripping so tightly that Curaçao wheezed. “Not my Curie... nooo...”

“Do not fear, ma copine, zee capitaine vould not ‘ave done anyzing of zee sort,” Curaçao said as she attempted to wiggle out of Insipid’s hold. She gave Starlight an apologetic look. “Je m’excuse, ma capitaine, but I ‘ad to make sure zat my plan ‘ad gone flawlessly, non? If even you could not spot zee ruse, zen I should say my disguise is perfect enough to escape even Twilight Sparkle’s magical detection, n’est-ce pas?”

Starlight sneered and gave Curaçao a terse nod. “An intuitive scheme, to be sure. So then, none of them suspect your guise, or guises, as the case may be?”

“Not a one.”

Starlight nodded again, then tilted her head towards the doorway. “Let us continue in Havocwing’s room, so as to avoid possible discovery.” She trotted off towards Havocwing’s door and entered with the others just behind her. Once everypony was present, she shut the door behind them and turned back to Curaçao. “Hmm... how fare you with Applejack, in particular?”

Curaçao laughed. “I assure you zat it vill not be long before zee Applejack falls far from zee tree.” She paused a moment when the others gave her confused looks, then shrugged. “I don’t know vhat zat means eizer, but for some reason it feels approprié.”

“Aww, she’s so clever!” Insipid said. “I bet it’s, like, the perfect plan!”

“What manner of plot are you scheming?” Starlight asked, sounding genuinely curious. “Father outlined our established strategies, leaving it to us to modify them as the situation provides, but I do not recall him delivering anything of the sort to you.”

“Ah, ne vous inquiétez pas, I ‘ave it all under control. Viz mon génie, Applejack and Rarity ‘ave formed un lien, oui? And vhen zat crashes down around ma petite pomme? Victoire.”

She gave a great open-mouthed laugh, evidently pleased at the prospect. Had she not needed to be quiet, it might have been much louder.

“Ah, so that was you in the hall,” Grayscale said, nodding in understanding.

“The hall?” Havocwing asked.

“From my report earlier, when I saw Applejack and Rarity chatting in the hallway.” Grayscale eyed Curaçao, then tilted her head to the side. “Let me guess... you were... Applejack?”

Curaçao grinned and brushed the idea off with her hoof. “Ooh là là, une magicienne never reveals ‘er secrets, voyez-vous? It vould ruin zee illusion.”

“I love it when she gets all, like, devious?” Insipid said. She giggled and wrapped Curaçao in another hug. “Oooh, Curie you’re such a totally amazing actress. So. Major. Fresh.”

Starlight snorted. “Hmph. I suppose we have settled matters for now, then. I am pleased with some of your reports, though some amongst you leave a great deal to be desired,” Starlight said, shooting another disappointed glance at Velvet. She turned to the others and flourished her hoof through the air. “Morning approaches, presenting an endeavor ahead of us if we are to obtain success without further incident. Continue on as you have been: draw your marks aside, engage them on a personal level. Dismissed.”

Starlight flared her horn and disappeared in a bright flash, leaving the others behind.

Havocwing yawned and stretched out her legs. “Okay everypony, you heard the boss, you’re all dismissed. That means: get the hell outta my room! Now!”

“Aww, sweet dreams, Havoc,” Velvet cooed as she trotted towards the door with a carefree demeanor, previous incidents apparently forgotten. “Oh, and don’t let the bedbugs bite, okay? I hear the ones out here are pretty vicious. But hey, maybe you’ll dream about me instead of bunnies this time!”

“Bunnies?” Insipid asked.

Havocwing snorted smoke. “Shut up, Red.”

Velvet’s grin widened, revealing rows of sharp fangs. “Be careful though, I bite harder than bedbugs do...”

Havocwing paled, but maintained her composure. Velvet wasn’t going to scare her anymore, not so long as she was the weakest link in the chain. “Whatever, just get out.”

As Velvet left, Curaçao and Grayscale followed behind.

“Oh! Curie!” Insipid shouted, throwing herself at Curaçao’s hooves and making a pleading gesture. “Pleeeease can I share a room with you? I’m, like, not even next door to you! That dumb ol’ Pewter guy put me, like, on the other end of the hall! I’m so totally, totally lonely, and that is so totally, totally major uncool. Like, tray bad. Uh... how do you say it, Curie?”

“Mauvais...” Curaçao said, her tone flat.

“Movie?” Insipid rolled her eyes. “Curie, we, like, don’t have time for a movie?”

“Merde alors.” Curaçao rubbed her temples. “You can sleep on zee floor if you—"

“Yay!” Insipid cheered as she bounded out the door into the hall. “This is totally tray awesome, I can’t wait! I get to, like, sleep where your hooves have been, wheeee~”

Grayscale chuckled. “Not that I care, Curaçao, but how do you put up with it? Insipid I mean.”

Curaçao shrugged. “She is a useful pawn, non? I cannot object to ‘aving my own pet unicorn. Zey are so useful for zings zat ve earth ponies cannot do viz just ‘ooves, tu ne crois pas?”

“I suppose. Though maybe you should give her acting lessons. Oh,” Grayscale added, tapping her temple, “and you were Applejack in the hallway.”

“Oh? Vhat makes you zink I vas Applejack zen, hmm?”

“Just call it a hunch.”

Curaçao smirked, then morphed her face into that of Starlight Shadow. “Well, sister, if you are not intending to accommodate my request for information, then I fail to see any grounds for why I should present my own.”

“Ooh, I didn’t think you’d imitate the boss,” Grayscale said with a terse nod. She chuckled. “That just let’s me know I’m right.”

Curaçao shrugged, morphing her face into Insipid. “Cha. Like, whatever. Think what you want and junk?”

Havocwing snorted smoke and threw her hooves in the air. “Are you two gonna leave or what?!”

Curaçao tilted her head towards Havocwing, her face molding into Red Velvet’s in the process. “Oh, hush, Havoc. We were just leaving, weren’t we Gray?”

Havocwing sneered and pushed Curaçao out the door. “Out!” She snapped her head towards Grayscale when the larger pegasus laughed, then shoved her out the door too. “Out!”

***

The next morning came with crisp air and a low temperature. The sky above the checkpoint was as dark as ever, with no indication that it was now daytime.

Tick Tock rifled through a saddlebag of supplies, checking that everything she’d asked for was inside. This one was filled with more climbing equipment, mostly ropes. Satisfied that everything was in order, she passed it over to Twilight, who floated it over to their growing pile and ticked another mark off her checklist. Pewter had provided them with all the supplies he could spare, including dried food rations, canteens filled with water, and other survival equipment. With their extra traveling companions, they could carry more supplies between them, so Tick Tock wasn’t worried this time about saddling anypony with too much; last time, Applejack and Flathoof had been given the brunt of the supplies to carry.

Speaking of Applejack, Tick Tock noticed the other pony was being abnormally quiet in helping her put all the supplies together. Applejack had always been social with her, but this morning she’d barely said two words. Well, to Tick Tock, at any rate, and to Flathoof when he’d come by to offer help in putting everything together. Tick Tock noticed that Applejack was still being plenty sociable with Curaçao, who was teaching her how to use the more advanced features of Tick Tock’s map.

Tick Tock was surprised the blue earth pony could use the map so expertly, given that it was an antiquated, complicated magical item. Even Tick Tock had taken a few years to learn how to utilize all of its features, and was still hazy on some details. The only explanation Tick Tock could think of was that perhaps in Curaçao’s travels with Starlight Shadow, the unicorn had taught the earth pony some basic fundamentals. Starlight seemed the type of pony to teach another pony how to accomplish a task so that she would no longer need to do it herself.

Starlight, in the meanwhile, was assisting Rarity and Insipid—coaching Insipid to assist Rarity, more accurately—in taking some of the clothes they didn’t need anymore to make a harness for Fluttershy, so that she could be more easily transported. Fluttershy’s dress and Twilight’s cape served as a foundation, and Pinkie’s hat and jacket provided the material to hold it all together. It resembled a hammock more than a harness, really, and would be carried between two ponies when it was finished.

Tick Tock shifted her gaze upward, to where Grayscale Force and Rainbow Dash were circling around the checkpoint, too far up for anypony to hear the conversation they were engaged in. When she shifted her gaze back down, she saw Pinkie Pie and Red Velvet hustling to and fro amongst the others, keeping everypony’s spirits high with their singing and cheerful demeanor. Tick Tock noticed, however, that Velvet seemed to be having a tough time keeping up with Pinkie, looking more tired now than when she’d woken up.

Tick Tock’s focus then shifted to Havocwing, who seemed the oddest of the bunch at the moment. She’d trotted over to where Fluttershy was asleep, some distance away from the commotion with Lockwood and Flathoof as her only company. Again, they were too far away to pick up much of the conversation, but Havocwing seemed to have hit it off somehow, as they’d just started laughing at something she’d said.

All this struck Tick Tock as bizarre. She’d known these mares for a few days now and helped them with everything she could, but apart from general tact and politeness they didn’t seem to think too highly of her; Pinkie, of course, seemed the exception since she apparently thought highly of everypony. Starlight’s group, on the other hoof, had known them for less than a day and already everypony seemed to be bonding together. Even Flathoof and Lockwood, fellow natives of this world where trust was hard-earned, were quickly trusting these new mares. There was just something off about all of it.

Tick Tock, so focused on trying to figure out her latest dilemma, did not notice somepony walk up behind her.

“Something on your mind?”

Tick Tock wheeled around in surprise, and held a hoof to her heart when she realized who it was. “Oh, Pewter.” She shook her head, not meeting the muscular stallion’s gaze. “No... no, it’s nothing.”

“Well, if you say so.” Pewter rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you really have to go so soon? You only just got here and I was hoping for a chance to catch up, Tick Tock. It’s been years since we’ve seen each other.”

Tick Tock sighed. “I’m sorry, Pewter. I really am. But we’re on a tight schedule, and I need to account for any other delays. We can’t risk losing much more time.”

“I still say you have enough time to stay another night,” Pewter said with a hopeful smile. “You mentioned that your accident in Redblade bought you an extra day taking this route. Why not spend it here, recuperating? Fluttershy could certainly benefit the most from it.”

“As tempting as that all sounds, I’m afraid we must decline. I really wish I could... but business is business.”

“And business before pleasure, I know.” Pewter sighed. “Well, since you’re in such a hurry to move on, is there anything else you think you’ll need? I still have some spare supplies here and there.”

“I don’t think we need much else, at least anything I can think of.” Tick Tock turned her head towards Applejack and Curaçao. “How about you, Applejack?”

Applejack didn’t turn to face Tick Tock when she replied. “Yeah?”

“Pewter wants to know if there’s anything else we might need?”

Applejack shook her head as she looked over the pile of saddlebags they’d gathered so far. “Nah, we’re fine enough fer a week-long trip, I reckon.”

Tick Tock turned back to Pewter and nodded. “Well then, there you have it.” She moved in close enough to whisper: “Thanks again, Pewter. For all of this. For last night, for everything. You truly are too kind to me. What would I ever do without you?”

“You’d be a week away from Hope’s Point with nothing but a wing and a prayer to get you there,” Pewter said with a smile.

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “I’ve bloody well faced worse, and you know it.”

Pewter laughed and shook his head. “I’ve heard the stories. Don’t be a stranger Tick Tock, and do take care of yourself.” His smile fell, and he took a step forward to put his hoof on Tick Tock’s shoulder.

“You worry too much. I’ll be fine, Pewter. I always have been.” She leaned up and gave him a big hug. “You stay safe here too, yeah? I’ll be back in no time at all, you’ll see.”

He returned the hug, stroking his hoof through her mane. “You don’t have any idea what I’d do if something happened to you...”

***

Up close, it was clear where the Goldridge Pass mountain range got its name. The entire mountain was colored bright gold for as far as the eye could see, with a sheen so perfect that it reflected every glimmer of light that came its way. If the sun were able to peek through the veil of magic up above, the entire range would shine for miles around, a beacon of hope to ponies making the long journey to the coast.

Rarity took the chance to examine one of the many rocks that littered the path. Upon holding it in her hoof and judging the weight, she was alerted to an incredible fact: the gold wasn’t just color; every single thing in the mountain range appeared to be made of solid, unblemished gold, and in fact, the rock she held now appeared to be roughly twenty-two carats, an incredible find. Rocks shined like golden nuggets, trees stood fully-blossomed with literal gold leaves, and even the very dirt that Rarity and her companions tread upon was made of gold dust. Rarity was never so unafraid to get dirty.

She tilted her head to her left to glance at Lockwood, who was slowing his pace to keep stride with her. That he’d insisted on assisting her in carrying Fluttershy filled Rarity with elation, as it was just one more point to add to his tally. Fluttershy herself lay between them upon her hammock-harness, sound asleep and wrapped in Lockwood’s jacket. Fluttershy’s condition saddened Rarity to no end, but she continued to keep a straight face so as not to bring the others’ spirits down.

Several hours into their hike, the party rounded a corner and came to a clearing. As Rarity rounded the bend, a sight so wondrous that it made her knees weak and her jaw drop came into her view. The temptation was too much, and she insisted the group take a momentary breather so she could get a closer look, dragging Lockwood and Fluttershy with her.

“Oh my...” Rarity gasped

A massive boulder towered over her, measuring half a dozen yards tall and almost as wide, and just like the rest of the mountain it was made of solid gold. This rock, however, appeared to be made of an even better quality, perhaps as good as twenty-four carat gold.

Rarity fanned herself, awestruck at the sight of the thing. “It’s... beautiful...” she panted. “The gold in this rock is of a much greater quality than any of the surrounding rocks, and in such a high quantity too! Why, this grandiose specimen is the find of the century—" She stopped and dramatically threw her hoof into the air. “No! The millennium!”

“It is?” Insipid asked. She gave the giant golden stone a quick once-over, then nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! It is! Oh, like, maybe we could, y’know, figure something out? Divvy it up between us and junk? Ooh, I totally call the biggest piece!”

Rarity continued her fawning, not feeling one ounce of shame in it. She stepped out of the hammock-harness, easing Fluttershy onto the ground to avoid dragging her and Lockwood along, then gave the giant rock a hug. “Girls, do you have any idea how much this absolutely gorgeous hunk of gold is worth?” she asked as she starting petting the rock.

Rainbow sighed. “No, but I suppose you’re gonna tell us?”

“Assuming that this delightful specimen is solid through-and-through, it’s worth—"

“Nothing,” Tick Tock interrupted.

Rarity shot Tick Tock a glare. “I beg your pardon? Far be it from me to criticize you in anything, Tick Tock darling, but—"

“Gold is practically worthless, precisely thanks to these bloody mountains,” Tick Tock continued. “Completely buggered up the New Pandemonium economy hundreds of years ago because bits were made with gold back then. It might be worth something if it weren’t so plentiful.”

“Well of course I didn’t intend selling it in Pandemonium, darling,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. “Elsewhere however, it might be worth an absolute fortune! Enough to buy a mansion on some beautiful coastline I’d wager!” She was all but drooling now, giving the giant rock a healthy dose of petting with every word. “All the amenities a pony with real class and sophistication could possibly hope for, and then some!”

“Like, yeah! We could be living the highlife!” Insipid said, popping up beside Rarity and giving the giant rock a hug as well. “We’d be so totally super rich and junk!”

Rarity turned to her friends with a bright, pleading smile. “Surely there must be some way we could—"

“Oh no,” Twilight interjected, shaking her head and waving her hooves in front of her face. “No no no, I am not lugging around a giant rock again just because you think it’s valuable. This thing is loads bigger and heavier than the last one.”

Rarity snorted. “Oh please, darling. This delectable hunk of splendid metal is very, very real.” She shuddered and gave the rock a longing glance, her eyelashes fluttering. “Oh just think of the possibilities...”

“Ooh ooh! Can we make pretty tiaras?” Insipid asked. “I’d love a tiara! Then I’d be, like, a pretty princess!” She turned to Curaçao and gave the earth pony a bright smile. “Curie! Wouldn’t I make the prettiest princess if I, like, had a tiara and junk?”

Curaçao hummed and nodded. “It vould be un joli accessory, oui. Hmmm... but gold by itself, c’est ennuyeux. Surely ve would need somezing to, ‘ow you say, accessoiriser zee diadème. Mademoiselle Rarity, vhat do you zink?”

Rarity chuckled. “Why, that’s quite a valid observation, Miss Curaçao. Certainly gold by itself isn’t the best accessory, no matter its shape, besides wedding bands of course. We would need gems to decorate it! And, if I am not mistaken,” she added with a wide grin as she lit up her horn, “there are certainly gems somewhere nearby. I suspect deep within the mountain, if we have the opportunity to look.”

Twilight groaned and held the bridge of her nose. “No offense Rarity, but we have more important things to worry about right now than divvying up a golden boulder and hunting for gems. Or are you forgetting Fluttershy?”

Rarity paused and glanced down at Fluttershy, still snoozing quietly between her and Lockwood. Twilight had a point, certainly. Attempting to carry even a fraction of a rock this size could weigh down the whole group, even if further divided amongst them. That would certainly complicate matters in transporting Fluttershy, and that wasn’t even accounting for issues that extra weight would pose in traversing the terrain normally. She wanted to make the most of the situation, but she didn’t want to inconvenience the others, especially not Fluttershy.

With a heavy sigh, Rarity slinked back away from the boulder. “Perhaps you’re right, Twilight. Forgive me, I got a little... flighty.”

“It’s okay, Rarity,” Applejack said, sidling up beside Rarity and nudging her in the side. “It’s just a part o’ who ya are to be thinkin’ the fancy angle all the time. An’ anyway, what would ya’ call this one, huh? Dan? Frank?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “I believe I asked for us never to speak of that incident again, hmm? If you’re going to resort to that to dissuade me, very well, let us just forget it.”

“Aww, but I wanted to make pretty tiaras and junk!” Insipid wailed. She bounded over to Starlight and grabbed the other unicorn’s leg with both hooves. “Boss! You gotta, like, do something! Please? I want it!”

Starlight gave Insipid an impatient glance, but before she could speak, Curaçao chuckled then trotted over to pull Insipid off of Starlight’s leg. “Ma capitaine, surely zere is somezing you can do. Look at ‘er, she is just so ‘opeful! Can’t you see she just vants a tiny piece?”

“Miss Curaçao, we really don’t have room in our bags for this sort of cargo,” Tick Tock said. “And we’re wasting our time standing around and participating in this ruddy banter. Can we move along?”

“Tick Tock’s right, we really must be moving,” Twilight said. Insipid turned her pleading, puppy-dog eyes to Twilight, causing her to take a step back. “Um... I’m sorry Insipid, but I don’t think we have the time to carve this rock up small enough for anypony to carry.”

“Such a pity...” Rarity sighed.

“Aw, don’t worry about it none, Rarity,” Applejack said. “You get too worked up over these sorts o’ things.”

“Yeah, Rarity, it’s just a dumb ol’ rock,” Rainbow added. “You’ve got gold at home.”

“That’s not the point, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, giving the rock one last desperate look. “This is a monumental find, once in a lifetime. I doubt I’ll ever get a golden opportunity like this again.”

Pinkie snorted into her hoof. “Pfft... golden.”

“I wish there was something we could do, Rarity, but we have more important things to worry about than souvenirs,” Twilight said.

Starlight’s eyes darted between Insipid, Curaçao, and Rarity, then her mouth curled in a tiny smile. “Fear not, everypony, I have a solution.”

She lit up her horn and fired a bolt of magic at the giant rock, tearing off a chunk about the size of a bowling ball. She lifted this over to Insipid, then used her magic to lift a small food container out of one of Insipid’s saddlebags. The container was already empty from their first lunch break, so Starlight opened it, lifted the boulder over it, then flashed her horn again. Her magic sliced the gold rock into the exact size and shape needed to fit snugly inside the box. What was left of the rock she tossed aside.

“There we are,” she declared, patting Insipid on the head and passing over the gold-filled container. “I assume that will be satisfactory? I am afraid we lack anything larger with which to carry it.”

“It’s... perfect!” Insipid grabbed the box in her hooves and hugged it tight, then collapsed to the ground due to the box’s weight. She didn’t seem to mind. “Yippee! My very own gold cube!” she cheered as she began to pirouette around the party, sluggishly lugging the box with her. “Oh my stars, I am so totally gonna make this the prettiest tiara, like, ever!”

“What’s the big deal? There’s gold everywhere,” Havocwing said, scratching her head.

“Vhy, ‘avocving, it is simple, non?” Curaçao asked as she watched Insipid dance about. “Insipid vanted somezing from zat particular boulder. Rarity said ‘erself zat it vas zee best gold of zee bunch, oui?”

“Yeah! I’m, like, trying to be the prettiest princess, y’know? Duh,” Insipid said, rolling her eyes in Havocwing’s direction. “Pretty princesses get gold, but prettiest princess get the best gold. So like, if this gold is super totally awesome and junk, then I want it!”

“And, it is my obligation as the leader of this troupe to ensure that my subordinates are operating at optimum enthusiasm,” Starlight added. “If Insipid’s happiness depends on a miniscule portion of gold, then far be it from me to deny her. It was a simple task, at any rate.”

Rarity stared at Starlight a moment, then cleared her throat and stepped forward. “I wonder—"

Starlight put her hoof to her forehead. “Oh, forgive me for forgetting my manners! Rarity, would you care for a portion as well? If there are no objections of course, to tarrying any further?” she said, tilting her head towards Tick Tock.

Tick Tock snorted, having been distracted from looking at something that she quickly replaced into her pocket. “Whatever. When we’re through wasting time passing out souvenirs, maybe then we’ll be able to move along with our journey, hmm?”

As Starlight went about carving up a similar piece of gold, Insipid sidled up beside Rarity and wrapped her in a half-hug. “See? Nothing makes a pony happier than getting what they want!”

Rarity hummed and gave a small nod. It was certainly different, having somepony ask her what she wanted or to express desire for something and not have it dismissed out of hoof like a flight of fancy. Her eyes glanced over at Lockwood, then down to the sleeping Fluttershy. She knew exactly what she wanted most, and she was going to make sure it came to pass, or her name wasn’t Rarity.

***

Fluttershy woke up late that night when her neck began to ache. She hadn’t felt the burning sensation since that morning at breakfast. She moved her neck in an attempt to relieve the pain, but it didn’t help much, and she found that in general it was difficult to move. Lockwood’s jacket and her hammock-harness were tightly tucked around her. At least, she thought, she was warm. The nearby campfire was a pleasant addition as well, and the soft glow allowed her to take a good look around. She noticed that her friends were sound asleep around the campsite. Is it nighttime already? Was I really asleep all day?

“Ah, Fluttershy darling, you’re awake. Did you have a good sleep?”

Fluttershy shifted her gaze towards Rarity’s voice and saw her unicorn friend laying beside her atop a length of the hammock-harness. That certainly explained what was keeping her makeshift blankets weighed down.

“Good evening, Rarity,” she said. “I’m sorry I slept so long...”

“It’s quite alright, sweetie, don’t feel ashamed,” Rarity said, patting Fluttershy’s head. “You need all the rest you can get if you want to recover quickly.” She gave Fluttershy a quick once-over. “You do seem to be looking better. The color is coming back to your face again.”

“Oh, well that’s good.” Fluttershy let out a great yawn, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Um... s-sorry. I guess I’m still a little tired...”

Rarity frowned, then scooted closer to wrap the pegasus in a hug. “Is there anything I can get you, darling? Are you hungry? Are you warm enough?”

“I’m fine, Rarity, thank you,” Fluttershy said. She glanced around, curious as to the absence of another pony she figured would be nearby. He had, after all, been carrying her alongside Rarity this entire way, hadn’t he? “W-where’s Lockwood?”

Rarity smiled. “Ah, Lockwood is having a little chat with Captain Flathoof over there,” she said, pointing in a direction away from the campsite.

Fluttershy followed Rarity’s hoof to where two stallions were having a hushed discussion near a large rock formation. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but it seemed as though Flathoof was upset about something.

“Flathoof seemed a tad distressed, if I’m not mistaken,” Rarity continued. She tapped her chin. “I’m used to seeing him chatting with dear Applejack, lately. Odd that he wouldn’t be speaking with her at this hour.”

“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Fluttershy said.

“Well I don’t know for certain of course,” Rarity said. Then, she cleared her throat. “But private matters are private matters, and it wouldn’t do to pry into another pony’s personal life, would it? Most unladylike.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. She still recalled the embarrassment of everypony hearing about her having tail extensions.

To distract herself from worry, she looked out amongst the camp again, letting her eyes linger over the sleeping figures of her other friends on one side of the campfire. Applejack, to her surprise, was asleep. This was the first time she’d seen the earth pony in such a state since they’d arrived in this strange world, as she was always awake when Fluttershy got to sleep and always woke up before the others. Twilight slept close to Applejack, and to Fluttershy’s amusement was using Tick Tock’s map as a blanket. She couldn’t see Rainbow or Pinkie, but assumed they were nearby. Then, her gaze shifted to the other side of the campfire. There lay the sleeping figures of some of the other mares she’d met that morning.

Fluttershy turned her focus back to Rarity. “Um... are our new friends n-nice, Rarity? I didn’t get to talk to them much...”

Rarity chuckled and patted Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Never you worry, dear, they’re all exceptional individuals. Ah, speaking of which, there’s somepony I most definitely want you to meet.”

“Oh... b-but I already met all the new ponies,” Fluttershy said, raising an eyebrow. “Let’s see, their names were... Starlight Shadow, Curaçao, Grayscale Force, Insipid, and Red Velvet.”

“Yes, darling, I know you met all of them already, but this other dear wasn’t there at breakfast, to my sincere disappointment,” Rarity said with a large pout. “You’d already fallen asleep again by the time she joined us, and I didn’t want to wake you. She is just the most marvelous pegasus, and was so helpful in keeping your condition stable yesterday after your encounter with that... that monster.”

“That animal,” Fluttershy corrected.

Rarity didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, I hope she’s still awake. Let me go fetch her.”

She got up and trotted around the campfire, and Fluttershy heard her talk to somepony on the other side. This mare’s voice didn’t sound like any of the other five, and in fact sounded rather coltish, sort of like Rainbow Dash. After a moment, Rarity returned with the pony in tow.

“Fluttershy, darling, I’d like you to meet Miss Havocwing,” Rarity said with a smile, gesturing to the pegasus beside her. “Miss Havocwing, this is my darling friend Fluttershy.”

“Hey,” Havocwing said, tilting her head in greeting.

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh... um, h-hello.”

Fluttershy’s shrunk back at the sight of the newcomer. Havocwing’s lean muscles made her look every bit as built for speed and athletics as Rainbow Dash. She also had a distinct overbite with a single fang, which Fluttershy recognized as a canine from her knowledge of animals. Ponies weren’t supposed to have canines, were they? Her eyes were particularly odd, as despite having beady pupils, they seemed... familiar.

“Miss Havocwing here made just the most cozy little campfire the other night when you needed to keep warm,” Rarity said, drawing Fluttershy out of her thoughts. “Tick Tock and Mister Pewter both said that keeping you warm helped keep you alive out there, and that it will likely aid in your recovery. I guess you could say Miss Havocwing helped save your life as much as anypony.”

“Hey now, no need to go that far,” Havocwing said with a chuckle. “I don’t need all that sappy stuff. It’s not really my style.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Well... th-thank you anyway, Miss—"

“Don’t mention it.” Havocwing rolled her eyes. “No really, don’t mention it. The others might think I’m going soft, see, and I can’t afford that kind of hit to my reputation.”

“R-reputation?”

“Yeah! I’m my group’s heavy hitter, y’know?” Havocwing said, pounding her chest. “Out here, every traveling party needs somepony with guts. That’s me. Gutsiest pegasus alive, best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium.”

Fluttershy couldn’t tell if she should be impressed or worried, or perhaps both. “Well that sounds... nice?”

“She made quite an impressive show of handling one of those foul creatures, and a particularly large one at that,” Rarity added, patting Havocwing on the back. “She didn’t just save you, darling, she played a part in saving all of us.” She stuck her nose in the air and huffed. “Normally I am not such a proponent for violence, but I should think that sometimes the situation calls for a little... less refined tactics.”

Havocwing shrugged. “Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.”

A black, yellow, and silver blur slid up to Rarity, and Rarity to put a hoof to her face in response. The presence of Insipid was impossible to miss or ignore. Apparently, she was awake too. “Hey Rarity!” she said, giving Rarity a peppy wave. “Uh, like, could I talk to you? I need some more, y’know, advice on keeping my totally super fresh look, um... totally super fresh? My mane’s getting all droopy and junk, and I’ve got, like, no idea what to do!”

Rarity put a hoof up to stop Insipid from continuing. “Yes, all right darling, I’ll be with you in a minute. Just let me finish up over here a moment, will you?”

“Yes! Totally awesome!” Insipid squealed in delight and bounded away with joy, leaving an exacerbated Rarity behind.

Rarity sighed, then turned to Fluttershy with an apologetic smile. “Forgive me, Fluttershy, but that poor dear has requisitioned my services as a stylist, and I feel obligated to help. Heavens, the poor dear’s mane... it’s as though she brushes it with a rake.”

Havocwing snickered, then flustered a bit when she realized it had been out loud.

“Will you be okay if I go help her with this for just a teensy moment? I promise I won’t be long.” Rarity frowned and rubbed her temple. “Oh... but I do hate to leave you alone. What if you get lonely, or want to talk, or—"

“It’s okay if you want to help Miss Insipid, Rarity,” Fluttershy said with a tiny smile. “That’s what you do. I wouldn’t want to stop you from helping somepony else.”

“Hey, I’ll stick around if you want,” Havocwing suggested, putting her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder.

Rarity beamed and patted Havocwing’s hoof. “Oh, thank you Miss Havocwing, that means a lot to me. I’m sure Fluttershy would like to get to know you better as well, wouldn’t you darling?”

“Oh... uh... s-sure,” Fluttershy said, her eyes darting back to the intimidating pegasus. “I’m sure we’ll... get along just f-fine...”

Havocwing smiled, which only made her single fanged tooth more pronounced. “Oh, I bet.”

“I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, sweetheart,” Rarity said as she tucked Lockwood’s jacket around Fluttershy more snugly.

Fluttershy always enjoyed Rarity’s choice of animal metaphors; it helped put her at ease.

Rarity turned back to Havocwing and put on what Fluttershy knew was her brightest smile. “Thank you again, Miss Havocwing. Do take care of her, will you? The poor dear is very sensitive, and she is important to me. Very. Important,” she added, dropping her voice. “Understand?”

Havocwing shrugged. “No sweat.”

Rarity waved a brief farewell to Fluttershy and trotted away, leaving the two pegasi behind.

After Rarity’s departure, a silence filled the air, unbroken except by the crackling flames of the nearby campfire. Fluttershy was glad for the quiet, and began to doze off again almost instantly, as she was still tired and achy. As Rarity had said, she needed all the rest she could get.

The silence faltered when Havocwing coughed.

Fluttershy was startled by the sudden noise and attempted to move away from it. When she got nowhere, her eyes darted back to Havocwing.

“Whoa, no need to get jumpy. Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Havocwing said, her mouth curling in a nervous smile. “So, uh... yeah, how are you feeling, anyway?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. Maybe this other pony wasn’t so bad. “W-well, I still feel a little... weak,” she admitted, not meeting Havocwing’s expectant gaze. “But... at least I don’t feel much pain anymore. Only a little...”

“Getting the feeling back in your wings yet?”

“Y-yes, actually,” Fluttershy said. She turned her neck to look at her back as she attempted to flex her wings, but Lockwood’s jacket was in the way. “Oh dear... the jacket’s too tight...”

“Here, let me.”

Havocwing leaned in and loosened the jacket enough that Fluttershy could feel the bitter night air around her. Fluttershy shivered, her teeth chattering as the breeze chilled her to the bone. She was terrified at how quickly it had happened. This was nothing like having a bad cold.

“B-b-but they s-said I need t-t-to keep w-warm...” she said through clenched teeth.

Havocwing held out her hoof. To Fluttershy’s surprise, a spark appeared there and ignited a flame which Havocwing kept in-hoof, apparently unbothered by the heat at all. Fluttershy watched with rapt attention as the flame danced and trickled outward over Havocwing’s leg, changing color from red to blue. Havocwing then lifted her hoof and the flame to her mouth, and blew. The heated air rushed forth and accumulated under the jacket, puffing it outwards like a tiny hot air balloon.

Fluttershy felt a deep warmth envelop her like a freshly-dried wool blanket. The sight baffled her. This pony could make fire without flint and tinder, or a horn to use magic. Rarity had mentioned that their new friends possessed strange magicks, which were unlike anything they’d ever seen from a normal pony before, but Fluttershy hadn’t expected this.

Havocwing smiled much too widely, her fang gleaming in the light of her hoof-held flame. “That better?”

Fluttershy attempted to flex her wings again, and found that, even though she could barely feel them, the sensation of their movement was definitely there. The more she let the warmth envelop her, the better they felt and the more she could move them. They were still a little numb, and she couldn’t quite feel her individual feathers, but this was an incredible improvement.

“M-much better, yes,” she said with a nod and a smile.

“Good, you’re recovering well then.” Havocwing tucked Fluttershy back into the jacket. “Oh man, this is harder than I thought...” she muttered.

Fluttershy perked up her ears. “What’s harder?”

Havocwing froze. “What? Oh, uh... I mean, it’s hard... seeing another pony like this. I’m used to seeing my sisters get into trouble, but they’re made of tougher stuff so I’m not really sure what to say or do with somepony else.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Well, you’re doing a... good job. You’re... making me feel better.”

“Right...” Havocwing scuffed her chin, then realized her hoof was still on fire and doused it. “Well, you should be good to start walking again within a day, I guess. You’re making a good recovery.”

“Oh... y-you know about that kind of stuff?”

Havocwing pounded her chest. “Psh, yeah, total expert here. I deal with those nasty monsters on a pretty regular basis.”

Fluttershy frowned. “They’re not monsters; they’re animals. They’re just... d-different...”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow. “Uh... right... animals. What’s with the insistence?”

“Well... they’re living things, but they’re not plants or ponies, and... they don’t speak like some other creatures do, like... gryphons. To me, that makes them animals.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t like seeing animals hurt.”

“Ah, right, your friends said you were an animal lover.” Havocwing shrugged. “No offense, but out here, that kind of talent ain’t gonna help you much, even if you’re as good as your friends say.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you were some sort of... I dunno, beast tamer or something, why’d that bug thing attack you?”

Fluttershy hesitated. She was beginning to doubt it more every time she said it, but she said it anyway: “It was... just an accident.”

Havocwing sat down and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Well, that should just go to show that they’re not animals, just monsters. I mean think about it: if they were really animals, they’d respond to you, right?”

“W-well... yes, but... I mean, s-sometimes there’s a little hiccup, and—"

“And you try to tame a monster, not an animal,” Havocwing interrupted. “Hey listen, that’s okay. I mean, we all make mistakes. It’s how you react that makes the difference, yeah? Some ponies like to yell, others like to swear, some just run away and cry.”

She smirked and pointed at herself. “Then, there’s me, the best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium. When I get mad, I like to hit things,” she said, emphasizing the point by pounding her hooves together. “Usually I hit whatever's making me mad, so I tend to hit things a lot. How ‘bout you? What do you do when you’re mad?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “W-well, sometimes... I get so upset that... I could scream. It n-never really comes out as much, though... I don’t have a very loud voice...”

“But when you do it, doesn’t it make you feel better?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh no no no... I don’t like b-being mad at anypony.”

“All the better reason to let it out!” Havocwing shouted. “If you let all that anger sit inside you, you risk going off at the wrong moment. You might take it out on somepony that doesn’t deserve it, right?”

Fluttershy frowned, recalling her temper tantrum at the Gala. It was still a sore spot and she hated having it brought up, even if Havocwing didn’t know about it. “You... do have a point,” she admitted, “b-but... I really don’t want to hurt anypony... or anything, for that matter.”

“Hey, I never said anything about hurting anypony, that’s what we’re trying to prevent, right? You just gotta start slow,” Havocwing said, waving a hoof. “If somepony tries to give you a hard time, let them know that you don’t like it. Gotta show that you’re not gonna just take it, y’know? Like some sort of... doormat?”

Fluttershy was skeptical, as this sounded awfully familiar, but wanted to see where Havocwing was going with it. “Well, I’ve already kind of... had ‘assertiveness’ lessons. Lots of them, actually. They never worked quite right...”

“Then you had a crappy instructor.” Havocwing shrugged. “Listen, out here you can’t afford to be a pushover. Out here, being soft is what gets you killed. Believe me, I’ve seen it happen. That’s what happened when you tried to be nice to that monster, yeah? It hurt you?”

Monster. There was that word again. It disconcerted—no, infuriated—Fluttershy that everypony referred to those creatures as monsters. They were just animals that were doing what came naturally to them... right? Why did they have to keep referring to them as monsters? Just because they attacked her? Monsters. Hmph.

“Um... I d-don’t think they’re really monsters,” Fluttershy muttered, more to herself than to Havocwing. “They’re just animals. They’re predators sure, b-but hunting is what predators do.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “Tick Tock is right... I... just let my guard down around a... p-predator, that’s all. They’re not monsters.”

Havocwing rolled her eyes. “How many times have I heard that excuse? Listen sweetheart, those things aren’t animals, they’re just brutal, killing monsters. You haven’t gotten to see what those things can do to a pony yet, but it ain’t pretty, let me tell you. They do the same thing to each other, and that’s not predatory behavior. That’s just... wrong.”

Fluttershy recalled Tick Tock’s explanation of Gargantuan breed and hunting habits, and it struck a chord. Were Tick Tock and Havocwing right? Were those things really-

“I’m gonna keep sayin’ it until you believe me, because I don’t wanna see somepony get killed because of some stupid sentimentality. Assertiveness lesson one! When you know you’re right, don’t give up the fight!”

Fluttershy inwardly groaned. Oh dear, she thought, more rhymes to remember. “They’re animals,” she asserted, “and I know I’m r-right, so that’s all there is to it.”

Havocwing smirked. “See? There you go. You got angry there, I can tell.”

Fluttershy peeped and hid behind her mane. “Sorry...”

“Hey hey, don’t be sorry, that’s good!” Havocwing chuckled and sighed. “Seriously though, I’m telling you the cold, hard facts here. Ponies trying to make it out of the city are a Gargantuan’s favorite food, that’s all there is to it.”

Be assertive. Defend your position.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Well, like with... with any predator, if you just s-stay out of their hunting grounds, they won’t bother anypony.”

Havocwing laughed. “That might work out here, but good luck with that in the eastern Wasteland. That’s where you’re headed after this, y’know? That whole region is Gargantuan hunting territory, so you can’t go around it. Why do you think so few ponies make it to Hope’s Point?” She smirked and scuffed her chest with a hoof. “I’ve done the run a bunch of times though. Best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium. Nothing scares me.”

Fluttershy frowned. “I’m sure I could... do something to make it work.”

“I dunno... I hear you tried to tame the thing last time? Well I’ll just warn you now, do that again and your friends are gonna have to scoop you up with spoons to take you home. Sorry for the blunt metaphor,” she added when Fluttershy cringed, “but it’s true. The eastern Gargantuans are a tougher stock. They don’t mess around. So, lesson two! To avoid a messy end, you’ve gotta learn to defend!”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Defend?”

“Yup! Defend yourself, and your friends too. Those things only respond to one kind of action: violence. So, lesson three! If mutants bugs have got you down, you gotta crush ‘em to the ground!”

Fluttershy squeaked, not at all liking where this was going. “You mean- oh... b-but I could never—"

“You’re gonna have to learn somehow, otherwise you’re just putting yourself and your friends in danger. I hear your pals fought pretty hard even before your little accident. Smart ponies. A little slow on the uptake though, since you gotta use lethal force on them at all times, or they just keep coming. The bugs are stupid, but they’re not crazy: they won’t keep attacking something they think is a threat. So, lesson four! To save your time so you’re not late, don’t just fight, intimidate!”

“I... I don’t think I could ever h-hurt another creature like that, though...” Fluttershy muttered. “Th-there has to be some other way.”

“Believe me, they don’t respond to much else. Besides, you can make a little game of it.”

Fluttershy balked. “A... game?”

“My group runs into them all the time, so I’ve got a little bet running with Velvet and Grayscale on who can kill the most by the time we get to wherever we’re headed. We do it every time we take a trip out here.” Havocwing pounded her chest. “Yeah, I’m in the lead this run. Rescuing you guys really put me over the top.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. “Y-you... keep track? Of k-k-killing them?”

“Yup. Great fun.”

Be assertive. Tell her she’s wrong. Get mad!

“H-how could you?” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “How could you?! They’re animals, living things!”

“Whoa now, relax,” Havocwing said, holding out a hoof to keep Fluttershy under her covers. “I told you: they’re not animals, they’re monsters, and they should be destroyed. They can’t be reasoned with or tamed, they just kill, kill, kill. So why shouldn’t we do the same to them?”

“That’s no reason to kill them! Just... just leave them alone!”

“Like I said, in the eastern Wastelands, you can’t ‘leave them alone’. They just hunt you down relentlessly, and you can’t stop to rest because they will kill you in your sleep if given the chance. Lesson five! If all you ever do is run, when you get caught then you’ll be done.”

Fluttershy sighed and wiped her eyes. “There just... there has to be some other way.”

“Come on, haven’t you ever encountered a serious problem that you had to use force against?”

Fluttershy made to argue again, but then came to a realization: three occasions had cropped up where she and her friends had been forced to be more than assertive, more than diplomatic. Three situations where they were forced to resort to, well, force.

First there had been Nightmare Moon. She had planned to reduce Equestria to a land of eternal night, had captured Princess Celestia, and had attempted to kill her and her friends from the moment they stood in defiance of her. There was no reasoning with her, as her desire for revenge against a world she felt had snubbed her was far too great. They had to break her power using the Elements of Harmony, because she would not give it up herself. Force. Against a monster.

Then, there was Discord. He threatened to throw all of Equestria into eternal chaos, and used his incredible powers to trap her and her friends in their own bodies with minds and intentions that were not their own. Fluttershy remembered too well the thoughts of cruelty of her modified self. Discord had nearly succeeded, had it not been for the bonds of friendship between her and her friends breaking them out of the spell. Then, when it came down to the final confrontation, the only thing he responded to was using the Elements of Harmony to seal him away. Even now he threatened Equestria again, and without the Elements of Harmony, what could stop him? Force. Against a monster.

Then, there was Queen Chrysalis. She manipulated Twilight’s brother via the love he had for Princess Cadence, and had trapped her in a prison with no way out. She intended to take over Equestria, and with the power she’d drained from Shining Armor, she’d even been powerful enough to defeat Princess Celestia. She remembered Celestia’s first response being to use force, and the immediate thought afterwards was to gather the Elements of Harmony to wield against her. Force. Against a monster.

Fluttershy nodded. “S-sometimes... yes, I can see how there are those who... r-require a d-different approach...”

Havocwing smiled and patted Fluttershy’s head. “See what I mean? These monsters are like that. The sooner you realize that you can’t stop them, that you can’t run away from them, the better off you’ll be.”


	16. Inferiority

Tick Tock’s eyes darted back and forth across the folds of her map. Her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at the path they were taking, which was marked by a thick blue line next to a thick green one. The two lines stayed together throughout most of the path through the entire mountain range, except at several key points. Past these, the blue path was marked as a dotted line, signifying that it had been traveled along; the green paths, however, remained solid, meaning they had been ignored.

She scrunched her nose in irritation. Just ahead, the two colors parted again at another cliff; the green path suggested scaling it, while the blue path circled around the longer route. She lifted her nose out of the map as the party approached the cliff itself, and glanced to the side to watch Applejack and Curaçao start off along the path they had chosen.

Tick Tock coughed, and turned to Twilight. “We should keep moving straight, Sparkle. This fork is the better choice,” she said, gesturing towards the cliff. “It’s much faster.”

“Oh?” Twilight tilted her head and gestured towards the opposing path. “Didn’t Applejack and Curaçao say we were going this way?”

Tick Tock grunted. “That they did, but they’ve picked the longest route yet again. I must remind you that we are losing valuable time.”

Applejack stomped over to the pair and stepped up alongside Twilight. “And I’m remindin’ ya that we’ve got a fragile piece o’ cargo that’ll make takin’ that path a mite too difficult,” she insisted, gesturing towards Fluttershy, who slept soundly on the hammock between Rarity and Lockwood. “We chose the path we did ‘cause it’s easier ta take.”

“We have equipment for climbing,” Tick Tock said, pointing at Applejack’s saddlebag, which was filled with rope. “I insist we take the shorter route, Sparkle.”

“The rope’s fer emergencies only, not yer bad attempts at shortcuts. I insist we take th’ easier path, Twilight,” Applejack said, stomping a hoof. “Ol’ know-it-all here don’t know squat.”

Tick Tock let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, insults now is it? Look here, you stupid redneck—"

Applejack sneered and got in Tick Tock’s face. “Wanna run that by me again, tea chugger?”

Twilight groaned. “Here we go again...” She stepped between Tick Tock and Applejack and pushed them apart with a spell before anypony could come to blows. “This is the fifth time today, you two. I understand there's a difference in opinion here, but can you at least be a little less hostile about it?”

“I’ll stop being hostile when your friend here stops treating me like a bleedin’ idiot,” Tick Tock said.

“I treat ya like an idiot ‘cause y’all are an idiot,” Applejack interjected.

“If I may?” Curaçao said as she stepped forward. “Zee route Tick Tock is suggesting is faster, oui—"

Applejack looked dumbfounded; Tick Tock did not try to hide an ecstatic smirk.

“But,” Curaçao continued, “it is only faster by maybe une demi-heure—euh, thirty minutes. Not a large difference, n’est-ce pas?”

“Is that all?” Twilight shook her head and narrowed her eyes at Tick Tock. “I know we’re on a tight schedule, Tick Tock, but thirty minutes? That’s the reason you felt you should start calling my friend names?”

“That’s what she said ‘bout the last fork we took,” Applejack added, “an’ the one before that, an’ the one before that—"

“And every other split in the path, yes, thank you for clarifying for me,” Tick Tock snorted. “First of all, my path would save us roughly thirty-seven minutes and twenty-one seconds, assuming no delays. Second of all, surely you see a pattern by now, Sparkle? Thirty-plus minutes every route, times eight routes, is more than four hours. We are on a tight schedule; every minute counts.”

“Starlight and her sisters have been kind enough to offer escorting us all the way to the coastline, so I have confidence that even if we lose some time now, we can make up for it later,” Twilight said. “I am getting sick and tired of listening to you belittle Applejack, who I remind you has been nothing but helpful towards your goal of getting us home within your time limit.”

Tick Tock grit her teeth, then sighed, defeated. She’d given up on arguing. “Fine. Have it your way.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you.”

Applejack and Curaçao turned and led everypony down the right side of the cliff. Everypony, except Tick Tock. She stayed behind for a moment as the others passed by, and took a seat upon a nearby rock. She took her kerchief from her vest pocket and wiped her brow. She wasn’t tired, just stressed.

The weight of her advice seemed to drop at every opportunity, as Starlight and her sisters seemed to be just as knowledgeable as Tick Tock, but their attitudes and mannerisms meshed better with Twilight’s and her friends’: Starlight was teaching Twilight spells related to travel, which Twilight was not well-versed in; Curaçao was teaching Applejack about the various types of terrain they’d be dealing with, as Applejack was no expert in navigating deserts; Grayscale was teaching Rainbow the finer arts of scouting, ensuring that they’d be well-informed of surrounding dangers.

Tick Tock took out the tiny golden pocket watch that once belonged to Zenith. “I seem to be losing my touch,” she muttered. “Some guide I turned out to be.”

She scrubbed it with her kerchief until the unblemished spaces gleamed once again. Pewter and his father had taken good care of it, and she would be damned if she would not do the same. She popped it open, marveling again at the fact that it was still in perfect working order. Well, mostly perfect anyway. It seemed to have a minor calibration issue; the portal storm was long over, so there should be no traces of Void magicks in any form anywhere on the planet. Zenith’s Timekeeper kept picking up faint traces of the stuff, though, which bothered her.

But it was a distraction, nothing more.

“I bet if you had been the one with this assignment, they’d be home by now,” she said to the watch. “Damn it all. What would you have done, Zenith? What should I do?”

She didn’t expect a reply, and didn’t get one. With another sigh, she tucked the watch and her kerchief back into her pocket, then cantered off to catch up to the trailing figures of the rest of the traveling party.

***

Another day passed into the early evening. It was now night of the third day, according to Tick Tock, and the party had gathered at the entrance to the large cave system that ran through the Goldridge Pass. The massive opening was wide enough to fit several dozen ponies. To anypony that didn’t know the extent of the depths within, it was a great, gaping maw like the mouth of some great beast. According to Tick Tock and Curaçao, the mazelike caverns of Goldridge stretched far beneath the mountains, positioned such that passing through would save travelers several hours of time while crossing into the eastern Wastelands. They'd be on the other side of the mountains by morning on the fourth day.

“It certainly looks dark in there,” Twilight said. “Well, luckily we have plenty of unicorn magic to go around and light the way, right?”

“Ugh, I do hope it isn’t too filthy down there,” Rarity said. “I would be most displeased if I managed to make it all this way without tarnishing my gorgeously-mended dress, only to get it dirty in some cave.” She preened her dress ever so slightly in appreciation. “Mister Pewter put so much effort into it.”

“Do we really have to go this way?” Rainbow asked in a huff. “I’m getting tired of taking routes that keep me grounded. Isn’t there a route that goes, y’know, over the mountains?”

“This is the fastest way through,” Tick Tock said.

She prodded her map with a hoof, which showed both the green and blue lines heading into the cave. Only the green line actually followed a path once inside; it did, however, continue towards the coast once out of the cave, diverting quite a bit from the blue line.

“Even our two navigators agree with me on this one,” she added.

“An’ it's th’ easiest,” Applejack added. “Accordin’ ta the map there, the whole path is smooth as silk. Ain’t gonna be no trouble at all.”

“Easy for you, maybe,” Rainbow said. “It ain’t easy for us pegasi, ain’t that right Grayscale?”

Grayscale shrugged. “Walking is a waste of effort.”

“See? She doesn’t like it either. Maybe me and Gray can go over instead?”

“Splitting up might not be the best idea,” Twilight said. “Without the map, you two could get lost.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “How would we get lost? We just fly straight over and wait by the exit.”

“I would prefer if we just stick together.”

“Yeah, Dashie, haven’t you ever heard that splitting the party is a bad idea?” Pinkie said. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of the dark,” she added, wiggling her eyebrows.

Velvet’s curiosity seemed piqued. “Did somepony say, ‘scared of the dark’?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Give me a break, Pinks, I ain’t scared of the dark. I just hate cramped spaces.”

“Aww...” Velvet muttered.

“Most of us don’t like it any more zan you do, Mademoiselle Dash,” Curaçao said. She stroked her mane. “All zat dust and dirt. Berk... zink of vhat it vould do to ma perfection! Quelle catastrophe!”

“Oh I know, darling,” Rarity agreed. “Is there really no other way?”

“Not unless y’all wanna spend a few hours climbin’ through rocks ‘n’ cliffs,” Applejack said. “Really, ‘t ain’t much better climbin’ over. Wouldn’t save us any time, neither.”

“Blech,” Pinkie said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. “I’ve had enough rock-climbing for one week. The cave sounds fun! So long as we don’t run into any dragons or balrogs or Old Gods or anything like that.”

Rarity nodded. “A little spelunking sounds much more bearable than trying to scale another cliff or two.”

“Well, it looks like we’re all in agreement then,” Applejack said, adjusting her hat. “Sorry, Dash, Grayscale.”

Grayscale yawned, then shrugged. “Eh. Easier to go with the flow.”

Rainbow frowned. “Fine, whatever. I was just making a point is all.”

“Your point’s been heard, Rainbow,” Twilight interjected. “If we just get moving, we’ll be on the opposite side in no time and you’ll have your precious sky back.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Hey now Twi, come on, I didn’t mean nothin’ by it. No need to be all snippy.”

Twilight shook her head. “I just don’t want to hear any more arguing, that’s all. Applejack and Curaçao have been assigned as our navigators, so there’s no use in arguing about the route. I trust Applejack to make the right choices as much as Starlight trusts Curaçao to do the same.”

“Well put, Sparkle,” Starlight said, nodding. “Now then, if we are quite finished with this frivolous discussion, I propose that we press onward. We are squandering precious minutes with this trifling quarrel, are we not?”

“Aww, cheer up, Dashie; Twilight didn’t mean anything by it,” Pinkie said, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “C’mon now, you know I hate to see you all grumpy. Let's see a smile! Turn that frown upside down!”

Rainbow stared at Pinkie for a moment, then shook her head and sighed. “You just don't get it, Pinks...” She patted Pinkie on the head. “Thanks for trying though.”

“Does anypony else have any objections?” Twilight asked. “Let’s get them out of the way now.”

“I... I’m with Rainbow, b-but, only because it looks... dark.” Fluttershy peeped. Some of the others looked her way, eyebrows raised. She hid her face behind her mane. “Oh, n-not that I’m going to... um, argue against it, I just... don’t like the dark.”

Fluttershy was finally on her hooves again. She was still a little wobbly, but Lockwood and Rarity took turns helping her keep her balance when she needed it. Fluttershy said she actually liked feeling as if she were progressing her own recovery. Havocwing had helped motivate her to do it: “Lesson nineteen!” she’d said. “If all you do is lay in bed, you may as well be better off dead.”

Fluttershy still had to keep warm, though, so now Lockwood's jacket was her jacket. Wearing it rather than using it as a blanket made it obvious it was too big for her, and the sleeves had to be rolled up after she’d tripped on them one time too many.

“So it’s a little dark,” Havocwing said, patting Fluttershy on the back. “That ain’t no big deal; it ain’t that spooky. You gotta keep your chin up and deal with that kind of thing sometimes. If anypony gives you trouble, just remember lesson twenty-two! Somepony says you’re scared of the dark, you show them your bite’s worse than your bark!”

Fluttershy had to admit that Havocwing had a talent for rhymes, to be able to come up with such situationally-appropriate lines.

“Like... like a dog?” she asked.

“Like a wolf!” Havocwing corrected. She pounded her chest. “You gotta be fierce! I get that you like animals, so I ain’t gonna try and tell ya to change your passion or nothin’, but your animal stuff needs some work. Think about big animals. Strong ones! Vicious ones! Animals that will strike some fear into your opponents! Lions, and tigers, and bears!”

“Oh my...” Fluttershy said. “That's... interesting though. Using inspiration from my animal friends... to stand up for myself? Hmm...”

“Yeah! You gotta come outta your shell! Right now you’re like this... scared little rabbit.”

“Um... b-but rabbits don’t have shells,” Fluttershy noted. “That would make me... more like a turtle, or a tortoise? Oh! I used to have a pet tortoise, but Rainbow adopted him. He’s a tough cookie. Maybe... I should act more like him?”

Havocwing stared at Fluttershy for a moment. “Um, okay... a tortoise is fine, too.” She then shook her head. “Anyway, if you wanna be able to handle yourself, you gotta go in fierce!”

Fluttershy frowned. “W-well, to me, animals aren’t fierce, vicious, or anything like that at all. Though... I know some ponies don’t always share that opinion with me. So... to show I’m m-more independent, I have to s-show that I can be as strong as a lion?”

“That’s it, you got it!” Havocwing said. “And as fierce as a tiger!”

Fluttershy smiled. “And... as tough as a bear?”

“Boom! Exactly. You picked it up pretty quick, there.”

“Oh, but darling,” Rarity interjected, “you’re such a sweet, kind pony. Shouldn’t you be emulating something more elegant? Like a peacock, or a swan, or—"

Havocwing rolled her eyes. “Pfh, those animals are cute and cuddly and stuff. They have no place out here.”

“Well certainly not, not when those monsters are running about,” Rarity huffed. Fluttershy shot her a look, but it went unnoticed. “But, when she’s in a more civilized location, it would be most uncouth for her to act like some lionhearted troublemaker. If you insist on her taking inspiration from her animal friends, then may I at least suggest you choose a proper animal?”

“‘Proper’? Look, maybe you haven’t noticed, but I don’t do proper. And y’know what? I’m alive and kicking after dealing with all kinds of dangers that would knock all the proper right out of you.” Havocwing patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. “If Fluttershy wants to survive out here, without relying on anypony to leap to her defense, she needs to take charge!”

“Havocwing’s right,” Fluttershy said. “I w-want to be able to fend for myself, if I need to. I appreciate the thought, Rarity, but...”

Rarity sighed, then nodded. “It’s quite alright darling, I understand. Just know that if you ever need a helping hoof, I’m here for you.”

Lockwood trotted over to the three mares, and cleared his throat to get their attention. “Um, ladies? I think we should get moving; the others are getting ready to head into the cave.”

“Oh!” Rarity gasped. She turned to Fluttershy. “Come along, darling.”

“Um... I’ll be okay,” Fluttershy peeped, taking a step forward. “Y-you don’t have to- oof!”

She stumbled, but Lockwood caught her.

“Oh... um... s-sorry,” she said, her face red. “I guess I’m still a little... weak in the knees...”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll stick with you for as long as you need me,” he said with a smile.

***

Twilight wished she hadn’t called the cave “dark” earlier, because she no longer felt that was an appropriate description. The entire cave around them was nearly pitch black, its only light source the glow from Twilight’s own horn. It was enough to see ahead of her a fairly decent distance, and for her and her companions to see that the interior of the mountain was much different from the outside.

Her light reflected off of many different little surfaces that covered the otherwise dim, black walls. Various gems, more than Twilight had ever seen in one place before, dotted the walls; everypony, Rarity and Insipid especially, admired the sight. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, sunstones, moonstones, and diamonds were in great abundance, and those were just the precious gems. There were also ultra-precious gems, otherwise known as magical gems: prism stars, infinity stones, gorgon’s eyes, meteor shards, and evening marks; the list went on and on. Twilight had never seen some of these stones except in books.

“This entire mountain range is simply the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen in all my years of gem-hunting,” Rarity said in awe. “Absolutely marvelous. Oh, how it pains me that this delicious little gem of a location will soon be behind us.”

“Oh, I know!” Insipid added. “They’re all, like, so shiny and junk? It’s so totally pretty.”

“C’est incroyable!” Curaçao gasped. “I ‘ave not seen such beauté since I last looked in zee mirror.”

Insipid giggled. “Oh, like, yeah, it’s still, like, totally not as pretty as you though, Curie.”

The group rounded a corner, and the route in front of them broke into multiple paths. The pathways looked out over a massive underground lake, which was only visible from the reflections of light across its surface.

“This must be where Mister Pewter gets all his water,” Applejack said. She stepped in a puddle, and shook water off her hoof. “Sure is damp in here.”

“Does the city get their water from here too?” Twilight asked.

“Pandemonium wouldn’t bother with that. It’s too time-consuming and expensive. Goldridge Pass is the only source of pure water in the north,” Tick Tock explained. “Pandemonium purifies and desalinates ocean waters. It still has a slight taint from all the dark magicks that permeate the sea, hence why most ponies prefer Dolor Blue.”

She double-checked her map, then pointed her hoof towards the rightmost pathway. “This way, everypony,” she said, starting along that route.

Everypony followed along behind her in pairs; the paths were more narrow around the lake area. Tick Tock remained by herself at the head of the group, as she had the map. Applejack and Curaçao followed behind her, then Twilight and Starlight, with Havocwing and Rarity taking up the rear.

The group continued onward into the darkness, and minutes turned into hours. They ascended an incline up to a plateau within the cavern, which they’d marked as their resting stop for the night. The plateau was wide enough to easily accommodate hundreds of ponies, giving the party plenty of room for privacy. It was bordered on the northeastern end by a large rock wall with a pair of openings, one leading towards the coast, the other towards the Gryphon Ruins. The party traveled to the middle of the area and set up camp; Havocwing started a fire while the others set up sleeping bags and laid out food for everypony.

It was not long before everypony fell asleep.

***

Late that night, Velvet cracked one eye open, and took a look around the camp. Havocwing’s campfire had long since burned itself down to smoldering embers without its controller to stoke its flames. With what little light it still cast, Velvet could see that everypony else was fast asleep; she was glad she had developed apt scotopic vision. She shifted her gaze across the collection of ponies she was traveling with, just to make sure, then, once satisfied, let out a quiet sigh.

Good, this is the perfect time to do this. If I don’t get some sustenance soon, I’m gonna run outta juice, and that won’t do anypony any good. Let’s see... who to choose?

Velvet focused her thoughts, and after blinking once, could see faint auras around the other ponies in the camp. Most of them were rather dim. This meant they were either not dreaming much at all, or that their dreams were average and boring; perhaps they were dreaming about going shopping, or having an odd day at work. Some were brighter, meaning their dreams were happy; some were darker, meaning their dreams were sad or scary. The latter would be the perfect snack for later.

Some of the auras had a smidgen of color. This meant they were dreaming about somepony in particular, and that somepony was the same color as the aura. Insipid’s aura, for example, was blue. Velvet rolled her eyes at that; Insipid was always dreaming of Curaçao. Pinkie’s shifted colors constantly; she was likely dreaming of all of her friends. Fluttershy’s was gray, a perfect match to Lockwood’s coat; Lockwood’s, in turn was... a different shade of gray. One pony in particular, however, piqued Velvet’s curiosity: Starlight. Her aura was brighter than several of the other ponies in the group, and was colored a familiar silver.

I wonder... hmm. I’ve never looked in on the boss’s dreams before. Heh, a little peek won’t hurt.

Velvet took a deep breath, focused intently on Starlight’s aura, and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself in her father’s private chambers. She recognized the stylish décor anywhere: the gold and red-trimmed rug with the exquisite floral pattern; the mahogany desk in the corner with a matching bookcase beside it; the grand, king-sized bed—

Hey, hey, whoa. This is unexpected. And weird.

Her father’s bed was not empty. Both her father and her sister occupied it, curled up in each other’s hooves. It was not a particularly intimate embrace—in fact, it was rather dull—but it was still happening. Velvet thanked the stars that both were clothed, though the “costumes” both wore—that was really the only word she could think of to describe their clothing—were something else. Her father wore an elaborate, handsome tuxedo decorated with various medals. Her sister wore a black silk dress with frilly lace that could only be described as “revealing”.

What was she seeing here?

“Ah, my favorite daughter, your splendiferous display tonight was the most exhilarating exhibition I have witnessed in many years,” her father said, his voice even more silky-smooth than Velvet remembered it. Despite his words sounding boring and frilly, his tone was oddly seductive. “You truly are a superlative example of what a unicorn should be.”

“My thanks, father,” Starlight purred. “Please, do not cease your exaltation. I relish it so.”

“You, my most magnificent child, are superior to all others who stand before you. That I am able to claim you as my daughter is my greatest treasure in life.”

“Yes!” Starlight cried. “Praise me more, father!”

Velvet cocked an eyebrow as a sharp heat radiated throughout her body; Starlight’s dream was leaking into her own thoughts. She knew that heat only too well. Her mouth curled in a smirk, and she cocked an eyebrow; this was getting good.

Yeah, this is definitely weird. But also, kinky. Everypony has their turn-ons, I suppose. I never thought my little sis had it in her. Well, maybe she doesn’t exactly have it in her... yet.

Velvet blanched at her own train of thought.

Okay, ew, no, bad. Bad brain. Don’t think about daddy’s junk.

Starlight suddenly jerked up from their father’s bed in shock; the dreamscape around them violently shook in response. Somehow, she’d become alerted to Velvet’s presence.

“Velvet!” Starlight blurted. “What are you- why- get out!”

Velvet chuckled nervously. “Oh... uh... hey boss, what’s—"

The dreamscape disappeared entirely, and Velvet found herself back in the darkness of the cavern. She blinked her eyes to readjust to the lack of light, and saw Starlight staring right at her, one eye cracked open.

Starlight asked, her voice speaking directly into Velvet’s mind.

The spell Starlight was using was something of her own design, and allowed her and her sisters a greater degree of communication. They could speak to one another telepathically without expending an ounce of magic, though Starlight herself still served as an anchor for the spell so all communications went directly through her. Velvet found it a double-edged sword; she could speak privately if need be, but Starlight could be rather bossy.

Velvet said. She snickered. 

Starlight growled. 

Starlight sighed. __

_ Velvet wailed. ___

_ _

_ _

_ _

_ _ _ Starlight huffed. _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _Starlight sneered. _ _ _

_ _ _Velvet’s eyes widened. _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _Starlight abruptly cut the connection, filling Velvet’s ears with static, then rolled over and fell back to sleep._ _ _

_ _ _‘Enough’. Hmph... I’ve certainly had enough, that’s for sure. To hell with what the boss says. Fine, I won’t officially trade with Havoc, but that target of hers is a prime source of fear, just ripe for the taking. A little snack won’t hurt anypony. Much._ _ _

_ _ _Velvet refocused her vision on the dream auras of the other ponies, and waited until Starlight’s reappeared so she could be sure her little sister was fast asleep. Once in the clear, she glanced about at the others to pick the best candidate. In her weakened state, it would be too much effort to try and take somepony’s good dream and turn it bad. Thus, she looked specifically to the ponies with the worst dreams._ _ _

_ _ _She grinned when she laid eyes on the pony who would be her target, amused that it was exactly who she wanted to scare in the first place: Fluttershy. The pegasus squirmed weakly in her sleep, and her aura was so dark that it blended in with the cavern’s lack of light. Her dream from before had moved on, replaced by another, less pleasant one._ _ _

_ _ _Perfect, I don’t even really need to do anything. I’ll just hop on into the wimp’s dreams and snack on her nightmares. That should give me enough juice to keep up this stupid game with Pinkie._ _ _

_ _ _Velvet took a deep breath, focused herself on Fluttershy’s aura, then closed her eyes._ _ _

_ _ _When she opened them, she was surrounded by the vast expanse of the Wastelands. A loud, screeching roar from behind her drew her attention, not only to Fluttershy, but to what was giving her the nightmare. An adolescent Gargantuan pursued her across the arid sands, swinging its claws and striking with its tail in attempts to catch its prey. Velvet knew this was typical Gargantuan behavior from days of dealing with the beasts herself; she figured Fluttershy wasn’t afraid of an adult because she hadn’t seen one as her friends had._ _ _

_ _ _Velvet licked her lips and gave chase. She knew exactly how to twist this nightmare to her advantage._ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy galloped as fast as she could, not daring to look at her pursuer. She could hear the fierce steps of the Gargantuan behind her. She felt one of its claws slice through her tail, and she looked back in shock; had the creature really been that close? The beast gave a screech of anger at having missed its prey, then resumed its pursuit._ _ _

_ _ _When Fluttershy returned her gaze to the front, she was surprised to find herself facing down a massive rock wall. How it had popped up in front of her so quickly in such barren terrain was beyond her. She panicked, and turned to her left to run alongside the cliff, only to find another wall of rock on in front of her. She tried to go right instead, but met rock again. She was boxed in._ _ _

_ _ _The Gargantuan roared, drawing her attention to it. It was barring the only path out of the corner she’d somehow become trapped in. It stomped forward slowly; it knew its prey was trapped. It was being careful to ensure Fluttershy did not escape. It closed the distance, and raised one of its great claws up to strike; Fluttershy closed her eyes and waited for the blow to come._ _ _

_ _ _The creature let out a shrill shriek of pain._ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy felt blood splatter on her face. She opened her eyes in shock. The creature staggered back, its claw severed and spraying blood everywhere. Fluttershy’s gaze was drawn to the pink pony in front of her that had suddenly appeared._ _ _

_ _ _“P-Pinkie?” she muttered._ _ _

_ _ _The pink mare turned her head just slightly, and Fluttershy realized her mistake. She could see now it wasn’t Pinkie Pie at all, but one of the mare’s from Starlight’s group: Red Velvet. The two looked an awful lot alike, so much so that in the heat of the moment, it was easy to mix them up. She hardly ever interacted with the other mare, and, in fact, knew less about her than any of her sisters. So, why was she here? Furthermore, had she been the one to attack the creature? How?_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet smirked, her eyes glowing red, then turned back to the Gargantuan and rushed towards it with intent to kill. A great gash along her spine burst open, releasing a torrent of blood that streamed out and formed itself into a series of spikes and blades._ _ _

_ _ _The Gargantuan did not stand a chance. Blades sliced through claws and legs without resistance, crippling it; spikes penetrated its armored exoskeleton, tearing out innards. The creature’s shrieks of pain and terror echoed against the walls of rock around them. Blood splattered over dirt, rock, and across Velvet’s body, covering everything with rancid greenish-red gore. Velvet did not stop until all that was left of the thing was a pile of remains that could hardly be called a carcass._ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy had never seen anything like it, and was glad she hadn’t. She fought the urge to vomit; the sight was too much to bear. Velvet hadn’t just slaughtered the creature, she was eating it, wolfing down large chunks of meat like Pinkie would wolf down cake. The fact that they looked so much alike made the comparison easy, and Fluttershy wished it wasn’t so. It did not take long for the pink mare to devour all that remained of the Gargantuan._ _ _

_ _ _Then, Velvet turned on her. Fluttershy backed into the corner of the rock walls, terrified at the sight. Velvet stomped towards her, bloody tendrils flailing about. A great cloud of red and black mist permeated about her, drowning out what little light there was, until eventually, all Fluttershy could see was a pair of red eyes and a set of bright, white fangs approaching her._ _ _

_ _ _“Well hello there, Fluttershy,” Velvet’s voice said, echoing all around her. “Dinner time’s over. It’s time for dessert.”_ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy squeezed herself against the wall and covered her head with her hooves, trembling in fear. Velvet stepped closer; Fluttershy cried._ _ _

_ _ _Then, the darkness disappeared entirely, and light shined back upon the rocky outcropping. Fluttershy took a peek out from between her bangs. Velvet and the nightmare around her were gone. She rose to her hooves and glanced about to make sure she was safe, and, finding nothing, took a few steps out into the sand. Everything was quiet and calm; there was no trace of any violence whatsoever. She even glanced back at the rocky wall behind her, just to make sure. Still nothing._ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy let out a deep breath, and turned back to the path out of the corner._ _ _

_ _ _She ran right into a solid wall of black ooze._ _ _

_ _ _A face slid out of the wall and pressed its nose against hers. While its shape was distinctly pony-like, its other features were not: its eyes were wide and red, and bugged out of its head; its mouth was unnaturally wide and filled with rows upon rows of sharp fangs, and it was curled in a sadistic grin._ _ _

_ _ _The face opened its mouth to speak._ _ _

_ _ _“Boo.”_ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy screamed in terror, as loud as she could._ _ _

_ _ _It just so happened that Fluttershy could scream really loud, when she wanted to. So loud, in fact, that Red Velvet had to put her hooves to her ears in pain. The pitch was so high that it could crack glass, and she was screaming right in Velvet’s face; in her lack of focus, she did not properly abort her dream-hop, and now was directly in front of Fluttershy, in precisely the same position she’d been within the dream. The dreamscape cracked around them, replacing the vision of the Wastelands with the reality of the cavern under Goldridge._ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy was still letting out a shrill scream despite the dream ending; everypony else woke due to the noise. Each unicorn lit their horn, flooding the plateau with light._ _ _

_ _ _“What’s going on?!” Twilight exclaimed, frantically looking around for any source of danger._ _ _

_ _ _Fluttershy, in a panic, stumbled away from Velvet and practically tackled Rarity in an attempt to shield herself. “S-s-stay away from me!” she shouted, looking at Velvet with great fear in her eyes._ _ _

_ _ _“What’s the matter, dear?” Rarity asked, pulling Fluttershy close. “What happened? Oh, you’re trembling!”_ _ _

_ _ _“That girl has got a set of lungs on her like you wouldn’t believe,” Velvet muttered, twisting a hoof in her ear. “I’ve got a splitting headache now. Thanks.”_ _ _

_ _ _“J-just s-s-stay away from me!” Fluttershy shouted._ _ _

_ _ _“Did Miss Velvet do something to you, darling?” Rarity asked, shooting Velvet a glare._ _ _

_ _ _Lockwood stepped over and put his hoof on Fluttershy’s back to calm her; she jerked away at the touch, then calmed when she saw who it was. “What did she do?” he asked, keeping his tone soft._ _ _

_ _ _“Sh-sh-she scared me!” Fluttershy squeaked._ _ _

_ _ _“Oh, you poor dear,” Rarity cooed, petting Fluttershy’s mane. She glared at Velvet. “Miss Velvet, this is most unacceptable. Fluttershy is in a vulnerable state, and you took advantage of it. You should be ashamed, scaring her like that.”_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet rolled her eyes. “Oh, ease off the blame game. So I pranked her, what’s the big deal?”_ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow stepped up alongside Velvet and poked her in the shoulder. “That wasn't very nice, that’s what’s the big deal! I’m all for a good prank, but even I know where to draw the line.”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie slid up beside Rainbow and nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Fluttershy’s off-limits!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Let me guess, because she’s ‘delicate’ and ‘sensitive’, right?” Velvet snorted. “That’s exactly why she makes the best target!”_ _ _

_ _ _“She’s not your target in the the first—" Havocwing started to say._ _ _

_ _ _“Havoc!” Starlight interrupted by zipping Havocwing’s mouth closed, literally. She glared at Velvet, her mouth curled in a snarl. “Velvet, are Fluttershy’s claims genuine?”_ _ _

_ _ _“So what if they are, boss?” Velvet huffed, meeting Starlight’s glare with one of her own._ _ _

_ _ _“If they are, then you have overstepped your boundaries.” Starlight snorted and idly eyed her hoof. “Am I required to remind you of what happens when ponies contravene my edicts?”_ _ _

_ _ _“I don't care,” Velvet said, shrugging. “I can’t take anymore, and you’re not doing anything to help. I wouldn't have even had to do this if Pinkie here would once, just once, get scared of my ‘pranks’.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Pfh, you've been trying to scare me?” Pinkie asked in disbelief. She shook her head. “You’re barking up the wrong tree there, sister. I already told you I don’t scare easy. Weren’t you listening?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Sorry, I tend to tune you out sometimes.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well that’s just plain rude,” Pinkie huffed. “Besides, that’s no excuse for going after Fluttershy! Hmph! I thought you were a pretty nice pony, but now I see you’re just a Meanie McMeanerson, and that you’ve got a degree in Rudenomics with a minor in Jerkery. You’re a Grade-A Meanie!”_ _ _

_ _ _“And you’re just a tubby oaf with terrible jokes!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Whoa, excuse me? Who do you think you are, talking to Pinkie like that?” Rainbow snapped, stepping in-between Pinkie and Velvet. “You’d better take that back!”_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet snickered. “Or what? You’ll make me?”_ _ _

_ _ _“You’d better bucking believe it.”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie gasped. “Dashie! Language!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Hey, watch the way you talk to my sister, punk,” Havocwing snarled, stepping up alongside Velvet, her mouth no longer zipped shut._ _ _

_ _ _“Everypony just calm down!” Twilight interjected, stepping over to the quarrel._ _ _

_ _ _Velvet tilted her head towards Twilight. “You keep out of this, brainiac.”_ _ _

_ _ _“I’ve got this covered, Twi,” Rainbow said, taking another step towards Velvet and Havocwing. “Come on, you two wanna go? You want a piece of me?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Just a piece? I’ll take the whole thing,” Velvet snickered._ _ _

_ _ _Flathoof stepped over and put himself between the arguing mares. “Hang on now, there’s no reason for any of this to come to blows.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Out of the way, Flathoof!” Rainbow shouted._ _ _

_ _ _“Yeah, you stay out of this too, beefcake,” Velvet said._ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing snorted smoke. “Your scrawny friend wants to throw down, let’s see her try it.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Velvet, Havoc, enough!” Starlight shouted, stepping up to the quarrel and pushing Velvet and Havocwing back with a field of magic. “You two are conducting yourselves in a fashion that demands immediate reprimanding. You are treading on thin ice.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Red started it!” Havocwing blurted._ _ _

_ _ _“Oh, so now this is my fault?!” Velvet exclaimed. “If you would’ve just let me trade like I asked—"_ _ _

_ _ _Starlight snarled. Through clenched teeth, she asked, “Are you questioning my orders?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ma capitaine, calm yourself,” Curaçao said, stepping up to Starlight’s side. “It vould désavantageux to lose your temper.”_ _ _

_ _ _Starlight glared at Curaçao. “I will see to it that Velvet is disciplined for her gross breach in protocol! This matter is not open for discussion!”_ _ _

_ _ _“I think I’ve heard enough of this,” Twilight interjected, her face bearing a scowl._ _ _

_ _ _“What?” Starlight asked, eyebrow raised._ _ _

_ _ _“The bunch of you are busy arguing, but you’re more concerned with who’s to blame. None of you are concerned with how this has affected Fluttershy at all. Just look at her!”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight pointed in the aforementioned pony’s direction. Fluttershy was trembling on the ground, huddled up tight in Lockwood’s jacket and clinging to Rarity as if for dear life. Her eyes were closed and she kept her face mostly hidden with her mane, obviously not daring to look in Velvet’s direction._ _ _

_ _ _“She is absolutely terrified right now,” Twilight continued. “You went too far, Miss Velvet.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh please, that was a low-grade bit,” Velvet dismissed, rolling her eyes. “She’ll be fine in a few hours. I guess. Maybe.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Velvet, would you kindly keep your corpulent mouth shut?” Starlight hissed. “Your continued speaking is not impacting the situation in any positive fashion.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well maybe if she wasn’t such a wimp.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh for buck’s sake!” Havocwing spat. “Red, shut up!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Make me!”_ _ _

_ _ _“I apologize, Starlight,” Twilight said, turning her firm glare over to the other unicorn. “I don’t think Fluttershy would feel safe around Miss Velvet any longer, and Miss Velvet’s continued insults and hostile attitude don’t make me confident that the situation can change. I’m sorry, but I think it would be in Fluttershy’s best interests if my group continues on to the coast on our own.”_ _ _

_ _ _Silence overtook the group._ _ _

_ _ _Several moments later, Starlight spoke. “What?”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight shook her head. “I’m sorry that it comes down to this. I know the rest of us like you all... but I want Fluttershy to feel safe. She’s gone through enough this week.”_ _ _

_ _ _“It was one time!” Velvet blurted._ _ _

_ _ _Starlight and her sisters all turned their heads to glare at Velvet._ _ _

_ _ _“Velvet, tais-toi, tu ne vas faire qu’aggraver les choses,” Curaçao said._ _ _

_ _ _“Really, Sparkle, there will be no need for any of that,” Starlight said. “I have pledged my team’s time to escorting you and your friends to the coast. I do not intend to terminate our verbal contract merely because of my misguided sister. She will be disciplined, I assure you.”_ _ _

_ _ _“That won’t be necessary,” Twilight said. “My friends and I can make it to the coast on our own. I don’t want to force our groups to travel together, and that’s what we’d be doing. It’s been nice traveling with you all, but this is where we part ways.” She turned to face her friends. “Come on, everypony. We’re leaving.”_ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow groaned. “Do we have to, really?”_ _ _

_ _ _“C'mon Dash, y’all heard Twilight,” Applejack said, stepping up and putting her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Ya don't wanna make things hard on Fluttershy, do ya?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well, no, but... aww... horseapples,” Rainbow sighed._ _ _

_ _ _“Awww... c’mon you guys,” Insipid said, stepping up beside Curaçao. “I, like, totally don’t want you guys to leave. I mean, who’s gonna help me with my mane and junk?”_ _ _

_ _ _Curaçao put a hoof to Insipid’s mouth. “It might be best if you remain quiet too, ma copine.” She turned to Twilight’s group as they were walking away. “Zis does not need to end zis vay. Reconsider, s’il vous plaît?”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight turned to Curaçao and frowned. “I am sorry, Miss Curaçao, but I don’t feel comfortable with making Fluttershy and Miss Velvet travel together, nor do I feel comfortable with Miss Velvet being disciplined for our sake. Besides which, your group needs to get back to your mission in the ruins, don’t you? Thank you again, for everything you’ve done.”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight next turned to Tick Tock. “Tick Tock, lead the way.”_ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock smirked and drew out her map. “Right away, Sparkle.”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight and her friends started on their way towards the rightmost opening in the cavern wall, towards the coast._ _ _

_ _ _Starlight watched in worry, biting her lip in thought. In less than an hour, all of her and her father’s plans had been completely ruined._ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing swept up alongside Starlight. “Boss! We can’t just let them leave!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ma capitaine, zere is little time. You ‘ave to do somezing,” Curaçao added. “Papa vould not be pleased. Dépêchez-vous!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Do not rush me! I am attempting to devise a solution!” Starlight hissed. She remained silent in thought, then turned to Curaçao. “Assist me in this endeavor, Curaçao.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oui, ma capitaine,” Curaçao said with a salute._ _ _

_ _ _Starlight stepped forward and called out, “Sparkle! Wait!”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight stopped and turned to Starlight, though she was clearly impatient. “Yes?”_ _ _

_ _ _Starlight and Curaçao trotted up to Twilight. Starlight shook her head. “I apologize for my sister’s behavior. She is not accustomed to extended expeditions such as this. She has developed... cabin fever, if you will.”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight nodded. “I know what it’s like to be cooped up without anything you enjoy, but if that is the case, then it may be better for us to separate after all. My friends and I have kept your group from your task for too long as it is. If Miss Velvet hopes to recover from her cabin fever, then you’ll need to complete your assignment quickly.”_ _ _

_ _ _Curaçao clicked her tongue. “Oui, zat may be true, but ma capitaine ‘as made un contrat viz votre équipe. It would not do to break it.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Yes, I am a mare of professional integrity, and I must insist we maintain the contract that we agreed upon,” Starlight said._ _ _

_ _ _“Well...” Twilight hummed, then turned to her friends. “Let me discuss it with my friends first.”_ _ _

_ _ _Starlight’s eyebrow twitched, but she otherwise hid her annoyance. “Yes, of course.”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight trotted back to her friends. “What do you think, everypony?” she asked in a whisper as they all huddled together._ _ _

_ _ _“Absolutely not,” Rarity hissed. “That hooligan frightened dear Fluttershy half to death, and threatened Rainbow Dash as well. Regardless of Miss Shadow’s assertions, such behavior is unacceptable.”_ _ _

_ _ _“I say we stick with ‘em,” Rainbow said. “I’ve got no problems handling myself if that creep job wants to try anything. I can always ask Gray to keep her in check. Gray’s pretty reliable, y’know?”_ _ _

_ _ _“It’s kind o’ hard ta decide, really,” Applejack said, adjusting her hat in thought. “They’re offerin’ ta help us get through the eastern Wastelands, so that’ll help us get home that much quicker. Then again, y’all’re right Twi, I don’t really trust that Velvet mare ta keep herself under control, even if Miss Shadow is tryin’ ta help.”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie tapped her hoof to her chin. “Wellll, I suppose I can forgive and forget. I can’t really stay mad at anypony, even they are a big ol’ Meanie McMeaniepants. I’ll keep my eye on Fluttershy. I’ll be like... her bodyguard! Her watchdog! Her guardian! Nopony’ll get past me!”_ _ _

_ _ _“I say we get back a little sense of normalcy and leave them behind,” Tick Tock said. “I disagree with the sentiment that we need their help. Applejack’s been a good enough study of using my map, and the road ahead is such that there won’t be any arguing about whose route is right or wrong. Furthermore, Sparkle, you have more than enough power to handle anything out there, if only you’d use it. We’ll be more cautious this time, that’s all.”_ _ _

_ _ _Flathoof shook his head. “I think we should stick with them. If the eastern Wastelands are worse than the western Wastelands, I don’t see how we can make it across without their help. But I’m speaking from a lack of experience.”_ _ _

_ _ _“I agree with Applejack: it’s not exactly an easy decision to make,” Lockwood said. “Personally, I don’t think we should be making the decision at all, seeing as how none of us are at the heart of the issue. We should be asking Fluttershy what she wants to do.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well said, my dear Lockwood,” Rarity agreed._ _ _

_ _ _Twilight nodded. “You’re right.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, what do you want to do?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Um... w-well... I really don't want to travel with them anymore...” Fluttershy muttered_ _ _

_ _ _“Aww, c’mon, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said. “They’re not all that bad! We’ll keep that Velvet creep away from you!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh... I’m s-sorry...”_ _ _

_ _ _“Rainbow Dash, really!” Rarity huffed. “Fluttershy has made her decision, so don’t try to change her mind.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well, that’s that then,” Twilight said. “Four votes for leaving, three for staying, and two declined. Majority rules: we’re leaving without them.”_ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow threw her hooves in the air. “But—"_ _ _

_ _ _“That’s final, Rainbow,” Twilight interrupted._ _ _

_ _ _She turned back to Starlight and shook her head. “I really am sorry, Starlight, but we’ve made our decision, and we’re going to continue on to the coast without you. I really have enjoyed our time together, and I’m sorry things have come to this, but I have to keep my friends’ interests in mind.”_ _ _

_ _ _“I see. Very well. I, too, regret that these unfortunate circumstances have befallen us,” Starlight sighed. She turned to her sisters, and gestured towards Twilight’s group. “Sisters, it would appear as though altering our plans is in order. We will no longer be escorting Sparkle’s party to the coast.”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie suddenly tripped. “Oof! Uh... uh-oh...”_ _ _

_ _ _“What’s wrong, Pinks?” Rainbow asked, helping Pinkie up. “You okay?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Pinchy knee, Dashie...”_ _ _

_ _ _Starlight flared her horn and fired a massive blast of energy over the heads of Twilight’s party. It impacted the cavern wall behind them, demolishing the opening leading towards the cavern exit._ _ _

_ _ _“W-what are you doing?!” Twilight shouted._ _ _

_ _ _Starlight glared in Twilight’s direction. “Instead, we will be escorting them back to the city. Remember your orders: the Elements of Harmony are to be apprehended alive. Apply lethal force to the others if need be. I will provide tactical assistance from the rear.”_ _ _

_ _ _She lit her horn again, firing a bolt of brilliant silver light that struck the ceiling. Within seconds, the entirety of the underground cavern was illuminated; where once it was darker than the darkest night, now it was brighter than the clearest day, and the walls shined all the colors of the rainbow._ _ _

_ _ _Before anypony else could move, Pinkie sprung forward. “Wait, hold on! If we’re gonna have a big battle sequence, it calls for a little fighting music!”_ _ _

_ _ _To everypony’s surprise, she pulled a boom-box from one of the saddlebags they’d set aside and placed it to the floor. She then pressed the Play button, and loud, upbeat music filled the air, echoing throughout the cavern._ _ _

_ _ _“What in Equestria?” Starlight muttered. She shook her head. “Enough foal games! Sisters! Attack!”_ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing bolstered forward first and charged at Rainbow, leveling a forehoof at her face._ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow ducked and rushed upwards, knocking the wind out of the other pegasus and pushing her towards the ceiling._ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing kicked her way out of Rainbow’s grip about a yard away from crashing into the gem-laden rock, knocking Rainbow off-course. Rainbow swerved and darted away; Havocwing gave chase._ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow was much too fast, leaving Havocwing behind. Havocwing beat her wings as hard as she could to chase Rainbow in great arcs around the cavern’s ceiling, but just couldn’t catch up._ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing snarled. “Fight me like a mare you stupid—"_ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow screeched to a halt, looped around in a u-turn, then tackled Havocwing and slammed her into the ceiling._ _ _

_ _ _“Careful what you wish for, dragon breath!” Rainbow shouted, laughing and rocketing off again._ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing recovered, shook her head, and resumed her pursuit. “Get back here, Rainbow Crash!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh, yeah, like I haven’t heard that before. Gonna have to do better than that, stinkbrain!”_ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing lit up a tiny fireball, then flung it just past Rainbow’s head; she’d been aiming to actually hit Rainbow, but missed._ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow looked behind her. “Whoa! I thought your boss said you wanted me alive!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ha! You’d be surprised what you can live through, punk!” Havocwing shouted. “I can always use the target practice!”_ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow smirked. “With your aim, yeah, I bet you could. Just try and catch me, hot head!”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale stared down Applejack, Flathoof, and Twilight, all of whom remained still, not taking their eyes off of her. She took a step forward; Flathoof and Applejack shifted in place, and Twilight dug her hooves into the dirt. “You guys are jittery,” she said, bored. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of me?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Fat chance,” Applejack said, stomping a hoof on the ground. “Three against one don’t look like mighty good odds ta me.”_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale shrugged. “No, I suppose not. You might need another pony or two to come close to even.” She lifted a hoof and gestured for Applejack and Flathoof to come at her. “Let’s go. Try and keep up.”_ _ _

_ _ _Applejack and Flathoof rushed forward. Grayscale flicked her wings, and they both slowed to a crawl._ _ _

_ _ _Twilight’s eyes widened. “Is that... gravity magic? You can use magic too?”_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale nodded. “Pretty much.”_ _ _

_ _ _“A lil’ help here, Twi!” Applejack shouted._ _ _

_ _ _Twilight smirked. “I happen to know a lot about gravity magic. How about a taste of your own medicine?!”_ _ _

_ _ _She charged her horn and fired a bolt of stunning magic. Grayscale moved as little to the side as was necessary to avoid it. It screeched just past her head._ _ _

_ _ _Applejack and Flathoof regained their balance and charged forward again. “Good distraction, Twi!” Applejack shouted._ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale flicked her wings again. As soon as Applejack and Flathoof’s hooves touched the ground, they bounced into the air, as light as feathers._ _ _

_ _ _“Whoa nelly!” Applejack exclaimed as she sailed upwards. “Get me down from here!”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight fired another bolt of magic at Grayscale. Grayscale flicked her wings, causing Flathoof and Applejack to slam back into the ground directly in the path of Twilight’s blast. Twilight gasped and jerked her head to the side; her magic swerved aside, mimicking the motion._ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale flicked her wings again, and Twilight collapsed to the floor, same as Applejack and Flathoof. “I was right,” she yawned. “You guys are boring.”_ _ _

_ _ _Applejack stood up, even under the crushing weight, and began to move forward. “Y’all ain’t... done with me yet... featherbrain...”_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale raised an eyebrow. “Hmm... you’re a strong one.” She flicked her right wing; Applejack slammed to the floor. “But, I think I’m out of your league.”_ _ _

_ _ _Applejack slowly struggled to her hooves again. “Who’s... outta... whose... league?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Curious,” Grayscale said._ _ _

_ _ _She flicked her right wing again. Applejack crashed to the floor, but, to Grayscale’s continued surprise, managed to fight her way to her hooves once again. Grayscale glanced at Twilight and Flathoof, who were each still struggling to even lift their heads off the ground, let alone their whole bodies._ _ _

_ _ _“Very curious. You look like you require a different approach.” She cracked a tiny smile. “This might actually require effort.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Just... shut yer... feather-stuffed... mouth...” Applejack spat, “and fight... like a mare!”_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale shrugged. “As you wish.”_ _ _

_ _ _She flicked her wings again, lifting the pressure off of Applejack and allowing her to rise upright._ _ _

_ _ _Applejack lunged at Grayscale as soon as she was able._ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale flapped her great wings just once, and soared towards the ceiling. Applejack landed just short of Grayscale’s hooves._ _ _

_ _ _Applejack glared at the retreating pegasus. “Is this what ya call fightin’ like a mare?! I ain’t got wings, ya dirty, rotten cheater!”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid stared down Rarity and Tick Tock, trying her best to keep up with two opponents at once. Rarity was helping Tick Tock by empowering her magic, allowing her to strike at Insipid’s defenses with a great deal more power than Insipid was expecting. She was already getting winded._ _ _

_ _ _“Like, hey! This is so totally unfair!” Insipid complained as she deflected another attack. “So! Mondo! Unfair!”_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid’s shield was lopsided, not at all spherical as most barriers were. Tick Tock’s bolts of magic struck the shield in random spots, careening about but never reflecting back at Tick Tock herself, or anypony else for that matter._ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock groaned as another bolt went flying towards the the ceiling, harmless. “Would you stop your bleedin’ whining and stand still?!” she snapped. “You’re making this bloody well more difficult than it needs to be!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Cha. Yeah right. Like, that would be totally dumb?” Insipid said, rolling her eyes. “Stand still? What, like I’m some sort of target dummy and junk?”_ _ _

_ _ _“‘Dummy’ would be pretty accurate!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Darling, really, all this roughhousing is most unnecessary,” Rarity said to Tick Tock. She turned to Insipid. “Just stand down, Insipid. With my magic at Miss Tock’s side, she’s more powerful than you are. I don’t want to hurt you, but I certainly can’t speak for her, and as you are threatening my friends and I, I wouldn’t try to stop her.”_ _ _

_ _ _Another blast from Tick Tock struck Insipid’s shield dead-on, knocking her off her hooves. She stood back upright and stared the other two unicorns down. “Um, you guys can, like, totally bite me? The boss says I have to, y’know, subdue you and junk? Sooo... yeah, like, bring it on!”_ _ _

_ _ _Another blast of magic knocked her down again._ _ _

_ _ _“But hey, like, take it easy!” she shouted as she struggled back to her hooves._ _ _

_ _ _“Ma copine! Écoutez!” Curaçao shouted from the sidelines._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid perked up and tore her attention away from the other two unicorns to face Curaçao, who was standing beside Starlight. “Curie? Ooh! What’s up?!”_ _ _

_ _ _“If you want to vin zis, you ‘ave to go on zee offensive! Stop playing zee turtle game and attack!”_ _ _

_ _ _“But Curie,” Insipid said with a pout, “I, like, suck at that kind of stuff...”_ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock fired another bolt. Insipid couldn’t block it, as she’d dropped her shield to talk to Curaçao; so, she leapt aside instead._ _ _

_ _ _“Hey, like, I am trying to have a conversation here!” Insipid snapped._ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock huffed. “Can we focus, please? You can talk with your friend after I kick your bleeding arse all over this plateau.”_ _ _

_ _ _“As if we would allow you to receive coaching,” Rarity said, shooting Curaçao a glare. “If she wants to help you that badly, then perhaps she shouldn’t be on the sidelines, hmm?”_ _ _

_ _ _“And get her hooves dirty, like, fighting you losers? Like, no way.” Insipid rolled her shoulders and ground her hooves into the dirt. “You two are mine.”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet and Pinkie circled around one another, staring each other down as if they were mortal enemies._ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie bounced up onto her hind hooves, and started boxing with her forehooves. “Alright, Red, c’mon, put ‘em up! Put ‘em uuup!” She swung her hoof through the air in a chopping motion. “Hya! Ha! You’re goin’ down you big meanie!” She leapt up and delivered a mid-air kick. “Hooo-aaah! Yaaah!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Stars, you are such an idiot,” Velvet muttered._ _ _

_ _ _“You talk tough, but can you back it up?” Pinkie gestured for Velvet to bring it on. “Round one! Ready?! Fight!”_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet grinned wide and rolled her shoulders. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this. Let’s go, airhead!”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie bounded at Velvet, flailing her arms like a maniac; Velvet leapt forward to meet her. They clashed in a flurry of hooves: Pinkie chopped a hoof over Velvet’s head; Velvet swept Pinkie’s legs; Pinkie rebounded and leveled a punch at Velvet’s midsection; Velvet blocked it and tossed Pinkie away._ _ _

_ _ _The assault continued for several moments before finally, the two separated, out of breath._ _ _

_ _ _“Oh, you’re good!” Pinkie giggled, suddenly filled with pep again. “Usually when I spar with Dashie, one of us is able to get a good hit in. Usually Dashie.”_ _ _

_ _ _“I’m not your stupid girlfriend,” Velvet spat. “C’mon, let’s see how long you can keep up this dodging game.”_ _ _

_ _ _Suddenly, Pinkie panicked and pointed frantically behind Velvet. “Watch out!”_ _ _

_ _ _“What?”_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet looked behind her. Nothing was there. She started to turn back around, but Pinkie pushed her to the ground and bounded out of range almost as quickly._ _ _

_ _ _Velvet snarled and glared at Pinkie. “You... tricked me.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh wow, I can’t believe you fell for that.” Pinkie laughed. “Seriously, that’s the oldest trick in the book!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ha. Ha. Ha. Just keeping running your mouth.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Hey, no hard feelings. Here, let me help you.”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie approached and reached out a hoof to help Velvet up, who, in a state of surprise and confusion at the gesture, reached for Pinkie’s hoof, then fell back to the floor as Pinkie pulled her hoof away._ _ _

_ _ _“Oh come on, Red,” Pinkie giggled. “I can’t believe you fell for that, too! I thought you were a master of pranks!”_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet’s eye twitched as she rose to her hooves. “I am not! A master! Of pranks!” she snapped._ _ _

_ _ _She leapt at Pinkie again, but Pinkie sidestepped and avoided it; Velvet tumbled to the dirt behind her._ _ _

_ _ _“Are you sure?” Pinkie asked, scratching her head. “See, ‘cause, all that stuff you did sure seemed like pranks.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Those are meant to scare ponies, not embarrass them!” Velvet spat. “Like what I did to that wimpy little pegasus! You’re the one who thinks they’re pranks, nimrod!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ooh, more name-calling? Well two can play at that game, loudmouth.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Me? I’m the loudmouth? Just shut up, you fat, stupid idiot!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Make me, bubble-butt,” Pinkie snorted._ _ _

_ _ _Velvet was taken aback. “Did... did you just call me fat?!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well yeah, ‘cause, you have the same figure as me, so since you think I’m fat, well then logically—"_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet screamed, “By the stars, do you ever stop talking?!”_ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie shrugged. “Nnnope!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Gaaahhh!”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale swerved to avoid another volley of magical bolts from below, fired by Twilight. She glanced down to gauge her next attack. Applejack and Flathoof stood at Twilight’s sides, unable to do anything while Grayscale was airborne. Applejack, obviously growing impatient, moved off towards one of the other battles._ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale wasn’t about to allow that. She swooped over to a nearby stalactite, briefly flicked her wings, then kicked it before flicking her wings again. The stalactite plummeted to the ground and crashed just a yard in front of Applejack’s path; the impact knocked her down._ _ _

_ _ _Applejack stumbled to her hooves. “C’mon down here and fight like a mare!” she shouted. “Ya danged coward!”_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale kicked another stalactite just as she’d done the first. Applejack leapt aside to avoid it as it came crashing down, and tumbled through the dirt._ _ _

_ _ _Flathoof galloped over, avoiding a stalactite aimed at him, and helped Applejack up. “You okay?”_ _ _

_ _ _Applejack jerked her shoulder away from Flathoof. “Thanks, I guess.”_ _ _

_ _ _“I’m not sure taunting her is such a good idea,” he said, glancing upwards to make sure she wasn’t preparing another attack._ _ _

_ _ _“Relax. I do this with Dash all the time,” Applejack explained. “Most pegasi got really big egos. They think they’re so darn great ‘cause they can fly ‘n’ all.” She smirked and glanced upwards. “So, I call her a chicken, she comes down here in a hissy fit, and she fights us fair ‘n’ square.”_ _ _

_ _ _“It’s a tried and true method,” Twilight said, firing another blast upward._ _ _

_ _ _“That doesn’t seem to be working,” Flathoof said, looking upward to watch Grayscale effortlessly dodge Twilight’s attack._ _ _

_ _ _“Jus’ gotta keep at it,” Applejack said. She shot him a quick glance. “What, y’all don’t trust me?”_ _ _

_ _ _Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “What? What brings that on?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Nevermind, we got more important things ta worry ‘bout.” She turned her attention back to Grayscale and shouted, “C’mon, ya darn chicken! Are y’all too scared ta fight us mare-ta-mare... ta-mare... ta-stallion?!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Nice save,” Twilight muttered. “Well, at least if you keep her focused on your yelling, maybe I can get a solid stunbolt in.”_ _ _

_ _ _Twilight fired another volley of magical bolts at the pegasus above them._ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale easily avoided them, yet again. She yawned in response._ _ _

_ _ _“Ya think y’all ‘re some kinda big shot?!” Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground. “C’mon! Bring yerself down here!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh no, whatever shall I do?” Grayscale said, feigning interest. “Applejack sure is being mean. Maybe I should go down there and teach her a lesson.”_ _ _

_ _ _“See?” Applejack said, giving Flathoof a confident smirk. “She’ll be down here in no time at—"_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale rocketed into the ground, shattering earth and knocking Applejack, Flathoof, and Twilight backwards into the ring of rocks around them._ _ _

_ _ _She absently eyed her boot. “Now, what was that about fighting mare-to-mare?”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing snarled. Her most recent fireburst—the entire barrage of them, in fact—had missed Rainbow by dozens of yards. The other pegasus was just too fast, too agile, and too erratic to get a solid strike on. Havocwing cursed her inability to let loose with lethal force; if she were allowed to bring her full force to bear, she knew she’d be able to hit Rainbow easily._ _ _

_ _ _“Stop moving so damn fast!” she shouted, and fired another volley just past Rainbow’s multi-colored trail. “You’re just making this harder on yourself!”_ _ _

_ _ _“You’re gonna have to explain that logic to me, dragonbreath!” Rainbow shouted back. “I’m not even flying at top speed here. Not very hard at all.”_ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing growled and fired another barrage. She didn’t land a single hit. Again. “Keep talking, you stupid bitch! I’m gonna beat you until you can’t bucking see straight! You hear me?! I’m going to buck you up!”_ _ _

_ _ _“You’re gonna have to hit me, first!” Rainbow cackled, looping around and sweeping past Havocwing’s head. “Do you need glasses back there, torchy? You couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Shut up! I’ll hit your barn!”_ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow snickered. “Whoa, good one! That’s Grade-A material there. How long did it take you to come up with that one?”_ _ _

_ _ _Havocwing grit her teeth; her eye wouldn’t stop twitching in anger. She swept around in pursuit of Rainbow, blazing through her own explosions. Her speed increased; the flames from her explosions trailed behind her in the same manner as Rainbow’s prismatic trail, like rocket exhaust. The flames lingered behind her like a wall of fire._ _ _

_ _ _Rainbow dove to avoid crashing into one of these such walls as she swung around to doubleback on Havocwing again. “Hey, new trick! What’s the matter, hothead? Can’t catch me, so you’re trying to give me even more stuff to avoid?”_ _ _

_ _ _“You’re gonna run out of room eventually, flankface!” Havocwing snapped, “and when you do, we’ll see how useful that speed of yours really is!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Bring it on, punk!”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _Rarity kept her attention firmly focused on assisting Tick Tock with her magic. While she didn’t like having to pick on Insipid, she wanted to make sure Curaçao didn’t try anything funny._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid huffed, puffed, and tried to catch her breath, but while Tick Tock had given her a moment’s reprieve, it wasn’t much. As soon as she was back on her hooves, Tick Tock fired another spell. Insipid guarded against it, but her shield was wearing down; the bolt forced her back._ _ _

_ _ _“Okay, like, seriously? This sucks!” Insipid said, her lips puckering into a duck-like pout. “You guys are sooo mean!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ma copine!” Curaçao shouted, drawing Insipid’s attention back to the sidelines. “Do you see now vhy you must attack?”_ _ _

_ _ _“I’m trying Curie!” Insipid whined. “She’s not letting meee!”_ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock groaned and put a hoof to her temple. “If it will stop you from opening your mouth for a few seconds, just take a bloody shot! Stars, if have to listen to any more of your bleeding whining, I’m going to have an aneurysm!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Zere, ma copine! Use your magic and attack!” Curaçao commanded._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid nodded. “Okay, like, here I go!” She took a deep breath and fired her own bolt of magic at Tick Tock._ _ _

_ _ _The bolt sailed past Tick Tock’s head. By about twenty yards. Everypony lost sight of the burst as it traveled into the distance._ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock blinked. “That was the worst magic attack. Ever. Of all time.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Not my fault,” Insipid said. “The sun was, like, in my eyes?”_ _ _

_ _ _Curaçao sighed. “Ma copine...”_ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock shrugged. “Well, you had your chance.” She fired another bolt, once again knocking Insipid off balance._ _ _

_ _ _“No fair! Do-over!” Insipid wailed._ _ _

_ _ _“Ma copine!” Curaçao called, drawing Insipid’s attention again. “Per’aps you should extend zee ‘oof of surrender, non? You are clearly outmatched.”_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid gave Curaçao a pleading look. “B-but Curie... the boss said—"_ _ _

_ _ _“Nonsense. Zee capitaine would not want you to be seriously injured, and you are too weak to do zis on your own. Go on zen. Offer zem zee ‘oof of surrender.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Okay, that’s like, the second time you said that?” Insipid said, raising an eyebrow. “I have no idea what that—"_ _ _

_ _ _Curaçao put her hoof to her face. “It means to offer your ‘oof and shake on zee terms of your surrender. Shake. ‘ooves. Oui?”_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid blinked, then murmured, “Ohhh...” She turned to Tick Tock and Rarity. “Okay okay, like, I give up! All this fighting is totally icky and junk, I don’t wanna do it anymore. Curie’s right—she’s always right—and I don’t want to, like, get hurt?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Glad to see you’ve come to your senses,” Tick Tock said. “Now maybe we can not have to listen to you anymore.”_ _ _

_ _ _Rarity frowned and shook her head. “I do hope you can forgive us for having to be so rough with you, darling. I never wanted it to come to this.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Like, yeah yeah, I get it, okay?” Insipid grumbled._ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock gestured for Rarity to follow her. “Come along, Rarity, let’s go lend the others some assistance.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Yes, of course,” Rarity said with a nod._ _ _

_ _ _“Hey!” Insipid shouted._ _ _

_ _ _“Eh?” Tick Tock said._ _ _

_ _ _“We’re not, like, done here!” Insipid said, limping forward._ _ _

_ _ _“Uh... you just surrendered.”_ _ _

_ _ _Curaçao shook her head. “You ‘ave not made zee surrender officielle. You must shake ‘ooves. C’est la procédure approprié—zee proper procedure. I insist on un certain degré de professionnalisme.”_ _ _

_ _ _Tick Tock grunted. “And just who are you to insist anything, you bloody tart?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Oh please, Tick Tock, just humor the poor girl,” Rarity snorted. She turned to Insipid and offered her hoof. “Come on then, darling.”_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid nodded and stepped forward again. “Right. I’m like, totally under your—" She stumbled forward and tripped to the ground. “Oww...”_ _ _

_ _ _“This is bloody ridiculous,” Tick Tock muttered. “I feel like I’m dealing with a foal, here.”_ _ _

_ _ _Rarity sighed and stepped forward. “Really, dear, you must be more careful.” She offered a hoof to Insipid to help her up._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid grinned wide and grabbed Rarity’s hoof. “Thanks!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Aaahhh!” Rarity screamed as a powerful burst of pain surged through her body._ _ _

_ _ _“Rarity!” Tick Tock exclaimed._ _ _

_ _ _She fired a bolt of magic, but Insipid raised a barrier to block it, sending the bolt reflecting away directly at Tick Tock; Tick Tock had to duck to avoid being struck by her own spell. The shield had been brighter, smoother, and, judging from the angle the blast had been deflected at, more effective._ _ _

_ _ _“H-how?” Tick Tock sputtered. “You were running low on magic! There’s no way you could cast a shield that effective!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Like, cha, right?” Insipid said, flipping her mane and sticking her nose in the air. “I’m, like, hooked up to my own private battery? Her magic is my magic, now.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Let... go... of me...” Rarity growled through clenched teeth as she tried to yank her hoof away. “You uncouth... little... aaahhh!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Ah ah ah!” Insipid chided. “No need to be, like, rude, Rarity. That’s so totally unladylike and junk?”_ _ _

_ _ _Rarity went limp and fell to the floor, unconscious._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid laughed and rose to her hooves, refreshed. She casually flipped her mane, giggling when her hoof passed through it without catching on any tangles. Her hair had smoothed out slightly and now had a healthy shine._ _ _

_ _ _“What did you do to her?!” Tick Tock demanded._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid smirked. “And just who are you to, like, ask anything, jerkface?” She cracked her neck and let out a sigh. “Ahh, this feels, like, marvelous. Rarity’s got a kinda weird power though... hmm. Let’s see how this, like, works.”_ _ _

_ _ _She took a deep breath and lit up her horn, letting her magic flow about her. At first, nothing seemed to happen._ _ _

_ _ _Then, Tick Tock, who was closest, felt her magical power becoming refreshed and energized; curiously, it felt exactly as if it were Rarity herself amplifying her magic. She raised an eyebrow in confusion; Insipid was not focusing her own magic on enhancing Tick Tock’s at all, but seemed to be generating an aura that was causing the boosting effect._ _ _

_ _ _The aura continued flowing outward into the rest of the cavern at a snail-like pace, far enough out that it reached the other battles progressing around the plateau._ _ _

_ _ _The next pony the aura reached was Applejack, who stopped immediately as the odd sensation pulsed through her. “What in tarnation?” she muttered, looking around and patting herself down. “What’s this here—"_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale interrupted Applejack’s thoughts by crashing down next to her. Applejack was sent flying into a nearby rock—through a nearby rock—with enough force that she just kept going. She rolled through the dirt and collapsed in a heap._ _ _

_ _ _“Applejack!” Twilight exclaimed, panicked. “Are you okay?!”_ _ _

_ _ _Applejack staggered upright and shook her head clear of stars, then coughed. Her whole body was covered with dirt; it clung to her coat like water. “Jus’ fine, sugarcube,” she said. “A lil’ shook up, is all.”_ _ _

_ _ _Grayscale watched in disbelief. “What the... that should have knocked you out cold.” She raised an eyebrow as the aura passed over her as well. “Whoa. Uh... what was that?”_ _ _

_ _ _The aura passed over Twilight and Flathoof now as well._ _ _

_ _ _“Oh... wow,” Twilight murmured. “I don’t know what it is, but I feel great.” She smirked. “Empowered, even.”_ _ _

_ _ _She fired a bolt of magic at Grayscale. The blast moved so fast that Grayscale couldn’t avoid it; she was rocketed through the air._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid watched the display, and winced when Grayscale struck a low-hanging stalactite. “Ooh... um...”_ _ _

_ _ _“Well now, if you’re going to insist on helping my companions, then far be it from me to stop you,” Tick Tock said with a cocky grin. She fired another burst of magic at Insipid; Insipid raised her shield just in time to block it._ _ _

_ _ _“Ma copine! Arrête!” Curaçao shouted. “Stop!”_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid panicked. “Oh stars! Ohh stars, I have no idea what I’m doing! Um...”_ _ _

_ _ _She focused her attention on shutting her aura down, which proved hard to do with Tick Tock firing bolts of magic at her. Eventually, though, the faint aura subsided, and with it so too did Tick Tock’s enhanced magic. Soon after, Insipid’s followed, and her magic was reduced back to average levels._ _ _

_ _ _Insipid tapped a hoof to her chin. “Ohhh. Like, I get it now! Okay, um, let’s see...” She bit her tongue in thought. “If I make a little adjustment here, a little tweak there... aha!” Her body gained a silvery glow for a brief instant, which then subsided. “Let’s try... this!”_ _ _

_ _ _She fired a blast at Tick Tock, who raised her shield; when the blast struck, Tick Tock’s barrier flickered erratically and she was knocked off her hooves._ _ _

_ _ _“Bloody hell!” Tick Tock blurted. “Where’d you get that kind of power?!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Looks like I got the hang of it now?” Insipid giggled. “Okay then, let’s get this party started, Click Clock!”_ _ _

_ _ _“Tick Tock!”_ _ _

_ _ _Insipid rolled her eyes. “Um... what-ever, who, like, cares? I’m, like, totally fresh and junk now.”_ _ _

_ _ _***_ _ _

_ _ _“I’m gonna tear you to pieces you little worm!” Velvet snapped. She shifted her weight and threw Pinkie off of her._ _ _

_ _ _Pinkie landed deftly on one hoof, then swung around back into a fighting stance. “I’m not a worm, I’m a pony,” she said with a straight face and a serious tone._ _ _

_ _ _“Aggh! You are so annoying! Just shut up!”_ _ _

_ _ _Velvet charged, but Pinkie simply sidestepped and held out a foreleg in one swift motion. Velvet tripped and fell face-first to the floor. She very slowly pulled her face out of the dirt to glare at Pinkie, teeth clenched._ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _Velvet winced and held a hoof to her temple. _ _ _

_ _ _ Starlight snapped, her voice in Velvet’s head again._ _ _

_ _ _ Velvet snapped back. _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _Starlight paused for a moment, then replied, _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _Velvet was elated, and her change in tone showed it. _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Are you done over there?” Pinkie asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve kinda been standing still for a few minutes now.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet shook her head to clear the connection with Starlight. “Oh, I’m done!” she chuckled. “And, I’ve got a surprise for you!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“A surprise? For me?” Pinkie bounced in place, more excited than ever. “Oh boy! What is it?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s mouth curled into a sadistic smile. The gash along her spine burst open, spraying blood all around. She let the blood soak into her coat and drip to the floor of the cavern, laughing maniacally as she did._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie watched the display, mouth agape, obviously confused and worried._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“You... okay there, Red?” Pinkie asked, taking a step back. “Do you need a... bandage, or something?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet snickered. “Oh, trust me, tubby, I’m just fine.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She collected the blood on the floor into a pool around her hooves. The thick, red fluids seeped up her legs and formed a multitude of tendrils that snaked around her body. One coiled itself around her neck and draped around her shoulders; she coddled it like a pet snake, giving it a tender kiss on its little head. She was eager to let loose again._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Okay, that’s a surprise all right,” Pinkie said, tapping a hoof to her chin, clearly impressed. “Is that some kind of power-up?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet blinked. “Power-up? I guess you could say that.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie clapped her hooves together excitedly. “Ooh! When the bad guy gets a power up, we gotta switch to the boss music!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She sprung over to her boombox in a single bound—said boombox was on the opposite end of the plateau—and clicked the Next button. The ambient music that had been playing changed into a completely different tune. She then sprung back over to her original position, again in a single bound, and got back into a fighting stance._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“There, that’s more like it,” she said. “So anyway, that’s a cool trick, Red!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Trick?” Velvet cackled, flaring her tentacles about her in a flurry. “Oh... you have no idea how much I’m going to enjoy this.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She leapt forward and swung a tendril at Pinkie’s head. Pinkie ducked under it._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Hey, wow!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You can move them around like that too? That’s neato! No, really Red. Cool. Trick.” She giggled. “Things are getting exciting! This is fun!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet sneered. “Stop laughing!” she shouted. “It’s not a trick! It’s not fun! It’s not funny!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“There’s an old saying: ‘Fun is in the eye of the beholder’,” Pinkie said without a trace of humor._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet snarled and brought another tendril to bear on Pinkie. Pinkie sidestepped to avoid it; it crushed the rocky ground as it struck._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie leaned down to investigate the damage. “Ooh, check out that real-time environmental damage! These are super fancy. How much did those run you anyway? I bet special effects like that aren’t cheap.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Shut up!” Velvet snapped, swinging another tendril at Pinkie’s head._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie didn’t even attempt to duck under this one; she stood completely still. The tendril struck her in the side of the head, knocking it clean off and spurting visceral liquid all over Velvet’s face._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet was given pause; her jaw dropped in shock. Normally, she’d have taken great pleasure in feeling the sweet, sweet sensation of freshly-spilt blood against her coat. Feeling Pinkie’s blood, in particular, was something she’d dreamed about for days. However, she’d been explicitly ordered by her father not to murder the ridiculous pink mare; in other words, this was not at all according to plan._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Oh no... no no no! What did I dooo?!” she exclaimed._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She picked up Pinkie’s severed head in a panic, and desperately tried to reattach it to Pinkie’s neck, getting more of the visceral evidence all over herself._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Ohhh buck me, the boss is gonna be sooo mad! She’s gonna send me to the sun, I just know it! Oh, what if daddy finds out? Oh... shit... I am so bucked!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Wow, so those things are real? Now that’s neato,” came Pinkie’s voice, though not from her mouth._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet slowly turned around. Pinkie stood behind her, bubble pipe in her mouth, examining Velvet’s tendrils with a scrutinous gaze upon her face as if investigating the scene of a crime._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet found herself reduced to nothing more than incoherent babbling. “H-how did... but you... I saw... what?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I feel kinda bad, though,” Pinkie sighed. “You totally ruined my stunt double. Drat, that was my best one, too!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Stunt double?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet turned her attention back to the Pinkie head she was holding in her hooves, and her confusion came full circle. Just seconds ago, the head felt real, looked real, tasted real. Now, it appeared to be made of what felt like paper mache instead of flesh and bone. The blood that had splashed against her coat was no longer bright red, but light brown. She licked her lips to check what it was. Chocolate._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s eye twitched. “What?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“You have no idea how hard it’s been to lug that baby around,” Pinkie said, giving her brow an exaggerated wipe. “Worse, all the chocolate got melted when we were in that dumb volcano! Hence the mess.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet startled to tremble in rage. “What?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“But hey, in the long run, it was worth it. I just knew I’d find a use for my Pinkie Piñata!” Pinkie tapped her hoof to her chin in contemplation. “Or should it be Piñata Pie? Pinkie Piñata? Piñata Pie? Pinkie Piñata? Piñata Pie?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“SHUT! UUUPPP!!!” Velvet bellowed, ripping apart Pinkie Piñata Pie and spraying chocolate everywhere. She spawned another batch of tendrils, and glared at the babbling party pony. “I don’t care what the boss says! I’m going to tear you limb from limb, you pink nuisance, until you beg for death!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Whoa there, Red. Whoa. Take a chill pill,” Pinkie said, holding her hooves up in a calming gesture. “You look like you’re gonna pop a gasket!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Buck you!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet lashed her tendrils out through the air, sweeping them about in a frantic attempt to strike her target. Pinkie, however, did not seem troubled in the least; she deftly dodged about, weaving through bloody appendages like a professional gymnast-turned-cat burglar._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“This is fun!” Pinkie chirped as she twirled through the air. “I am getting a ton of exercise! Gotta work that flank, girl!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Why won’t you stop talking?! This isn’t a game, idiot! I am trying to maim you!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie backflipped far away from Velvet for a perfect landing on one hoof. “Well, you’re not doing a very good job. Hmm... ‘game’, huh?” she hummed, tapping her chin. “That gives me an idea.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet, in her rage, swung her tendrils more haphazardly; long lashes of blood sprayed across the floor of the cave and splattered against the myriad rocks around them. She had never, in her entire life, wanted anything more than to shut Pinkie’s mouth._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Then, an opportunity presented itself: Pinkie tripped over a rock. “Oof!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Got you!” Velvet exclaimed, triumphant._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She swung the largest tendril she’d made at Pinkie’s face._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Clang._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Clang? Ponies don’t go ‘clang’... and... what is that?_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s jaw dropped. A massive metal sword, decorated with a deep purple blade and a golden hilt with a bright red jewel in the middle, had somehow manifested itself in Pinkie’s hoof. The sword was definitely much too large and heavy to be wielded with two hooves, let alone one. Velvet had to wonder how Pinkie was even holding it to begin with._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Phew... now, that was a close one!” Pinkie said, wiping her brow with her spare hoof._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Where did you get that?” Velvet demanded, dumbfounded._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Chapter Twenty,” Pinkie said._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Chapter Twenty?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Chapter Twenty.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet snarled and threw her hooves in the air. “That’s not funny! That doesn’t even make any sense!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Well it will be funny, just you wait and see!” Pinkie said in her defense._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“And what happened to your clothes?!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie glanced down at herself and patted herself down. Her old outfit had mysteriously vanished, and had been replaced by an all-black ensemble: long, baggy pants, a shirt with no sleeves whatsoever, and a metal shoulder pad on her left shoulder._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Oh, these? Came with the sword,” Pinkie explained. “But enough about that, check this out!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She went on the offensive, swinging her sword with incredible effectiveness, much to Velvet’s surprise. For the first time in Velvet’s memory, she had to play defensively._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie shouted loudly with every movement, sometimes even blatantly calling out her actions. “Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Upon yelling, “Thrust!”—and accidentally slamming her sword into the ground—Pinkie bounced back half a step, her muzzle compressed into her face. She meandered about randomly in a frantic attempt to fix the problem._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet attempted to capitalize on Pinkie’s sudden distraction, but Pinkie’s jarring movements were such that she seemed to be dodging every single strike on accident. And, with Pinkie swinging her sword about just as wildly, Velvet had to be careful to avoid losing her own head in the process._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Will you stop moving around?!” Velvet snapped._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She swung again, but Pinkie managed to get her muzzle unstuck, and straightened up, blocking Velvet’s attack effortlessly._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Hmm, let’s see now,” Pinkie said, tapping a hoof to her chin. “Something’s amiss here. Hmm... I’ll run through it. Ho, ha ha, guard, turn, parry, dodge, spin, ha, thrust.” Her muzzle suddenly compressed into her face again. “Got it.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet seethed with so much raw anger that her pupils dilated, and her eyes turned red. “Stop having so much damn fun you stupid cow!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Right, I’m the stupid one,” Pinkie said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not the one mixing up ponies and cows.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Will you shut—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie leapt into the air with an astounding flip, then brought her sword to bear on Velvet from above. Velvet raised a shield of blood as quickly as she could to protect herself. Pinkie’s blade slammed into it, knocking Velvet sliding back; she stumbled to the floor._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie twirled her sword around her head. “Da da da da, da da, da da daaa!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Havocwing fired another barrage of bullet-like fireballs at Rainbow. The other pegasus twirled through the volley, swerving between them with about as much effort as it took to take an everyday nap. She rushed through Havocwing’s offensive and punched Havocwing in the stomach._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Bucking dammit!” Havocwing shouted, holding her stomach in pain. She fired another blast—a bigger one this time—at Rainbow._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _It, too, missed just like all the others._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Hoo boy, that was a big one!” Rainbow laughed. “Keep that up, and you’re gonna run outta juice! Just give it up. You can’t catch me. I’m the fastest thing alive. You’d have to be faster than a rocket to keep up with me!” She blasted off again, knocking Havocwing back with a burst of wind._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Havocwing made to chase, then paused._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rocket? Wait a second..._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _A wicked smile crept across her face. “Okay, crashmaster, you wanna see a rocket, you’re gonna get a bucking rocket!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She clicked all four hooves together, igniting a tiny flame in each, then resumed her pursuit of Rainbow. She kept her legs pointed behind her, and focused all of her attention instead on pumping more power into her new flames. After only a moment, the flames exploded behind her as jets of superheated fire, propelling her forward like a tiny, angry, foul-mouthed missile._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The explosion drew Rainbow’s attention, and she chanced a glance behind her. “What the—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow bolted off, picking up speed until she was flying as fast as she could in the relatively tight quarters compared to the open sky._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Not so fast now, are ya?” Havocwing called._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow looked behind her again. Havocwing was gaining. Just barely, but she was._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Dammit!” Rainbow spat. “You’re lucky I can’t do a Sonic Rainboom in here. So, you’re a little faster now, huh? Well, let’s see you maneuver!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow swung up towards the cavern ceiling and the myriad stalactites scattered about. She blasted between them faster than she’d been flying before, swerving and ducking around and beneath them._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Havocwing was undaunted, and gave chase with a sadistic smile on her face. Rainbow’s turns were wide, and her path twisted too much to gain distance. She, on the other hoof, had no such problem. Her wings could be used entirely for maneuvering now, and it was easy to make drastic sweeps with a fluid series of motions: first, shutting off her jetfire, then pointing all four legs opposite of which direction she wanted to go, then giving a quick burst of supersonic propulsion before swinging her legs back behind her._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She caught up with Rainbow before they’d even left the stalactite field._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Gotcha!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She tackled Rainbow as hard as she could, blasting forward with a final great burst of speed to close the distance. The two pegasi tumbled through the air over the plateau._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Buck off!” Rainbow spat, struggling to kick out of Havocwing’s vice-like grip._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Havocwing cackled and gave Rainbow her widest, cockiest smile yet; her fang glinted in the artificial light. “See you on the ground, Rainbow Crash!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She charged up an incredible amount of heat and released it outwards in a fearsome, reverberating explosion. The noise ricocheted off the cavern walls like cannon fire, and the shockwave blew apart dozens of nearby low-hanging stalactites. The force of the explosion sent Rainbow screeching like a bullet straight towards the cavern wall._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow crashed hard into the rock, impacting hard enough to indent the wall, then tumbled to the ground below._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie’s eyes flickered up to the source of the fierce explosion, and she saw the too-familiar figure of Rainbow rocket towards the wall, a trail of smoke and sparks behind her. She saw her impact, and she saw her fall. And, she saw her stay down._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Dashie!” she exclaimed in a panic. Without warning, she abandoned the fight with Velvet, just as the two had been locked in a clash of chosen weapons._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Without Pinkie’s mass pushing against her, Velvet fell to the floor in a heap. “You fat idiot!” she shouted, shaking her hoof in anger. “Get back here! Where do you think... you’re...”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She paused when she felt a familiar sensation flow through her soul. It was a tiny, tiny spark, but it was there. And it felt good. A massive grin spread across her face, threatening to tear her face in half._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Jackpot.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie rushed with astounding speed in the direction of Rainbow’s crash site. As she passed by a nearby scuffle, she called, “Twilight! Dashie’s hit! I need you over here, stat!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“A little busy here, Pinkie!” Twilight shouted back, projecting another barrier to protect herself from another strike from Grayscale._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Twilight!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I’m coming, don’t worry! Just let me get an opening here, first!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Go on, Twi,” Applejack said. “We’ll keep this featherhead distracted fer as long as y’all need.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Flathoof leapt aside to avoid another crushing stomp._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Yeah, not that there’s much else we can do but distract her,” Flathoof panted as he rose to his hooves._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Twilight nodded and galloped after Pinkie, who was still several dozen yards away from Rainbow on almost the other side of the plateau. She chanced a glance skyward when she heard another explosion. Havocwing was making a beeline right for the impact site._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Then, Havocwing suddenly stopped just a yard from her target. Velvet had popped out of literally nowhere._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Dammit Red, you already have a target!” Havocwing spat. “Get outta my way, she’s mine!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Not anymore, she’s not,” Velvet said calmly as she straddled Rainbow’s resting position._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I called the dyke, bitch! Back off!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet turned around slowly. “You back off!” she shouted, her voice suddenly becoming disturbingly deep and distorted._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Havocwing turned white, and gulped loudly. “R-r-right. I’ll just g-go pick somepony else then, yeah... d-d-don’t sweat it, Red.” She sped off over Pinkie and Twilight’s heads towards someplace else on the plateau._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Now then,” Velvet said with a wide, fanged smile, “where was I?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow groaned and struggled to get her hooves out of the abundance of rubble around her._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Oh yeah! Hi there Dashie!” Velvet chirped down at Rainbow._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“W-what?” Rainbow glanced up at Velvet and blinked her eyes. “P-Pinkie? Is that you?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Aww, I’m touched!” Velvet chuckled. She brandished a large spike of her blood and pressed it against Rainbow’s forehead. “I’m not your little girlfriend, though. I’m not even into mares, for the record.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Pinkie, what’s going on?” Rainbow asked, sounding worried._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet shrugged. “Oh well, if your last memory in life is of your lover murdering you in cold blood, then so be it. That sounds... delicious!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“You get away from my Dashie!” Pinkie shouted, leaping forward to tackle Velvet off of Rainbow._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The two tumbled and rolled for several yards until they were well separated from Rainbow._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“What’s the matter, Pinkie?” Velvet asked as she rose to her hooves and stared down Pinkie once again. “Scared?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The distraction was enough for Twilight to get in and cast a shield over herself and Rainbow. “Hang on, Rainbow,” she said as she crouched over Rainbow’s battered form. “You’ll be fine in a sec, okay?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Y-yeah,” Rainbow coughed. “Ugh... my head is killing me. Where’d Pinks go?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“She’s taking care of Red Velvet. Now, stay still, and stay calm; this might sting a little.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie swung her sword at Velvet wildly, with legitimate anger in her eyes. She pushed Velvet back with her assault. “Back off! Nopony hurts my friends!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet smirked. Pinkie’s attacks were sloppy and easier to block or avoid than before. “Aww, it seems I struck a nerve, my dear, dear Pinkie Pie,” she cackled. “Don’t worry about a thing. After all, when I’m done with you, you won’t be able to worry about what I do to your friends.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Shut up!” Pinkie snapped. “If you want to hurt them, you’ll have to get through me first!” Her voice was shaky. Her attacks were growing more sloppy by the second._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She was scared._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s grin widened, and she let the aura of Pinkie’s fear drape around her, permeate her soul, and become one with her. The sensation of power she drew from Pinkie’s fear was exhilarating, like nothing she’d felt before. Her eyes glowed red, and darkness flowed out of her body like vapor._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Oooh, is that a threat? I hope it was!” Velvet chuckled._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She molded her tendrils into blades._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“First, I’ll tear you into itty-bitty shreds.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She slashed a blade at Pinkie’s side and nicked her coat. Pinkie winced and put a hoof to the wound, then drew back blood._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“But you? You’re just an appetizer! When I’m done with you, I’ll move on to the main course! I’ll enjoy a nice plate of Applejack steak.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She sliced again; Pinkie ducked, and lost a tuft of her poofy mane in the process._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“A side of Flutter-fries, dripping with Rarity sauce.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She dodged a wild swing from Pinkie, then punched her hard in the face, knocking her over._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“All accompanied by a fine little glass of Twilight blood wine! It sounds so delectable! And the best part is the dessert...” She licked her lips. “Ooh, but what treat can I make out of Rainbow Dash? Hmm... maybe I’ll chop your precious ‘Dashie’ into tiny little bite-sized bits.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Shut up!” Pinkie shouted, leaping to her hooves._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _She swung her blade again; Velvet blocked it and pushed Pinkie back on the ground._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“No, no, that’s too simple; too boring. Where’s the pizazz? Where’s the flair? The best part about the dessert is the presentation, wouldn’t you agree?” Velvet asked, giving Pinkie a curious look. “Hmm, maybe a Rainbow Dash flambé? Oh, but I’d have to get Havoc’s help for that and I don’t think she’d have the stomach for a sample.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s eyes grew redder, and her pupils dilated and turned black._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie staggered to her hooves and thrust her sword at Velvet’s side; Velvet deflected it into the ground. “Shut up! Stop talking about my friends like that!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Oh wait... oh! Ohh! Maybe I’ll see how she tasted baked into cupcakes!” Velvet gasped, then giggled. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that first! It’s perfect! Look, it even matches my cutie mark.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s eyes glowed red now with frightening intensity, and oozed a black, unwholesome liquid._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Maybe you could lend a hoof,” she said. “You look like you’d be good at helping me make some!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I said shut up!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie swung wildly again, and this time, Velvet blocked the blade with such force that she knocked it clear out of Pinkie’s hoof, over the edge of the plateau._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Yes, yes, yes,” Velvet continued, not even paying Pinkie’s attack any further attention. “I definitely think that’s probably the best way to go about it. Cupcakes! Delicious little Rainbow Dash-flavored cupcakes! Why, I’m so excited thinking about it, I might just break into song! Ahem!  
♫ All you have to do is take a cup of—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie snarled. “How dare you?! That’s my song! You’re singing my song to joke about hurting my friends!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet raised an eyebrow. “Uh... what? This is my song. I made it up on the spot. Eh, whatever.” She slapped a tendril over Pinkie’s mouth. “I like my version better. Don’t interrupt!  
♫ All you have to do is take a cup of blood—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet lashed her dark aura around Pinkie’ head, and flashed a vision directly into Pinkie’s mind: a simple image of Applejack, stabbed and sliced countless times, laying in a pool of her own blood. She could feel Pinkie’s fear increase dramatically; she saw the tears come to Pinkie’s eyes, felt Pinkie’s nausea set in._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“♫ Add it to the mix  
Now just take a little something sweet, not sour  
A bit of flesh, just an inch—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet flashed another vision through Pinkie’s mind: Rarity and Fluttershy, stripped of much of their blood-stained coats. Large strips of their flesh had been torn away, exposing expanses of muscle tissue; Rarity’s horn had been snapped clean off; Fluttershy’s wings had been chopped off, rendering them nothing more than useless, bloody stubs. Pinkie fought the urge to vomit; Velvet cackled at the sensation. Pinkie’s fear had graduated to sickened terror._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“♫ Baking these treats is such a cinch  
Add a teaspoon of intestine—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The next vision was of Twilight hung by her hooves to an unseen ceiling. She’d been disemboweled; her guts lay strewn about on the floor in a messy pile. Pinkie couldn’t fight the urge this time, and puked into Velvet’s tendril, which was still covering her mouth. Velvet took a deep breath; terror had gone to bone-chilling horror. She’d never experienced fear like this before. It was intoxicating._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“♫ Add a little more, and you count to four  
And you never get a fillin’  
Of cupcakes! So sweet and tasty—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The last vision Velvet flashed through Pinkie’s mind was of Rainbow, chopped into cupcake-sized bits._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“♫ Cupcakes! Don’t be too hasty—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow’s chunks were then added into a pastry dish and placed in a large, preheated oven._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“♫ Cupcakes! Cupcakes cupcakes cupcakes!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The oven dinged; the cupcakes were ready. They were placed upon a plate, and lovingly decorated with multi-colored frosting and sprinkles shaped like Rainbow’s cutie mark. Velvet took a large bite of one._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Mmm... juicy!” Velvet said. She offered the illusionary cupcake to Pinkie and removed her tendril from Pinkie’s mouth. “Want a bite? They’re to die for!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Stop it!” Pinkie screamed. “Stop it, stop it, stop it! Get out of my head!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet roared with laughter, a chilling sound that made Pinkie’s blood run cold._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Twilight’s horn glowed bright as she attempted to heal Rainbow’s wounds, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate. She was worried about Pinkie, who she’d lost sight of in a dark patch just off to her right. She was concerned about Flathoof and Applejack, who she’d left alone with Grayscale; she couldn’t see them either, strangely. She was also worried about Rarity and Tick Tock—she hadn’t seen either of them since they got separated—as well as Fluttershy and Lockwood, who she hoped had found a safe place to hide._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Then, the air around her grew cold. She shivered. “W-whoa... d-did it just get really c-c-cold all of a sudden?” she asked Rainbow._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow, still laying on the ground but now fully conscious, nodded. “Y-yeah... wow it’s l-like I just s-stepped out into a b-b-blizzard.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _The bright colors of the surrounding cavern disappeared, as though somepony had blown out a lantern. Twilight looked around in concern for the sudden lack of light. “W-w-what’s going—"_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Ha! Ha ha ha haaaa!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Twilight and Rainbow froze in terror._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Rainbow gulped. “W-w-what the hay was that?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I d-d-dunno,” Twilight replied._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Applejack dodged another crushing stomp from Grayscale. She tried to tackle the pegasus while she was in range, but Grayscale easily dodged the attack, and she landed in the dirt._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Y’all ‘re really gettin’ on my nerves!” Applejack spat, shaking her hoof up at the fleeing pegasus. “Stop flyin’ ‘round up there an’ come down here and f-fight l-l-like a...” She rubbed her sides; the sudden drop in temperature had left her freezing. “Dang, it j-just got c-c-cold all of a s-s-sudden!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Flathoof offered his shaking hoof to Applejack to help her up. “W-w-why is it g-g-getting so d-dark?” he asked, teeth chattering._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Ha! Ha ha ha haaaa!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Applejack and Flathoof grabbed one another in surprise._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“W-w-was t-that y-you?” Applejack asked._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“N-n-nnnope,” Flathoof replied._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Lockwood stood between Fluttershy and Havocwing on the south end of the plateau, as far away from the rest of the fighting as he’d been able to get. He wanted to help somehow, but he knew that Fluttershy’s well-being was most important, and that he’d been entrusted with that task. He held his hooves up in a defensive gesture, and shook his head._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Look, Miss Havocwing,” he said, “I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement here. There’s no need for anything to come to violence.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Dude, just step aside and I won’t hurt you,” Havocwing said. She lit her hoof on fire and aimed it at him. “She’s my target, so I should be the one to take her in. Hoof her over.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Buddy, my little sis told me explicitly that I’m allowed to kill you if I want. Now, as much as I’d love to murder some guy, killing you is a terrible, terrible waste of a pretty colt.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Lockwood blinked. “Come again?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“What I mean is,” Havocwing flustered, “I’m all for killing and stuff, but dude, you’re just too pretty to kill. It’d be a damn shame to kill some eye candy, y’know what I’m saying? Just step aside, let me capture the wimp behind you, and I’ll let you off.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“As flattered as I am that you think I’m... ‘pretty’, I’m af-f-fraid th-that I—” He paused to clutch his shirt closer to him. “B-by the stars, it g-got c-cold in here.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Ha! Ha ha ha haaaa!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“W-w-what was that?!” he exclaimed, desperately searching around for the source of the bone-chilling laughter._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“The hell are you talking about, dude?” Havocwing asked._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Tick Tock stood defensively over Rarity, and raised her barrier to block some more bolts from Insipid. Without Rarity’s help, Insipid’s new power boost was proving difficult to guard against. She barely had enough energy to keep her shield up, let alone try to attack Insipid herself._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Like, this is getting so boring,” Insipid said. She gave an exaggerated yawn. “It’s like, um, I just shoot, and you just block, and nothing else happens? Now I know how, like, Grayscale feels?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“If you’re implying that you’re out of my l-league, you’ve g-got another thing c-c-coming,” Tick Tock said. “B-bloody hell, when d-did it get so c-cold?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“Ha! Ha ha ha haaaa!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Tick Tock looked around in a panic. “Oh b-b-bugger, w-w-what was t-that?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Insipid tilted her head. “What was, like, what? You okay there, Tic Tac?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“T-T-Tick T-Tock!”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _***_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet’s grin widened, and she let out a tiny chuckle. “Oh wow, you have no idea how good this feels...” she breathed. “There’s so much of it. So much delicious fear, all for me! And just think: I have you to thank for it all!“ Velvet patted Pinkie gently on the head._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“S-s-stop it,” Pinkie said, though she was trembling. “I w-won’t let you h-hurt them...”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. “Resolve. Blech. Are you trying to ruin my appetite? Because if you are... then I have a fantastic idea that’ll tear all that resolve right out of you. Do you know what I’m going to do?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie shook her head._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“I’m going to break you.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet lifted Pinkie into the air and wrapped tendrils around each of Pinkie’s limbs, then began to pull._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“L-let me down!” Pinkie screamed._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“And just for you,” Velvet said, “I’m gonna go reeeaaal slow. I’m going to make a game out of this. Ahem.  
♫ You put your right leg in.”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Pinkie squirmed frantically in an attempt to get out of Velvet’s death grip, but Velvet’s hold was too tight and too strong._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Velvet cackled, then tugged hard at Pinkie’s right leg. Just the right amount of force, and she’d tear it right out of its socket._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“♫ I rip your right leg out.”_ _ _ _


	17. Insubordination

“♫ I rip your right leg out.”

Velvet jerked Pinkie’s leg repeatedly in an attempt to tear it away, eagerly awaiting the satisfying sound of bone snapping and flesh ripping apart. She licked her lips in anticipation; she knew she was close. She could almost taste the blood flowing through Pinkie’s veins, feel the luscious liquid pulsing beneath her tendril’s grip.

The fear in the air was palpable. Pinkie’s dread and terror filled Velvet with elation and power. Not just Pinkie’s, either, but the fears and worries of Pinkie’s friends as well. The fear of a worthless peon like Commander Jetstream paled in comparison to that of these Elements of Harmony; their strength dwarfed his, thus, their fears did as well.

She was going to enjoy every second of this. Nothing was going to stop her.

Then, suddenly, the primary tendril holding Pinkie in the air erupted, evaporating Velvet’s blood instantaneously. Pinkie fell to the floor, and scrambled away without hesitation.

Velvet drew her corroded tendril up to her face to examine it. At the point of the split, her blood was sizzling like grease in a frying pan. It hurt only a little, but it was pain nonetheless. She was accustomed to pain—in fact, she enjoyed receiving as much as she enjoyed giving—but this very slight stinging sensation bothered her.

“Weird...” she muttered as she reformed her tendril into an appropriate tool again. She turned her attention back to the scrambling Pinkie. “Hmm... well, you know what they say: ‘if at first you don’t succeed”—she lashed the tendril towards her prey—“try, try again’!”

Pinkie raised her hooves up to defend herself from the approaching tentacle.

It never reached her. Velvet’s tendril deflected just inches from Pinkie’s cringing form before splashing harmlessly to the floor. Velvet drew it back in shock; the stinging sensation had been much more intense this time. She tried again, but only achieved the same result. This time, though, the stinging was more of a fierce burning, and her tendril exploded, showering Pinkie and the surrounding ground with Velvet’s blood.

“What is this?!” Velvet shouted, angrily flailing her remaining tendrils about. “What’s happening?!”

She lashed out with all of her tendrils at once. The collection slammed into a glowing light just inches from her own face, splattering her visceral fluids all over herself. She yowled in pain as her boiling blood burned her coat and skin. She looked about herself in surprise; the dark purple light had encased her in a bubble of sorts. A unicorn’s shield. She glanced just off to the side, where the darkness surrounding her had parted.

Starlight strode through the darkness, her horn aglow, and a fierce scowl upon her face. “Red Velvet,” she spat, “I believe you have attained the maximum amount of pleasure for one morning. Stand down. The pink one has relinquished victory.”

Velvet glared at her younger sister with fiery intensity. Her eyes flashed red with anger, and the black ooze that had been seeping from them boiled. “What in Equestria do you think you’re doing, boss? I’m so close. I can taste her fear... I want to taste her blood! Let me out of here this instant! I need to satisfy this urge.”

“Sister, placate yourself,” Starlight said, remaining perfectly calm in the face of Velvet’s unholy anger. “You have spiraled into a state of delirium and lost sight of our goal. Have you forgotten who you are, and what you are here to accomplish? You would discard our mission for the temporary satisfaction of such a base desire?”

“Yes! A thousand times, yes!”

Starlight shook her head, disappointed. “Sister, you are truly an ignoramus of the highest caliber.”

“How dare you?!” Velvet bellowed, lashing her tendrils fruitlessly against the barrier walls. “Let me out! Now!”

Velvet ignored the intense burning the barrier caused. The barrier flickered where she struck, seemingly weakening from the assault. She could now clearly see Pinkie huddling behind Starlight, of all ponies, staring at Velvet like she was some unfathomable beast come to destroy everything she held dear. Velvet so desperately wanted to make that fear real that she used up everything she had; the blood loss was actually making her dizzy, a new sensation she’d never experienced before. Only one thought consumed her: breaking through Starlight’s barrier and drowning Pinkie in so much blood that she’d never breathe again. She’d do it even if she died trying.

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “This is quite the preternatural affair. It would appear as though you have engorged yourself with such an abundance of terror that you have accumulated great power, an almost exponential growth, I might add.” 

She grinned, and shook her head. “I now appreciate father’s claims to perceive potential within you. You truly are a pernicious sociopath, if you are so tenacious in your desire to slaughter and terrify these ponies that you would even challenge my authority.”

Starlight flared her horn and strengthened her magical charge, reinforcing her barrier with a honeycomb-like texture. Every strike against the barrier was met with an equal and opposite reaction as the shield readjusted its strength to focus on wherever Velvet was striking at that moment. The more Velvet attacked, the quicker the barrier responded, until it was preempting Velvet’s strikes and enclosing around her.

“You will find I am exceedingly proficient with imprisonment magicks, sister,” Starlight said with a coy smirk. “Cease this embarrassing display.”

“Shut your stupid mouth!” Velvet shouted. The pain and dizziness had slurred her speech slightly. “Let me out! Or are you afraid to take me on like a real mare?!”

Starlight frowned. “My dear sister, I am sincere when I say that I cannot permit you to articulate your opinion of me in such a manner, especially not in front of others,” she said with a slight gesture towards Pinkie. “Am I required to remind you that I am the one father established as the authority figure within our company? I am a supreme spellcaster, and I do not fear you, no matter how powerful you think you may have become. I will communicate this order to you once more, and I will not repeat myself hereinafter. Stand. Down. Now.”

Velvet roared, and, as she’d exhausted her supply of tendrils, bashed her own body against her magic prison. “I’ll tear you apart!” she shouted.

The darkness around her dissipated completely, revealing that the other ponies—Pinkie’s friends and her own sisters alike—had all begun to gather around the display. Only now were they all able to see what was going on. 

“I’ll tear you all apart!”

Her sisters watched her with varying expressions: confusion, disappointment, embarrassment. None of them had ever seen Velvet go to this level of power before, and she knew it. She could sense some fear in them at the sight. But, to her dismay, they were all a little more frightened of how Starlight was handling the situation. Velvet turned her gaze to Starlight as well, and now could see what they were scared of.

Starlight was mad. She narrowed her eyes; Velvet faltered just slightly—she’d seen that same look given to Commander Jetstream by their father. “If you will not even grant me the courtesy of acquiescing to my orders of your own accord, then I am left with no alternatives, Velvet,” she said, shaking her head. “I cannot allow a challenge to my authority to go unanswered. Father would be... disappointed.”

Starlight rooted her hooves into the cavern floor, and flared her horn brighter than ever. The barrier walls closed in around Velvet, forcing her into a tight space with powerful electrical shocks. Eventually the space was so small that Velvet could not move without suffering from a shock powerful enough to numb whatever part of her body the magic touched.

“Stop it!” Velvet shouted. “Let me go!”

Starlight, her eyes aglow with white fire, turned to Pinkie. “Withdraw from here, whelp,” she said, “and reconvene with your friends. My sister no longer poses a threat.”

Pinkie nodded. She didn’t even think to argue. Without missing a beat, she rushed as quickly as her severe limp allowed over to Rainbow and Twilight. She crushed Rainbow in a hug so strong that she knocked the pegasus off balance, and buried her face into Rainbow’s mane before crying with all her might.

“Oh Dashie,” she sniffed, “I s-saw things. She m-made me see things!”

“Hey, relax, Pinks,” Rainbow replied. “I’m here now. You’ll be okay. That psycho isn’t gonna get you—"

“Not me, Dashie. You! All of you!” Pinkie bawled. “Oh Celestia, it was horrible! You were all... d-d-dead! I... I can’t get the visions out of my head...”

“Come on, Pinks, take it easy,” Rainbow said with a confident smirk. “Nothing’s gonna make me kick the bucket just yet. I just got slammed into the cavern wall like a rocket, and I’m still breathing.”

“Miraculously,” Twilight added, shaking her head. “The angle you impacted at should have broken your spine.”

“Hey, you’re looking at the crash master, here. Haven’t met a crash yet that I couldn’t walk away from.”

“Let’s try an’ keep it that way,” Applejack said.

She and Flathoof trotted over to join the other three mares, looking slightly worse for wear but otherwise in better shape than Rainbow and Pinkie were.

“Are you two okay?” Twilight asked.

“Peachy,” Applejack replied. “How ‘bout you girls?”

Twilight frowned and shook her head. “Rainbow and Pinkie are hurt. I’m going to need more time to heal them if we’re going to stand a chance of getting out of here.”

“We’ll buy ya all the time ya need, sugarcube.”

“It looks to me like they’re taking care of that just fine on their own,” Flathoof said, gesturing towards Velvet and Starlight. He tilted his head towards the other four sisters of their group, who all remained motionless and weren’t paying any attention to their former targets. “What’s with them?”

“I haven’t a clue,” Twilight answered.

They were soon joined by Lockwood and Fluttershy, the latter of whom practically clinged to Lockwood. Tick Tock and Rarity joined them soon after, and it was clear that of everypony present, perhaps excluding Rainbow, Rarity had been on the receiving end of the most punishment. Her friends rushed to her aid; Rarity looked as though she’d just barely woken up.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Are you okay?!”

“The hay happened ta you, Rarity?” Applejack asked, helping the unicorn stand up.

Rarity took a deep breath and shook her head. “I feel like... I’ve had the life just... drained right out of me.” She turned her glance to Insipid off in the distance. “That... loathsome brute... tricked me...”

“I’m not sure what sort of magic she used, exactly,” Tick Tock said, “but whatever it was, it increased Insipid’s powers and allowed her to do the same to others as well as Rarity can.”

“I seem to remember getting a power boost earlier,” Twilight said.

“Hey yeah, I remember that too,” Applejack added. “Grayscale said she felt somethin’ weird around the same time. Did Insipid cause that?”

“That’s my theory,” Tick Tock replied. “How she affected two non-unicorns is beyond me though.”

“And you said she injured Rarity in the process of getting this power boost for herself?” Twilight asked.

Rarity nodded and took another deep breath. “That she did, darling. A loathsome little... trick. It felt like... being electrocuted.”

“Well, at least you’re still breathin’, right?” Applejack said with a weak smile, patting Rarity on the back. “And hey, at least yer dress don’t look like it got hurt none. That’s somethin’, ain’t it?”

Rarity looked herself over, then sighed. “Well, at least... there’s that...”

“Is everypony else okay?” Twilight asked.

“No harm done,” Lockwood said. “Right, Fluttershy?”

“R-right,” Fluttershy peeped.

Twilight turned her gaze to Starlight’s brightly glowing figure, which grew in luminosity by the second; her horn and bodily aura were bright enough to illuminate most of the plateau. The incredible power Starlight was radiating concerned Twilight, both the amount, and the unfamiliar type. She’d been able to detect Starlight’s impressive force before, but Starlight had mostly kept it to herself. Now that it was here, out in the open, Twilight was staggered by how powerful Starlight was.

Rainbow groaned. “Thanks for the fix-up, Twi,” she said. “I’ve felt better, but at least my wings still work.” She flexed her wings to prove it.

“I think we could all use a little patch-up,” Flathoof said, cracking his neck. He rubbed a sore spot. “Yes, I definitely wish I was in better shape.”

“Anypony know what caused all that there cold earlier?” Applejack asked.

“That,” Starlight replied, drawing the group’s attention, “was a mere sampling of my dear sister’s full potential. Absolutely outstanding, is it not? If only she could maintain some semblance of discipline. Am I not mistaken, Red Velvet?”

Velvet grunted her agreement from within the pony-shaped shield. She sounded as though she were still in some pain.

“Now then, sister, are you prepared to behave yourself, or will I be required to pursue this course of action?”

“Yes... sir...” Velvet muttered.

“Splendid.”

Starlight dropped the barrier over Velvet, who rose to her hooves and limped into formation with the rest of her sisters, all of whom watched her with mixed looks of disappointment and worry. She then turned back to Twilight’s group, her horn still glowing as brightly as a star. Twilight recognized it as a basic, flat charge, nothing more than a spell designed to empower the next spell cast. 

“As you have witnessed, Sparkle,” she said, “my sisters are more than capable of subduing you and your friends on their own. I need not participate.”

Twilight rose to her hooves and stood firmly in front of her friends. “If you want to stop us from leaving and going home, then that makes you our enemy. My friends and I never give up in the face of those who threaten us.” She turned to the others. “Isn’t that right girls?”

Rainbow nodded. “We’re not going down without a fight.”

Applejack stomped a hoof. “I’ve still got plenty o’ kick. Bring it on.”

“I predicted this response,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “My sisters’ powers are already insurmountable for you, even when specifically ordered to utilize less than their fullest potential. You hardly offered them a challenge. Yet, you clearly wish to attempt such a feat. Commendable.” She laughed. “And foolish. For you must realize that, even combined together with their full allowance of power at their disposal, they do not compare to me. The might that I wield with but a fraction of my full potential dwarfs theirs in ways you cannot comprehend.”

She channeled more power into her spell, until the light streaming from her horn was enough to illuminate the cavern brighter than the brightest day. Everypony had to shield their eyes.

Rainbow gulped and pulled Pinkie in close. “Whoa, um... can the rest of you feel that?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said with a nod. “What in tarnation is that? It feels weird...”

Twilight turned to them, eyebrow raised. “Wait, what? You girls can feel it too? But... only unicorns can physically sense another unicorn’s magic.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “Unless, of course... there’s enough of it to go around.”

Twilight turned back to Starlight. “Oh... oh dear.”

“Do you comprehend my strength now, Sparkle?” Starlight asked, a wide, cocky smile on her face. “I possess more power than anypony could imagine, even in their most fanciful dreams. You, Sparkle, bear a similar power deep within you. I can sense it. However, you lack the resolve to embrace it. You are intimidated by what this strength could grant you, because you are spineless. This is why your party is endangered. This is why they do not trust your leadership.”

Twilight sneered. “You’re wrong, Starlight. I’m strong enough to handle whatever challenges face my friends and I.”

Starlight laughed. “Are you? Allow me to invalidate your theory!”

More power raged around Starlight’s horn, almost as if of its own will. Arcs of black and purple magic danced about her like lightning and fire, humming with power. Her sisters gathered behind her, whispering to one another in hushed tones. Twilight’s party, on the other hoof, gathered together, anxious.

Twilight herself watched the display, curiosity and fear in her eyes. “This magic... looks so similar to that of King Sombra. It feels different, though... more focused on destruction for the sake of it, rather than for any purpose. This sort of magic feels... unnatural... and familiar.”

Tick Tock felt something buzz in her vest pocket. She discreetly looked between the other to make sure nopony was looking, then took Zenith’s Timekeeper out, curious as to why it was buzzing. She opened it, and looked upon the screen, which glowed with a dim green. It displayed a single image of a magical energy sphere in the center, surrounded by various warning messages, graphs, and reading charts.

“No... no, that can’t be true. That’s simply not possible,” she whispered to herself.

She turned her attention back to Starlight for a moment, gauging the levels of magic she was radiating, then turning back to the Timekeeper’s readings. They were a perfect match in frequency, source location, and size. 

“This bloody thing’s just old,” she muttered, shaking her head. “There’s no way these readings are right.”

Starlight’s power aura enlarged, growing brighter by the second. The earth beneath her rumbled and cracked apart; lightning bursts sprung about, tearing apart rocks and gemstones alike; a fierce gale pounded away at the ponies standing against her; dust and dirt levitated in the air, weightless in the field of power.

The surge of magic showed no signs of slowing down. It flowed from Starlight, exploding in the air around her. A bolt of power lashed out at Twilight; she leapt aside to avoid it. It ripped apart the earth beneath where she’d been standing like brittle glass. The earth shook with the ferocity of a major earthquake, loosening rocks from all across the cavern. Loosened materials gravitated towards the field of energy radiating from Starlight, crumbling to pieces and swirling inwards as they drew close. Even the ponies around her were drawn in slightly by the intense pull.

“Starlight, enough!” Twilight called, worried. “You’re going to bring down the whole mountain on top of us!”

Starlight smirked. “I assure you, Sparkle, that if such an event were to occur, I possess unlimited magical strength; no injury will befall anypony. You will owe your lives to me! You will wish you never dared show such insolence to a goddess amongst mares!”

Rainbow stepped alongside Twilight. “Twilight, she’s gone nuts! Do something!”

Twilight gulped, then shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”

“What d’ya mean ya don’t think ya can?” Applejack exclaimed. “Y’all ‘re the Element of Magic. That’s magic, ain’t it? Show her what’s what!”

“I... t-there’s too much,” Twilight said. “I don’t have that kind of power.”

“She just said you do!” Rainbow blurted. “You just gotta tap into it! This isn’t the time to be worried about what we think of your power!”

Twilight shook her head. “I... I can’t...”

Tick Tock’s Timekeeper sounded an alarm, drawing her attention. She watched the screen turn from green to red, and it began shaking violently. The charts struggled to keep up with the rise in power, and the warning messages became more urgent. The message on the top was the most jarring, reading, Catastrophic Event Imminent. Advise Emergency Measure Two.

She turned back to Starlight, and narrowed her eyes. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward. “Allow me.”

“What?” Twilight said. “Tick Tock, you sense the same power as I do, right? What do you think—"

“Trust me, Sparkle,” Tick Tock said, keeping herself calm. “I’ll get us out of this.”

She trotted towards Starlight with confidence in her step, wading right into the field of magical power like it was nothing. She moved forward until she was only about a dozen yards away from Starlight herself, the smuggest grin she could manage upon her face.

“Well, this proves an intriguing development,” Starlight said, raising an eyebrow and smiling. “Tick Tock, self-proclaimed expert travel guide, come to challenge me? Correct me if I am mistaken.”

“On the contrary, Shadow,” Tick Tock said. “Challenging you implies there’s a challenge to begin with. I was suckered in at first, I’ll admit, but now I can see your little display is just for show. I must commend your talents with attitudinizing magicks. Bravo.”

Starlight was taken aback for a moment, then glared at Tick Tock. “I apologize, but I must have misheard you. Would you please repeat what you just iterated to me?”

Tick Tock smiled. “Certainly! I said your magic is an impressive show of an attitudinization spell. Proper flashy, I must say. I’ve seen better, though. I’m impressed, but not that impressed.”

“Are... are you positing the claim that my magic is apocryphal?” Starlight asked, eyebrow twitching. “This is not an ‘attitudinizing’ spell, or whatever inane babble it is you are spewing!”

“Really?” Tick Tock shook her head. “You must think I’m bleeding daft. Ask anypony here, they’ll tell you that’s exactly what you’re doing. Why not ask your sister, Curaçao? She seems an intelligent one.”

Starlight snarled, then turned to her sisters. “Curaçao, illustrate for this imbecile the fact that this is not an attitudinizing spell!”

Curaçao pointed at herself. “Moi? I... oh...” She hesitated. “I ‘ave no idea vhat zat even is, ma capitaine. Je suis désolé.”

“How could you possibly have no inkling as to its nature?!” Starlight snapped. “Its appellation is the surest clue!”

Tick Tock turned to the ponies behind her. “Surely you lot agree with me?”

Applejack turned to Twilight. “Well?”

Twilight blushed and looked away. “I’d rather not say.”

“Uh... okay.” Applejack turned to Rainbow instead. “Y’all got any idea what they‘re all yammerin’ on about?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Not a clue.”

Rarity gave a dainty little cough, drawing their attention.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I suppose y’all know what a aduzatta... attinuzeday...”

“Attitudinizing,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, that.”

“Wait, hang on a second,” Rainbow said, holding up a hoof. “You’re all just pulling my leg, right? No way that attitudinizing is a real word. You had me going for a minute there, guys. Good one.”

Twilight sighed. “Oh, it’s a real word all right. Look it up when we get back home.”

“What kinda spell is it?” Applejack asked.

Rarity smiled. “It’s rather simple, really. It works sort of like...” She paused, and tapped her chin in thought. “Oh dear, what is it you rough and tumble earth ponies do?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Rarity dismissed the thought with a wave of her hoof. “Perhaps pegasi would be a better example.” She turned to Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, you’re a pegasus. You are aware of how pegasi ‘show off’ their wings?”

Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. “Uh... I guess? Huh?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “You know. I mean, when they really ‘show them off’,” she added in a sultry tone, giving Rainbow a sly wink. “I’m sure Pinkie knows all about it.”

Rainbow turned red. “Ohhh... oh yeah... that.”

“Y’all mean, like when they get all stiff ‘n’ stuff?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, that’s it,” Rarity said. “That’s the pegasus version of ‘attitudinizing’. I understand pegasi tend to use another name,” she continued, giving Rainbow a sidelong smirk. “Isn’t that right, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow coughed nervously into her hooves. “Wingboner,” she muttered.

“Well, it’s sort of a courting gesture, you understand.” Rarity sighed and flipped her mane. “For unicorns, we utilize an attitudinizing spell, which provides a grand, harmless display of our magic in an attempt to court a mate. It’s rather outdated; nowadays, ponies more often intermarry with other pony races, so more all-encompassing forms of courting are used: flowers, chocolates, and the like.”

“So, Starlight is flirting with her?” Rainbow asked. “Wait, and Tick Tock’s seen better?”

Tick Tock laughed. “I met a colt while I was in training, and he had a grand attitudinization spell. Certainly knew how to back it up too, if you catch my drift. I certainly didn’t spend all those nights studying.”

“Silence! I am performing no such act!” Starlight shouted, her face a furious red.

“I’m dreadfully sorry to break the news, Shadow, but I’m straight. You’re not my type anyway,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “But don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m sure you’re just the bloody rage back in the city. Why, I bet the mares and stallions come for miles!”

“Oh Celestia, she’s gonna get us all killed,” Rainbow said, putting a hoof to her face.

“Tick Tock!” Twilight shouted. “What in Equestria do you think you’re doing?!”

Tick Tock ignored her, and continued. “In fact, Shadow, I’d go as far to say that that’s all you can do with this: get a bedmate for a raunchy evening.”

“Excuse me?!” Starlight snapped.

“Bloody shame, too. If you used this kind of magic for something a little less explicit, I bet you’d be great for foals’ birthday parties. This is easily more impressive than any bleedin’ clown I’ve ever seen. You would make some little colt or filly very happy, you know?” Tick Tock put a hoof to her mouth to cover a mischievous smirk. “Or maybe you’re more suited to adult parties? Wink wink, nudge nudge?”

“Are... are you serious?” Starlight asked, her eyebrow twitching. “You cannot be serious. You simply cannot be serious.”

“Very serious, in fact.” Tick Tock tapped her chin. “Where did you get your training, by the way? I hear Sunglow’s School of Sorcery has a very well-regarded attitudinizing program, and very affordable too. You must have graduated top of your class!”

“You... you must be attempting to make a mockery of me.” Starlight turned to Insipid. “Insipid, did you strike this delusional imbecile upon her head one time too many?”

Insipid shrugged. “Um, like, no?”

Starlight turned back to Tick Tock and scowled. “I must advise you against progressing along this train of thought any further. While my orders permit me to utilize lethal force against you, I am of the opinion that apprehending you alive would be a preferable option. If you do not cease this attempt at repartee, I may discard my genial treatment of you.”

“A threat, is it?” Tick Tock overdramatically swooned. “Oh no, I am quaking in my horseshoes.” She laughed, and dismissed Starlight’s words with a hoof. “You want me to shut up? Make me.”

“Oh sweet Celestia, she is gonna get us all killed!” Rainbow blurted.

“Tick Tock, have you gone insane?!” Twilight yelled.

“Trust me, Twilight,” Tick Tock said. “This feeble showpony couldn’t blast her way out of a paper bag.”

“Enough!” Starlight snapped. “My tolerance can only persevere through so much insult from such an insufferable ignoramus!”

“Ooh, ‘ignoramus’?” Tick Tock chuckled. “Impressive. Moving up our name-calling, are we? Well, two can play at that game, you gibbering git.”

“And there it is,” Rainbow said, putting her face in her hooves. “We’re dead.”

“I’ll use small words so that you’ll be sure to understand me, you warthog-faced buffoon.”

Pinkie shook violently in place. “Pinchy knee... pinchy knee.”

Tick Tick shook her head and continued. “Your problem is that you’re the single most repulsive creature I have ever seen with my own two eyes.” She blanched. “Foals weep when you walk the streets. Mares shield their eyes and say, ‘By the stars, what is that thing?’ Thousands of mirrors have lost their lives in vain at the sight of your hideous, pus-ridden, foul, grime-encrusted visage.”

“This is not something any delicate ears should be hearing,” Lockwood said, placing his hooves over Fluttershy’s ears.

Starlight seethed, and through clenched teeth said, “If you are quite finished—”

“I’m not finished, you pathetic excuse for a unicorn. Show some manners,” Tick Tock interrupted. “You may be able to speak that way to the foul, germ-infested, scum-ridden grunge that you no doubt bathe in, but you do not get to speak like that to normal ponies. My ears don’t quite pick up on the wavelength of your abhorrent dialect.

“You are nothing more than an egotistical, repugnant, puerile excuse for a pony, with nothing good to offer the world. Nothing good, save for being the bar set at the absolute lowest point possible, so that the rest of the universe can measure themselves against you and even the worst of the worst can breathe a sigh of relief and say, ‘Well, at least I’m not Starlight Shadow’.” Tick Tock slowly clapped her hooves together. “And for that, I applaud you, you nauseating heap of excrement.”

“I... am going to kill you,” Starlight hissed.

Tick Tock gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry, I said I wouldn’t use big words, didn’t I? Bloody irresponsible of me. I’ll keep it simple then.” She cleared her throat. “You’re just a huge, thick clod. A world-class moron. A grade-A nimrod. An idiot. You are nothing more than a knock-kneed, dim-witted, slack-jawed, pug-nosed, trollop!”

“Oh good heavens!” Rarity gasped. She then overdramatically swooned; Applejack caught her.

Starlight breathed heavily for a few moments, then paused and turned to Twilight. “Sparkle. Gather your friends and relocate to someplace safe. Preferably a pronounced distance away.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Starlight?”

“Oh, this is rich,” Tick Tock laughed. “Look at her, trying to act like she’s tough.” She turned to Twilight and gestured for her and the others to move away. “Go on, Sparkle. Humor the poor filly. It will make her feel better about herself, and for that, the universe will thank you. The poor dear must have bloody low self-esteem.”

“Tick Tock, I am not going to move aside so that Starlight can... can kill you!”

Tick Tock smirked. “Sparkle, please, just do it. Trust me,” she added with a wink. “I’m in no danger. Look”—she took several dozen steps back and held a hoof out to the side—“I’ll even give the nearsighted simpleton a clear target.”

“She sounds confident, Twi. Let’s not argue with her,” Rainbow said. She dragged Pinkie as quickly as she could away from the line of fire.

“If she’s got a death wish... then who’re we to argue?” Applejack muttered. “I don’t wanna do it any more than y’all do, Twi, but... but what else can we do?”

“Miss Tock, you don’t have to do this,” Flathoof said.

“We can talk this out,” Lockwood added. “A little apology goes a long way.”

“That’s right,” Twilight said. “Please, Tick Tock... just apologize. You just got hit on the head too many times, and are a little skewed right now, right? Right?”

“I assure you, Sparkle, I am quite sane at the moment,” Tick Tock replied. “Go on. Get moving.”

“This dilatory conversation ends now!” Starlight shouted. “There is a unicorn that requires immediate vaporization! Relocate now!”

Twilight gulped, then moved with the rest of her friends to a safe distance. “Tick Tock...”

Tick Tock shook her head. “Don’t worry about me, Sparkle. This twit isn’t a threat to me.”

“I have heard enough!” Starlight spat. “Die!”

She collected all of her ambient energy into a tiny ball at the tip of her horn. It remained there for a brief second, then exploded in a cone-shaped beam aimed directly at Tick Tock. The magical blast tore through the air, sending shockwaves of power rippling outwards, ripping apart the ground and air alike. The noise sounded like thunder, dynamite, and an earthquake mixed together in an unsettling, ear-wrenching combination.

Tick Tock pulled Zenith’s Timekeeper from her pocket. The device was vibrating so violently that it threatened to leap right out of her hoof. “About bloody time.”

She twisted a knob on the side of the Timekeeper, then threw it with all her might directly into the path of the energy blast screeching towards her.

The beam struck the device with a resounding crack, and a great spark of energy crackled outwards from the point of impact. A split second later, the stopwatch exploded in a terrific flash of blinding, brilliant white light.

When the light and smoke cleared, Twilight and her friends unshielded their eyes and cleared their throats. The sight they were greeted with was beyond absurd. Unimaginable. Unfathomable. Completely impossible.

The massive burst of magical energy had stopped in mid-air, bursting outwards from Starlight’s horn like a great cone of light, just inches from Tick Tock’s unflinching face. Shockwaves of incredible energy, also stopped, spread both around Starlight and beneath the path of the energy blast, burning a scar along the cavern floor.

Starlight and her sisters, too, were frozen in place, all caught with different expressions: Starlight stood with a look of the purest, most unadulterated rage spread across her face; Insipid’s jaw hung slack, dumbfounded by Starlight’s display; Curaçao had shielded her eyes from the light generated by Starlight’s attack; Havocwing watched in eager anticipation, her eyes and smile wide; Grayscale stood firm and stared forward, expressionless as always, to the point that one couldn’t tell if she was actually frozen in place or just pretending; Velvet was in a more eager state of anticipation than Havocwing, her tongue on her lips as if she’d been caught in the middle of salivating.

Yet, despite the other six being frozen in place, Twilight and her friends found they could all move normally.

Tick Tock trotted over to them, not just alive and well, but as cocky as ever. “You’re welcome.”

Applejack shook her head. “I don’t got any idea what I’m seein’... an’ I don’t think I ever will.”

Rainbow trotted over to Havocwing and bopped her on the nose. No reaction. “Okay, this is pretty cool.”

“Tick Tock... what did you do?” Twilight asked. “This is... this is high-level Chronomancy...”

“I activated the Timekeeper’s failsafe emergency measure, which only works in the presence of cataclysmic-level Void magicks,” Tick Tock explained. “Easy peasy.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Wait, the Timekeeper? I thought you said you lost yours.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve had it all this time,” Flathoof said, narrowing his eyes.

Tick Tock sighed. “Pewter... gave me a replacement, of sorts. It belonged to my predecessor and mentor, Zenith. Unfortunately, the failsafe requires a self-detonation in order to release the required amount of counteractive magicks, so... I am once again without a Timekeeper.”

“Your mentor’s Timekeeper...” Rarity muttered. “A sentimental item, I take it?”

“Very much so, yes. He was... like a father to me.” Tick Tock rubbed under her eye. “I did what I had to do.”

“You sacrificed such a treasured keepsake... for us?” Rarity frowned and patted Tick Tock’s back. “Darling... thank you.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me,” Tick Tock said, shrugging Rarity off. “This is my job, after all. I plan on seeing it through to the end, at any cost.”

“So wait. I don’t understand,” Twilight said, hoof to her chin. “You mentioned Void magic. How is that possible?”

“Elementary, my dear Sparkle. Shadow’s magic somehow stems from a Void source.” She held up her hoof to preemptively interrupt Twilight’s question. “I know it’s as impossible as it sounds, but Timekeeper readings are one-hundred percent infallible. This would explain how she has so much power. Void magicks have nearly limitless potential, even in tiny amounts. Larger amounts can do greater things, sometimes things that can break the very laws of magic. Void energy packed into a body of her size would theoretically contain enough power to trigger a cataclysmic-level event, if prodded.”

“So what gives with all o’ this?” Applejack asked, gesturing a hoof around the sight of frozen magic and ponies. “The stopped-in-mid-air business, I mean.”

“Yes, I was wondering that as well,” Twilight said.

“I think we all are,” Flathoof added.

Tick Tock cleared her throat. “The failsafe measure reacts with Void magic to alter the flow of time, allowing the Chronomancer proper time to utilize their natural Chronomancy to seal the portal causing the cataclysmic event. We can’t do that in real time because the Void magicks react too quickly.

“What you’re seeing here is all of us moving through time at greater than normal speed. The effect allows both for the activating Chronomancer and anypony else in the immediate vicinity whose magical signature they have registered to their Timekeeper, to act as normal and can interact with the world from a unique perspective.

“I registered all of you at the checkpoint while you were sleeping, so you are all under the spell with me. Of course, I neglected to register our other traveling companions, so they are unaffected. Thus, to us, they appear to be moving slower.”

“You never trusted them,” Twilight muttered.

“Not a one. Glad to see my mistrust was not misplaced.” Tick Tock chuckled. “Bloody shame, too. We could’ve used their help if they weren’t evil gits.”

“So, what does that have to do with all the insults?” Rainbow asked. “I just thought you kinda went all... stupid on us.”

“Or crazy,” Twilight said.

“Or stupid crazy,” Flathoof added.

Tick Tock laughed. “Stupid and crazy like a bloody fox. The failsafe requires a massive amount of Void magicks present to activate. While Shadow was closing in on that amount, she hadn’t reached it yet. I needed the proper amount of magic to utilize the failsafe and get us out of this little jam, so I goaded her into releasing the necessary energy required.”

“Well, that certainly worked,” Flathoof scoffed. “You had us all worried sick, Miss Tock.”

“I suppose I see why you didn’t tell us, either,” Rarity said. “It would’ve ruined the surprise if Starlight had known what you were trying to do.”

“Precisely,” Tick Tock replied.

“So we’re really... frozen in time?” Applejack said. She removed her hat and shook her head. “I ain’t never seen nothin’ like it.”

“It’s only in effect for a short time, roughly one minute in real time. So, to us, an hour,” Tick Tock said. “Although we still have plenty of time, we still should be getting a move on. We have the opportunity here to buy ourselves some distance and lose them. We have my map, after all, so they cannot navigate the caverns accurately. Shadow will likely teleport them outside and take an alternate route.”

“And hopefully they lose time doing so,” Twilight agreed. “It might be enough to get a decent lead.”

“Best of all, we can still track them with my map if they’re close, so they won’t be able to get the jump on us,” Tick Tock added. “We can use this advantage to ensure we stay out of their way until we reach Hope’s Point.”

“Why don’t we do something to them here and now?” Rainbow asked, swooping back over to Havocwing. “We can like tie them up or something, so they waste time before following us.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “Unfortunately, as I noted earlier, we can only interact with the rest of the world in a unique fashion. Things we touch or affect magically will have their effects manifest as normal, though to us we’d see the reaction take place in slow-motion. We cannot pick up or move objects, as they cannot change position in space at the same rate we do.”

“So that means we have to leave our supplies behind too, don’t it?” Applejack asked.

“Sadly, yes. While I know of a few water sources between here and Hope’s Point, food is going to be bloody scarce. We have a long road ahead. But enough chatter, let’s get... moving...”

Tick Tock paused to look directly at Starlight Shadow. She trotted over to the other unicorn, a curious expression on her face.

“Tick Tock?” Twilight said. “What’s up?”

Tick Tock shook her head. “This can’t be right...”

“Is something wrong?”

“I can’t make an exact calculation, but Starlight appears to be moving... faster than I expected.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

Tick Tock ushered Twilight away from Starlight. “It means that her magic is overpowering the time alteration spell.”

“Can she do that?”

“Unfortunately, I activated the failsafe mechanism for a Level One Cataclysmic Event. If Shadow had more power in her spell than I calculated, it would have required a more powerful countermeasure, which I did not activate.”

Twilight gulped, and cantered alongside Tick Tock, who was increasing her pace. “I... assume this means we need to get moving.”

“Quite. Come along, everypony! Our window of opportunity is—"

She stopped, and stared directly at Starlight again. Starlight’s head had tilted, if only just slightly, in their direction.

“Oh bugger...”

“What now?” Rainbow asked.

“Now... we run!” Tick Tock shouted. She pushed her way to the fore of the group and drew out her map. “She’s overpowering the spell more quickly that I thought!”

“Let’s move, everypony!” Twilight shouted, galloping to catch up with Tick Tock. “Applejack, Flathoof! We have injured; help them keep up!”

“Right behind ya, Twi!” Applejack said. She leaned under Rarity and tossed her up onto her back. “Hang on tight, sugarcube.”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else, darling,” Rarity said, wrapping her hooves around Applejack’s neck.

Lockwood assisted Fluttershy in getting on Flathoof’s back, then turned to do the same with Pinkie. 

Rainbow swooped over and scooped Pinkie up in her hooves. “Hooves off, pal. I’ll get Pinkie, you worry about yourself.”

“Dashie, should you be flying right now?” Pinkie asked, eyes wide.

“I’ll be fine, Pinks.”

Lockwood nodded. “If you’re sure, Miss Dash.”

Rainbow grunted, then flew to catch up with Twilight and Tick Tock.

The party only managed to make it to the opening leading for the gryphon ruins when they heard a fierce explosion behind them; Starlight’s energy blast had impacted the wall well behind its intended target.

They heard Starlight scream, “After them!”

“Run!” Twilight shouted.

“This way!” Tick Tock shouted, moving along the northern path.

The party galloped at top speed towards the gryphon ruins in a desperate attempt to escape. They rounded a corner, and the cavern suddenly smoothed out into a silvery metal substance that paved the walls, ceiling, and floor. They didn’t have time to ask questions; they just pressed on.

“I see them!” Havocwing shouted.

Tick Tock led the party through the hallway they’d entered and through a large archway. “Come on! We can lose them in here!”

“Go on! I’ll hold them off!” Twilight shouted.

She waited outside the archway to ensure that her friends all got through. She saw Havocwing barrel around the corner behind them just as Applejack and Rarity, who were taking up the rear, passed through the arch. Twilight, too, passed through the arch, then paused when an odd sensation sparked through her body.

“What the—" she muttered.

“Gotcha!” Havocwing screamed.

Crunch.

Havocwing slammed into an invisible barrier inches from Twilight’s face, and slid to the floor. Twilight didn’t waste time questioning it, and turned to follow her friends into the darkness of the hallway.

Starlight and her sisters caught up to Havocwing less than a minute later, and formed a line in front of the archway.

“Havocwing!” Starlight snapped. “Did you lose them?!”

Havocwing grumbled and staggered to her hooves. “Ugh... I think I hit something...”

Starlight grabbed Havocwing by the throat with her magic and shook her, violently. “Havoc! Respond to my inquiry, immediately!”

“Hey. Whoa. Ease up, boss.” Havocwing grunted. “There’s this... thing in the way. Those losers got through, but I can’t.”

Starlight glared at the hallway. “A force field? Ha! Imbeciles.”

She lit up her horn, and fired a burst of dispel magic at the archway. It struck the invisible barrier.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Starlight’s eyebrow twitched. “What?”

“Was... something supposed to happen?” Havocwing asked.

“Um...” Starlight coughed. “Perhaps, as an imperceptible barrier, we could not observe the dispel occurring. Havoc, assay the constitution of the impediment.”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow. “Ass the what?”

Starlight groaned. “Test the barrier’s strength. I desire evidence that my dispel magic worked.”

“Oh. Well, okay then.”

Havocwing chucked a tiny fireball straight at the archway. The projectile bounced off the still-solid, still-invisible barrier, then blew up in Insipid’s face.

“Blech!” Insipid coughed. She frantically patted black soot off her face. “Havoc! You, like, got crud all over me!”

Havocwing shrugged, barely containing a laugh. “Oops.”

“Impossible,” Starlight snorted. “This is simply impossible!”

She fired another spell. Nothing. Another. Nothing. Another. Nothing.

This continued on for several minutes before Curaçao finally stepped forward and coughed to draw Starlight’s attention. “Euh, ma capitaine?”

“What?” Starlight snapped. “Can you not see that I am occupied?!”

“Oui, but, zis seems to be somezing beyond you, non?”

“There is nothing beyond my insurmountable power,” Starlight hissed, firing off another bolt. Again, nothing.

“Per’aps, but zen again, zere are some zings zat may be beyond your understanding.”

“Nopony’s perfect,” Grayscale added.

“And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?” Starlight asked, turning her glare to Curaçao. “Are you implying that my comprehension of magic is deficient? Who could possibly possess more expertise on the subject of magic than myself?”

“Vell, zere is one unicorn I know for certain zat knows more about magic zan anypony.” Curaçao put her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “Per’aps ve should ask ‘im?”

Starlight paused. “You are suggesting that we inquire about this with father.”

Curaçao nodded. “Oui.”

Insipid giggled. “Oh, Curie’s so smart! I bet daddy would know what to do!”

Starlight stomped her hoof. “Absolutely not! I will not have him made aware of my—" She stopped herself, and cleared her throat. “Of your failures! Why, I can just imagine how he will discipline you all,” she added, glaring at Velvet.

Havocwing rolled her eyes. “Relax, boss. He’ll understand. It’s not like it’s our fault there’s this barrier in the way. He might know a way through. Besides, worse comes to worst, they can’t have gone too far. We’ll catch ‘em on the other side of the mountains. No big deal.”

“Vell said, ‘avocving,” Curaçao said, clapping Havocwing on the shoulder.

“Yeah, well said, Havocwing!” Insipid repeated, clapping Havocwing on her other shoulder.

“Don’t touch me,” Havocwing muttered.

Starlight snarled. “Fine!” she shouted, shaking her head. “Fine! Since you are all so thoroughly sanguine, then fine, we shall go visit father!”

She channeled another spell, and she and her sisters disappeared with a flash and a pop.

***

Shroud opened the door to her office that morning, and was greeted by the usual mountain of paperwork upon her desk. With a heavy breath, she brushed strands of her red mane out of her eyes, adjusted her glasses, then took her seat and immediately set to work. She always found herself saddled with more paperwork than she felt one mare was capable of doing, but somehow she always managed to come through. If there was one thing she’d learned from years of experience as Lord Silvertongue’s personal secretary, it was that diligence and hard work paid off, and that complaining did not.

She glanced out the window. Today had certainly started off differently, even if now it was back to her everyday pattern. Most of her paperwork confirmed what she’d seen on her way to Pandora Tower that morning: a bright beam of light bursting through the air above the city, clearing smog and the Beacon’s magic alike. It had been surreal, seeing the real sky above the city. She could still see faint traces of it now; the smog and magic had not amassed enough to cover it. It was early morning; the sky was filled with purples and blues.

It really is beautiful... no wonder ponies want to move to Utopia.

She turned back to her work; this was no time to get distracted. She had her own work to do, and she knew her employer had been working around the clock to do... something. She’d never known him to be more active than these past few days, nor to be as distant. He’d been strangely quiet, locked in his private quarters and rarely taking meals. He had only contacted her a sparse few times, and was otherwise not taking visitors. He had not, however, absolved Shroud of her duties, so she continued to provide him with daily reports on the city’s happenings. It was dreadfully boring, not having actual assignments, but whatever her employer wanted, he was going to get.

Unfortunately, continued distractions seemed to be the topic of the day. The air inside her office buzzed with magic; Shroud recognized it as the signature of a teleportation spell. There was only one pony she was expecting as a visitor.

Oh my, a visit already? I hope he has a assignment for me.

In a panic, she double-checked to make sure her mane was still neatly tied in a bun, that her suit and skirt were straight, and that not a hair was out of place on her hot pink coat.

There was a flash and a pop, and then the room was occupied by six other mares.

What are they doing here? Aren’t they supposed to be out in the desert?

She knew well who Starlight Shadow and her “sisters” were, or at least knew as much as Lord Silvertongue made available to her. She knew of their powers, and of their mission. She knew not where they’d come from, nor how they’d come into Lord Silvertongue’s employ, but she knew of the mysterious circumstances and timing in which it had happened. She also knew that these six considered her employer their adoptive father. This would be their first meeting.

Two of the mares, Insipid and Havocwing, if she recalled correctly, sputtered and coughed as the teleport wore off; the others did not seem to mind much.

“Ech. Blech!” Insipid blanched, scraping her tongue. “Eww... what is that, like, taste? Ugh! Ech!”

“It may take you some time to get used to teleportation, ma copine,” the blue mare, Curaçao, said, patting Insipid’s shoulder.

While the other five mares glanced about the office, Starlight stepped forward. Shroud was of the understanding that the purple unicorn was the team leader of these six mares, so she was not surprised to see her taking charge.

“Where is our father located?” she asked, firm and confident. “We desire a conversation with him, but did not find him in his office.”

Shroud raised an eyebrow, surprised at Starlight’s bluntness and stern voice. She sounded eerily like Lord Silvertongue did when he was particularly aggravated. Though even while annoyed, Lord Silvertongue was always polite and referred to her by name. Did Starlight even know Shroud’s name?

“Forgive me ladies,” Shroud replied, maintaining her professionalism, “but Lord SIlvertongue has been in his chambers for the past four days—"

“His private chambers, of course,” Starlight said. “I had worried about rousing him from his slumber.” She turned to the others and trotted over to them. “Come, sisters. We go to see father.”

“No, wait!” Shroud exclaimed.

The six mares disappeared with the same flash and pop they’d arrived with. 

Well, I warned them.

Shroud shook her head, then got back to work.

***

Silvertongue shifted uneasily in his great, throne-like chair, and threw another datapad aside with disgust. The datapad landed in a pile behind him, which had by now grown so large that it took up an entire corner of his spacious personal chambers, tall enough to tower over even a pony of above-average height. It was the second such pile; the other had taken up a second corner of the room. His chambers were running out of space to discard useless inventory. 

With a grunt, he grabbed another datapad from the slowly-emptying shelf near his desk with his magic, then set it upon said desk and perused it with diligence. His eyes flickered back and forth across the words and images on the display, searching for a very specific symbol, one that had eluded him for days. He wished he had not been so thorough in the past at concealing matters of great importance.

It had taken four sleepless days and nights for him to get this far in his search, and the investigation had taken its toll on his appearance. His natural eye had become bloodshot. His abnormal other eye, with its blackened sclera and golden, iris-less pupil, was quite the opposite. In fact, it seemed to be flourishing more and more by the day: the pupil had grown to the size of a typical pupil and had a healthy, luminous glow. Days without washing had made his mane and tail grow ragged and oily; his coat was sweaty and dirty. His normally impeccable uniform was now disheveled and caked with sweat, and had no luster whatsoever. 

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, and, with a grumble, threw the datapad aside and reached out for another to replace it. But, before he could draw it forth, his thoughts were dashed by the familiar feeling of magical energy behind him; the signature of a teleportation spell. His golden pupil pulsed with enthusiasm, as if reacting to the magical energies.

His daughters were here.

There was a flash and a pop, and where there had once been no mares, there were six. Havocwing and Insipid coughed as they stepped out of the teleportation matrix; their sisters seemed unaffected. He stifled a laugh; those two were clearly not accustomed to being teleported yet.

“Ah, my daughters,” Silvertongue said, rising from his chair and stepping towards them. “I did not expect you back so soon.”

Starlight cleared her throat, stepped forward, and bowed low. “Father, it gladdens me to be in your presence again.”

The six mares eyes him with looks of concern. He knew immediately why, but asked anyway: “You seem distressed. Is something the matter?”

Starlight nervously glanced at her sisters, then back to him. “Well... if you do not mind me prying, father, you appear... um... how should I phrase this?”

“You look like hell, pops,” Havocwing said.

Starlight shot her a glare. “Havoc!”

Havocwing shrugged defensively. “What? Somepony needed to say it. Sorry, pops, but you do.”

“You believe me to be in dire straits?” Silvertongue asked, raising an eyebrow. He wanted an honest answer; if his daughters were to be as powerful as he knew they were destined to be, they could not show such uncertainty.

“Oui, papa,” Curaçao said, taking a step forward. “Votre apparence est négligé.”

He laughed, and smoothed his oily mane back. “Ah, of course. Forgive me if I do appear to have disregarded my demeanor, but I assure you, there is nothing wrong with me. I do suppose I look rather unprofessional. I apologize if I am causing any worry.”

“Are you certain you are well, father?” Starlight asked, stepping forward and pressing her hoof against his leg. “If you require attention, we would be exceedingly exultant to oblige.”

“Yeah, some of us more than others,” Velvet muttered with a smirk.

Starlight shot her a fierce glare, and hissed, “Velvet! Silence!”

Silvertongue shook his head and put his hoof upon Starlight’s shoulder. “Fear not, daughter. I assure you, I am of spritely health. I have merely gone many a restless night as of late due to my research. I have had a curiosity that required immediate attention, for it may prove of use to your mission’s future steps.”

“May we be of assistance? It would bring me no dearth of felicity to pursue enlightenment alongside you.”

“Regretfully, my research is of lesser importance than other matters at hoof. Your assignments take precedence; assisting me would delay your success.” Silvertongue smiled and turned to the other five. “Incidentally, as you have returned, I assume that your first task has met with success.”

Starlight shifted nervously in place, which drew Silvertongue’s attention to her. This only served to make her more nervous. “Well, father, we... we seem to have encountered a minor... conundrum.”

Silvertongue’s smile faded. “A conundrum, you say? What seems to be the problem? Don’t tell me you did not encounter the Elements of Harmony. They cannot have managed to elude you; their lead could not have been so great.”

“Oh no, we realized our goal of a rendezvous with them, father,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “They encountered complications in the course of traversing the Redblade Mountains.”

“So they did take the Redblade route?” Silvertongue mused, tapping his hoof to his chin. “The Chronomancer is gutsier than I had initially been led to believe. Curious... but no matter. You managed to link up with their party. What happened next, that causes you such distress? Did your attempts to persuade them to join our cause not take hold?”

Starlight looked to her sisters, then turned back to her father. “I am of the opinion that our progress in that assignment was well beyond my initial prognostication.”

“I fail to see, then, where a problem could have arisen.” Silvertongue gave each of the six mares a brief, scrutinous gaze. “Some unforeseen circumstance, then? Explain.”

Starlight gulped, and attempted not to meet Silvertongue’s eyes; she was clearly choosing her words carefully. “An altercation occurred early this morning, some two hours heretofore. Though Curaçao and I attempted to ameliorate the situation, it escalated, and our two troupes came to physical blows.”

“I see.” Silvertongue frowned, sighed, and stepped away from his daughters. He glanced out the window and watched the smog and Beacon magicks cover up the last few specks of open sky, then shook his head. “Most troubling indeed. What course of action did you pursue after your victory? I can only assume that you suitably trounced the Elements of Harmony in battle.”

“We did indeed,” Starlight said, nodding. “Subsequently, we attempted to apprehend them, that we could deliver them to you, but...” Starlight hesitated, then cleared her throat. “The Chronomancer utilized some heretofore unknown ability to amend the flow of time for her and her companions, allowing them to escape.”

“Where did they flee to?”

Starlight gave a small smile. “Prior to the physical engagement, I precluded any chance of absconding through the caves into the eastern Wastelands. Their only option was to retreat into the Gryphon Ruins, where I was convinced they could not elude us.”

“And yet, here you are.” Silvertongue snorted in disgust. “It would seem you made a poor judgement call, my dear. What manner of escape method did they devise that they could elude you?”

Starlight hung her head in shame. “Some manner of force field barricaded the entryway, and while the Elements of Harmony and their friends proceeded within without hardship, we could not. Even my immeasurable magic could not dispel the barrier. Our theory was that you, father, with your expertise on the subject of magic, would be able to concoct a solution to our dilemma.”

Silvertongue stood in silence for a long moment. This was truly a perplexing predicament, one that troubled him deeply. The barrier was active? That shouldn’t be possible after all these years. What had caused it to reactivate?

He dismissed the dilemma with a wave of his hoof and laughed. “I am afraid that I possess no such solution for you, my daughters. The barrier surrounding the ruins is of a most ancient magic, far beyond the understandings of some of our greatest pony scholars. Worry not; you will surely encounter the Elements of Harmony again in the near future. This is only a minor delay at best.”

Starlight looked to her sisters, then turned back to her father, eyebrow raised. “Then... you are not disconcerted?”

“Disconcerted?” Silvertongue chuckled as he turned from the window to face his daughters again, then shook his head. “Oh, my dear Starlight Shadow, I am absolutely furious right now.”

Starlight gulped. “F-furious, father? Y-you do not appear to be in such a state.”

Silvertongue closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “It astounds me to no end, how every situation involving the Chronomancer and her charges meets with astoundingly poor performances from my subordinates. Subordinates who, I might add, have never once failed me prior. They are now being made to look as useless fools, and their inadequacies reflect upon me.”

He turned back to the window. “I am beginning to think there is some higher power at work here, trying to protect the Elements of Harmony from my plans for them.”

“Father... p-please, do not become crestfallen,” Starlight said. She stepped forward and put her hoof to his hind leg. “As you iterated, this is merely an ephemeral hindrance.”

Silvertongue sighed, then turned back to Starlight and put his hoof upon her head. “Fear not, my daughter. I am well aware of how temporary this setback is. They will be forced to leave the ruins eventually, and will still need to cross the eastern Wastelands if they hope to reach their destination. They have but one sensible exit from the ruins as well, so that will simplify your task considerably.”

“Where will their egress be located?”

“The northeastern edge of the mountains, near the Blood Mire.” He turned to his other daughters. “You are to wait in ambush for them, some distance from the opposite edge of that forsaken place. Allow them to believe they have earned reprieve, and to wear themselves down in their passage across. Strike them when they least expect it, when they are at their weakest. Then, you will deliver them to me, as you intended. What little time you managed to spend with them has likely already placed the seeds of corruption in their minds. I will simply force those seeds to blossom myself.”

“Yes, father, this strategy seems most acceptable,” Starlight said with a bow. “We will depart immediately.” She turned to her sisters. “Come! We shall plan—"

“Hold a moment,” Silvertongue said, forcing Starlight to face him again. “We are not done yet, daughter.”

“Oh? What more would you ask of us, father?”

“I wish you to deliver a more detailed report of what occurred in the caves, specifically of what instigated this mishap. If your ‘bonding’ with them was proving as fruitful as you claim, I see no reason why things would have needed to come to blows. You omitted this detail earlier, and I wish it to be made plain.”

Starlight hesitated, and gave Velvet a brief glance. “Um...”

Silvertongue followed her glance for the instance it was there. “Why do you look to your sister? Should I be asking her?”

Starlight’s eyes widened for an instant; she had clearly not thought she’d been noticed. “Oh! I... w-well—"

Velvet sighed. “Go on, boss... tell him...”

Starlight paused, and stared at Velvet for a long moment. She then cleared her throat, and turned back to her father. “Red Velvet violated my explicit directive: I instructed her with no uncertainty that she was to persevere in her assignment with Pinkie Pie, despite her inadequate progress. This was subsequent to her request for exchanging targets with Havocwing, who, I add, was performing admirably.

“When her request was denied, she proceeded to attempt utilization of her fear-mongering magicks against Fluttershy nonetheless. An act of insubordination of the highest caliber. Her disobedience compelled Twilight Sparkle and her friends to reconsider their decision to travel alongside us. Following this transgression, she ventured a coup, wielding strength obtained from the fears of the Elements of Harmony.”

Silvertongue frowned, then turned to face Velvet. “Is this true, my dear? Did you disobey your younger sister’s orders? My orders?”

Velvet nervously fumbled with her hooves. “Um... w-well, I... uh... y-yeah I guess, but—"

“This is most troubling.” Silvertongue sighed. “My dear, I knew you possessed great potential for unchecked violence and incredible power. I had high hopes for you. I did not think your bloodlust would cloud your better judgement. I am... disappointed, to say the least.”

Velvet threw herself to the floor, and looked up at Silvertongue with wide, sad eyes, placing her hooves together in a pleading gesture. “D-daddy, p-please don’t be mad at me. I had to do what I had to do because Pinkie wasn’t scared of anything I was doing. I just... lost control, that’s all.”

“Excuses tire me so. I hear them time and time again when my orders go unfulfilled. I grew weary of hearing them long, long ago, and I have no desire to hear them today.” He shook his head, and took a few steps towards her. “Learn a lesson from today’s experiences. Insubordination will not be tolerated. Failure will not be tolerated.”

“But daddy—"

“Mildred Eleanor Velvet! Do not interrupt me!”

“Holy shit,” Havocwing muttered. “Full name basis, dude.” She nervously shuffled to the side to distance herself, as she was closest to Velvet.

Silvertongue sighed, and lit his horn with a bright red glow. “It is time, my dear, that you learned your place.”

A sharp bolt of black lightning leapt from his horn and struck Velvet with enough force to send her sailing into the adjacent wall. She struck with a resounding crack, dislodging great swaths of dust and knocking hanging paintings and photographs to the floor. She slumped to the floor for only just a moment, then attempted to stand upright, though she did so with difficulty.

Silvertongue took another step forward and charged his horn again. Velvet was getting up much more quickly than anypony ever had when struck by that spell; he knew well of her high tolerance for pain, and knew that a single bolt would not be enough to suitably discipline her.

“All of my great many efforts have been laid aside by a single careless action.”

He blasted Velvet with another bolt of lightning, knocking her back into the wall hard enough to dent the solid metal it was made of. When she attempted to rise, he blasted her again. She would learn not to resist.

“A single mistake. A mistake that I will rectify.”

Velvet lay motionless for a brief moment, then attempted to rise once more. She glanced at her father, her eyes wide with fear.

Silvertongue paused for only a second, then fired a constant stream of lightning at his daughter. Electricity sputtered and hissed and it flared about her body; the force of the blast pinned her against the wall and slowly pushed her upwards. Sparks surged through the air, singing the floral wallpaper. There had been enough power in the blast that an average pony would have likely gone into shock from the pain, if not been killed outright.

“D-daddy... please!” Velvet pleaded in agony.

She clenched her teeth and thrashed about as another pulse of electricity ripped through her. The gash along her spine split open of its own accord, spilling gore on the wall and the floor beneath her. Her blood sizzled and boiled as electricity surged through it.

Silvertongue glanced to the side to see how his other daughters were reacting. Grayscale remained as stoic as ever, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety. Curaçao and Insipid did not hide their utter repulsion, and the latter had long since averted her eyes. Havocwing watched in dismay, hoof to her mouth in shock. Starlight watched the horrific display, her face fierce and resolute, though she nervously tapped her hoof on the floor.

Silvertongue turned his attention back to the struggling Velvet, and fired another bolt. To his surprise, the blast halted mere inches away from its target, enshrouded in a deep purple glow. The glow evaporated his bolt in seconds.

Silvertongue frowned and turned to Starlight, whose horn was aglow.

“Starlight, my dear, what do you think you’re doing?” he asked, turning to face her. He kept his horn aglow, in case he needed his magic quickly. This was an unexpected development.

“Father, I have come to the conclusion that my sister has suffered enough,” Starlight replied, her tone firm but clearly strained.

Curaçao and Havocwing rushed to Velvet’s side and assisted their younger sister in getting up. Velvet’s mane and coat were singed, and her body was bloody and bruised. She could barely stand on her own. Her eyes had become sullen and hollow, and were wet with tears.

Silvertongue huffed. “Enough, you say? My dear, you do not have the privilege of telling me when she has had enough. Or do you think otherwise?”

Starlight paused, and took a half step back. “W-well, I—"

“Now now, Starlight, you have made it quite clear with your actions that you are of the opinion that you have some sort of authority in this matter. Do tell.”

“I... y-yes, father.” Starlight gulped. “She is my responsibility, father, as the leader of my troupe. It should fall to me to enact disciplinary action upon her in situations such as these.” She stood tall for a brief moment. “I am of the opinion that she has suffered enough.”

Silvertongue looked into her eyes for a brief moment, then nodded. “A fair point, my daughter. Well spoken indeed. Your flock is yours to command, and thus is yours to punish as you see fit.”

“I... yes, father.”

“But just know,” he added, hardening his gaze, “that this means they are entirely your responsibility. Their failures reflect upon you, now. Thus, in the future, any punishments I would lay upon your subordinates I shall instead lay solely upon you. Do you understand?”

Starlight nodded. “I do, father.”

“Good.” Silvertongue turned back to the window and stepped over to it. “Now then, you have your amended orders. Carry them out. When I see you next, you had better be carrying those other six with you, and I’d better have that Chronomancer’s head on my desk.”

“As you wish, father.”

Silvertongue waved his hoof, dismissing them. “As for now, I have other business to attend to and I wish not to be disturbed. Leave me.”

“Father,” Starlight said, her voice cracking. “Please, do not be upset with me. I... I did not intend to challenge your authority, I was merely—"

“I believe I asked for you and your sisters to leave me be, Starlight,” Silvertongue grunted.

Starlight frowned and nodded. “Yes, father.” She turned to her sisters and stepped over to them. “Come, sisters. We must formulate our next plan of action.”

With a flash and a pop, they were gone.

Silvertongue paused for a moment in thought. His mind swirled with familiar, dark things. In a sudden burst of rage, he latched onto his desk with his magic and flung it through the window.

This is not how I intended things to be! Something is amiss here... and I will find out what.

He took a deep breath, then stepped over to the far wall near his bedside and pressed the button on his intercom. “Shroud,” he said into it.

“Yes, milord?” Shroud replied, her tone a mix of surprise and worry.

“I need to attend a meeting with Doctor Blutsauger. Have a fresh uniform prepared for me by the time I have finished my bath.”

“Yes, of course milord. Shall I summon Doctor Blutsauger as well?”

Silvertongue paused, then shook his head. “No need. In this situation, I desire to meet him myself. Do not inform him of my coming.”

“Certainly, milord. Is there anything else—"

“Just send up my uniform, Shroud. That will be all.”

“As you wish, milord.”

Silvertongue shut off the intercom and let out a heavy sigh, then turned to the door of his chambers and made for the bath.

***

Silvertongue appeared with a bright hiss just outside the door of Doctor Blutsauger’s office at Central General. He did not waste any time walking through the doors. He glanced over at the desk inside the room. His entrance had drawn the attention of the secretary, who until now had been lazily slumped over her desk, fiddling with her pen.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, taken by surprise. She sat upright and adjusted her tie. “Can I help you, sir? Do you have an appointment?”

“I have no need of an appointment,” Silvertongue said, stepping towards the doors to Blutsauger’s inner office. “Doctor Blutsauger is in, yes?”

The secretary blinked, then coughed into her hoof. “Oh... w-well, yes, he is, but he’s in a very important meeting right now, and—"

“He’ll have time to see me, or I will make time for him.”

“H-hey!” The secretary leapt up from her chair and slammed her hooves on her desk. “Who do you think you are?! You can’t just—"

“Annoying pencil pusher.” Silvertongue sighed, then lit up his horn. “Sleep, and forget.”

A bright glow enshrouded the mare’s head, and her eyes flashed green. In an instant, she slumped back over her desk, fast asleep.

Silvertongue pushed open the doors to Blutsauger’s private office and strode inside. He found the room empty.

“Doctor! We have matters to discuss!” he shouted.

A loud swear came from the room beyond the door to his left, and he heard the clattering of metal and the breaking of glass, followed by more swears. A moment later, the good Doctor Blutsauger staggered out of the examination room, fumbling with his lab coat, his face covered in sweat. Lipstick smears were strewn about his face, his goggles, and the collar of his lab coat. 

“Herr Silvertongue!” he exclaimed, giving a brisk salute. “Zis is most unexpected. Und at such a bad time. To vat do I owe zee pleasure?”

Silvertongue snorted and shook his head with disgust. “Doctor, it would seem as though I’ve caught you with your pants down. The pleasures of the flesh can wait. Tell your ‘patient’ to leave.”

Blutsauger coughed into his hoof. “I... don’t suppose I can finish zee examination? Vee vere so close to finishink our... business.”

Silvertongue narrowed his eyes. His glare was all the answer he needed to give.

Blutsauger gulped. “Ach... ja, of course not. A moment, Herr Silvertongue.”

He hurried back into the examination room, and rushed through a heated, hushed discussion with whoever had been in there with him. He then returned into his office, busily wiping lipstick off his face with a sanitary wipe and frantically straightening his mane. A white pegasus mare darted from the room a moment later, fumbling with her nurse uniform as she flew by. 

Silvertongue did not avert his gaze from Blutsauger. “If you are quite finished, Doctor.”

“Um... ja, I am finished,” Blutsauger said as he stood at attention. “Zis must be a matter of great importance for you to come visit me yourself, Herr Silvertongue. Is zere somezink I can help viz?”

“Our joint project has run into a bit of a problem recently. There is a critical flaw that I suspect may have roots in the original creation process, and I seek answers.”

“Oh... is zat all?” Blutsauger asked, eyebrow raised. “I could have brought zis to you if you’d have asked, Herr Silvertongue. Zere vas no need to interrupt—"

“I wished to make this a personal visit, Doctor, for reasons that are my own,” Silvertongue snorted. “Your whore can wait until we are finished with our business.”

“Right... right.” Blutsauger cleared his throat, and gestured for Silvertongue to follow him to his desk. “I have backup copies of all zee files on mein laptop, under heavily-encoded protection. Vee shall review zem togezer, ja?”

Silvertongue nodded, and stood behind Blutsauger as the other unicorn accessed the files. After several dozen password prompts and numerous drive changes, Blutsauger’s files were finally open to review. Twelve files in total, one each for the Elements of Harmony and for their clones, post-corruption. Everything was exactly as Silvertongue remembered it from days previous, when he and Blutsauger first reviewed them.

Silvertongue could not help himself from questioning the obvious, though: “Tell me, Doctor: why do you have these files on your personal laptop? You should have no need for copies; I carried the original files with me.”

Blutsauger’s eyes darted back and forth. “Oh, vell... um... you know, just in case I ever need to... duplicate zee procedure. For emergency purposes only, of course. I do not have your resources, Herr Silvertongue.”

“Duplicate the procedure, hmm?” Silvertongue’s eyes narrowed. “That data isn’t for you to create your own personal harem, Doctor. I truly hope that was never your intention.”

“Nein!” Blutsauger blurted. He cleared his throat again. “Er... nein. Eh heh, ah... l-let’s just... move along, ja? Vat seems to be zee matter viz zem? Zey were in peak physical condition last I checked.”

“There is nothing wrong with them physically, Doctor, I assure you. I am led to believe they performed admirably in the field, as well.”

“Wunderbar! Zis is great news!” Blutsauger cheered. He then paused. “Zen... vat is zee problem?”

“I noticed an odd trait amongst them that was not present when we saw them last, and it concerns me. They have developed... a bond.”

“A bond, Herr Silvertongue?”

“A sisterly bond, to be exact. It was absent when they departed here days ago, but it seems that days within one another’s company, working together towards a common goal, has caused them to become closer together.” 

Silvertongue snorted. “Starlight Shadow hesitated to implicate Red Velvet in causing a dispute which had a negative impact on their mission success. She also lavished praise upon her other sisters, Havocwing in particular, for their successes. Further, following Red Velvet’s punishment for her role in damaging the mission, her sisters showed great concern for her well-being. Starlight Shadow even halted any further punishment, intervening directly.”

Blutsauger nodded. “Zis is logical, of course. Ponies tend to form zese relationships ven in close company for extended periods of time, ja?”

“Naturally. But therein lies the problem.” Silvertongue pointed at the files on the screen. “When I asked you to engineer this project, I was given your assurance that my daughters were perfect clones of the Elements of Harmony. That is correct, yes?”

“Ja, zat is correct, und zat is vat zey are. Zey are mein finest vork! Absolutely flawless copies, just as you asked for.”

“Then it would seem there was some flaw in the process that slipped us by. The spell I cast upon them that night warped their bodies and minds into perfect antitheses. The Elements of Harmony care deeply for one another, so logically, twisting that upon itself should have left their copies only concerned about themselves.” Silvertongue shook his head. “Their love for me is easy enough to explain; as their superior, they desire my approval above all else, for they know deep down that they owe their existence to me.”

Blutsauger carefully reviewed his files for several moments, then shook his head. “I do not know vat zee problem is, Herr Silvertongue. Zee cloning process vas perfect in every vay; zere vere no anomalies or complications of any sort. Zey vere perfect, Herr Silvertongue.”

Silvertongue glared at Blutsauger, and placed his hoof upon the other unicorn’s shoulder. “Perhaps, then, you are suggesting that something on my end of the equation is causing this dilemma?”

Blutsauger flustered, putting his hooves in front of his face. “N-nein! I merely suggest zat perhaps zee cloning vas so perfect zat zey are growing as individuals? Your magic may have given zem life and varped zeir minds und bodies, but zey are still ponies at heart, ja?”

Silvertongue rubbed his chin in thought. “Hmm... an interesting theory. And an unfortunate one, if it is true. If they continue to develop this bond amongst one another, then they may be in danger of becoming uncorrupted.”

“Vell, it is only a theory,” Blutsauger said. “Vee vould need to test it, to see if it has merit.”

“I agree. It would seem that I need eyes and ears to keep tabs on them. A perfect reason to activate my contingency plan.”

Blutsauger raised an eyebrow. “Contingency plan?”

Silvertongue clapped Blutsauger on the shoulder. “Nothing to concern yourself with, Doctor. I will see to it that my daughters are studied, so that I may find where the problem is and rectify it.”

“Ja, that may be for zee best, Herr Silvertongue.”

“However, this would still mean that you are at fault for this dilemma, Doctor.”

Blutsauger’s eyes widened, and he sputtered in a panic. “B-but Herr Silvertongue, y-you—"

“I asked you to have certain failsafes in place so we may avoid this sort of problem, Doctor, did I not? Obviously, either those failsafes failed, or they were not there in the first place.”

“Herr Silvertongue, z-zee failsafes I put in vere not to prevent zis,” Blutsauger pleaded. “G-give me a chance to—"

“I am done giving second chances.” Silvertongue interrupted. He lit his horn. “Doctor Blutsauger, forgive me for using a tired old cliché, but it would seem you have outlived your usefulness.”

“P-please, Herr Silvert-agghhh!”

A fearsome blast of magic snapped through Blutsauger’s body with alarming speed, shredding and burning the Doctor’s lab coat and shattering his glasses. Within seconds, the Doctor’s body fell limp. Blood oozed from his ears, mouth, and eyes. His body was half-charred, his lab coat a tattered, burned mess. His corpse was completely unrecognizable.

Silvertongue tossed him callously aside like a discarded toy, breaking apart the Doctor’s carefully decorated wall and causing jars of organs to come crashing down upon and around him.

“Thank you ever so much for your work though, Doctor. I do appreciate the touch-up to my face,” Silvertongue said to the Doctor’s lifeless corpse. “Now, though, it would seem the city needs to find a new Chief of Medicine.”


	18. Inquiry

Twilight led her friends through the strange, metal hallway, her horn aglow. The ponies behind her were in various states of distress: Rarity still lay draped over Applejack’s back, Fluttershy was the same over Flathoof’s, and Pinkie limped side-by-side with Rainbow.

She and her friends passed through an archway, and came to a large, circular chamber. The room had sat abandoned for a long time; thick layers of dust covered the smooth, silvery metal of the ceiling, walls, and floor. Twilight figured it to be a lobby or plaza of some sort based on the décor: grand columns stood tall around the room, decorated with strange, almost familiar markings; marvelous statues stood rigid and true, as though they’d just been sculpted the day before; a large fountain with a dragon’s head for a spout stood at the center of the room, long empty; decorative vines, leaves, and flowers, made of the same metal as the rest of the chamber, snaked along the columns, floor, walls, and other pieces of décor.

The chamber was almost completely devoid of light and sound. The only light source was the glow from Twilight’s horn; the only sounds were their own echoes.

“This looks as good of a place to rest as any,” Twilight said.

She strode to the front of the fountain and started a magical fire; it wouldn’t be as warm or bright as a real one, but it would have to do.

“I don’t feel right stopping with those psychos behind us,” Rainbow said, as she helped Pinkie over to the fire. “Why aren’t they chasing us through here, anyway?”

Applejack grunted. “Yeah, sure seems awful lucky they stopped at the arch there.” She set Rarity down beside Pinkie and Rainbow, then plopped herself down as well. “I’ll be glad if we don’t have ta mess with them anytime soon. I’m downright exhausted, I tell ya what.”

Twilight shook her head. “Whatever Havocwing ran into, it seemed to be stopping them from passing through the entryway. It must be a powerful force field to keep the likes of Starlight Shadow out...”

The rest of the group gathered around the campfire as well to get some rest. Lockwood was the only one to fall asleep; the others were too nervous and antsy to do much of that right now. Flathoof and Tick Tock decided to explore the chamber as a precaution, seeking out other entrances; Twilight went along with them, setting warding spells at the entryways to alert the party to danger. This was no time to be careless.

“So, these are the Gryphon Ruins. I’m impressed,” Flathoof said as they passed by a stairwell leading deeper into the ruins. He whistled in awe at the large statue of an armor-clad gryphon, easily the size of thirty ponies, to one side of the archway. “I remember reading about this place in school. Is it true that the gryphons just up and vanished one day?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Tick Tock said. She sighed and shook her head. “I know the history books all say that they just ‘vanished’, true, but there’s another theory that’s a little worse than that. The gryphon race was wiped out a few decades after a massive war nearly a millennium ago; even I don’t know the exact dates, what with the lack of records.”

“Wiped out, huh? Sounds a bit worse than just disappearing.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “It’s like you said, one day the gryphons were here, the next day, they weren’t. Entire civilizations don’t just up and vanish; something or somepony caused it. The theory isn’t very popular, but that’s because few ponies believe anypony is capable of such a feat as genocide. Not from a moral standpoint, mind you, but from a logistical one.”

“What makes your world so different that creatures can do this to one another?” Twilight murmured. She moved her gaze back to her friends and shook her head. “It’s... unsettling, if that’s really the case.”

“Spooky, if you ask me,” Flathoof said. He shuddered. “You don’t suppose this place is haunted, do you?”

“What’s the matter, old chap?” Tick Tock asked, nudging Flathoof in the ribs. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of bleedin’ ghosts.”

Flathoof was silent for a moment, then frowned and shook his head. “Scared, no. I’m just... disturbed by the thought of somepony dying and wandering Equestria forever, y’know? Not being able to rest? That kind of thing never used to worry me, but...”

Tick Tock frowned and patted Flathoof’s shoulder. “I don’t know if it’s any consolation, but with all the crazy things I’ve seen in my lifetime, I can say that I’ve never seen anything that made me believe in ghosts. Your friend’s soul is at rest, Flathoof.”

“In our world, we believe the souls of the dead live forever amongst the stars,” Twilight said. “I’d like to think your world is the same. I... know you can’t see the stars up here in the north, but maybe in Utopia... you’ll be able to look up and see her star.”

Flathoof gave her a small smile. “I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you, Miss Tock. Miss Sparkle.”

“You can call me Twilight if you’d like, Flathoof,” Twilight said, smiling. “I’d like to consider you a friend, if you’d like to do the same for me.”

Flathoof nodded. “That sounds good to me, Twilight.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “At any rate, while this place certainly does have a gloomy air to it, I can’t say I’m not excited to be here. This is the first time I’ve seen it for myself. Master Zenith spoke... so highly of this place...” She frowned, and sighed. “I’m sort of hoping to find some clue as to what he managed to learn about it.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Frankly, the thought of studying the ruins excites me as well. I know we have to find an exit to try and get back out to the Wasteland, but I’m certainly in no rush.”

“Are all of your wards in place, Sparkle?”

Twilight nodded. “One at both entryways, and a more general one across the entire chamber, just in case Starlight and her sisters try to come in some other way. It’ll give Starlight a real taste of her own medicine, if she gets caught by a spell she advised me to use.”

“Well then, let’s return to the others, shall we?” Tick Tock said.

***

Rainbow was the first to notice Tick Tock, Flathoof, and Twilight return to the camp. She grunted and shifted in place. She hadn’t really approved of the trio wandering away from the others, even if it was to set up protective measures. What if something happened while they were gone? The chamber was large enough that they could have easily disappeared without anypony knowing. More importantly, she needed Twilight here to help care for Pinkie.

She looked up from Pinkie, who was curled up at her side, to glance at Twilight as the unicorn trotted over to them. “So, do we have our perimeter set up?” she asked. “You’re sure those psychos aren’t gonna come waltzing in here and try to do anything to us again, right?”

“As sure as I can be, yes,” Twilight replied. She nodded her head in Pinkie’s direction. “Does her leg still hurt?”

Pinkie sniffed, and nodded.

Twilight frowned, then lit her horn and covered Pinkie’s injured leg with a pale glow. “This should help ease the pain until the injury heals entirely. Luckily, it was just a minor sprain. If you get some rest, you’ll recover quickly.” She smiled lightly. “You’ll be okay, Pinkie.”

Rainbow sighed, then ran her hoof through Pinkie’s droopy mane. “You hear that Pinks? You’re gonna be okay.”

“If you say so,” Pinkie mumbled. “I still can’t get those images out of my head, Dashie. The things she showed me...”

Rainbow frowned. “What did she do to you, Pinks? You’ve been acting... weird.”

Pinkie shook her head. “I never wanted to think about the kind of bad things that could happen to you girls out here. But that... that crazy pony forced me to think about it. I don’t know how she did it. It was... so horrible...” She sniffed and buried her face into Rainbow’s mane. “I was so... scared, Dashie. I was frightened for you.”

Rainbow hugged Pinkie as tight as she could. “Hey, c’mon Pinks, I told you, there ain’t nothin’ gonna make me kick the bucket anytime soon, got that? Come on, where’s that Pinkie Pie smile, huh?” She tilted Pinkie’s chin up to look at her, and gave a big, happy smile.

Pinkie nodded glumly and gave her own tiny smile, but Rainbow could tell it was forced.

“Pinkie...” Rainbow sighed and patted Pinkie’s mane. “Hey, I know what’ll get you to turn that frown upside down.” She turned to Applejack, who lay on the other side of the campfire. “You know any new jokes, AJ?”

Applejack tapped her chin. “Hmmm... ah, I know one. Got it from cousin Braeburn in a letter.” She cleared her throat, leaned towards Pinkie and Rainbow, and said, “Okay, what is it, that likes both books, an’ apples?”

Everypony stayed silent, waiting in anticipation.

Applejack grinned wide. “A bookworm!”

While some of the others chuckled at the joke, Pinkie’s frown didn’t shift whatsoever. “Heard it...” she murmured.

“Well, shoot.” Applejack sighed and shook her head. “That’s the best one I’ve got, Dash.”

Rainbow rubbed her temple for a moment, then brightened. “Wait! I know!” She turned to Fluttershy, who lay quietly between Rarity and Lockwood. “Fluttershy, tell that one joke you told me back at Summer Flight School.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “The joke from... Summer Flight School?”

“Yeah! You know the one,” Rainbow said with a wink.

“Oh, um... I don’t think it’s very funny,” Fluttershy murmured, averting her eyes.

“Fluttershy, it’s hilarious,” Rainbow insisted. “Everypony that’s ever heard it has laughed their heads off.”

“I don’t know...”

“I’ve never heard Fluttershy tell a joke before,” Applejack said. She rubbed her chin. “Sounds mighty interestin’.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever heard my dear Fluttershy tell any jokes, either,” Rarity added. She patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. “Come on, darling. Tell us.”

“Yeah, let’s hear it, sugarcube.”

“I must say, the opportunity to hear Fluttershy of all ponies tell a joke intrigues me,” Twilight—horn still aglow—added. “I’d like to hear it too.”

“We all would,” Flathoof added. “This sounds as good a time as any to try and lighten the mood.”

Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane. “Oh, b-but—"

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow pleaded. She darted her eyes from Fluttershy to Pinkie and back, hoping Fluttershy would notice the look. “Please.”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Oh... okay.” 

“You hear that, Pinks? Fluttershy is gonna tell a joke.” Rainbow ruffled Pinkie’s mane. “If that doesn’t get a smile, nothing will.”

Pinkie mumbled something incoherent, but Rainbow could see she was definitely interested.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Um... knock, knock.”

Rainbow smirked and nudged Pinkie in the side gently. “Who’s there?”

“An interrupting cow.”

“Interrupting cow—"

“Mooo.”

Everypony remained completely silent.

“Oh, I’m s-sorry,” Fluttershy sputtered.

Rainbow let out a great, loud guffaw. Applejack and Flathoof joined in the raucous laughter; Tick Tock snickered into her hoof; Rarity and Twilight chuckled quietly. Most importantly to Rainbow, Pinkie’s frown dissolved just slightly. It wasn’t quite upside-down, and Pinkie hadn’t quite laughed, but it was a start.

At last, Twilight’s horn stopped glowing; her spell was complete. “That’s about all I’m going to be able to do,” she said, shaking her head. “As I said, we’re lucky it was just a sprain. You shouldn’t be in any more pain, Pinkie, but if you are, you just tell me, okay?”

“Okay, Twilight,” Pinkie murmured.

“And you need to keep it still, too. Agitation can hamper the healing process; it’s just like I told Tick Tock back in the city, when I healed her wounds.”

“Okay...”

“Hey, don’t worry about getting bored either, Pinks,” Rainbow said, giving Pinkie’s back a reassuring pat. “Treat it like a game. You like party games, yeah?”

“I guess,” Pinkie said with a half-hearted shrug. “I don’t feel like games right now, Dashie...”

Rainbow frowned, then brightened a second later. An idea. “Hey, I know,” she said. “How about a prize?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “A prize?”

Rainbow smiled. “Yeah. A prize. If you win, you get a super awesome prize, okay?”

“Well... what kind of prize is it?”

“I can’t tell you just yet. It’ll be a surprise for when we all get home... safe.” Rainbow winked, and tickled Pinkie just behind her neck. “I promise it’ll be special, okay?”

“Well...” Pinkie shook her head. “I dunno. It still sounds boring...”

Rainbow smirked, and tilted her gaze over to Rarity. “Well, I suppose a little competition might make things interesting. How about it, Rarity? Up for a little game of ‘Staying Still’?”

“Me?” Rarity asked, pointing her hoof at herself. “Heavens, darling, I’m trying to rest. I don’t know if competing in something would be the best way of going about that.”

“The game is ‘Staying Still’, Rarity,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “If you can’t rest and stay still at the same time, I think you have a problem.” She smirked and gave Rarity a sidelong glance. “Unless... are you worried you might lose?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow for a brief moment, then paused. Rainbow could see in Rarity’s eyes that the unicorn had picked up on her lead.

Rarity gave a dismissive laugh. “Oh that is hardly the reason at all, my dear Rainbow Dash,” she said. “I just find that it’s rather unnecessary, turning it into a game and all. It’s dreadfully silly.”

Rainbow stuck her tongue out. “Is not.”

“Is too,” Rarity replied.

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Is too!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I insist that this game is unnecessary and totally worthless and silly!”

“And I insist it isn’t!” Rarity huffed. “I am going to play this game, and I am going to like it.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Fine, have it your way.”

Rarity paused, then she quirked an eyebrow. “Hold on a moment... you... ohh. Well, I certainly walked right into that one, didn’t I?” She sighed, then shrugged. “Well, I was likely to agree anyway, darling. Very well, I’ll play your little game of ‘Staying Still’.”

Rainbow nudged Pinkie playfully in the side. “You hear that, Pinks? Rarity’s gonna play too. That means if she wins, I’ll give the super awesome prize to her. You don’t want that, now, do you?”

Pinkie shook her head.

Rainbow patted Pinkie on the back. “That’s the spirit, Pinks!”

Rarity coughed into her hoof. “I don’t suppose you’d clue me in as to what this... ‘super awesome prize’ is, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow smirked. “Well, I’ll probably have to give you a different prize from what I’d give Pinkie. It’ll still be be super awesome, but not quite the same kind of super awesome.” She pointed at Rarity. “But enough about that. It’s game time. Everypony ready?”

“Ready, darling,” Rarity said with a nod.

“Ready, Dashie,” Pinkie mumbled.

Rainbow clapped her hoof on the floor. “Game on!”

Pinkie took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. Rarity did the same.

Rainbow could see it just out of the corner of her eye: Pinkie’s frown wasn’t fading. She was along for the ride, but she wasn’t enjoying it much.

Rainbow switched her gaze back to Twilight, and let her thoughts drift back to the problem at hoof. Truthfully, Pinkie shouldn’t even need help right now, not for a physical injury, and not for being put through psychological torture. Everything had gone south in a short few hours, and Rainbow knew exactly who to blame for it.

***

Twilight couldn’t sleep. Keeping tabs on her warding spells was easy enough, but required her to be alert; she hadn’t planned on getting any sleep, anyway. Her mind was too riddled with questions and worries to even think about sleeping. To be fair, she didn’t feel much need for it: her magical energy was optimum, she hadn’t been injured, and there were more important matters at hoof anyway.

Most of her friends didn’t share her aversion for slumber, though. Apart from Rainbow, Applejack, and herself, everypony had fallen asleep. She was rather surprised that Rainbow was staying up, though. The pegasus had injured wings and other myriad bruises; surely, some rest would do her good. Rainbow kept glancing in Applejack’s direction on the opposite end of camp, too, which piqued Twilight’s interest.

“Is there something on your mind, Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow stayed silent for a moment, keeping her eyes on Applejack. She then grunted, and shook her head. “Twilight... you and I need to have a little talk,” she said, keeping her voice low enough that Twilight could barely hear her.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Well, okay then. Let’s talk.”

“Not here. I want to talk alone,” Rainbow added. She tilted her head towards a nearby statue that would obscure them from the rest of the camp quite easily. “I don’t want anypony to hear what we have to talk about.”

Twilight paused, then nodded. Rarity had done this exact thing a few days ago at the checkpoint, and she figured she knew what Rainbow wanted to talk about. “Well... okay. If that’ll make you comfortable.”

Rainbow rose to her hooves, careful not to disturb Pinkie’s sleep, and beckoned for Twilight to follow. “Come on.”

Twilight rose to her hooves as well, and followed Rainbow, watching Applejack out of the corner of her eye as she did so. Applejack didn’t seem to notice them leaving, or at least did a good job pretending not to. 

Rainbow rounded the corner of the statue’s base first, and waited for Twilight to do the same. Once Twilight was around the corner as well, Rainbow discreetly checked behind them, making sure they hadn’t been followed. Once satisfied, she grunted, and turned to Twilight.

“What’s with all the secrecy, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, keeping her voice low. “What’s going—"

Rainbow punched Twilight in the face.

Twilight staggered back and stumbled to her knees, both in pain and shock. She stared at Rainbow, eyes wide, as she rubbed her jaw. She could feel the sharp sting where Rainbow had struck her; that hadn’t been a playful jab at all, that had been a real punch. She was confused. She was angry. Most of all, she was hurt, and not just physically.

“You... you hit me!”

Rainbow pointed her hoof at Twilight. “Damn right I did,” she snapped, keeping her teeth clenched to muffle the noise. “That’s for almost getting us killed.”

“Me? How is this my—"

“Shut up. Just shut up, and let me say my piece,” Rainbow interrupted. She poked Twilight hard in the chest. “I’m sick of nopony listening to me, most of all you. Your determination to show off how great of a leader you are almost got us killed. You had no business speaking for the rest of us, saying that we didn’t want to travel with Grayscale and her sisters.”

Twilight glared at Rainbow, and slowly rose to her hooves. “Rainbow, I know you wanted to travel with them some more. We all did, up until a point—"

“A point at which all you had to do was let Starlight handle Red’s misbehavior. But nooo, that wasn’t a good enough solution for Twilight Sparkle. She just had to put her hoof down and make the choice herself.” Rainbow snorted, and pointed towards the camp on the other side of the statue. “Thanks to you, we’ve got injured, we’ve lost our supplies, and now we’re stuck in these ruins with the only way out being through those six nutjobs.”

“Listen to you!” Twilight snapped. “One minute you’re yelling at me for keeping you from traveling with them, now you’re yelling at me because they turned out to actually be horrible ponies!”

“They were fine up until you decided to tell them to buzz off. I think you got them angry, so they reacted. Overreacted, maybe, but still.”

“Starlight mentioned our Elements of Harmony; I don’t remember mentioning those to her, ever. She also mentioned taking us alive back to the city, just like that soldier did.” Twilight shook her head. “Don’t you get it? Surely they would have attempted that anyway, at some point.”

“Yeah, but we would’ve been closer to the coast by then. We would’ve had the advantage in the open, too,” Rainbow added, flaring her wings.

Twilight huffed. “Oh, well, forgive me for not devising combat tactics against six ponies I never thought I’d have to fight against.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “You getting smart with me, Twi?”

“One of us has to be,” Twilight retorted.

“That’s enough! Both o’ ya!” Applejack interrupted.

Twilight and Rainbow both turned their heads in surprise to look at the pony that had joined them.

Applejack grunted and darted her eyes between the two, a firm glare on her face. “Both o’ y’all need ta calm down, before ya say somethin’ ya might regret. Or do somethin’ ya might regret,” she added, fixing her glare on Rainbow. “I don’t care how mad y’all are, Rainbow, that ain’t no excuse fer hittin’ Twilight, and y’all know it. I know Twilight can’t be feelin’ too good ‘bout what happened. Apologize to her, she didn’t deserve that.”

“Yeah... whatever,” Rainbow snorted and turned to Twilight. “Guess I got carried away. Sorry, Twi.”

Twilight frowned. She could tell an insincere apology when she heard one.

“That’s probably the best y’all‘re gonna get, Twi,” Applejack said. She hadn’t been impressed by the apology either.

“It’s alright Rainbow,” Twilight said. She lit her horn and soothed the pain in her jaw. “I understand you’re mad... I just wish I knew why you were so angry that you’d hit me.”

“Because you screwed everything up and nearly got us killed!” Rainbow snapped. “Didn’t I already say that?!”

“I don’t see why I’m to blame for that!” Twilight snapped back. “You heard Starlight, so you know they would’ve tried to do what they did eventually!”

“I understand where Rainbow’s comin’ from, Twi,” Applejack interjected.

“You do?”

Applejack scratched her chin. “Well, it’s like this: all o’ us kinda nominated y’all ta be our leader, in a way. I know we didn’t have no ceremony or official vote or nothin’, but we can all see ya’ll’re right fer the job.”

“I never wanted to be the ‘leader’, Applejack,” Twilight muttered. “Why does everypony keep insisting that I am?”

“Ain’t nopony forcin’ ya inta the role, sugarcube. It’s just... we all kinda look ta ya fer guidance. Y’all know that. So when somethin’ bad happens because of a choice y’all made, I can see why somepony’d be angry with ya.”

“Angry enough to hit me?” Twilight asked, glaring at Rainbow.

Rainbow huffed. “I’ll say it again: your decision almost got us killed.”

“Really? My decision?” Twilight shook her head. “Last I remember, I gave Fluttershy the last call, and she didn’t want to travel with those six anymore. Yes, I originally made the decision to leave, but I allowed you all to voice your own opinions as well. Fluttershy’s vote, even if I hadn’t left it all up to her, would have made the majority in favor of leaving. I don’t see you hitting her.”

“Fluttershy was emotional when you asked her. She wasn’t able to make a choice based on what was best for all of us, only what was best for herself.”

“So what if she was?” Twilight asked.

“Huh?”

“So what if she was emotional? I figured she would be, which is why I made my decision in the first place.”

“Which y’all admitted was ta do what was best fer Fluttershy, not fer all of us,” Applejack interjected. 

Twilight frowned. “Well, I—"

“Twilight, I know y’all were just tryin’ ta make the best decision ya could, but Dash has a point. Ya made yer choice based on what was best fer Fluttershy, and in Fluttershy’s state at the time, she would agree with ya right away. She wanted ta get away from that Red Velvet character as fast as she could, and y’all knew it.”

Rainbow snorted. “I learned something from Grayscale: when ponies make decisions based on their emotions, they make mistakes. I made my decision based on what was best for all of us, and that was getting us to the coast as quickly as possible.”

“And what was punching me in the face?” Twilight spat. “Isn’t that an emotional decision?”

Rainbow sneered. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat if Pinkie had gotten hurt any worse than she did.”

“And what is with you and Pinkie, anyway?” Twilight asked, incredulous. “She wasn’t the only one who got hurt, you know. Why are you so defensive of her in particular? What about Rarity? What about you?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Y’all’re jokin’, right sugarcube?”

“Joking? Why would I be joking? There’s nothing funny about this,” Twilight snorted. “I’m completely serious. I want to know why Rainbow’s making such a big deal about Pinkie, specifically.”

“Well, that’s ‘cause Pinkie’s special ta her,” Applejack said.

“Pinkie’s special to all of us, Applejack.”

Applejack hesitated. “Not... that kind of special.”

“What in the hay does that mean?”

Rainbow flustered. “Wait a sec... AJ, you know?”

“Sure, o’ course I know,” Applejack chuckled. 

“When did you figure it out?”

“A few months back,” Applejack said. “Rarity figured it out before I did. Fluttershy knows too.”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“Not at all, sugarcube. It’s pretty obvious, ain’t it?”

“What are you two talking about?” Twilight interjected.

“Hmph. Obviously it’s not obvious,” Rainbow grunted. She sighed. “Well, since AJ says everypony knows except you, I guess I’ll make it clear: Pinkie and I are together. Like, together together.”

Twilight blinked, unsure of what to make of the statement. Then, the gears in her head clicked, and it all made sense. “Oh. Ohhh...” She cleared her throat. “I see. She’s your... special somepony. How long since—"

“We started getting serious around the time I was accepted into the Wonderbolt Academy,” Rainbow said, sheepishly scuffing her hoof on the floor. “We didn’t want to tell anypony until... until we were sure you’d all be okay with it. It was my decision to keep it a secret.”

“Don’t make a big deal about it, Twi,” Applejack interjected. “I figured it out all on my own, and so did Rarity ‘n’ Fluttershy.”

Twilight grunted. “I should feel upset that nopony told me that two of my best friends were dating.” She sighed, and shook her head. “But I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point. You’re right: Pinkie and Rainbow kept it a secret, and I didn’t figure it out. Even if it was so obvious, as you said.”

Rainbow snorted. “I blame Pinkie for that. She’s terrible at keeping secrets.”

“I’m actually kinda... surprised that y’all didn’t know, Twi,” Applejack said, “what with the way Pinkie was actin’ when Rainbow left fer the Academy. Waitin’ by her mailbox all day, every day? She sure as hay wasn’t actin’ like that when Rarity went ta Canterlot.”

“I guess the signs were there, if I was willing to look.” Twilight sighed. She turned to Rainbow. “Now, at least, I understand why you’re so upset. If it had been my special somepony, I’m sure I’d be just as angry.” She shook her head. “Not that that really excuses your actions, but—"

“I get it,” Rainbow grunted. She sighed. “Look... yeah, I got a little heated. I’m sorry I did what I did... but I’m not sorry for feeling how I feel,” she added, crossing her hooves over her chest.

Applejack sighed. “I suppose we’ll just leave it at that then. Well, with all that behind us, we’ve got another problem ta worry ‘bout.”

Twilight nodded. “Indeed we do. Our time limit isn’t our only problem now, and certainly not the biggest one; Starlight and her sisters are. Making it to the coast is difficult enough as it stands, but worrying about running into those six... we might need to compromise our route to avoid them. That might cause delays.”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem with them if we meet them in the open, and if we’re expecting them to attack. They caught us by surprise in a bad location. Next time we meet, things’ll be different. That Havocwing chump can’t outrun me when I’ve got room to get a Rainboom going.”

“An’ without all them rocks around, I don’t think Grayscale’ll be a big problem either,” Applejack added. “Dash has a point: with more room ta move ‘round, we can probably handle the biggest threats. We know what Red Velvet and Insipid can do, too, and I didn’t see Curaçao doin’ much, so I doubt she’d be a threat.”

“Which really just leaves Starlight to worry about.” Twilight tapped her chin, then shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know if I’d want to risk it. If her claims are true, she’s more powerful than the other five combined.”

“So either we take the fastest route and risk runnin’ inta them, or we try some detour and lose time.” Applejack sighed and removed her hat. “We’re in a mighty fine pickle, I tell ya what.”

Twilight paused for a long moment. Then, she cleared her throat. “Once we get out of these ruins, we’ll make our decision. And I promise, I’ll do whatever it takes to get us home.” She turned to Applejack. “We’ve got you to help guide us now, Applejack.” She then turned to Rainbow. “And you, Rainbow, to watch over us. I’m confident we can pull through, as long as we work together as a team.”

“I hear that, sugarcube,” Applejack agreed.

“Sounds good to me, Twi,” Rainbow added.

“And, when we get home, we can put this all behind us.” Twilight placed her hoof in between the trio. “Deal?”

Rainbow met Twilight’s hoof with her own. “Deal.”

Applejack did the same. “Deal.”

***

Tick Tock led the way through a desolate hallway, her horn aglow to keep her map aloft. At her side, Twilight trotted along, her own horn’s light keeping the path ahead lit. Everypony in the group kept their guards up and stayed close to one another, glancing about in hopes of preventing an ambush. Despite Twilight’s assurances that her warding spells would hold, even while mobile, nopony was willing to risk it.

The hallway steadily narrowed the further they traveled into the ruins. The walls were mostly unmarked except by signs of wear and tear, but were covered with so much dust that it was hard to tell. Thus far, it had been very straightforward; there’d been no branching paths to take. Tick Tock knew from her map that they were approaching a fork, as it was all that remained of what her map had to show. This came as a surprise to her; the map was gryphon-made, thus it should have automatically had all the stored knowledge of its maker, and thus should clearly show the entirety of the ruins; certainly, at least, it might show how the ruins looked when they weren’t ruins. Perhaps its maker was older than the ruins themselves?

The party arrived at the fork.

Rainbow groaned. “Great, which way do we go?”

“Flip a bit for it?” Applejack suggested. “Heads, left; tails, right.”

“If we had any bits, that’d be a swell idea,” Flathoof said.

Tick Tock zoomed her map in on the intersection. “Well, if there’s any sort of rhyme or reason in gryphon architecture, the left path leads straight north, and the right path east. Either one could be useful, but I can’t be sure without having the whole picture.”

“I don’t get it,” Twilight muttered, shaking her head. “How could anypony... anygryphon, rather, hope to figure out where they’re going in this place? You’d think an advanced culture that could build something like this would have directions listed someplace.”

“I remember reading that the gryphons were experts with techno-magic. Perhaps they didn’t need directions to get anywhere?” Lockwood suggested.

“Hmm... so, maybe they all had magical maps like the one Tick Tock has?” 

“A valid theory,” Tick Tock said. “This map is of gryphon origin, after all, except—"

“It is?!” Twilight exclaimed. “No way! You’re telling me your map is hundreds of years old?! That thing is a priceless artifact!”

“It should be in a museum!” Rainbow blurted.

Twilight raised an eyebrow and glanced in Rainbow’s direction.

Rainbow shrugged. “What? It’s what Daring Do would say.”

Tick Tock cleared her throat. “As I was saying, it’s a valid theory, except that these maps aren’t the easiest things to make. The enchantments on this thing are bloody complex; I still haven’t pegged exactly which spells were used to make it work. I imagine the amount of magic and time it would take to make a map for every gryphon citizen would be astronomical.”

“All the more reason why there should be a directory,” Twilight grunted. “I’m surprised there wasn’t one in the lobby.”

“Maybe there’s somethin’ under all that there dust?” Applejack suggested, pointing at the wall ahead of them.

Twilight hummed and stroked her chin. “Hmm... maybe. Hang on a second.”

She lit her horn, and used her magic to brush away layer after layer of dust on the wall. After a few moments, the markings underneath became clearer. It just so happened that they weren’t the result of wear and tear.

“Hey! There’s something written here!” Twilight exclaimed. She leaned in to read the symbols on the wall. “Tch, hang on, it’s not in Equine. Drat.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously it’s not in Equine. I doubt the gryphons were expecting any pony visitors to come trekking through here by their lonesome.”

“I could do without the attitude, thanks,” Twilight grunted. “I swear that these symbols look familiar... in fact, I think I actually recognize a few.”

“Really?” Tick Tock asked, eyebrow raised. “That seems improbable.”

“I agree. The similarity is too exact to be possible... but there it is.”

“Why would that be improbable?” Rainbow asked.

“You’re a Daring Do fan, so allow me to refer to the plot of Daring Do and the Map of Stars.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Man, that one’s my least favorite in the series. It got way too science-fictiony for my tastes.”

“Well, even so, it’s plot is relevant,” Twilight said. She turned to the others, and explained: “In it, Daring Do researches ruins of four different ancient pony civilizations that were located in each of the four corners of the world. All four civilizations had distinct similarities in culture and architecture, despite being separated by thousands of miles in a time before efficient travel means for non-pegasi. The odds of such exact similarities is astoundingly low, and Daring Do figured they were communicating in some way.”

Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, and it turns out they all had contact with a race of space ponies that inspired their civilizations and helped them flourish, or some junk. The Map of Stars was a map that all four civilizations had a piece of, that when combined would show the way to the space ponies’ planet.”

“That sounds... incredibly interesting, actually,” Tick Tock said, tapping her chin. “Life on other planets... what a fascinating idea.”

“Anyway, the same concept can apply here,: Twilight said. “Two ancient gryphon civilizations, not just separated by distance, but by dimensions, and yet there are distinct similarities when there shouldn’t be.” She shook her head, and pointed at the symbols in front of her. “See this symbol here? The one that looks like a gryphon paw?”

Tick Tock nodded. “Yes, what about it?”

“This exact same symbol exists in the language of the ancient gryphons of our Equestria. In fact, several of these symbols are exact down to the curvature from other symbols in ancient Hierogryphics.”

Tick Tock narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “Hierogryphics? Seriously? That’s what the ancient gryphons in your world called their written language?”

Twilight shrugged. “Gryphons in our world aren’t known for scholarly pursuits.”

“You’re one to talk, Tick Tock,” Rainbow interjected. “The ponies here named the giant desert wasteland the Wasteland.”

“Touché,” Tick Tock said. “So, Sparkle, can you read anything there?”

“I remember bits and pieces of Hierogryphics from Ancient Civilizations and Societies 103,” Twilight said. “I’m a little rusty, though.”

She leaned in closer to the wall. As she did so, all of the symbols suddenly glowed with a faint purple light, including the ones blanketed by more dust. There were more symbols than had originally been revealed; in fact, there were hundreds of them strewn all about the wall, stretching along both paths for several yards.

Twilight jerked back in surprise. “Whoa... what the hay just happened?”

“What did you do?” Tick Tock asked.

“I didn’t do anything, it just... reacted.” Twilight hummed and rubbed her chin. “Weird...”

“Who cares about that right now?” Rainbow grunted. “Can you read that stuff, or not?”

“No need to be impatient, Rainbow,” Twilight snorted. “Yeah, I can read it. As I said, my knowledge on the subject is a little rusty, but I’ll give it my best.” She tapped her hoof on the set of symbols that started with the one shaped like a gryphon’s paw. “I think this set here reads, Theater of War: Northwest.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “You might want to rethink that, Sparkle. War and gryphons don’t mix; they were a pacifist society.”

“Didn’t you say they were wiped out after a war?” Flathoof asked.

“The events that ended the gryphon society occurred several decades after the end of the war. As far as I am aware, the two events aren’t even related. There’s no evidence that suggests the gryphons fought in the war at all.”

“That doesn’t mean they weren’t involved,” Twilight noted. “Perhaps the gryphons hid their involvement to maintain an image?”

“I’m inclined to agree with Miss Tock,” Lockwood said, stepping forward so that he was at the forefront of the group with Tick Tock and Twilight. “The ruins certainly don’t suggest they were originally built by a warrior society.”

“You’re going to have to explain that,” Twilight said. “How can you tell the gryphons were pacifists based on how the ruins look?”

Lockwood waved his hoof through the air, motioning for the others to look at the walls around them. “Well, let’s start with the design philosophy. Assuming a gryphon’s sociological attitude is anything like a pony’s, it stands that a structure designed for action would be simple. Take NPPD Central Station, for example. All the important things are right at the entrance, and the directory is straightforward.

“Now, look at the ruins. The entryway is as grandiose as can be, the directory isn’t even in the lobby, and this directory here is awfully complicated. It gives you a cardinal direction to locate something, for crying out loud.” Lockwood chuckled. “To me, that suggests the gryphons were more focused on mental activities and scholarly pursuits. This place was designed to be looked at and admired; the gryphons wouldn’t want any unsavory wars anywhere near here.”

“That... makes some sense,” Tick Tock agreed. “The gryphons were well known as scholars and experts on techno-magic, after all.”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Since when were you an expert on sociology, Lockwood?”

Lockwood smiled. “Hello? Massive personal social network? I think it should be obvious that the best way to make friends is to understand what makes ponies tick.”

Twilight nodded. “Well okay, assuming your theory is correct, then this doesn’t read War at all. But, I recognize this symbol, and it definitely is associated with conflict. So, it’s the Theater of Conflict, in its most basic translated form. I assumed ‘war’ because ‘theater of war’ is an actual phrase.”

“Maybe it’s some sort of debate hall?”

“Debate hall... hmm.” Twilight tapped her chin. “That would make it the Theater of Debate. A society of scholars would certainly have a use for that sort of venue, that much is for certain.”

“They certainly would have a use: as an entertainment venue. Intellectual types enjoy debating with one another, and enjoy watching others debate as well, do they not?”

Twilight smiled. “Well, I was on the debate team at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Actually, I... was the debate team.”

“I, for one, do enjoy a good argument here and there,” Tick Tock agreed.

“Yeah, we noticed,” Rainbow muttered.

Lockwood pointed along the left path. “I am of the opinion, then, that the left path, which leads north, will take us towards the center of the ruins.”

Flathoof scoffed. “And how, exactly, did you come by that opinion? The rest of that spiel you gave I can believe, but now you’re telling me you can tell the layout of the ruins based on a single location?”

“Certainly! It’s rather elementary, really,” Lockwood said, with a proud flutter of his wings. “Allow me to explain. New Pandemonium City is nonsensical as far as documentation and government are concerned, yes?”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“However, you must admit that it’s not built in a nonsensical way. The city’s initial architects clearly designed it to be simple, organized, and neat.”

Flathoof paused. “Huh.... say, now that you mention it, that seems about right,” he admitted. “The city is perfectly circular, and all the important structures are easy to find and reach, if you have the means. Where are you going with this?”

“As I mentioned, a debate hall would be used as a sort of entertainment venue for these gryphons. Where in New Pandemonium are most of our entertainment venues located?”

“Near the Inner District, of course,” Tick Tock said.

Lockwood smiled and nodded. “Of course. The center of the city. Why? To maximize business, of course. Thus, logic dictates that any entertainment venue in this gryphon city would be centrally located, as to maximize business.”

“Assuming, of course, that the gryphons and the ponies that built Pandemonium shared an architectural logic,” Tick Tock added. “You’re placing a lot of faith in that.”

Flathoof blinked. “Huh... well shoot, if that doesn’t make sense, I don’t know what does.”

Lockwood pretended to brush dirt off his shirt. “I have always had a fascination with society’s little nuances. It helps to know how society works, after all, if you’re going to touch all the bases and make friends in all the right places.”

“Huh... interesting,” Twilight said, tapping her chin. “Okay then, let’s run with that logic for a moment. Entertainment venues would be located centrally, and so of course other places of importance would be, as well.” She pointed at a set of symbols that started with a cross-shaped, star-studded insignia. “This symbol, which points in the same direction, reads House of Betterment. But that’s just a direct translation; with a little creative thinking...”

“Betterment could mean ‘getting better’,” Tick Tock suggested.

Twilight nodded. “Precisely what I was thinking. ‘Getting better’, as in, recovering. House of Recovering. A hospital.”

“A major hospital being in a central, easy-access location is very sensible,” Lockwood said. “Central General isn’t named ironically, you know.”

“So, by that logic, since the left path leads further into the city center, the right path would likely lead towards the outskirts, where an exit would logically be located.”

“Just to be sure, what sorts of things are along the other path?” Tick Tock asked. “For all we know, the exit’s at the northern edge of the city, which we could more quickly reach by going left.”

Twilight leaned in close to the wall again, scanning the plethora of symbols along the right side of the wall’s center. “There’s nothing here that suggests an exit, but there’s one set of symbols that seem to have a lot of importance given to them; they’re engraved deeper, and the glow is a little brighter, brighter than anything else on the wall, in fact. Hmm...”

After a long pause from Twilight, Rarity coughed to draw her attention. “Well don’t just leave us in the dark, darling. What does it say?”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s very strange. I’m not sure why, exactly, but I’m absolutely certain I know precisely what this place is called. No ifs, ands, or buts about it: it reads, Sanctuary of Knowledge.”

“What do you mean you ‘know precisely’?” Tick Tock asked.

“Well, I mean, for the others, I was able to second-guess my translation and consider alternate interpretations or meanings. Not for this one, though; I know what it says. I’m absolutely certain about it.”

“It sounds like it could be useful,” Flathoof interjected. “A ‘sanctuary of knowledge’ could be interpreted as a library of some sort, couldn’t it?”

“Odd that a library in a city of scholars would be located on the outskirts, though,” Lockwood mused, rubbing his chin in thought.

“Well, at least it’s a start,” Twilight said. “Whatever this place is, it’s been given a lot of importance on the directory here, so it might prove to be useful somehow.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised that the librarian wants to visit a library? This is gonna be boring; who ever heard anything about something exciting happening at a library?”

“I dunno, Rainbow, y’all usually get awful worked up about goin’ ta the library every now ‘n’ then,” Applejack added, nudging Rainbow in the ribs.

“That’s because that’s when the newest Daring Do novel gets released. This library isn’t gonna have any Daring Do. Probably just a bunch of books on like... history. And science.” Rainbow snorted and waved her hoof dismissively at the idea. “Y’know, egghead books, not good books.”

“For somepony that’s a big Daring Do fan, you sure seem to ignore the fact that Daring Do’s other job is as a college professor,” Twilight grunted. “She consistently does research on her archaeological pursuits.”

“Yeah, but those parts are boring, which is why they’re so short,” Rainbow retorted. “Seriously, there isn’t a book in the series called, Daring Do and the Secret of the Dusty Tome.”

“Ugh, give it a rest, Dash,” Applejack huffed. “This’ll be helpful, even if it is boring as all get out.”

“Gee, thanks for the support, AJ,” Twilight muttered. She shook her head, then started along the right path, beckoning for the others to follow. “Come on everypony! To the Sanctuary of Knowledge!”

***

Twilight used her magic to brush some dust off the wall in front of her, uncovering another set of symbols. She glanced at the directory, leaning in to get a better look at some of the emblems. As before, they began to glow when she was in close proximity. Every fork they’d arrived at had fewer and fewer symbols to sort through; this one had three sets on each side.

“Let’s see... hmm...” Twilight pointed along the right path. “Aha! The Sanctuary of Knowledge is... uh.” She scratched her head. “Oh dear.”

“What’s the problem, Sparkle?” Tick Tock asked, stepping up to Twilight’s side.

“Well, I know I’ve mentioned I’m rusty with Hierogryphics, but I’ll admit my weakest point was their numerical system.” She pointed at the symbol just to the right of the set that represented their destination. “This indicates distance, but I can’t tell if it reads twenty paces ahead, or two hundred.”

“What’s it matter?” Rainbow interjected. “It’s in that direction, we just keep going.”

“A lil’ walkin’ never hurt nopony,” Applejack added. “Twenty, two hundred; what’s the difference?”

“Fair point,” Twilight agreed. “Come on then, let’s get going.”

Twilight set along the right fork, and the others followed suit.

“One, two, three, four,” Applejack counted as she trotted alongside Twilight. “Five, six—"

Tick Tock groaned loudly. “Okay, stop. Just... just stop.”

Applejack halted in place and raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“You’re not seriously going to count, are you? If you were planning on it, I remind you that gryphons were bigger than ponies by a factor of roughly one-point-five to one.”

Applejack grunted. “Y’all gonna show off that there fancy mathematics o’ yers, or are ya gonna tell me what I should be countin’ ta?”

“Twenty paces for them would be thirty for us,” Twilight interjected.

“And two hundred would be three hundred,” Tick Tock added. “Nopony wants to hear you count all the way up to three hundred out loud.”

“Hmph. Fine then, I’ll just count ta myself,” Applejack snorted.

The party continued in silence for several minutes; three hundred paces, to be exact. Then, they stopped; a slab stood in their way, completely blocking the hallway ahead. Twilight remained at the forefront of the group and examined the slab; Applejack and Tick Tock flanked her, trying to get a closer look as well.

“Uh... is this thing supposed to be here?” Rainbow asked from behind the trio.

“Maybe it’s the door?” Applejack suggested.

“Go on, Sparkle,” Tick Tock said. “Open it.”

“It’s not like any door I’ve ever seen before,” Twilight explained, shaking her head. “There’s more writing here, though. Instructions, perhaps.” She leaned in to read, then huffed. “No... there’s too much here to be simple instructions...”

“Complex instructions, then,” Tick Tock interjected. “This is where the Sanctuary is, according to your directions, Sparkle. This is the way in. So, get us in.”

“Something’s weird about this slab...” Twilight murmured, rubbing her chin in thought. “There’s a lot less dust on it than the rest of the walls.” She cleared the dust away with a single flash of her horn. “See?”

“That metal looks brighter than the rest of the walls, too,” Rarity observed, pushing her way forward to put her hoof on the slab. “It shines almost like new. What marvelous material.”

“Golly, you weren’t kidding, either. That sure is a lot o’ writin’,” Applejack muttered, scratching her head. “What’s it say, Twi?”

“It’s complicated, more so than the rest of the directories we’ve seen,” Twilight said. “The symbols are arranged in a very peculiar manner. Hierogryphics are typically organized vertically, but if that were the case here, it wouldn’t make a lick of sense. I think these are positioned horizontally, like written Equine.”

“Don’t leave us guessing, darling. What does it say?” Rarity asked.

Twilight cleared her throat. “As best as I can tell, it reads,

Those brave enter here  
Must not fear, must not fear  
Below asleep great might  
Day makes wrong right  
Sanctuary gives call  
One defends from fall  
You need bright force  
But it comes right source  
Come in, strangers  
Mark sign, deal dangers  
Brave travel below  
Gain force alone know  
Dream, until mad  
What happens if had.”

“And that makes more sense than the other way?” Rainbow said.

“It’s organized like a poem,” Rarity suggested. “Rhyming pairs like that aren’t done by accident.”

“A poem, huh? Hmm...” Twilight sighed. “I just wish I could make sense of it. Hierogryphics aren’t typically used for standard speech, only for names of creatures, places, or things. I’m not sure what to do.”

“Ah... a confusing poem, huh?” Rainbow stomped a hoof on the floor. “I’ve got it.”

“You... you do?” Twilight asked, eyebrow raised.

Rainbow nodded, and confidently gestured towards the slab with her hoof. “It’s like this: Daring Do ran into stuff like this all the time. I know they’re just stories, but I’m seeing the similarities here. Confusing poem on a big stone tablet blocking the entrance to some fantastic place? It’s gotta be a puzzle.”

“A puzzle... hmm. That actually would make some sense,” Twilight said with a nod. “Even so, without a proper translation, I don’t even know what it’s trying to say.” She stepped towards the slab. “I’m gonna get a closer—"

The tablet flashed white for a brief instant, then all the symbols shined a bright purple. The ponies stepped back in surprise; Twilight, in particular, watched in awe as the glowing symbols reshaped themselves into letters she could recognize. The slab’s writing was now written in clear, perfect Equine.

“H-how’d you do that?” Rainbow asked.

“I didn’t do anything, same as before,” Twilight said, scratching her head. “I just leaned in, and it reacted. I have no idea what’s going on...”

“Who’s complainin’?” Applejack asked with a smile. “We can read it now, can’t we?”

Twilight nodded. “We certainly can. Ahem.

To those who dare to enter here,  
You mustn’t worry; mustn’t fear;  
For far below, our greatest might  
Will one day make what went wrong, right.  
This sanctuary gives a call  
To one who might resist the Fall;  
All you need is a shining force,  
But it must flow from the right source.  
So come forth now, stalwart stranger:  
Mark the sign, and face the danger;  
Bravely venture far, far below,  
To gain power only we know.  
Or: ponder, until you go mad,  
What may have happened if you had.”

“Oh my, that all sounds rather ominous, don’t you think?” Rarity murmured.

“Is it a warnin’?” Applejack asked.

“Well, by our current logic, the gryphons were pacifists. I doubt this is a warning,” Tick Tock said. She hummed in thought, then shook her head. “No bloody clue what it means though.”

“I dunno, AJ might be right. It talked about facing danger and stuff like that,” Rainbow said. She let out an excited squeal. “Oh man, this is so cool. The puzzle gateway is straight out of Daring Do and the Forbidden Temple. I told you guys there was something you could learn from those books.”

“Any clue what it means?” Applejack asked. “Y’all seem awful keen on the subject.”

Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno. The ones Daring Do solves are always really big and have all sorts of gizmos and gadgets around that she has to fiddle with. This thing is just a slab with words.”

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “The entire puzzle must have a simple, single solution, more like a riddle than anything. It’s just a matter of figuring out the clue. The rest of the poem is all flavor; it’s insubstantial.” She pointed at the first two lines. “These first lines, for example, are just a welcome, and an assurance that it’s safe.

“The next line,” she continued, shifting her hoof down, “is likely describing the location of the Sanctuary relative to us. The slab is likely the door to an elevator.”

“That makes sense,” Tick Tock said. “The gryphons originated techno-magic, so it stands they’d have at least invented an elevator system.”

“Next, it talks about righting some wrong; naturally the line was reversed to keep the rhyming flow.” Twilight turned to Tick Tock. “The extinction event you talked about seems to me like a great wrong. The greatest kind, actually.”

“Do you think this Sanctuary might contain some way to reverse the effect?” Rarity suggested.

“Unlikely,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Resurrection spells are extremely unreliable and require enormous amounts of energy to function, and that’s just for a single creature. They’re not really worth the risk; there’s a substantial chance of severe complications.”

“Mass resurrection would be beyond the scope of even an alicorn as powerful as Harmonia or Nihila,” Tick Tock added. “I doubt even if the two were to combine their powers, they’d be able to accomplish such a feat.”

“What’s this bit about ‘resist the Fall’?” Rainbow asked, tapping her hoof on the line. “Seems to me like the Gryphon Kingdom already fell, so how does that work?”

“A better question would be why is it capitalized?” Tick Tock asked.

“Perhaps it means that only a creature that is good at heart can enter?” Rarity suggested. “Resisting the fall of one’s soul? Capitalizing it could be because it is a proper magical term.”

“An interesting thought...” Twilight said. She shook her head. “But not likely a clue for entrance, at any rate. The next line is the first clue, I think: ‘all you need is a shining force’. Obviously, this a reference to magic; I know for a fact that most ancient cultures referred to magic as ‘light’ and ‘force’, so there’s that.”

“How about the ‘right source’? Whatever does that mean?”

“Well, there are three sources of magic: Law, Chaos, and Void,” Tick Tock explained, shooting Twilight a quick glance.

Twilight snorted. “It calls it ‘shining force’. ‘Shining’ would imply bright, which implies light, which in turn implies good. I think it’s asking for Good magic to power whatever spell opens the seal.” She shot Tick Tock a quick glance. “However, I can also reason that it being called the ‘right’ source implies that the magic powering the spell is making right, just like whatever power is in the Sanctuary. Making right; order; Law.”

“If that’s the case, then y’all’re both right. So, uh... can we just agree that Law ‘n’ Good are one ‘n’ the same?” Applejack suggested.

“No,” Tick Tock and Twilight said in unison, each turning to give Applejack a stern look.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Moving on. The rest of the poem is just more flavor, except this one line here.” She pointed at the line in question. “‘Mark the sign’ sounds like instructions. Combined with the other clue, I believe we need to find this ‘sign’ and ‘mark’ it with Good magic of some kind.”

“So now, we just need to find it,” Tick Tock said. She started glancing about in search of it. “What would it even look like?”

“How about this?” Lockwood called from behind the group.

Everypony turned to face him, as he’d stepped a few paces behind the group to stand atop a floor tile that bore a marking shaped like three lines.

“It looks similar to some of the Hierogryphics we’ve already seen, doesn’t it?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” Tick Tock said. She turned to Twilight. “You keep looking around here, Sparkle, in case the ‘sign’ is actually on the slab itself, as logic would dictate.”

Twilight nodded. “Right.”

Tick Tock stepped over to Lockwood and glanced down at the symbol, then snorted and shook her head. “Please. This isn’t a bloody symbol or marking, at least not one purposefully placed here. It’s damage to the floor, nothing more.”

“It looks too straight to be accidental,” Lockwood said, scuffing the mark with his hoof. “Flathoof, you tell me: does this marking look like just random damage to you?”

Tick Tock scoffed. “Oh, sure, call your best mate over here. Ask for his opinion. I’m certain he’ll be unbiased.”

“I highly doubt Flathoof would just agree with me right off the get-go like that,” Lockwood said with a laugh. “Isn’t that right, ‘best mate’?”

Flathoof grunted. “Please don’t call me that. Ever.” He stepped over to the duo and leaned down to examine the marking, too. “I dunno... it looks awfully suspicious, don’t you think?”

“Don’t you even start,” Tick Tock hissed.

While the trio argued, Twilight continued to examine the slab. She noticed a set of symbols bordering the poetic puzzle, each shaped like an equilateral triangle. The one at the bottom, however, looked just slightly off. Curious, she examined every single one, to check the angles. Sure enough, the bottom triangle was not equilateral, but isosceles.

“I think I found it,” she said. She gestured for her friends to gather around and look. “See? This triangle here is different.”

“Is it?” Rarity asked, leaning in to confirm. “I can hardly see it, it’s so dark in here.”

“Here, let me help.”

Twilight lit her horn and leaned in close to better illuminate the marking for Rarity to see. As soon as she did so, the symbol flashed bright purple; Twilight and Rarity jerked back in surprise. The slab itself followed suit, and then so too did a section floor directly in front of it large enough to encompass all six mares; Tick Tock, Lockwood, and Flathoof were too far away, busy examining the marking they’d found.

Tick Tock turned; the glowing had captured her attention. “Sparkle? Did you find something?”

Twilight tilted her head. “What the—"

In an instant, the six mares vanished without a trace.

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. “Sparkle!” She rushed forward and placed her hoof on the tablet, which gradually lost its luster and dimmed to its regular, dust-covered self. “Sparkle? Rarity? Fluttershy? Anypony?”

The slab shook violently; Tick Tock stepped back from it. Then, as quickly as the mares had vanished, the slab disintegrated into nothingness, leaving just a blank wall behind.

“Where are they?!” Flathoof blurted, rushing to Tick Tock’s side. “Where’d they go?!”

“Bugger all if I know!” Tick Tock exclaimed. “Oh bugger... oh bugger! This is bad. This is bleedin’ bad!”

“What happened to them?! Did that thing just vaporize them?!”

“Relax, both of you,” Lockwood said, stepping between them. “As we discussed earlier, the gryphons are a peaceful race, so this likely wasn’t a trap and didn’t do anything harmful. Think for just a moment, you two. Stay calm, and think.” He turned to Tick Tock. “Obviously, as they have vanished so suddenly, they must have been teleported, yes?”

Tick Tock paused, then lit up her horn. After a moment, she nodded. “I do detect the faint remnants of a powerful teleportation spell, yes.”

“And we’ve established that teleports can’t send ponies too far, correct?”

Tick Tock nodded again. “Right... right. Even Sparkle, as powerful as she is, couldn’t teleport herself and her friends more than a few miles. The ruins are larger than that by a fair margin.”

Lockwood flared his wings in pride. “Therefore, they can’t be far. We simply need to find where they’ve been teleported off to.”

Flathoof shook his head. “How are we going to do that? Twilight was the only one who could read those damned symbols.”

“My dear boy, you underestimate me and Miss Tock, here.” Lockwood clapped Flathoof on the back. “We’ll figure something out. Trust me.”

Tick Tock started cantering back down the hall they’d come from, map out and at the ready. “Come along, colts, no time to dawdle.”

Flathoof and Lockwood followed in her wake.

Not a one glanced back to see the marking on the floor that they’d been arguing over disappear.


	19. Invigoration

“-heck is happening?” Twilight finished.

The transition had been practically instantaneous. Twilight and her friends now found themselves in a massive chamber. It was not as dark or dirty as the hallways of the ruins; magical torches spread around the walls kept the room lit with a bizarre green light. The decorations were minimal: no columns, plaques, or metallic flowers and vines. There were, however, two grandiose gryphon statues standing easily fifteen ponies tall at either side of a massive doorway leading further into the complex. One was clothed with formidable armor and weaponry, the other in elaborate robes and holding a book. Golds, silvers, and gems decorated both, reflecting the light of the chamber torches in rather beautiful fashion, casting various different colors about the pristine walls.

The room was otherwise a perfect square, with markings along the floor piquing Twilight’s curiosity. At first glance, they appeared to be more Hierogryphics, but as she examined them more closely, she could see that they were more akin to runic markings. The still-glowing section of floor they were standing on intrigued Twilight the most. It was a six-pronged star, glowing a bright pinkish-purple, overlaid atop another, smaller six-pronged star that glowed a dim silvery-white. In her mind, it looked almost exactly like her cutie mark, though it lacked the tiny starbursts surrounding it.

“W-where are we?” Fluttershy squeaked, huddling closer to the others.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Wherever we are, it’s still in the ruins... but this place certainly doesn’t look ruined.”

“Oh my, and where did Tick Tock and the boys get to?” Rarity asked as she looked around. She pouted. “How awful. Oh, I do hope they’re okay. Why didn’t the teleport bring them here with us?”

Twilight sighed. “Most likely they were out of range of the spell. It looks like we’re on our own in trying to figure a way out of here... wherever ‘here’ is.”

“We sure could use Tick Tock’s map right now,” Rainbow said.

“This here don’t even look like the rest o’ the ruins,” Applejack observed. “It’s too... neat.”

“Is this the ‘Sanctuary’ the riddle was talking about, then?” Rarity asked.

Applejack scratched her head. “If it is, it seems pretty... uh... not-library-ish. I don’t see no books or nothin’.”

“This must be the lobby. That looks like the entryway just ahead,” Twilight said with a point towards the massive door on the opposite end of the room. She gestured for the others to follow her. “Come on, no sense in loitering about. Let’s find out what’s beyond here, and then we’ll figure a way to get back to the others. I’m worried about—"

As soon as Twilight stepped off the glowing mark, the entire room reacted. Bright golden streams of magic raced out of the twelve prongs on the star and snaked their way through the runic marks, lighting up the entire chamber.

“Oh my...” Rarity breathed.

“Whoa...” Twilight gasped. “It happened again.”

“Why exactly does that keep happenin’ anyway?” Applejack asked. “Every time y’all get near anythin’ ‘round this place it starts actin’ funny. It’s gettin’ weird.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Twilight said. “I honestly have no idea what’s going on or how it’s happening, but it’s like everything’s reacting to me. Very strange...”

“Well, whatever the cause, it’s certainly making this dark and dingy place more bearable,” Rarity added. She glanced at the wobbly pegasus leaning against her side. “Are you feeling alright, Fluttershy darling?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh... yes, I’m fine.” She attempted to walk on her own, but only managed to take a single step before slumping back against Rarity. “Um... I’m still a little dizzy, b-but that might be from the teleport magic. I’ve felt dizzy when Twilight used it before...”

“Oh, you poor dear.” Rarity helped Fluttershy prop herself upright. “I know I don’t have a wing to help support you, but I will do my best, darling.”

“Oh... um... t-thanks, Rarity,” Fluttershy murmured.

Twilight and her friends continued towards the massive doorway.

“Look at all these markings,” Twilight observed. “These definitely aren’t Hierogryphics—these are runic markings.”

“And that means?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, runes were used in ancient times as magic conductors for extremely powerful spells. This whole chamber is covered with runes... there’s enough magic here that it could easily teleport a small town a very great distance. Other-side-of-the-world distance, even.

“Wherever we are, it’s got a great deal of magical importance.” Twilight lit up her horn and pointed it at the door. “As far as magical radiance is concerned, this room isn’t even scratching the surface. Rarity, can you sense it too?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, I believe I can,” Rarity agreed, lighting up her own horn. “Up ahead, there’s a very strong presence of magical energies. I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but some of them feel familiar. If I can sense it so clearly, it must be something fantastic.”

“I just hope it’s nothing dangerous,” Pinkie muttered, moving closer to Rainbow.

“It doesn’t feel like anything malevolent,” Twilight said. “In fact, it all feels rather... Good.”

“Yeah, come on Pinks. Just relax, okay?” Rainbow said. She wrapped her wing around Pinkie. “We’ll figure our way outta here, no problem. Then, we’ll be back on track with everything. There ain’t anything to be afraid of, you hear me?”

Twilight approached the doorway first, and used her magic to push it open. She and her friends walked through its generously-sized arch, coming to what appeared to be another hallway. The golden light from the entry chamber still trickled through here, giving enough light to let them see. Various displays of objects and devices adorned the walls on the left, attracting Twilight’s interest. Extremely elaborate and detailed engraving depicting gryphon achievements decorated the walls on the right. The engravings were a wondrous display of magical aptitude, colorful and bright enough to almost be like looking out of a window into the past. Magic was one thing, and art was another, but magical art was a breathtaking combination.

“Oh my, these are lovely,” Rarity cooed. “The artwork is so detailed!”

“This is... meteorite,” Twilight said, awed. “Amazing! They carved these murals out of pure meteorite! The magical properties are incredible...”

The first mural displayed a gryphon using a telescope to look into the starry sky above, which was coated with some of the most gorgeous details Twilight had ever seen. Churning nebulae, swirling galaxies, flickering stars, and trailing comets decorated the false sky, all of them moving and fluctuating as if in real-time and with lifelike renditions. She had to resist the temptation to catalog this world’s constellations.

“‘Discovery - circa 0 A.D.’,” Twilight read from the placard. “‘Our ancestors first discovered the existence of magic during the declining rule of Emperor Gamaliel XXVIII. The Great Schism ends as gryphonkind comes together to learn more about the new universe we’d uncovered’.

“Wow...” Twilight took a deep breath and glanced over the artwork again. “The gryphons of this world discovered magic through cosmic origin. They harnessed the stars. Astral magic is some of the most potent there is. No wonder this place reeks of so much magical power.”

Rarity tapped her hoof on the mural. It glowed blue under her touch. “How long ago was this? Further, when was this grand piece of exquisite art created? It looks brand new!”

“Well, since I guess the gryphons amended their calendar after the discovery of magic, we won’t know until we see something depicting events around their final days,” Twilight explained. “The A.D. must stand for ‘After Discovery’, judging by the date listed here. Apparently, after this discovery gryphon culture completely changed to revolve around magical study. Fascinating stuff...”

“Yeah, a whole society of eggheads,” Rainbow said in a joking awe. “Sounds right up your alley, Twi.”

Twilight shot Rainbow a look, but shook it off. “Still, I don’t know when this piece was crafted, since meteorite doesn’t deteriorate like other materials do.”

The group continued along the hall and came across the second grand art piece, depicting a gryphon holding aloft a tiny, but heavily-emphasized rod. The rod glowed a bright silver, and the elaborately-detailed magical auras emanating from it shined with every color imaginable. The piece itself exuded a great deal of magical energy.

Twilight read aloud again. “‘The Dawn of a New Age - circa 100 A.D. The brilliant scientist Gourdine, under direction of the newly appointed Grand Council of Elders, invents the Wand, ushering gryphonkind into a new age of magical study and practice. Gourdine is named first Lorekeeper in honor of his achievement, and the Sanctuary of Knowledge is constructed to begin diligent studies of the magicks of the universe’.”

“Do all gryphons have names starting with ‘G’?” Rainbow asked.

“Well now, that’s just a hasty generalization, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a huff. “We only know two gryphons from this world—"

“And two from ours,” Rainbow reminded her. “All four of them have names starting with ‘G’. I think I’m seeing a pattern here.”

Twilight put a hoof to her face. “Four gryphons is hardly a basis to assume their entire society follows that naming scheme, Rainbow. You should be ashamed, creating a stereotype like that.”

“Well, I’m just sayin’ is all.” Rainbow shrugged. “At this rate I’m gonna start feeling pretty weird that I called Gilda ‘G’ all those years. I wonder why she never said anything about it?”

The third picture depicted several gryphons standing around an object which, like the ‘Wand’ in the previous piece, was highly emphasized with orbiting colors and lights. The object was a cube of some kind with various markings and grooves on it that glowed bright gold.

“‘The Age of Techno-Magic - circa 511 A.D. The first techno-magic device, a magical power converter, is invented. More follow, bringing gryphonkind into an era of supreme advancement as the dominant race of Gryphonia. Construction on the Elysian Island Research Facility begins, beginning our race’s rapid advancement in the techno-magic field beyond even our own predictions’.”

“Where in the hay is ‘Gryphonia’?” Applejack asked.

“It sounds to me like the gryphons didn’t call this planet ‘Equestria’ at all,” Twilight observed.

“They thought they were somethin’ else, huh?” Rainbow huffed. “Fat lot of good that did ‘em.”

“So this is where the techno-magic of this world first came from, hmm?” Twilight stroked her chin. “If the rest of these artworks are any indication, they’d been advancing techno-magic for an astounding period of time before their collapse.”

“I wonder how the ponies of Pandemonium managed to get a hold of it all,” Rainbow said.

Rarity hummed. “Didn’t Tick Tock say that nearly all of the technology in the city was derived from techno-magic?”

“Maybe one of the next ones has a clue,” Twilight suggested.

The fourth depicted three figures standing upon a hill in what appeared to be a friendly exchange. One was a gryphon, clad in great purple and gold robes. The second was a large, green pegasus that wore an elaborate dress of silvers and blues. The third, to Twilight’s curiosity, was a zebra, and was as different from Zecora as Twilight thought possible. He was garbed in decorative white furs that covered him almost like armor, most striking of which being the great horned helmet upon his head. His mane and tail were long, unkempt, and black as night, as was his thick beard. Upon his back was a massive axe nearly twice his size.

“‘Alliance - circa 762 A.D.’,” Twilight dictated. “‘Our ancestors extend the olive branch of peace and kindness to our neighbors, the Ponies and the Zebras. The mutual pact between our kinds ushers in an age of prosperity that would last nearly five hundred years. With our assistance, the Ponies construct their new capital city of Utopia, but the Zebras do not accept help in expanding their capital, Zeb’ra’den. In exchange, the unicorns of Ponykind assist us in with our magical research, and the Zebras share their knowledge of runic magicks’.”

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “So they have zebras in this world, too. And they researched Runes, rather than Biomancy. Fascinating.”

“Yeah, check that guy out,” Rainbow said, pointing eagerly at the zebra. “He looks like he’s suited up for a fight! That’s pretty cool, huh? See, that I’d be interested in reading about, not all this magic-y, science-y... stuff.”

“Well, I would like to learn more about them too. Maybe we’ll ask Tick Tock when we get a chance,” Twilight agreed.

The fifth piece depicted not gryphons, but ponies, and Twilight did not like what it showed, not one bit. Pony fought against pony in a brutal, bloody war, wielding weapons and magicks to slaughter one another. Ponies of one side of the conflict wore armor of silver trimmed with blue, while the other wore armor of black trimmed with red. Zebras could also be seen fighting alongside the silver-garbed ponies, while gryphons were depicted as watching the conflict from afar, atop a floating island.

Applejack seemed the most disturbed by the picture, and kept walking past it even as Twilight began to read.

“‘The First Rise of Darkness - circa 1207 A.D. Ponykind, previously a mostly peaceful race, becomes involved in a terrible civil war’. Oh dear...” Twilight shook her head, and continued. “The Harmony Guard are backed by the Zebra Kingdom, and after years of brutal conflict manage to drive out the Nihilist Coalition. The Grand Council of Elders decides to relocate gryphonkind to the uninhabitable northern continent to escape involvement in the fighting. Lorekeeper Gardenia begins her plan to geo-alter the northern desert into more habitable lands’.

“This is... terrible.” Twilight sighed, and shook her head. “Harmony Guard... Nihilist Coalition... I don’t think those names are coincidental.”

Rainbow shifted nervously, and wrapped her wing tighter around Pinkie. “I know ponies sometimes get into disagreements with one another, and sometimes things come to blows and stuff, but... all-out war?”

“Let’s just move on ta this next one,” Applejack snorted from near the next picture. “I don’t wanna look at that’n anymore. Lousy piece o’ work.”

“I couldn’t agree more, darling,” Rarity said. She turned to Fluttershy and gestured up ahead. “Let us see what else their artists have to offer, hmm?”

The sixth piece depicted a grand mountain range with a massive city in the center that had towering spires and great metal domes. The mountains glittered with gold, and the city shined with lights of silver, red, and purple. The city itself sat in a great, green valley with the tallest trees and clearest lakes Twilight had ever seen, putting their own world to shame.

“‘Settlement - circa 1315 A.D.’,” Twilight read. “‘Mountains of the northern desert geo-altered for habitation purposes, rechristened Goldridge Pass in reflection if its new appearance. New gryphon capital of Aeropolis founded in the lush valley created during the geo-altering process. Pony civil war ends circa 1327 A.D. in an uneasy truce between the warring sides. Ponies of the Nihilist Coalition settle regions of the northern continent to distance themselves from their former enemies. Zebrakind elects to follow our example, and withdraw into their snowblown tundra to isolate themselves from their former allies’.

“So the gryphons are responsible for Goldridge, huh?” She nodded in approval. “That would require an incredibly impressive amount of skill with Geomancy and Biomancy magicks. These gryphons truly were masters of magic.”

“Hoo-whee, if the gryphons really made that, then they sure as shootin’ got my approval,” Applejack said. “Growin’ plants ‘n’ cultivatin’ earth is right up my alley.”

Rarity, who had trotted on ahead with Fluttershy, gasped. “Oh my goodness! Twilight darling, the next art piece is simply... incredible! You must come and see this!”

Twilight cantered up to Rarity’s side, and she too gasped when the seventh picture came into view. It depicted something instead of gryphons, but Twilight had trouble deciding what exactly it depicted. The pure essence of magic itself was depicted here, two such essences in fact: one radiated with the purest light and good, the other an equally powerful magic with the foulest darkness and evil. Twilight was unsettled by how much they felt like the magical essences she could sense around Princesses Celestia and Luna.

“‘Harmonia and Nihila - circa 1771 A.D. Gryphons make a startling discovery: there are beings of magic far beyond our simple comprehension. The Ponies and Zebras discovered these beings far before we did; our pursuit of practical science and magic blinded us to their existence. These so called ‘goddesses’—Harmonia and Nihila—are revered religiously amongst the Ponies and Zebras. Our magical pursuits have turned to discovering more about these deities. One thing is for certain: the factions known as the Harmony Guard and the Nihilist Coalition began their war all those years ago in the name of these goddesses. More must be uncovered to prevent a Second Rise of Darkness’.”

“Didn’t Tock Tock mention that Harmonia and Nihila were goddesses?” Rarity asked.

“That she did,” Twilight agreed. “It would seem that they are deities of some great reverence... but I didn’t hear about anything called the ‘Nihilist Coalition’ while we were in Pandemonium, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. Strange. If Nihila is supposed to be worshipped by ponies in these parts, then surely we would have seen some sort of proof of that.”

“As fascinatin’ as all this stuff is, girls, can we hurry it along a lil’ bit?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow grunted in agreement. “Yeah, let’s get moving, Twi. We gotta find a way out of here, and strolling down memory lane ain’t helping matters any...”

“Come on Rainbow, there’s always time for discovery,” Twilight said, winking at the pegasus. “What would Daring Do say if you told her you weren’t interested in learning anything about the ancient ruins you were exploring?”

“Well... hmmm.” Rainbow paused, apparently having not considered this. After a moment, she shook her head. “Well, Daring Do is usually busy worrying more about traps than taking the time to study. Daring Do’s about action and adventure!”

Twilight nodded and shrugged, conceding the point. “Fair enough.”

Twilight led her friends further into the hall until they reached another door. It was engraved with more of the glowing purple lettering, smaller than they could read plainly, so Twilight had to move in close and squint to make it out. Once the words were clear, she read aloud:

“‘Into the First, you now must go;  
A Trial to test all you know.  
Your wisdom,  
Your courage,  
Your perception, too;  
But fail, t’will be the end of you’.”

She chuckled. “I’ll give the gryphons credit, they write a pretty good poem. I was never much for the art myself.”

“So what’s it mean?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah, another riddle perhaps?” Rarity suggested.

“I don’t think it’s really a riddle,” Twilight said. She glanced closer at the lettering, just to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “There’s no hidden meanings or anything of the sort. It’s pretty straightforward, don’t you think?”

“Is it a... test?” Applejack suggested.

“That’s my guess, Applejack. It calls itself a ‘Trial’.” Twilight hummed and tapped her temple in thought. “This must be one of the safeguards of the Sanctuary, to keep intruders and unworthy candidates out. Let’s see..., ‘wisdom’, ‘courage’, and ‘perception’? A problem-solving trial perhaps?”

“What’s all this about ‘t’will be the end of you’, though?” Rarity asked. “You don’t think we’ll be any danger, do you dear?”

“Well, it would certainly explain the ‘face the dangers’ line from the riddle earlier.”

“Pfh. Danger. I laugh in the face of danger!” Rainbow laughed. “Bring it on, I say! Right Pinks?”

Pinkie shook her head. “I don’t know... w-what if it’s something really dangerous? You guys might get hurt... or... or worse...”

“Oh come on Pinks, ain’t nothing in there gonna hurt us,” Rainbow scoffed. “It’s all just fancy talk and boasting, to scare off ponies... er, gryphons. It says it’s gonna test our courage, right? Well, I say we head in there and solve this sucker! That’s courage right there, yeah?”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “And ‘sides which, y’all heard Lockwood. Them gryphons were a peaceful folk. Heck, all them artsy things back there said they done moved away when there was fightin’ near ‘em. They didn’t wanna get inta no tussle with nopony or nothin’.”

“I guess...” Pinkie murmured.

“Let’s get this over with,” Twilight declared, opening the door with her magic. “If what it says is true, this one is only the ‘First’. No telling how many more there are. Forward!”

***

“No no no!” Tick Tock shouted, slapping her hoof against the wall. “That’s not right at all!”

Lockwood winced and put a hoof to his ear. “Please, Tick Tock, no need to shout. If you want to disagree with me that’s fine, but holy cow, tone it down just a tad, eh? You’re worse than Pattycake...”

Flathoof groaned and threw his hoof into the air. “All this arguing is getting us nowhere! We’ve been at this for nearly an hour now, and you two still haven’t come up with anything.”

“I don’t see you helping any,” Tick Tock snapped over her shoulder. “If you want to offer an alternative, I’m all ears. But right now, all I’m hearing is you bitching and moaning like a bloody prima donna.” She gasped mockingly. “Maybe Flathoof got sent along with all of the girls, and we somehow got stuck with Rarity in his body.”

“Lucky jerk if he did,” Lockwood muttered.

“I’ve already suggested we just keep moving!” Flathoof spat. “We’re wasting too much time putting about and trying to learn a dead language than actually getting anything done.”

Tick Tock pushed her map up into his face. “Point to me where on this map you can see them, and we’ll head there immediately.” She wheeled the map back to herself. “Oh, what’s that? They’re not on there? Ohhh, well then it’s a bloody waste of time to just go wandering about without an idea where we’re going! Do you want to get bleedin’ lost in here?”

Flathoof stomped his hoof on the floor. “It’s not a waste! What if you can’t see them on the map because it’s not full yet? Ever think of that? Huh?” He snorted in disgust. “How would we get lost with that thing anyway?”

“It’s perfectly possible to get lost with a map if you just wander around in circles! If you’d get that through your thick skull, maybe we could—"

“Hey hey, calm down, both of you,” Lockwood interjected, pushing himself between the two. “You two getting at each others’ throats isn’t helping us any. Flathoof, I know you’re worried about them, but please, just relax, okay? Everything I can tell about these gryphons leads me to believe that they’re just fine. They’re not going to be facing down an adult Gargantuan or anything like that; they’re probably on another level of the ruins that the map hasn’t seen yet, or something. We need to be patient and try to figure out where that might be.”

“Precisely,” Tick Tock agreed. “So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to deciphering this wall here, so we can figure out where to go next.” She turned back to the wall and put her hoof on the etched emblem that was the source of the arguing. “I’m telling you, this symbol has something to do with that debate hall or whatever rubbish that you were talking about earlier with Twilight. It might be a good place to start.”

“I insist that it isn’t the same symbol at all,” Lockwood said. “The symbol she was looking at was a gryphon paw, remember? This one looks more like a talon... perhaps from a bird? Wait, don’t gryphons have claws too? Claws and paws? Dreadfully confusing...”

Tick Tock groaned. “A gryphon paw is on their hind leg. This looks like it could be from their fore leg, which seems to me to be in line with the war-like motif that Sparkle inferred. If these gryphons fought at all, they’d be fighting with whatever they have in the front.”

“How can we be so sure you’re right though? Did you see the symbol she was looking at when she started reading?” Lockwood asked.

“Did you?” Tick Tock asked right back.

“Well... no,” he admitted, shaking his head. “But she clearly called it a paw, and this is a claw. I trust Twilight to be exact about these sorts of things. They’re not interchangeable.”

“Of course they’re bloody interchangeable, you posh tosser!” Tick Tock shouted. She put her map in Lockwood’s face and jabbed her hoof at it. “Look, it’s even in the same direction as you said the debate forum was in the first place! Who cares if Twilight called a claw a paw or whatever bollocks you’re on about now?”

“That doesn’t mean it’s the same thing though. It could be a completely different place of business that’s in the northwest corner of the city, not the center. We’d be going in the wrong direction.”

“Oh for buck’s sakes...” Flathoof put a hoof to his face. “We’re going in that direction anyway, why are we arguing about it?!”

“Because I’d rather try and find some sort of an idea of where to start looking, and feather-brain here is getting all the wrong ideas!” Tick Tock spat.

Lockwood rolled his eyes. “Please, don’t start the name-calling. We’re not in grade school here.” He sighed and put his hoof to the bridge of his nose. “Look, let’s just drop it, shall we? You make a good point—we can follow this marking to the central area or at least near it, and work from there.”

“About bloody time,” Tick Tock grumbled. She straightened her map, glanced at it for a brief moment, then pointed off along the left hallway. “This way.”

***

A large metal door slid open, and great swaths of black smoke poured into the hallway beyond. Six pony-shaped figures emerged from the smoke-strewn doorway, which then closed behind them.

“Oh, thank Celestia that’s over with.” Twilight coughed as she pushed her way through the clearing smoke. She was covered head to hoof with dirty black soot. “I can see why they included that little warning at the end.”

“Remind me never to listen to Rainbow Dash ever again when she has ideas on how to solve a puzzle,” Rarity complained, pawing dejectedly at her tangled, scorched mane. “Oh my beautiful mane... my beautiful dress.” She wheeled around and glared at the cyan pegasus just behind her. “Rainbow Dash! Just you wait until we get home; you owe me some modeling time!”

“Oh come on guys, it wasn’t my fault,” Rainbow said, taking her goggles off and revealing two great patches of untouched face. Pinkie clung to her like glue, visibly shaken from the ordeal and frantically trying to smother a lingering flame that smoldered in Rainbow’s mane.

“‘Not yer fault’? Sugarcube, when there’s a button that says ‘Do Not Touch’, common sense tells ya not ta touch it,” Applejack huffed as she shook the soot off her hat and shirt. “Darn idiot idea that was, Dash. What in the hay was goin’ through yer head when y’all worked that one out?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Hey come on guys, lighten up, I was just using my adventurer’s intuition. In the Daring Do books, the obvious solution to every puzzle is to do what is least expected, whatever the builder of the test didn’t think of. A big puzzle room with a button like that is just begging for somepony to touch it.” She crossed her hooves over her chest. “Besides, it sure was the easier solution, wasn’t it?”

“Oh yes, because outrunning fireballs and sliding walls is so easy,” Twilight scoffed.

“Well, it was easy for me. Would’ve been easy for Daring Do, too.”

“Rainbow Dash, in case you haven’t noticed,” Rarity said, fluttering her eyes at first, then snapping, “this isn’t a Daring Do book!”

“Sheesh, relax, Rarity,” Rainbow chuckled, twisting a hoof in her ear. “We’ll get your dress fixed up. Somehow. Hey, we made it through and everything, right?” She sunk back to the ground and flexed her wings, then glanced sideways at Pinkie. “I’m set and ready for the next test, how ‘bout you, Pinks? See? Told you I was invincible. No little explosion is gonna keep me down.”

“Yeah but... that was just a little explosion,” Pinkie muttered. “What if it had been bigger, huh?”

“Then I’d just have to fly faster!” Rainbow boasted. Seeing no reaction from Pinkie brought Rainbow back down to earth. She shook her head. “C’mon, Pinks... what happened to finding fun in all the dangerous stuff?”

“That was before I realized how much danger you were really in... doing all those things...”

“Nothing like a little danger to get the blood pump—"

“P-please don’t mention blood...” Pinkie said, her face paling.

“I didn’t n-need to get my blood pumping...” Fluttershy murmured. She clung tighter to Lockwood’s somehow-unharmed jacket. Whatever the thing was made of, it was fire-retardant.

“Enough dawdling around girls, we need to get moving,” Twilight called from up several paces ahead. Before her stood another door much the same as the first, purple glowing letters and all. “Out of one trial, and straight into the next one. Let’s see here...

‘The First is done,  
Is left behind.  
For the Second,  
A test of mind,  
A test of skill,  
A test of speed.  
Acuity  
Is what you need,  
But to move forth,  
Do think clearly,  
Or else you shall  
Pay most dearly’.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Well... now this sounds like a different kind of trial altogether. A test of mind, skill, and speed?”

“Sounds right up my alley,” Rainbow said, with a proud grin and a flair of her wings.

“Yeah, all ‘cept the ‘mind’ part there, button-masher,” Applejack added.

Twilight nodded and opened the door. “Well girls, no sense in wasting time discussing the issue. We finished one trial, we can handle another, can’t we?” She trotted ahead into the doorway.

“As long as you don’t let Rainbow Dash near any more buttons,” Rarity huffed as she and Fluttershy followed behind.

“Man, I am never going to live that down, am I?” Rainbow muttered.

***

After coming to yet another fork in the hallway, Flathoof felt he’d had enough. “We’re going around in circles,” he said, slamming his hoof on the wall beside him. He panted, out of breath; they’d been walking for what felt like hours. “I recognize this corridor. It looks the one we hit half an hour ago. Your brilliant idea isn’t working, Tick Tock.”

“The halls all look the same, Flathoof,” Tick Tock said, rolling her eyes. “The map says we’re right on track; it just looks like we’ve gone in circles. We changed floors a few corridors back, when we passed the symbol that looked like a feather, remember?”

Flathoof thought for a moment, not recalling changing floors at all. “Did we? I didn’t notice any stairs.”

“There don’t seem to be any stairs at all, but we’re definitely at a higher elevation,” Lockwood noted.

Flathoof quirked an eyebrow. “And how can you be so sure?”

“It’s a pegasus thing. There must have been an incline somewhere back there, but it was too subtle to really notice.”

“According to the map, we’re almost dead-center in the city,” Tick Tock said as she poked a hoof into aforementioned map. “Still no sign of them though...”

“Well at least we’re getting better at navigating these halls without Twilight,” Lockwood assured her. “I’m still not sure we’re completely accurate on these translations, but it’s better than nothing.”

“How can you stay so calm?” Flathoof asked. “Seriously, Lockwood, I’m over here having a heart-attack with every corner we round when I don't see them on the other side, but you’re acting like this is just a walk in the park. You’re always like this.”

“You want to know how I make it look so easy?” Lockwood tapped his head. “It’s because a calm mind helps one to think clearly, helps one to analyze things and take count of what’s important. We need to find them, yes, but if we get all in a panic about it we’re just going to wear ourselves out and start shouting at one another.”

“I said I was sorry,” Tick Tock grumbled. “Come on, it’s not much further.”

The trio rounded another corner and traveled down another hallway, then stopped when they came to a great archway. At last, they’d reached the city’s center.

They let out a collective groan as they looked into the vast, spherical chamber which had no visible walkways of any kind. Dozens upon dozens of tunnels led off in every direction, and a quick glance at Tick Tock’s map could only tell them which tunnel they’d just come from. Only the very top of the ceiling was left bare for several yards around. There was a marking of a gryphon’s claw upon it.

“Well so much for my theory of the gryphons being organized,” Lockwood muttered. He sighed and gestured with his hoof out into the chamber. “Look at all these passages. There aren’t any walls, just more and more tunnels.”

“It’s a central transit hub of some kind,” Tick Tock said. She unfolded her map, then set it down on the floor so they could all get a good look. “Okay, the directions we’ve been following did at least lead us to the city central, so hopefully we can try and get a better idea how these Hierogryphics translate. The gryphon claw must stand for ‘Center’ or something.”

“How we looped all the way from the southeastern section of the city back around to the center still baffles me,” Flathoof muttered. He shook his head as he glanced out at the myriad tunnels before him. “We’re not seriously going to consider trying every one of these passages, are we? We can’t even reach most of them.”

“Oh stars no, that’s a terrible waste of time and effort,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “We just need to find some sort of idea where we stand. Each symbol means something different, and if you look out there, each tunnel has a unique symbol above it.”

She gestured out into the hub. Strange symbols marked the various tunnels, each representing a vague idea that, to the gryphons, must have been intuitive. Each symbol led someplace different, but trying to figure out what was what was like trying to solve a puzzle. A symbol that looked sort of like a feather obviously lead somewhere, but where exactly did it lead? Some sort of grooming salon for feathers, perhaps? A mattress store? A pet shop exclusively for birds?

“So, if we follow one of these tunnels,” Lockwood said, “it should lead to whatever the symbol represents. We need to find which of these symbols could lead to wherever the others ended up?”

“Exactly. Following that logic, we know that we came for the corridor that was marked for the Sanctuary, right? This six-pronged star?” Tick Tock said, pointing at the marking above their heads. “Well, we know that just leads to the teleporter that bloody well disappeared, so we have no immediate use for this route.”

She glanced down at her map and traced her hoof along it, creating a dotted line that stretched from their starting point to their current position. “We need to think about where it could have taken them to, though, and then we’ll have a good foundation for our search. Think back to the riddle; was there anything useful there?”

Flathoof scratched his head. “Uh... well, something about a ‘right source’ that we couldn’t figure out before. Twilight figured it was magic of some kind, so maybe something to do with that?”

“Sounds like a good place to start,” Lockwood said with a smile. He patted Flathoof on his back. “See, Flathoof? Just stay calm and think, and we can figure this out. Now, what symbols here could have something to do with magic?”

Tick Tock sighed. “And here comes the hard part: there’s more passages here than I can count, and I can’t even see the other side of the room. We’re going to have to find which one of these corridors might be the proper way, judging from the symbols, one by one. And by ‘we’,” she added, “I mean ‘you’.”

She pushed Lockwood off the ledge and into the chamber proper. He yelped and flapped his wings to stay airborne, and looked back at her with a pleading pout.

Lockwood huffed. “Oh come on now, surely you have some other way to—"

“I don’t.” She sat beside her map and crossed her hooves over her chest. “You can fly, I can’t, so you can do this better than I can.”

“But there’s got be nearly a hundred or more of—"

Tick Tock remained firmly seated. “Then you’d better get started, shouldn’t you?”

Lockwood rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. I really hope this isn’t too complicated. How I’m supposed to know which symbols represent ‘magic’ things, I have no idea.”

As Lockwood fluttered off, Tick Tock turned to Flathoof and sighed. “That friend of yours really is something, isn’t he?”

Flathoof chuckled. “He sure is ‘something’. I’m not sure what, yet. He’s been like that for years.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “You know what?” she said, glancing in Flathoof’s direction. “I’ll admit it. I’m a little... jealous.”

“Of what?” Flathoof asked.

“Of what you two have. Your friendship. I don’t mean just with one another; I have a close friend too, but...” Tick Tock sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll be close with him the way you are with Lockwood. Not with all the traveling my job entails.”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “This is sudden. What brings this on?”

“I’ve got better hearing than you all seem to think,” Tick Tock huffed. “Twilight and her friends don’t think I really care, and I don’t think you two do either. You think I’m just in this because it’s my ‘job’?”

Flathoof made to argue, but decided not to bother. Instead, he nodded. “You certainly don’t act like it’s any different than that. If you want to change anypony’s opinion, you’re certainly going about it the wrong way by shouting and getting angry all the time and arguing over every little thing. I’ll concede that you know a lot, but you could be a little nicer about it.”

“You’re right, I do know a lot,” Tick Tock said. Then, she sighed. “But, I suppose you’re also right about the rest of it. I haven’t done much to give anypony a reason to think otherwise. It’s my job to get things done as quickly and efficiently and quietly as possible. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for socializing, you understand? I... I am sorry if I come off as a little... hostile.”

Flathoof snorted. “Not the word I’d use, but then again the word I’d use isn’t exactly polite.”

“Yes, well.” Tick Tock coughed into her hoof. “Like I said, I am sorry. Those other six mares made me realize something. If I keep acting the way I do... I... I may end up driving you all away. I was worried sick that Twilight would up and decide you all didn’t bloody need me anymore. So I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one who deserves an apology, you know. You give Twilight a lot of flak for just trying to get her friends home as safely as she can.”

“I know, I know. I just... it’s hard,” Tick Tock admitted. “I’ve only been at this job for a few years, you understand, and until this assignment I’d never had any real troubles. Everything that’s been happening has put me a little... on edge, you understand?”

Flathoof hummed and nodded. “Surprisingly enough, I do understand. I do think you’re trying to do the best you can to help them... don’t let anypony say you’re not. But why talk to me about this? Lockwood’s the better ‘counselor’, why not bring this up with him?”

“Bloke’s too bloody nice for his own good.” Tick Tock chuckled. “I’m worried the tosser’s gonna offer me a shoulder to cry on, give me a tissue and a hug, all that rubbish. I’m not up for any mushy stuff; I just needed to get this off my chest. I... do owe you an apology though, even if you won’t accept it. I still blame myself for—"

“I know what you’re gonna say, and don’t. Just... just don’t, okay?” Flathoof interrupted. “The past is the past. Let’s get back to the task at hoof, shall we? We have some mares to find.”

“Right right, of course,” Tick Tock agreed. She pointed at the map, then looked out into the central chamber. “Ah, here comes our intrepid little explorer now.”

Lockwood fluttered over and touched down beside them on the ledge, breathing heavily. “Holy moly that’s a lot of hole-y’s.”

“Well? Anything to work with?” she asked.

“Hang on a second, let me catch my breath,” he panted, holding up a hoof. Several seconds of heavy breathing later, he continued, “Whew! Okay, so, I found one that looked like it might help. It was kind of like a stick with a star on it. Like a... a wand or whatever it is that stage magicians use. Weird, eh?”

“Interesting...” Tick Tock scratched her chin. “I know that the gryphons had to manufacture other means to use magic, since they lacked unicorn horns. Pony stage magicians are all unicorns though; the wands are just for show. But... that idea had to come from somewhere. You might be onto something here. Which tunnel is it?”

Lockwood backed off the ledge and pointed at a downward angle. Tick Tock walked out and looked over the edge, and could see that the tunnel he was pointing at was directly below them.

“You’ve got to be bleedin’ kidding me,” she muttered. “That’s just going to lead us right back the way we came.” She sighed. “Well, at least we have a new lead. Let’s give it a look, shall we? Down we go!”

***

A large metal door slid open, and six disgruntled mares stepped out into the hallway.

“Well, at least it wasn’t my fault this time,” Rainbow said. “I don’t wanna hear any complaints from you guys, no pointing hooves, none of that.”

“Ain’t nopony blamin’ ya fer nothin’, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Personally I think y’all’re lookin’ good.”

Rainbow snorted, then brushed her long, blonde mane out of her face. “Seriously AJ, how do you deal with this thing? I could never fly with a mane like this. Too much wind resistance.”

“Oh don’t you start complaining about having your mane ruined,” Rarity huffed, blowing a large puff of pink curly mane out of her face. “Pinkie darling, did you know just how uncooperative your mane is? This poofy thing just can’t decide what it wants to do! How do you even get it in this style? The curls just don’t make any sense; they’re almost unnatural!”

“Sorry, Rarity,” Pinkie muttered.

Rainbow tucked a wing around Pinkie. “Don’t apologize to her, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She stuck her tongue out at Rarity. “She’s just in a fit because your mane is better on you than it is on her.”

Rarity stuck her nose in the air. “Hmph.”

Rainbow grinned. “Look at it this way, Pinks: if this is the worst thing we’re worried about, we can’t be in much danger can we?”

Pinkie wiped her eyes and nodded. “Well... yeah...” She smiled and batted her now-purple mane out of her eyes. “To tell the truth, I don’t mind it. I kind of like it...”

“That’s because y’all got Twilight’s mane,” Applejack said, her shiny purple mane bobbing and weaving as she turned her head. Her hat fell off; she replaced it, but it fell off again the second she moved. “Rarity, this here high-falootin’ mane o’ yers just feels dang weird. How in the hay d’ y’all deal with it?”

“Years of practice, dear Applejack,” Rarity replied. She sighed and tried to brush her pink curls out of her face again. “To be honest, I’d have rather gotten your mane than Pinkie’s. Maybe I’d have finally had a chance to give that gorgeous golden mane of yours a real, proper styling, hmm?”

“You can work on it while it’s on me,” Rainbow offered. “It ain’t mine, so I don’t care what you do to it.”

“Over mah dead body,” Applejack snorted.

“Please don’t say that...” Pinkie murmured.

“Everypony just calm d—oof!” Twilight tripped over her long, flowing pink mane. “Oww...”

“Oh... um... c-careful, Twilight, that’s my mane you’re... um... stepping on,” Fluttershy peeped. The others looked her way, so she desperately tried to find a way to hide her face behind much shorter rainbow-colored hair.

Rainbow chuckled. “Oh hey, lookin’ good by the way, Fluttershy. You oughta think about making that a permanent look. I’d say you look maybe... hmmm... five-percent cooler.”

“Perish the thought, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said. “Why, it would be a crime against style if dear Fluttershy decided to take such a butch cut.”

“Yeah yeah, just joking around, Rares.” Rainbow chuckled and shrugged. “Look at the bright side, you could have ended up with my mane.”

Rarity paled. “Oh... oh my, I’d look dreadful! Oh, that cut! Most unladylike. Why, I’d be laughed out of any social get-together I ever attended!”

“Wow. Gee, thanks for letting me know what you think of my mane, Rares...” Rainbow muttered.

“Ah... ha... um...” Rarity gulped and chuckled nervously. “I... I did not mean—"

“Twilight could y’all please jus’ fix this already?” Applejack pleaded.

“Hang on, hang on,” Twilight grunted as she got back on her hooves. “This kind of alteration spell is pretty basic and easy enough to fix with some concentration.” She flared her horn, and a brilliant white light filled the corridor.

When it cleared, however...

“Well, y’all’re half-right there, Twi,” Applejack mumbled as she poked at her mane. It was neatly tied back in a tail again, but still very much a royal purple. “At least it don’t feel weird no more. Now it just looks weird.”

“Oh heavens, this just will not do,” Rarity flustered. She flipped her impeccably-styled pink mane. Her mouth drooped in a frown. “This color is not me, if you’ll beg my pardon, Pinkie Pie. It fits just gorgeously on you, dear, but... it doesn’t mesh well with my coat. No offense intended, of course.”

“None taken,” Pinkie muttered.

Rainbow barely suppressed a chuckle. “Pffh, Pinks, that... that poofy curl you’ve got doesn’t work so well with so many colors in it. You look like you dunked your head in a tub of wild berry sherbet. Hey, doesn’t that sound delicious, Pinks? I could go for a scoop myself right about now.”

“I... do like that flavor...” Pinkie said.

Rainbow sighed as her repeated attempts continued to fall flat.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy peeped with a look behind her. She ran a hoof through her long, flowing, rainbow-colored mane. “Wow, Rainbow... maybe you’re the one who should reconsider their hair-style. Your hair looks so... pretty, when it’s long like this...”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Rainbow dismissed. “Like I said, wind resistance, terrible for flying, dumb idea, etcetera.” She grunted and glanced at Twilight. “Come on, Twi, stop messing around and get this all fixed up. I’m Rainbow Dash, not Blondie Dash.”

“Hold on, I’m trying,” Twilight grunted. She flared her horn and filled the corridor with light again.

When the light cleared, everypony was back to normal.

“Oh thank goodness,” Rarity cooed. She stroked her mane like a kitten. “Did you miss mommy, sweetie? Mommy missed you.”

“Well, glad that’s all outta the way,” Applejack said. She sighed and readjusted her hat on her head. “Look, there’s another o’ them doors up ahead. Another trial thingy?”

“Seems that way,” Twilight agreed as she approached the door. She cleared her throat and read aloud:

“The Second test is done and gone, the Third now is what lies beyond.  
Before you venture further forth it may be wise to take a rest.  
For deep within this last trial, we will judge you of your guile.  
Fight back your fears all the while, lest you fail this simple test.  
Beyond the door you must now go, to face the ultimate test.  
Truly, it is for the best.

“Looks like we’re almost done, girls. One more test to go.” Twilight hummed in thought. “Hmm... I wonder what this one entails? There’s no sort of hint or anything.”

“This one sounds... bad...” Pinkie said with a shudder.

“We’ll handle it, Pinks, no problem,” Rainbow assured her.

“I’m eager to see what lies beyond this one,” Rarity said thoughtfully. “If we get past this one last test, we’ll find out where all that magical energy is coming from, won’t we?”

“Certainly seems like it,” Twilight said with a nod. She turned to the others. “Is everypony ready?”

“Darn tootin’,” Applejack said with a tip of her hat.

“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered, pumping a hoof. “Bring that sucker on!”

“Right then!” Twilight declared. She opened the door with a flash of magic. “Let’s hop to it! Forward!”

***

“Here’s the next one!” Tick Tock called. She pointed her hoof at a symbol on the wall in front of her; it was shaped like a rod with a star on one end. “Come along, lads, we’ve got to be getting closer!”

Flathoof grunted as he attempted to keep up with her. He leaned over to Lockwood, who was flying just beside him. “She’s getting awfully enthusiastic, isn’t she?”

Lockwood shrugged. “I’d rather have her yelling because she’s pleased with herself than because she’s angry at somepony.”

“And you’re sure this is leading us the right direction?”

Lockwood sighed. “Well it’s impossible to be one hundred percent certain, seeing as we’re dealing with translations and interpretations of a language that nopony is able to read.” He patted Flathoof on the shoulder. “I have confidence in the path we’ve chosen though, if that’s any consolation. This is the best lead we’re going to get. Tick Tock certainly thinks so, at any rate.”

“Not that I trust her judgement that much,” Flathoof snorted.

“Found another one!” Tick Tock called from up ahead. “Come on you two, stop lollygagging about. This is no time for idle chit-chat. Don’t tell me you two strapping lads are going to let a mare out-pace you.”

“We’re not lollygagging,” Flathoof huffed. “We’ve been at this for hours now, and to be frank I’m starting to run a little ragged. Maybe we should take a breather.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “We’re almost there,” she said, pointing at her map. “The symbols are directing us to a more central location.”

“Well, if you say so.”

The trio rounded another corner, and another, then came upon a door with the same wand-shaped symbol on its face as the one they’d been following. With Flathoof’s help, Tick Tock pressed it open and the trio entered into the chamber beyond.

The room appeared to be a shop of some kind. Most of the chamber was blocked off by a sales counter as tall as the ponies present, the perfect size for a gryphon. Behind it was a vast array of barren shelves that stretched towards the back of the chamber and into the darkness.

“Hello!” Tick Tock called. “Anypony there?!”

No response.

“I’m getting the feeling we’re not in the right place,” Flathoof said, narrowing his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”

“What is this place?” Lockwood asked.

Tick Tock sighed. “The gryphons utilized wands for their magical study and practice. It would seem as if we’ve been directed to the wand shop.”

“The empty wand shop,” Lockwood added. He shook his head. “Who cleared the place out, I wonder?”

“Who cares?!” Flathoof exclaimed, throwing a hoof in the air. “We were supposed to find the girls here, but I don’t see anypony here, do you?!”

“Whoa, whoa, easy there big fella,” Lockwood chuckled. “Just a little detour, nothing to worry—"

“Detour?! We’ve spent the past hour walking around to pursue a false lead!”

“And your shouting again is helping how?” Tick Tock asked.

“Oh, don’t you start on me,” Flathoof grunted. “This settles it. You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing!”

“Look, I’m the one that thought the wand would be the way to go, right? I didn’t think there would be a wand shop down here,” Lockwood said. He sighed. “Tell you what, you look around and see if you can find anything. Tick Tock and I will see if we can figure out where to go from here. Okay?”

Flathoof grit his teeth, then let out a breath. “Fine.” He trotted off around the sales counter towards the empty shelves.

As soon as he felt Flathoof was out of earshot, Tick Tock muttered, “Thanks.”

Lockwood quirked an eyebrow. “For what?”

“Taking the blame for part of this.”

“Well, I don’t like seeing Flathoof mad, is all. He won’t get so upset at me. And it is partially my fault. I mean, I’m no expert on magic. I just thought that symbol looked like the magic wands I’d seen stage magicians use, so it should it have something to do with magic.”

“I would have had the same idea, personally.” She shook her head. “I’ll be honest, I’m starting to have my doubts as well.”

“Me too...”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lockwood in surprise. “Really? Well this is quite an interesting twist. You? Having doubts?”

Lockwood sighed. “Look, I know I’m right, and that they’re all going to be okay. I have to believe it. I need to believe it. I’m just... beginning to wonder if maybe we’re going about this wrong way.”

“It certainly is a possibility... but what alternatives are there? Wait around for them?”

“We could always seek out an exit and wait for them there.”

Tick Tock scratched her chin. “Could work. I don’t know if that’ll put Flathoof at ease.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I’ll pitch the idea to him. It is my idea after all. My smiling face is about the only thing keeping him from having a panic attack.”

“I’m amazed you’re able to keep up the facade,” Tick Tock muttered.

“It’s important to keep in high spirits and maintain a pleasant demeanor at all times,” Lockwood said. “Nothing ruins a social engagement more than somepony being a sour puss. You and Flathoof could stand to learn that lesson,” he added with a big smile. “Come on then, let’s see a smile.”

Tick Tock put her hoof to her face and groaned. “Look, if I wanted to be an upper-class twit, talking all bleedin’ posh and all that rubbish, then I would. You’re not going to change me by laying on the charm and flashing your pearly whites.” She straightened her bow tie and sweater vest, then stuck her nose in the air. “I must maintain a sense of professional confidence in my duties, and if that means being a little abrasive, then so be it.”

“Fine, fine, far be it from me to try and get you to lighten up a bit,” he said with a shrug. “So then, what’s the next target? We can’t just head out the way we came, so where would another exit be?”

Tick Tock glanced at her map and hummed. “Well, what with the whole city being underground now, we’d need some sort of exit that would likely still lead to the outside. First thing that comes to mind is perhaps the waste disposal system. What with the city being abandoned, there’s likely no waste to worry about there either.”

“Great. The sewer.” Lockwood sighed. “Not exactly the way I envisioned my day going...”

“Funny, with all that’s happened this week I thought you be used to dealing with shite.”

***

A large metal door slid open, releasing pungent, unpleasant air into the hallway beyond. Twilight was the first to step out of the dark archway into the hall. She was slightly damp, but her horn was alight with magic attempting to remedy that. Her friends each followed behind her, one by one, each as damp, if not more so, than she was. None of them made eye contact with one another, and an uncomfortable silence wafted about them.

Several awkward moments later, Twilight was dry. She cleared her throat, and said, “Okay... well that was an... interesting experience.”

“If that’s what y’all wanna call it,” Applejack muttered. She fanned her hat through the air to dry it off as well. “I can think of a few other words I’d use ta describe it.”

“Yes, well... uh, at least we got through it,” Twilight said. She nervously glanced about between her friends, and gulped, then shook her head before any memories of the prior events could reestablish themselves. “Now, if nopony minds... can we agree to never speak of this again?”

“No arguments here darling,” Rarity muttered as she made absolutely sure her mane, tail, coat, and dress were all dried entirely. “My lips shall remain sealed forevermore.”

“You’ve got my support. Now, can somepony find me some bleach for my brain?” Rainbow said. She wiped the fogged-up lenses of her goggles and continued to dry her feathers. Even she and Pinkie were hesitating to make eye-contact at the moment.

“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked Fluttershy. When the pegasus didn’t respond, Rarity tapped Fluttershy’s shoulder to get her attention. “Dear—"

Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face behind her mane. “Um... d-don’t w-worry about m-me.”

“I hope we never have to do anything like that ever again.” Rainbow sighed. She then perked up, and pointed up ahead. “Oh hey, check it out. I think we’re almost there!”

Twilight glanced ahead, and her mouth curled in a smile. “I think you may be right, Rainbow; I see a light up ahead.” She gestured for the others to follow her. “Come on everypony, let’s go!”

As the group proceeded forward through the hallway, the light ahead grew brighter with every step. Eventually, the light was bright enough that Twilight had to squint just to see ahead of her. She licked her lips in anticipation; the light was laced with powerful magicks, and her horn was absorbing some of the energy. It was a much-needed, much-appreciated, and most importantly, enjoyable recharge.

“Wow... do you feel that, Rarity?” Twilight asked breathlessly, hoping the other unicorn was enjoying the experience as much as she was.

Rarity let out the breath she’d been holding. “Mmhmm. My horn feels all a flutter, dear.” She giggled, then gasped suddenly. “Oh my... oh myyy...”

Twilight giggled too. “You felt that too, huh? It sent shivers right through my horn...” She bit her bottom lip. “This is all so exciting!”

“Uh... do I even wanna ask what’s goin’ on here?” Applejack muttered.

“Well it can’t be that impressive,” Rainbow snorted. “We could all feel Starlight’s magic, but none of us can feel this.”

“It’s not the amount, it’s the kind,” Rarity said curtly. “Quality over quantity, my dear Rainbow Dash.”

“We’re almost there,” Twilight said as they approached the archway at the end of the corridor. She cantered ahead with a great pep in her step. “I can’t wait to see the source!”

Twilight passed through the archway, the others close behind her, and gasped in shock at the sight that she beheld. She and her friends now stood in an absolutely gigantic chamber, its ceiling and floor so far above and below that Twilight could see nothing but darkness. The hallway connected directly to a bridge made of solid magic leading onward into the abyss. Surrounding the bridge, and the only thing that would keep them from accidentally tripping and falling into the void below, were faint blue magical barriers. Twilight tested one of the barriers with a hoof, and was surprised with how strong the magic was.

That, however, didn’t hold her interest for long, as what that had attracted her friends’ attention now attracted hers. Massive columns stood all around them, starting from someplace unseen far below and reaching up into the unknown above. They were columns of the purest, most potent, most beautiful magic Twilight had ever laid her eyes on. Every towering shaft shined in a different color, and each had its own unique fluctuation: a bluish-white stream to Twilight’s left snapped about like lightning; a scarlet one to her right flowed as though made of liquid magma; a green spire ahead snaked and parted through the void like overgrown vines. Every single variant of magic was represented here in some form, from the superschools—Divination, Mathemagicks, Psychomancy, Animation, and Thaumaturgy—all the way down to their innumerable subschools.

Twilight had trouble restraining herself. “This just isn’t a library of knowledge,” she declared with such wonder and amazement that it came as little more than a whisper, “this is a library of magic. This... this is the single most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Every form of magic in its purest form, out for display for me to study...”

“An’ here I thought a good book was all that could make Twilight all flighty-like,” Applejack said with a smile. “I ain’t never seen ya this excited before, Twi.”

“She looks like she just accepted to the Wonderbolt Academy,” Rainbow snickered.

Fluttershy hummed in delight. “Oh my... they sure are pretty.”

“Pretty is putting it mildly, darling. This display is absolutely gorgeous.” Rarity gasped and pointed to a stream of purple to her left that rippled in the air like silk. “Ooh! Just look at those colors! Oh heavens... so many ideas, so much inspiration! I have so many ideas for when we get home.”

Twilight pressed her hooves and face against one of the barriers to get a closer look at the nearest pillar of white light. “Everything anypony could want to know about magic... all within a hoof’s reach. It’s like something out of a fairy tale...”

Applejack patted Twilight on the back. “Well, fer those o’ us that ain’t too distracted by all the pretty lights, we’re headin’ further on in. Y’all comin’, Twi? I’m sure there’s some kinda, I dunno, library up ahead that did all yer learnin’ for ya.”

Twilight brightened and gave Applejack her most beaming smile. “Of course! Surely the gryphons did some research on these magicks and cataloged it. I’d just need to find it and read it!” She bounded ahead of the other with such speed that she nearly knocked Applejack over. “Come on, girls! No time to waste!”

Twilight and her friends galloped full speed along the bridge for several minutes before tiring out and slowing to a brisk trot. Twilight truly got a sense of the chamber’s size just from how much distance they’d crossed without seeing anything; she still couldn’t see the other side and had lost sight of the archway they’d entered through. Several more minutes passed before she saw anything ahead of the group, but finally, Twilight caught sight of something.

In the distance, a large cubical structure was suspended in the air by unseen means, connected to the bridge by a stairway made of similar, equally solid magic as the bridge, only a different color. As they got closer, she could see it was made of a bizarre black metal that reflected very little light, and that an array of bizarre, dish-shaped devices surrounded it, collecting specks of magic out of the air.

When she and her friends finally reached the structure, they ascended the great stairway and entered through the large entryway into the structure’s largest and apparently only room. The room was dark, almost completely pitch black, save for the dull glow of tiny lights coming from the ceiling. The magical energy from outside the structure was being streamed into a great compartment there, which was connected to more devices, constructs, and screens than Twilight could count. Large wires connected these other smaller machines to the raised platform at the center of the room.

Twilight approached this raised platform, her curiosity getting the better of her. A ring of devices surrounded the platform, each covered in buttons, switches, and lights of various colors and sizes. Several sheets of shiny glass surrounded the ring of devices; they reminded her of the computers she’d learned how to use back in New Pandemonium City. They appeared somewhat dated compared to those she’d used in the city, however, but were still an impressive sight. Each monitor displayed various figures, graphs, equations, and great, sprawling masses of text which she did not immediately understand. At the center of the platform was a chair large enough to hold a creature much larger than she was.

“What is this thing, Twi?” Rainbow asked, snapping Twilight out of her analysis.

“This must be a central database,” Twilight said as she circled around the station. “It’s just like the one they had at the city library. I bet we could find anything we want with this! If all that magic out there is what powers it, it’s probably loaded with all sorts of juicy information. A veritable encyclopedia of information on every kind of magic there is...”

“Do y’all know how ta work it, Twi?” Applejack asked.

Twilight frowned and shook her head. “I only had a minimum amount of practice, so I’m not exactly sure. All the symbols here are in Hierogryphics, so I’m just sort of playing by ear. Hmm... I wonder if I can get a reaction out of them like I did the others.”

She leaned in and lit up her horn; nothing happened. She let out a sigh and gave her friends an apologetic smile. “Well, there goes that idea. It was worth a try, girls. Any other—"

A small, metal click sounded from someplace behind the group. Then another. Then another. Each one came closer than the last.

“Anypony else hear that?” Applejack asked. She turned behind the group and looked out into the darkness, but there was nothing there.

“It sounds metallic,” Twilight said, tapping her hoof. She looked out into the darkness as well, but, seeing nothing, turned back to the station to continue her examination. “It’s probably just one of the machines around here or something,” she added with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “I’ll keep trying to work on this, the rest of you should start looking around, see if you can find anything.”

Rainbow groaned. “Find anything? Look around, Twilight,” she said, waving a hoof out into the room. “Other than that little gadget you’re working with and the junk it’s connected to, there isn’t even anything here.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” a voice said from behind them.

The group wheeled around to face the source of the voice and instinctively got into defensive positions. Their jaws dropped at the sight.

“A... a g-g-gryphon?!” Twilight exclaimed.

The gryphon was much larger than them, easily twice their size despite his waning figure. He was old, very old indeed; his beard and hair were thin and gray, and his fur and feathers were drained of color. While his natural body was quite frail and thin, his unnatural body was not. His wings, left claw, both hind legs, and tail were made of a complex series of creaking metallic parts. A great portion of his chest was covered in a similar material, and a large yellow light rested over where his heart would be. The left side of his face, too, was covered in metal, and his eye had in its place a strange green lens with a telescoping tube that rotated in and out as he looked back and forth across the mares. His other, natural eye was a glassy, dull blue. He also wore a purple robe made of silk; the robe, at least, looked brand new.

“No need to act so surprised, my little pony,” the gryphon spoke, his voice hoarse and twinged with a slight metallic sound. “This is gryphon territory. I would think it should stand that you’d see a gryphon here, wouldn’t you agree?” He gave them a warm smile and raised his non-metallic claw to gesture for them to relax. “I won’t hurt you, so you can all be at ease. I’m just an old gryphon, getting too far along in his years to be much threat to anygryphon... or rather, anypony.”

“B-b-but, Tick Tock said you guys were extinct!” Rainbow said. Applejack nudged her in the side, so she quickly added, “I mean, that’s what I heard anyway.”

The gryphon chuckled and shook his head. “Extinct?” He laughed, and stepped towards the station behind them. “No, gryphons aren’t extinct just yet, though it may not be long before that statement is true. With all that has happened, I cannot say I am surprised that that would be the first thing on your mind.”

The gryphon continued towards the platform; Twilight and her friends stepped aside to let him through. As he approached, however, it became quite clear that he was struggling just to walk, let alone try to take the first step up onto the raised platform. Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy, then tilted her head towards the old gryphon. Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them stepped forward to assist the gryphon in ascending the platform.

“There there, my good fellow,” Rarity cooed. “Here, allow me to help you into your chair,” she added as she did exactly that.

“Do you need anything, mister gryphon?” Fluttershy asked.

“Ah, thank you, my dears. I am quite alright,” the gryphon said as he eased back into his seat. “Though, I do believe I am due for a tune-up sometime soon. I don’t suppose any of you young ladies have any experience in these matters? I could certainly use a helping claw... or hoof, rather.”

“I’m afraid not, sir,” Twilight said, with a shake of her head. “What... is all that stuff?”

“Why, the finest in techno-magic bionics, of course,” the gryphon said with a chuckle. He then coughed loudly, and the yellow light on his chest turned bright red. He pounded his good claw a little on it until it turned green. He smiled weakly and gave a light-hearted laugh. “At least, they were at the time they were invented. I’m afraid they’ve fallen quite behind in the times, much as I have, and I lack the materials to properly repair them.

“But I digress,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. “Nogryphon, or rather, nopony, wants to hear the trivial complaints of an old gryphon like me. Now then, I see you’ve managed to enter into my Sanctuary. That’s good... that’s very good indeed. This has been quite an eventful decade!”

“Yes, we... um... ‘solved’ your riddle, if that’s what you mean,” Twilight said. “It was kind of an accident.”

The gryphon raised his good eyebrow. “An accident, you say?”

“Twi was just trying to shine some light on the slab when it started glowing and brought us all here. She doesn’t even know how it happened,” Rainbow said.

“Thank you for being so blunt, Rainbow,” Twilight muttered.

“And we got past them trials o’ yers too,” Applejack said with a proud stomp of a hoof.

“And so good that you did as well. I am always eager for a conversational companion,” the gryphon said. “Visitors are usually so few and far between that I concern myself less with how they came to meet me so much as who they are. What are your names, my little ponies?”

Twilight flustered. “Oh... forgive me, we forgot to introduce ourselves!”

She introduced herself first, then went down the line through her friends until they had all given their names.

The gryphon smiled and looked out amongst the mares, his telescopic eye adjusting slightly with every glance. “You and your friends are certainly a colorful bunch, Twilight Sparkle. I do not often see such bright hues in ponies of the northern lands. They are more often of duller shades, much like their towering skyscrapers.”

He shook his head, then placed his metal claw over his chest and bowed his head. “Ah, but where are my manners? It is a pleasure to meet you, my little ponies. I am Gilderoy, Lorekeeper, Second Elder of the Grand Council of Elders, and Caretaker of the Sanctuary of Knowledge.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Rainbow said. Her eyes brightened, and she gently nudged Pinkie in the side, a wide grin on her face. “Hey, you’re keeping track, right Pinks? That’s five gryphons now starting with ‘G’.” She turned to Twilight, her grin growing so wide it threatened to split her face in two. “I told you I saw a pattern.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “So, this is the Sanctuary of Knowledge. Where exactly are we, anyway? This place looks so much unlike the ruins of the city... uh... Aeropolis, I believe?”

“Aeropolis... oh, how I miss those bright halls...” Gilderoy said with a wistful air. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “The Sanctuary is aptly named because it is a neutral zone. None can enter here without my permission, and those that do must face the trials as you all have. Ah, but to answer your question, we are quite distant from Aeropolis, and yet not.”

“What does that even mean?” Rainbow asked, scrunching up her face in confusion. “Distant but not? What?”

Gilderoy laughed. “Forgive me if I confused you, my dear Miss Dash. To clarify, this is what has been dubbed a, ‘pocket dimension’, a tiny, self-contained universe with unlimited space, compacted within a real-world object. A fascinating concept we learned from an ally of ours ever so long ago.”

“Oh my, a pocket dimension spell? That’s one of the highest-caliber spells there is,” Twilight said with an eager grin. “So, what exactly is it that you do here that you needed a pocket dimension to do it?”

“This, my little ponies, is my life’s work,” he proudly declared. He paused to cough and clear his throat again, pounding his chest plate in the process. “As I was saying, all of those beautiful pillars of magic outside represent every school magic in existence.”

Twilight nodded, barely able to contain her excitement. “Yes, I noticed that! You managed to harness even the superschools! I’ve never felt pure Mathemagicks before, just the subschools like Arithmancy and Algebraics. Do you study them? I’d love to study them.”

Gilderoy laughed. “My my, you are quite an astute observer, and so eager for scholarly pursuits. Yes, as the last Lorekeeper and Caretaker of this facility, it is my duty to monitor and study those fields.”

“How did you even manage to create such pure fields? I’ve only ever read theories about how to manifest pure energy from any of the superschools before, and they were only dealing with very small amounts. You’ve got fields so massive that I can’t even calculate their energy output!”

“I don’t mean to be rude, Twi, but come on, we don’t have time to be studying and debating on magic and all that egghead stuff,” Rainbow said. “We came here looking for a way out, remember? Or like a map, or something.”

Twilight blushed and sheepishly scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Oh... right. Sorry.”

“You ladies are seeking a map?” Gilderoy asked, raising an eyebrow. “Such a trivial concern to come seeking the Sanctuary for. Surely you would find a library a better location for such a thing?”

“Well... we thought this was a regular library,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t exactly have a firm grasp of Hierogryphics, so my assumption was that Sanctuary of Knowledge was just the name of the library, not all of this,” she added with a wave of her hoof through the air.

“Would you be so kind as to direct us to the proper library, good sir Gilderoy?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, I am afraid the gryphon library has long since been pilfered, not long after the Fall in fact.” He let out a long sigh. “At times I wish I had perished alongside the rest of my kind, so that I would not be alone. At times I curse my life here, where I cannot be harmed except by the ravages of time, which is a harsher master still.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The... Fall? Ohhh, is that the event that Tick Tock was talking about, the one where your people were... um...” She didn’t feel it was in good taste to finish the sentence, so she coughed instead.

“No need to beat around the bush, my dear.” Gilderoy put his natural claw upon her head, which eased her trepidation. “Genocide is a delicate topic, yes, but I have had a long time to reflect and mourn. The Fall is what we called it, though we had little time to record such information. We knew what was happening the moment it began, but it was already far too late to reverse. Did you not notice it in the riddle?”

“Ah, so that’s the ‘fall’ the riddle spoke of, the one that needed to be ‘resisted’?”

“That it is. I erected that tablet, hoping that some of my kind would escape and one day return to find me here to help me rebuild our people. But... it has been far too long for any hope of that to come to pass, I am afraid. I am the last of my kind, and a great weight has been placed upon my shoulders to ensure our people’s greatest works are not forgotten or lost.

“Hence all the machinery,” he said with a weak smile as he flexed his metal wings, which gave grating creaks in response. “I seem to be replacing pieces of myself every few dozen years or so, and I fear it will not be long before I am unable to replace any more. A pity our kind never managed to perfect our bionics before our end.” He laughed. “I’ve seen that you ponies have done wonders with our techno-magic, though I do regret the circumstances in which they came into your possession.”

“So, can you help us... or can’t you?” Rainbow interjected.

Twilight shot her an angry look. “Rainbow! Don’t be rude!”

“It is quite alright, my dear Miss Sparkle,” Gilderoy said. “I am sure Miss Dash would like to continue with whatever quest you all were on before you stumbled along down here. You say you were seeking a map? Whatever for?”

“Well, we’re kinda lost here in the ruins, see, and need to find the way out.”

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. “Can you not simply retrace your steps and leave through the southern corridor?”

“That’s exactly what I said,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves over her chest. “But my plan’s just dumb, I guess.”

Twilight huffed. “We went over that this morning, Rainbow. Starlight and her sisters may be waiting for us back there, and in our state we wouldn’t stand a chance, and even you agreed to that. We need to find some sort of alternate route.”

“Ah, if it’s an alternate route you’re searching for, that I can provide. Where are you headed?” Gilderoy asked.

“Hope’s Point.”

Gilderoy frowned. “I’m afraid I am not familiar with that place.”

“Oh... um, it’s a city to the southeast of here, on the coast.”

“Ah, then you would need the eastern exit. That I can certainly assist you with, though you may wish to reconsider your options.” Gilderoy leaned forward in his seat. “There is great darkness and evil through the route I will send you. Perhaps you would find it more suitable to confront this ‘Starlight’, hmm?”

“Out of the question,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I do appreciate the warning, Mister Gilderoy, but frankly I think we can handle whatever it is along your path far better than trying our luck with Starlight’s crew.”

Gilderoy leaned back in his chair again, and stroked his beard for a few moments before responding. “If that is your desire, far be it from me to deny you the answers you seek,” he said. “The city has long been buried under a mountain of rock, and many of the exits were sealed during the Fall. However, the city’s aqueduct system is still in complete working order. The treatment plant can be found at the northeastern edge of the city; you can exit the city through the old reservoir, which has long since been drained.

“But,” he continued, “that route leads to a cursed, tainted place. The plague that killed my people originated there. I am not sure what you ponies call it today, but in my time we called it the ‘Red Death’. During the Wardens’ War, lingering dark magicks corrupted the very ground, and brought with the corruption a plague that created... abominations to everything natural and good about the world. When the war ended, we erected a magical barrier around the region to keep the evil magic that soaked the place at bay.”

“Oh dear...” Twilight muttered. “What do you mean by... ‘abomination’?”

“I don’t think describing them would do much justice, nor do I think any one of you would be able to stomach the detail.” Gilderoy shuddered. “Let us just say that I urge you and your friends to make haste through the region, lest you find out for yourselves.”

“Great, into another deathtrap we go,” Rainbow huffed, shaking her head.

Twilight hummed. “If this plague could kill a gryphon, what chance do we have of protecting ourselves?”

“The magicks have dwindled greatly in power, and lack the the power to kill outright anymore,” Gilderoy assured her. “However, the horrors that they wrought upon the land are still bound to it, and they can still spread the plague much the same as any disease.”

“I see... hmm...” Twilight shook her head. “What exactly did happen to your people, anyway? What does this plague do?”

“Come on Twi, this isn’t the time for a history lesson!” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hooves in the air. “We’ve got a schedule to keep!”

“We should at the very least know what happened, Rainbow. Any information could prove useful and possibly keep us alive,” Twilight explained. “‘Those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.’ It’s a very well-known saying.”

“And a very wise one,” Gilderoy agreed with a smile. “Fear not, my dear Miss Dash, Miss Sparkle’s curiosity is well-founded. There are a great many things one can learn from just a little look into the past.”

“Ugh... fine,” Rainbow grumbled. “This better not take too long though.”

“Keep an eye on the clock there, Miss Dash,” Gilderoy said, gesturing at a clock display beside him that read eighteen minutes after noon. “The wonders of magic allow one to do a great many things in very little time. Here, allow me to show you.”

Gilderoy reached into the pocket of his robe and drew out a thin silver rod, etched with tiny markings that glowed a dull blue. He swished it around in the air just once, and the little rod’s glow intensified, much like a unicorn’s horn would.

“What in the hay is that?” Applejack asked, eyeing the object warily.

“A magic wand, of course,” Rarity said. “Surely you recognize a stage magician’s ‘weapon of choice’, as t’were?”

“Miss Rarity is correct,” Gilderoy said as he continued to swish the rod around in the air. “Our kind lack horns as you unicorns do, and so cannot employ magicks of our own. At first, we simply wished to enjoy the pleasure of telekinesis, but it grew from there to include other forms of magic as well.”

“What’s with all the swishing?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, unlike unicorn horns, which simply channel the unicorn’s natural magical energy, wands gather magic in the air and channel that into spells. They are made of a very powerful conducting metal that we call ‘arcanium’, which can absorb even the powerful magicks outside the chamber. Forgive me if this takes a moment; I have not used my wand in many years, so it may take some time to recharge.”

Twilight watched Gilderoy’s wand sweep about in the air, gathering magic and growing brighter as it did so, for several moments. Then, she gasped. “This spell you’re using... is it a memorandum spell?”

“Indeed it is, my dear,” Gilderoy laughed. He swished the wand one more time in the air, then pointed it straight up. “Now, my little ponies, let us take a little journey into the annals of history.”

The wand flashed with a blinding white light.

Twilight shielded her eyes. She’d had a memorandum spell cast on her before, when Discord had taunted her about incorrectly solving his riddle, so she’d been ready for the flash. However, she knew that memorandum spells typically only went back a few years at most, as most ponies’ memories weren’t perfect enough to accurately reconstruct images from much further back. At least, she thought she’d known that.

She and her friends now stood in a grand chamber that she knew to be the Aeropolis entryway they’d spent the morning in. The room was no longer dark and gray, but decorated with lavish banners of purple and red. The bronze statues gleamed in an unseen sun, the artificial leaves and vines were more lifelike than ever, and the walkways were bordered by stretches of green grass and plots of roses and violets. Everything looked new, as though only years had passed at worst.

Most importantly, the entryway thrived with life, as gryphons of all ages walked, hovered, and flew about the chamber. Some chatted with one another in private, others engaged in open discussion with larger groups. Most of the gryphons were wearing robes similar to Gilderoy’s, barring a few that stood proud and tall in armor beside the arches leading into the city and out into the mountain pass. Gilderoy himself, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Whoa... what’s going on?” Rainbow asked as she looked around. “Did I hit my head or something?”

“Don’t worry Rainbow, we all see it too,” Twilight said. “This is a memorandum spell. It’s showing us images of the past as Mister Gilderoy witnessed them.”

“This room is simply gorgeous,” Rarity cooed, stepping closer to some of the decorative banners. “The colors are so bright, and they stand out so well on this fabric. I wonder what—" She reached out to touch the banner, but her hoof simply passed through it as if it weren’t there at all. “Oh... what a shame.”

“Speakin’ o’ Mister Gilderoy, just where in the hay did he get to?” Applejack asked.

“Do not fret, my dear Miss Applejack,” Gilderoy said, his disembodied voice floating out into the air from everywhere at once. “I am here, yet I am not. These are my memories, so I am present here in some capacity. This was a very long time ago, many decades before the Fall. Our kind were prosperous then, but we stood ever watchful, for even in this supposed time of peace there were signs of darkness on the horizon.”

“What sort of signs?” Twilight asked. “The murals in the Sanctuary entrance hall spoke of a Second Rise of Darkness.”

“An astute guess, my dear, and the correct one.”

The scene before Twilight melted away like water, revealing a new scene in its wake. No longer were she and her friends in the grand entryway to Aeropolis, but out in the middle of nowhere, standing upon a lonesome cliff. She recognized the surrounding terrain as that of the Wastelands, but it did not look quite as barren, and in fact she could make out traces of fauna here and there.

There was no great cloud of murky magic in the sky, and Twilight could see the moon and stars as clearly as she could back at home. The stars were brighter, more numerous, and even twinkled with different colors. The constellations were of many strange shapes that she could not easily identify. The two moons, one silver the other red, had few blemishes between them; the silver one, in fact, was almost unnaturally perfect.

A noise from below drew her attention, and she stepped towards the edge of the cliff to see what it was. Below her, marching in even formation across the desert, was an army of ponies of all the different races. Each was clad in fearsome black armor, and each carried terrible weapons with blades and spikes stained red with blood.

“The Second Rise of Darkness came as no surprise to us,” Gilderoy said. “We predicted its coming decades before it began, and we were ready. To the north of Aeropolis was the city of Pandemonium. It was less a city than it was a fortress, a temple of sorts to the goddess of destruction and disparity, Nihila.”

Twilight hummed. “She and Harmonia truly were worshipped as goddesses, then?”

“Aye, that they were,” Gilderoy answered, his voice solemn. “Harmonia treated her subjects as a mother dotes upon her children, giving them love, compassion, and a paradise realm where they need not fear hunger, poverty, or war. Their love for her fills her with the power of Light. Nihila, however, treated her subjects as little more than tools, a means to an end. The evil in their hearts fueled her Dark magicks, so she inspired her most loyal subjects to bring destruction across the northern wastelands in order to increase her power.”

“Light and Dark magicks?” Twilight asked, her voice betraying her curiosity and confusion. “Surely you mean Good and Evil?”

“Light and Dark are similar to Good and Evil, to a... certain degree, so you are not entirely wrong. They are the two fundamental magical forces of the universe,” Gilderoy explained. “Their delicate balance is all that keeps the foundation of our world in check against certain destruction from the powers of the Void beyond.”

“Aha!” Twilight exclaimed, throwing a hoof into the air in triumph. “I knew it! I told you guys it wasn’t Law and Chaos! Ha! Oh I can’t wait to see Tick Tock’s face when she hears this.”

Gilderoy hummed. “Law and Chaos magicks? Ah... your friend, this Tick Tock, must be a Chronomancer?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You know about the Chronomancers?”

Gilderoy laughed. “I knew the Chronomancer of this period personally. A pegasus mare, if my memory serves, with a positive outlook on life despite witnessing the horrors her own kind could reap upon one another. Your friend must be the replacement for Zenith. Ah, that old pony spoke quite highly of her. A pity he did not have more time to spend in my company; I daresay he learned more in his brief stay here than he did over the years as a Chronomancer. But I digress; where was I?”

“Chronomancers and the nature of Light and Dark magic,” Twilight said.

“Ah yes. Well, despite our allegiance, the Chronomancers have always been at odds with our widely differing matter of opinion on how magic works. Your friend isn’t necessarily wrong; her terminology is just a little misconstrued. Law and Light are natural allies, as are Dark and Chaos, but that does not mean that they are synonymous. There are such things as Chaotic Light forces, just as there are Orderly Dark ones.”

Gilderoy laughed. “Ah, but we have become distracted from my story! I was speaking of the Dark magicks that Nihila wielded, wasn’t I? Yes, she was a most fearsome creature who wanted nothing more than to bring the entire world to its knees. She commanded a grand force of devoted, no, fanatical followers that served her every whim, as delegated to them by their leader, the goddess’s personal steward, or ‘Warden’.”

The scene shifted slightly so that the mares were closer to the marching army below, utop a tiny hill below the cliff. Standing beside them was a large earth pony with a black coat, brown mane and tail, and blood red eyes. One eye was closed shut, the great gash of a poorly-healed scar across it. He wore a suit of black armor covered in spikes and metal from head to hoof, and then some, with a large axe strapped to his back. His mouth seemed curled in a permanent scowl.

“Blood Beryl, Nihila’s Warden during the Wardens’ War. He was a monster in the plainest terms,” Gilderoy explained, his voice hinting at his disgust. “I... often tend to skip past the portion of these memories that involve him, and I daresay you’d thank me for the gesture. I doubt you have the stomach for it. Let us return to happier memories, shall we?”

The scene melted away and returned to the Aeropolis entryway.

“Blood Beryl was no threat to us. We erected a barrier around the city that only allowed those attuned to magicks similar to ours to enter. In other words, only creatures empowered by Light magicks, our allies and friends. But, we feared that if left to Nihila were left to her own devices, Nihila would conquer the rest of the north, and amass enough power to break our shield. We spent many years with futile attempts to find solutions, and came up empty-clawed.

“Then, he arrived.”

There was a great trumpeting sound from the entrance archway, and the gryphons in the vision all turned in unison to face the source of the noise. A visitor had arrived. The first to march through the archway was a procession of dozens of ponies of all races, each decked in silver armor with blue trims that gleamed in the light. A unicorn marched in the center of the procession, tall and sleek-figured with a pristine silver coat of dazzling radiance and purity. His bright golden mane was impeccably-styled and shone like real gold. His eyes were a bright blue, though his vision was clearly not perfect as he wore a monocle over one. He wore an immaculate dress uniform of white silk and purple trim.

The ponies stopped dead-center in the entryway chamber. Some gryphons kept their distance to observe, others approached to get a closer look. It seemed the ponies were waiting for somegryphon.

Rarity’s jaw fell to the floor. “By Celestia... who is that?” she exclaimed. “He’s the most gorgeous unicorn I have ever seen!” She bounded over to the stallion and circled around him, eyeing him up and down like he was some sort of model. “Oh... he’s perfect...”

“Whoa there, Rarity, calm down,” Applejack chuckled. “This is a look inta the past, right? Like a million years ago?”

“A millenium,” Twilight corrected.

“That’s what I said. A million.”

Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her face.

Applejack trotted over to Rarity and put a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Jus’ keep yer dress on there, sugarcube. Ol’ pretty boy there is already long gone I reckon.”

“Oh... r-right, yes. Of course...” Rarity pouted, and sighed. “Well... at least a lady can look for a little while, I suppose.”

Rainbow snickered. “Gawking doesn’t sound very ladylike at all, Rarity.”

Rarity huffed. “I am not gawking, I am observing. A lady can simply look at a stallion she finds attractive without being accused of leering at him, can she not?”

“Hey, whatever floats your cloud, Rares.”

Rarity stuck her nose in the air, then returned to observing the stallion. “Oh, that uniform of his is simply marvelous! Such a fine choice of colors! Look at his figure; such poise! Such grace!” She gestured at the stallion like he was being placed on display. “Take note, ladies, this is a stallion.”

“Now y’all sound like ya wanna try ‘n’ sell ‘im,” Applejack muttered. “No sale, Rarity. He ain’t my type.”

“He’s a little... intimidating...” Fluttershy murmured.

“Shoot, size don’t mean everythin’. Big Mac may be a big pony, but he knows I’m the boss now, don’t he?” Applejack shook her head. “So, even though this here pretty boy may be tall ‘n’ all, I ain’t afraid o’ him. Looks like just another prissy, fancy type.”

Rarity ignored Applejack and reached out to touch him, but as with the banners, her hoof slid right through him. She gave an exaggerated pout in response. “Oh... how terribly disappointing...”

“Okay, enough gawking and lollygagging, who is he?” Rainbow asked Gilderoy. “You act like he’s important.”

“He was important, my dear. Very important,” Gilderoy replied. “His actions all those years ago set forth a chain of events that have made this world the way it is today. I do admit that his methods were brilliant and his results proven. Though it pains me to say it, he actually did do this world a lot of good in the end. ‘The ends justify the means’, seemed to be his philosophy. Every time I review these events, I find myself admitting that that silver tongue of his does make quite a speech.”

A moment later, a gryphon came out to greet the unicorn and his procession, and the scene melted away again. The mares now found themselves within the chambers of the gryphons’ Grand Council of Elders, a small circular room that was plainly decorated with different shades of gold. Five gryphons of varying ages sat upon a raised platform, each behind a podium decorated with a unique symbol similar to a cutie mark. The silver unicorn stood alone before the Council with such a proud, dignified stance that he looked almost like royalty. The old gryphons on the Council all eyed him with some degree of contempt, apparently unsure what to make of this pony coming before them with such airs.

The unicorn spoke to them with a voice that dripped with imposing vigor, completely unfazed by the repugnance their eyes.

“Gryphons of the Grand Council of Elders, greetings,” he said as he ran his eyes across the elders. “It would seem the fates have smiled upon you, that I have arrived before tragedy could befall your kind.”

“And what possible tragedy could befall us that worries you so, pony?” asked the fifth gryphon, whose emblem was that of the setting sun. “We remain safe within our barrier’s walls; we have nothing to fear.”

The unicorn frowned and shook his head. “Ah, if only the rest of us could safely hide away and ignore the plight of our fellow creatures.”

The gryphon in the second seat, his emblem a duo of five-pronged stars, sneered. “Your sarcasm is not appreciated here, pony.” His voice was instantly familiar, though it sounded significantly younger and did not possess a metallic tinge. Gilderoy’s younger self did not take his condemning glare off the unicorn for a moment.

The disembodied voice of the present Gilderoy took this moment to interrupt, freezing the memory in place. “I apologize if my younger self has caused any offense to anypony,” he said, his voice quiet with shame. “In those times, I believed my kind to be quite superior to yours. I have since realized just how wrong I was. Had I considered your kind equals, I might have paid more heed to the signs that came before our Fall.”

“It is quite alright, Mister Gilderoy,” Rarity said. “We all learn from our mistakes.”

Gilderoy unpaused the memory.

The silver-coated unicorn bowed low to the ground. “My apologies, Elder Gilderoy. I meant no insult, of course. I merely express my wish that all creatures could be as wise and resourceful as the gryphons.”

“You know our names?” asked the first gryphon, his emblem a dragon’s head.

The unicorn raised from his bow and nodded. “I find it prudent to learn about those I intend to speak to on important matters as a sign of respect, Elder Garrick. Tell me though, Council, from within this glorious shield of yours, do you not see how the armies of Blood Beryl taint your lands? Slaughter innocents and destroy settlements across the desert? Befoul everything that is good in this world?”

“We do see this,” answered the fourth gryphon with a solemn tone. His emblem was a winged shield.

“But we do not have the means with which to put a stop to it,” continued Elder Garrick. “Our kind do not make war upon others. It is not our way, and never has been.”

“The means?” The unicorn laughed. “Why, you sell yourselves short my fine, feathered friends. I have seen the incredible capabilities of your techno-magic, the wonders it can create from even the tiniest amounts of magical energies. You’ve already utilized that power to erect this mighty barrier of yours, stemming the tide of darkness even as it surely surges against you.”

“Our techno-magic has never been used for combat,” said the fifth gryphon.

The unicorn dismissed the concept with a hoof. “A trivial matter for now. To the matter at hoof, I have come to request your aid in my crusade against the coming disaster, for in my heart I believe that I alone cannot hope to succeed. I am certain you, Council, in your wisdom can sense what is happening to our world. The imbalance.”

The gryphons looked at one another with concern, and began hastily speaking amongst themselves. All the while, the unicorn stood at attention, tall and proud, his mouth curled in a small smile.

After a few moments of deliberation, the fourth gryphon spoke. “You speak of the imbalance between the Light and Dark?”

“Naturally,” the unicorn responded with a small nod. “Milady Harmonia has sensed the deaths of thousands here in the north. Her heart aches with sorrow for those she could not save, and she has gone many restless days and nights unsure of how to solve this dilemma. She is hesitant to act, to strike out against evil, as paying blood unto blood is not her nature.

“The forces of Darkness blacken all in their path, leaving ruin and death in their wake as though they were a swarm of locusts, hell-bent on devouring all that they see. Within a few short years, they will have conquered all of the northern lands save your own. And, when they have nothing left to destroy, they will turn upon you with the full force of Nihila behind them. They will not be deterred by your barrier. They will not be held back by your meager soldiers. They will not be stopped until every last one of you is dead. The Darkness will have won.

“With the north under their hooves, they will then move south, and they will not be met with nearly as much resistance as your kind can muster. My brethren to the south lack the fortitude to take up arms, they lack your vast knowledge of magical arts, and they lack your phenomenal techno-magic. It will be a massacre. Harmonia will be unable to stop it. And, when the Darkness has engulfed even those lands, this world will be no more. Chaos and death will reign.”

The gryphons remained silent in thought for several moments, before finally one of them spoke. “We, the Council, have seen these visions ourselves,” the fourth gryphon stated, “but we have not shared these visions with anygryphon, and especially not with any pony.”

Gilderoy’s younger self placed his elbows on his podium and rest his chin on his claws. “How is it that you know these things? The nature of Light and Darkness? This manner of magic is not intuitive to your kind.”

The unicorn brandished an emblem emblazoned with a glorious purple shield with a bright silver cross at the center. He held it up high; it shined with a bright, white light. Twilight could feel the pure magicks radiating from it, the same as those she felt from the mural of Harmonia, those so similar to Celestia’s own.

“I am the Warden of Harmonia, and it is through her blessings upon me that I know of these things. She shared her own visions with me as one would share a secret, and it is through her visions that I have seen the future of this world if nothing is done. I cannot allow that to happen, and though she did not command it, I have led this crusade in hopes of stopping this plague of destruction before it spreads. I will fight back the forces of Darkness with the humble few that are loyal and devoted to Harmonia’s vision, even if her nature prevents her from declaring war herself.”

“The Warden of Harmonia,” said the third gryphon at last, his symbol that of an open book. “You would declare war in her name, claiming to support her ideal? From our understanding, and from your own words, this goes against her nature, does it not? I am surprised she has not yet stripped you of your rank.”

“Milady Harmonia trusts me,” the unicorn said. “She knows that in all of this, I have made the correct decision, the one that will save this world. That I still maintain her blessings is proof of that fact. Even if she did doubt my intentions, they are pure. I would gladly have laid aside my rank if asked, if only that I may be allowed to continue the task I have set before me. The ends justify the means, my friends. Barbarians do not respond to diplomacy, they only respond to war, and I will bring it to them. I mean to bring an end to this, here and now.”

“So you say,” Elder Garrick muttered. He hummed, tapping a claw to his chin. “Out of curiosity, what would you ask of us?”

The unicorn smiled and bowed. “My forces are few and dwindle by the day as the fighting continues. My supplies are fewer still, and I have no safe haven here in the north from which to acquire more. I have brought all the support I could from Utopia and the zebras, so I cannot ask for more. I merely ask, as humbly as I can, that you aid me indirectly; there will be no need to risk your own lives in battle. Supply my soldiers with but a sample of your techno-magic that we may find a use for it against our foes. With your help, Elders, we will drive back the Darkness and we will save this world!”

The gryphons conferred amongst themselves once again, for a great deal of time. The Warden of Harmonia watched with intense scrutiny as the Elders bickered back and forth, seemingly not at all bothered by the occasional glares that Elder Gilderoy was shooting in his direction.

At last, the third gryphon nodded and stood tall. “The truth of impending disaster is a hard one to swallow for most,” he said, his voice loud and clear. “Our kind believe in the visions of the Grand Council of Elders as true Divination. We have seen that if we do not act, our world may yet falter and die. But, we are a peaceful people. We lost our will to fight long ago. However, knowing that we have an ally in the Warden of Harmonia may yet ease our minds. Very well, Warden... you have our blessings. We will aid you in your crusade.”

“I thank you, Council,” the Warden said with a bow.

The scene melted away, but took the mares back to the chambers of Grand Council of Elders again. This new scene was taking place sometime later; two of the gryphons on the Council had been replaced. The first gryphon, Garrick, had been replaced with one using a telescope as her symbol. The fourth gryphon had been replaced with one using a beaker as his. Gilderoy still retained his second seat, though he had clearly aged since the previous vision. The Warden of Harmonia stood proudly in the same spot as before, though his silky garments before had been replaced by shining white armor with purple trim.

“The Warden’s war against Blood Beryl was a success the likes of which we’d never dreamed,” the Gilderoy of the present said. “He was a brilliant tactical mastermind, and an exceedingly powerful mage in his own right. The war was over in a little under a decade, far ahead of expectations.”

“Council!” the Warden exclaimed, elation in his voice. “It has been many years since I saw you last, and it warms my heart to see some familiar faces. I deliver my respects, of course, to Elders Garrick and Gideon. May Harmonia watch over their souls.”

“That’s seven now, Twi,” Rainbow interrupted. “Come on, this has to be more than a coincidence.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m still not convinced, Rainbow.”

“Convinced of what, dear?” Gilderoy asked. “What are you two going on about?”

“I’m just telling Twi here that you gryphons all have names that start with the letter ‘G’,” Rainbow said. “I noticed a pattern, is all, and—"

“And I’m telling her it’s a hasty generalization,” Twilight interjected. She raised a hoof. “Oh! Perhaps you can set us straight?”

Gilderoy laughed. “Miss Dash is most intuitive. Our kind does in fact utilize a common naming scheme. In the art of Appellamancy, the three letters with the greatest potential for magical dominance are ‘G’, ‘S’, and ‘T’. Creatures with names that start with those letters are more often predisposed to great feats in magic, at least in theory.”

Rainbow pumped a hoof. “Booyah! Told you.” She gave Twilight a bright smile. “Oh! Hang on, ‘S’ and ‘T’ work too? Hey Twi, your name—"

Twilight sighed. “Appellamancy is a sketchy school of magic, filled with a lot of superstitious nonsense. Just because both my first and last name start with ‘T’ and ‘S’ does not make me predisposed to greater magical feats.” She paused, then let out a nervous chuckle. “Er... no offense, Mister Gilderoy.”

“Well, that Starlight Shadow creep follows that same rule. Maybe there’s something to it?” Rainbow added.

“Can we just get back to the vision, Mister Gilderoy?” Twilight huffed.

“Certainly, my dear,” Gilderoy chuckled.

“However, I come not just to reflect on lives lost to the cruelty of time,” the Warden continued. “I come before you today to announce a great victory! Blood Beryl has been defeated, and his grand fortress-city of Pandemonium has been razed to the ground where it will no longer be a blemish upon our world. The Darkness will threaten us no more.”

The gryphons Elders all nodded in acknowledgement. The younger Gilderoy spoke first. “We have seen evidence of your victory already,” he said, “We admit that when we lent you our aid, we were skeptical at first.”

“Do not take offense, Warden,” said the first. “Your appearance was sudden, and we knew very little about you. We had not predicted aid from the outside would come to us.”

“No offense taken, Council, I would not expect any less of the wisest of your kind,” the Warden said with a bow. “However, not all that I come to deliver is pleasant to hear. I bear grave news indeed. Let us not waste words; I am sure you are aware of the new dilemma that has arisen as well?”

The fourth gryphon nodded. “Yes... we sense it. The powers of Darkness have waned too greatly, and now it is the Light that threatens to devour the world. It would seem that your success was beyond even your own expectations.”

“Perhaps,” the unicorn said with a slight smile. “Fear not, Council, for I may have devised a solution that I hope meets with your approval, for it depends greatly upon it. If I may be bold enough to present it?”

“You think quickly, Warden,” said the first elder. “We have only just sensed the imbalance, and even we have not begun to formulate a plan. Speak, that we may have your input.”

The Warden sighed. “I have already asked much of you, Council, so it troubles me that I must ask for more. I have done no small amount of research into the workings and capabilities of your techno-magic marvels, and I have learned of a specific, particularly fascinating device in your possession that may be of service: the Beacons.”

The Council muttered amongst themselves a moment. “The Beacon is not a device to be treated lightly,” said the fifth. “Our engineers have only recently progressed through the final stage of the project, and even they are unsure of its full potential. The intent of this project was to do research on Harmonia and Nihila, so what do you intend to do with it?”

“I intend to construct a pair of them, one in Utopia and the other in the remains of Pandemonium, where the greatest concentrations of Light and Dark magicks in the world reside,” the Warden said. “Rather than use the Beacons’ energy to merely attract Harmonia and Nihila, they would be used to harness their power. The Beacons, fueled by this power, will generate the fields of the same magic, supplying the world with all the Light and Dark magicks it needs to survive in an absolutely perfect balance, regardless of the actions of even vast quantities of creatures.”

“You speak with little skepticism,” said Gilderoy, his face bearing a curious scowl. “You sincerely believe this will work?”

“I know it will work,” the Warden said with a smile. “There will never again be worry of war or strife beyond their physical ramifications, because even those will not skew the balance even the tiniest fraction of an arcanum. The amount of magic required to affect it by even the smallest amount would have to nearly rival perhaps the powers of Harmonia or Nihila at their base strength.”

The Council conferred amongst one another again, then the center Gryphon stood tall. “Your words are as wise as they have always been, Warden,” he said. “Without Light to prevail against Darkness, the world would be covered in shadow. But, without Darkness to threaten the Light, we may all be blinded in our complacency. If there is a way to prevent this from happening again, then it would be our duty to ensure that this comes to pass. You have our blessings, Warden of Harmonia. May you use the Beacons well.”

“I will not disappoint you, Council,” the Warden said with a bow.

The scene melted away again, and Twilight and her friends found themselves overlooking a field of red... stuff. Twilight couldn’t tell what the red gunk was, nor the piles of black masses that were scattered about, but it all certainly looked unnatural. The trees were black and unnaturally rotten. The recognizable murky orange magic from the Beacon now churned in the sky above. She could just make out the massive wall that surrounded New Pandemonium City under construction in the distance.

The Warden of Harmonia stood beside them, and though he himself looked the same as he had in the last two visions, his uniform was different. Black had replaced white, red had replaced purple, and leather had replaced silk. He looked every bit as dark and intimidating as Blood Beryl had been, even without the earth pony’s broader frame.

A lithe pegasus pony wearing similarly-colored clothing approached from behind. As soon as he landed, he bowed in the Warden’s presence. “I have returned, milord,” he said.

“So you have, Quickdraw,” the Warden replied. “Then you have delivered my letter to the Grand Council of Elders. Excellent. You are late, however. Explain.”

“There was a minor complication, milord,” Quickdraw said, not raising himself from his bow. “Elder Gilderoy was not present when I delivered the letter.”

The Warden hummed. “A shame then that he will not bear witness to this. A small matter.” He turned to Quickdraw and shook his head. “I had tasked you with ensuring the entire Council were all present within the city. How did Gilderoy escape your eye?”

Quickdraw gulped. “I... I do not know. The Council did not tell me when I asked where he was.”

“I see. Very well. As I said, it is small matter, almost trivial. Gilderoy alone cannot hope to counter this.”

The Warden looked out onto the sea of red, and with a bright red glow from his horn he unleashed a single spell. A massive purple barrier around the region that had not been visible before began to sputter and die like a flickering flame. The horrible red ooze seemed to come to life and spread towards nearby fertile ground, devouring it like a hungry, ravenous beast. A great swath of the stuff sped towards the Warden and Quickdraw.

“M-milord, w-what is this stuff?” Quickdraw asked.

“The end of an era,” the Warden said.

He launched another spell at a grand structure that sat embedded in the side of the mountains in the distance. The ooze abruptly changed paths, now moving towards that structure instead with a speed that was astounding.

“Incidentally, Quickdraw,” the Warden said as he watched the ooze scurry away, “I believe that you did not complete your assignment as asked. You arrived late, and did not ensure that Elder Gilderoy would also be amongst the dead. I will have to enlist other means to ensure the Red Death spreads properly.”

Quickdraw frowned. “I... I am s-sorry, milord. With the gryphons’ Spring Festival in full swing, I was hampered by the crowds. It won’t happen again.”

“No,” the Warden said as he lit up his horn, “it won’t.”

Quickdraw abruptly vanished, only to reappear in the middle of the sea of red ooze in front of him. He didn’t even have a moment to react before it washed over him and swept him away, screaming.

The Warden lit up his horn again, and he was gone with a flash and a pop.

“The Warden of Harmonia... betrayed us,” Gilderoy said, anger seeping into his disembodied voice, causing it to echo. “That day, he committed genocide upon our kind, and never looked back. Had I not been performing my research at the time, I too would have been among the dead. I do not consider this a mercy.”

“Why... why would he do such a thing?” Twilight asked in disgust. Even with the evils of this world she’d already seen, this was a new kind of evil that she could not comprehend.

“I wish I knew exactly what had happened, but I do not.” Gilderoy sighed, and the scene began slowly melting away into darkness. “Did you recognize his uniform? The colors are those that Nihila prefers. He’d sworn himself to her, becoming her new Warden and forsaking Harmonia. When or why, I do not know. He unleashed the Red Death upon us, knowing that our city’s barrier could not prevent the tainted earth from spreading. The Red Death permeated the soil under our barrier, then set itself upon us like a plague. Once its work was complete, he summoned it back to leave no trace of our kind, but to permit travel within our empty city. It did not take long for him to pilfer our libraries after that.”

“How terrible...”

“What a rotten trick,” Applejack spat. “If he was gonna try ‘n’ take y’all out, the least he could is do it with some honor. Fight y’all face-ta-face like.”

Gilderoy chuckled. “With his knowledge of our inner workings and the power he carried at the time, I’m certain the outcome would have been much the same. Despite his change in demeanor, his magicks still drew from the power of Light. I know not how he was able to accomplish that... but he is proof, I believe, that Light and Good are not synonymous.”

“That guy was bad news, that’s what he was. Glad we don’t gotta deal with anything like that,” Rainbow said with a shudder. “Right? He doesn’t have all those fancy gizmos like you do to keep him alive, does he?”

“No, thankfully he does not,” Gilderoy said.

The vision finished melting away, bringing Twilight and her friends back to reality.

“One thought still eats away at my mind, even after all these years. I find myself admitting that his dedication to Harmonia’s purpose was... commendable. The ends justified the means, I suppose. Gryphonkind was eradicated, the prized Warden of Harmonia, lost to the Darkness, but by his actions the world was now in perfect harmony, balanced between Dark and Light. Only very recently have I noticed a change in the balance, but it strangely reversed itself only a day or so later.”

“Wait, you mean it went back to normal?” Twilight shook her head. “No, that can’t be possible. Your vision just said that it would take phenomenal power just to change it in the first place. What could have the power to change it, then change it back?”

Gilderoy sighed. “I wish I knew. Ever since the initial imbalance, the balance has been constantly shifting, but the Light is slowly giving way; a most curious observation, and a foreboding one as well. If the imbalance continues as-is, I have no doubts that the past may indeed repeat itself. Darkness is coming, my little ponies.”

“I got a question,” Applejack said. “How’d y’all get that there shot o’ the Warden in that red swamp place? Same with the Bloody Barrel guy, or whatever his name was. I didn’t see y’all around them parts.”

“Hey yeah, I thought these were supposed to be your memories,” Rainbow added. “How can you remember something if you weren’t there?”

“Ah... well...” Gilderoy laughed, coughing in between and pounded his chest plate. “I find the simplest explanations to be the most forthcoming: magic.” He gave them a broad smile.

“Oh please,” Rarity said. “That is a simply terrible explanation. How can you expect us to believe that?”

“I believe it,” Twilight said with a quick nod. She turned to smile at her friends, who were giving her incredulous looks. “With the right application of energy, magic can do just about anything imaginable. Y’know, like raise the sun? It’s not unfathomable for him to alter his memories based on records he may have read, or even inspired with his own imagination.”

“Well put, Miss Sparkle. Your understanding of magic is commendable,” Gilderoy said. “Come on now, everypony. Haven’t any of you ever heard the old gryphon saying, ‘It’s magic, thus I am not required to divulge any further information’?”

Rainbow groaned and put a hoof to her face. “Fine, okay. Anyway, did you have to waste so much of our time? We were in there for hours listening to all that.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight snapped. “Why must you insist on being in such a hurry? I learned a lot about what to expect; it was not a waste of time.”

Gilderoy chuckled. “No need to get cross with her, Miss Sparkle. Allow me.” He turned to Rainbow and gave her a bright smile. “My dear Miss Dash, did I not advise you to keep your eye on the clock?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah?”

He pointed at the clock to his side. It read twenty-two minutes after noon.

Rainbow balked. “What in the... h-how did you—"

“Magic, of course,” Gilderoy said.

“Aren’t memorandum spells amazing?” Twilight said wistfully.

“I know for a fact that there is something horrible happening up there, and I know not what it is or how to stop it. I only can hope any I may share this knowledge with may be able to help.”

“So if’n I understand this right, y’all want our help with savin’ yer world from this here ‘darkness’ or whatever? That’s why ya showed it ta us, ain’t it?” Applejack asked.

“I had hoped I could ask that of you, yes.”

Applejack removed her hat and placed it over her heart. “Well, no offense, Mister Gilderoy, but we already got a world we need ta save.”

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. “Beg pardon?”

“It’s a... long story,” Twilight said. “Even though it’s all happening right now, I still have a hard time believing it’s real.”

“Perhaps I can assist you with a memorandum spell of your own, Miss Sparkle? I do not mean to brag, but that sort of spell is something of a speciality.”

“Well now, if yer magic is so great ‘n’ all, can’t y’all just, y’know, teleport us ta where we need ta go?” Applejack asked. “That sure would take a load off our shoulders, I tell ya what.”

“Teleportation magic doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid,” Gilderoy said. “I can only teleport you to somewhere I have physically been or seen with my own eyes, not through a vision or through the tales of others. I have not left Aeropolis since I was born.” He scratched his chin. “Though, it might not be a total wash. The furthest I could send you is perhaps someplace else within the Goldridge Pass... ah, but that would most certainly delay you rather than help. I am sorry.”

“Well, shoot,” Applejack sighed.

“Nice idea though, AJ,” Rainbow said as she patted the earth pony’s shoulder. “Man, magic sure has a lot of rules, doesn’t it?”

“Aye, that it does,” Gilderoy said. He waved his metal claw through the air. “But I believe you had a story to tell me? It would only be fair, seeing as I shared a story with you.”

Twilight coughed into her hoof. “Well, you see, our story is a little... complicated.”

Gilderoy laughed. “And mine was not, my dear? Come now, a complicated tale is no obstacle for one such as myself. I’ve heard stories woven of stuff none of you could even imagine, so I doubt anything that has happened to you would startle me. If you do not wish to explain it yourself, then perhaps my magic may be of help. When did this tale of yours start?”

Twilight hummed. “Let’s see... roughly seven days ago.”

“Then that is where we shall start,” Gilderoy said. He waved his wand about until it regained its luster from before, and pointed it at Twilight. “Now then, Miss Sparkle, for my spell to work comfortably, I will need you to relax.”

“Um... okay.” Twilight took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

“Clear your thoughts, and focus only on the moment where your journey began,” Gilderoy continued. He tapped his wand to the tip of her horn, but did not channel any magic through it just yet.

Twilight did as was asked, and cleared her thoughts of the present situation. She focused her mind on remembering exactly when this entire adventure started: when Spike had given her Princess Celestia’s letter.

“Are you ready, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so.”

“Then let us begin.”

Gilderoy’s wand flashed, and Twilight felt a new presence in her mind, swirling through her thoughts like a pleasant breeze.

“Now then, my dear, let us relive these memories of yours,” spoke Gilderoy’s voice at the back of her mind.

Twilight fought the urge to leap in response; she knew what this spell was, and knew that her comfort was reliant on her cooperation and peace of mind. So long as she remained calm, Gilderoy’s presence inside her memories would cause her no harm.

“I am ready when you are, Mister Gilderoy,” she replied.

Gilderoy took the reigns of her memories, speeding through them so quickly that she herself barely had the time to register what memories she was reliving. Certain flashes stuck out, and at these points Gilderoy slowed down to observe her thoughts more closely.

The first of these points was when she and her friends arrived in the Everfree Forest and located the mysterious portal.

“A Void magic anomaly...” Gilderoy murmured, his tone taking on a wistful air. “Curious. I was always under the impression that the southern Beacon’s magicks stymied the formation of Void anomalies. Very curious indeed.”

“If you think that’s curious...” Twilight chuckled.

“Ah, there is more? Well then, let us continue.”

Twilight’s memories moved forward as she and her friends were sucked into the portal and thrown into a garbage-strewn alley in new Pandemonium City.

Gilderoy laughed, long and hard. Twilight was somewhat disturbed by the reaction. “Is... is there something funny I’m missing, Mister Gilderoy?”

“Oh... oh, forgive me my dear, I did not mean offense,” Gilderoy said between chuckles. “It’s just that my good friend I spoke of, the Chronomancer from my time, once explained to me why she sometimes disliked her job. She said that she felt overworked; I made the argument that for one to make that claim, there would have to be somepony to compare her workload to; other Chronomancers. I did not believe her at the time when she tried to convince me. Other Chronomancers implies other dimensions. An absurd concept.”

“Not so absurd now, is it?”

“No my dear, it is not in the least.”

Twilight snorted. “I still don’t see how that’s funny.”

“I am laughing because the drunken ravings of a close friend held more truth in them than centuries of research and experimentation.” Gilderoy coughed. “Let us continue on then. I wish to see how you otherworldly ponies react to my world.”

Gilderoy sped through Twilight’s memories again, from their encounter with the police to their befriending of Flathoof and Lockwood, from their immunization shots to their acquiring fake passports. Gilderoy slowed briefly to watch Twilight protect her friends from the explosion at their apartment, and again when she pried open the massive New Pandemonium City Gate.

“Your magical power is stunning to witness, Miss Sparkle,” he said. “I have not seen a unicorn with such power since the fallen Warden himself.”

“I’m nothing special, really,” Twilight said, blushing. “I really wish everypony would stop saying I’m so powerful. I’ve... met stronger unicorns. You’ll see.”

“Will I now? Well then, let us move on.”

Twilight memories continued flashing forward, through two days of marching across the arid Wasteland, the failed attempt to cross the Redblade Mountains, and the encounter with the Gargantuans. To Twilight’s surprise, Gilderoy did not pause to observe Starlight’s sisters wielding magic, and skipped straight through to the Goldridge Pass. Here, however, Gilderoy did slow down her memories to watch the battle unfold.

“I see now why you hesitate to leave through the main entrance,” Gilderoy said. “These mares are quite extraordinary. Each possesses a unique form of magic, some of them particularly odd to see manifested in a non-unicorn. The exception seems to be this Curaçao, though perhaps her magicks are less combat-oriented.”

Gilderoy paused Twilight’s memories shortly after Tick Tock used her Timekeeper to freeze time. “Now that is most curious... Void magicks manifesting themselves within a physical creature breaks every rule we and the Chronomancers established. Absolutely fascinating.”

He passed through the rest of her memories, though Twilight noticed him slow down a bit both when she and her friends first entered the city, and also when she activated the tablet leading into the Sanctuary. She put all of her effort into blocking her memories of the third trial, desperate not to relive those events and especially not to let anyone else see them. Gilderoy laughed, but did not object.

At last, her memories caught up to their meeting, and Gilderoy’s presence left her mind. She opened her eyes and let out a relieved breath. Gilderoy looked down at her from his chair, a concerned frown upon his face, his natural eye awash with concern.

“A most curious tale yours is, Miss Sparkle, and a most revealing one at that.” He hummed in thought, stroking his metal claw through his beard. “I believe that perhaps fate has conspired to bring us together. It would seem that your Chronomancer friend has not yet noticed the imbalance between Light and Dark yet in our world. If she did, I have no doubt she would come to the same conclusion: you six were the original cause.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, what? How would we be affecting your world’s balance?”

“As the fallen Warden theorized, it would take a great deal of magical power to shift the balance. I always found his theory sound, for the Beacons’ magicks are indeed quite overwhelming. Centuries of research and observation have shown me that nothing in our world matches that power. The bearers of these ‘Elements of Harmony’, however, might just be strong enough together to do it.”

“But we don’t actually have the Elements with us,” Twilight said. “How are we affecting the balance without those?”

“That... I do not know for certain.” Gilderoy tapped his beak with his claw in thought. “Hmmm... my initial thought on the matter is that perhaps whatever resides within you that allows you to wield the Elements of Harmony in your world, has manifested as direct magical energy in this one.”

“So you’re sayin’ that if we’re the ones causin’ the trouble, then we oughta leave,” Applejack interjected. She stomped a hoof. “Well shoot, then we’re all on the same page here!”

Gilderoy shook his head. “Perhaps, but perhaps not. As I said, the balance originally shifted towards the Light, and it is obvious to me that you six are the cause. The timing is too coincidental to be anything else. However, shortly after, the balance mysteriously righted itself, as though an equal but opposite force to you six entered the world. Now, the balance has begun shifting towards Dark, though this is a more gradual change. I know not how the latter two events came to be, but perhaps sending you six home would somehow remedy the situation. Keeping you here certainly helps neither my world nor yours.”

Twilight nodded. “So, I suppose you’d be willing to help us get home faster?”

“Yeah! If hurrying us on our way is going to save everything and put it all back to normal, then let’s get on with it!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Fear not, Miss Dash, I shan't keep you much longer,” Gilderoy said. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Unfortunately, I doubt I can do much to help you directly. Apart from pointing you on your way, I have little in the way of methods to help hasten your travels. The coast is nearly a week ahead of you, assuming you travel the quickest route possible. If this time limit you’ve had imposed upon you is accurate, and I have the utmost faith in both those Chronomancers’ estimates, there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll be able to meet it.”

“Well that’s marvelous news!” Rarity said. “I don’t suppose this means we can... relax a little en route?” she asked, turning to Applejack. “Just a tiny bit? Please?”

Applejack grunted. “Well if makin’ it all the way on time ain’t no problem, then th’ only problem we do have is them mares showin’ up. I don’t s’pose y’all got any assurances there, Mister Gilderoy? It sure would make us all rest easier knowin’ them mares ain’t gonna show up an’ give us no trouble.”

“Ah yes, those six,” Gilderoy murmured. “I am amazed at what powers they wield, yes, but you needn’t fear them quite so much. They should prove nothing more than a delay, so long as you stay focused on your goal.”

“A delay? That’s it? A delay?” Rainbow huffed. “You’re... joking, right? Those guys have superpowers. I mean, I know I’m confident I can handle anything they can throw at me next time, but...”

Twilight sighed. “But that is assuming they’re still willing to handicap themselves, and not use... lethal force. Red Velvet certainly seemed willing to go that far... and Starlight Shadow also claimed only the six of us were not to be killed; I fear for Flathoof, Lockwood, and Tick Tock’s lives, if that’s the case.”

“Then perhaps it would be in your best interests if you yourselves don’t hold back any longer,” Gilderoy said.

He was met with blank looks from everypony.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I... don’t follow,” she said.

Gilderoy shook his head. “You don’t follow? What’s there not to follow? You say that you’re worried about them not holding back. Well then, perhaps you shouldn’t hold back either.”

“I thought we gave it our all. Was anypony holding back?” Twilight asked, turning to her friends. They all shook their heads in response.

Applejack put her hat over her heart. “I gave it my all against Grayscale Force, and she whooped me but good.”

Gilderoy frowned. “I can tell when a creature is not using all that they are capable of. There is no sense in handicapping yourselves in the face of danger.”

“We all put everything we had into our battle,” Rarity said. “Those brutish mares are simply stronger than we are.”

“Stronger than you?” Gilderoy chuckled. “Oh, my little ponies, you don’t realize just how powerful you all really are. Did I not just tell you that you six possess enough magic within you to nearly rival Harmonia or Nihila? How else would you throw off my world’s balance?”

“That’s rich,” Applejack scoffed. “Y’all ‘re good with the jokes there, Mister Gilderoy. We ain’t got magic. That’s fer unicorns ‘n’ stuff, not the likes o’ earth ponies an’ pegasi. Ain’t that right, Dash?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I know if I was able to do all the fancy kinds of stuff magic can let me do, I sure as hay wouldn’t be worried about anything. I bet I’d be able to stand up to dopey ol’ Discord all by myself.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me that... all of us can use magic? Not just Rarity and I?”

“I don’t buy it,” Applejack said. “Not. One. Bit.”

“Yes, that does seem most unbelievable,” Rarity agreed. “Twilight and I possess magic, certainly, but... the others? Certainly my dear Fluttershy doesn’t have any magic, do you darling?”

“Oh... w-well, no,” Fluttershy peeped. “All I have are these feathers... and I barely use them anyway. I don’t have a horn hidden anywhere. Not that I k-know of anyway. Um... m-maybe the Stare counts?”

Gilderoy blinked. “You all are serious.” He shook his head. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?” Twilight asked.

“This is most odd indeed...” Gilderoy tapped his chin. “Hmmm... so, you really know nothing about pony magic?”

“I know about unicorn magic,” Twilight said. “Earth ponies and pegasi can’t use magic the same way unicorns can.”

Gilderoy smirked. “Oh? Explain Starlight’s sisters then.”

Twilight frowned. “However Starlight’s sisters are doing it, it’s not the same. Clearly Grayscale Force’s boots have some sort of enchantment on them to give her control over gravity spells, and Havocwing...” She paused. “Um...”

“I do believe we’ve run into a sort of conundrum then,” Rarity said. “So if pegasi and earth ponies can use magic just like unicorns, and you claim we have such incredible power, how come our friends can’t use it?”

Gilderoy smiled. “Well... seeing as you seem to be serious about not knowing, allow me to enlighten you. First, you must understand my work here. For nine hundred years or so, I have researched the fundamentals of all the different forms of magic. I’ve discovered the truth of things that had baffled the greatest scholars of my kind for generations, categorized spells that had gone un-documented for millennia, and redefined some of the most basic laws of magic as I discovered new ways they worked under extraordinary conditions.”

Twilight hummed. “In other words, your title of Lorekeeper really means you’re a—"

“Egghead,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves.

“Scholar,” Twilight said. “Really, Rainbow, just let him explain. This is all very interesting.”

“For you maybe,” Rainbow said. “I don’t want to hear all the ‘theories’ or whatever, I just want to get to the point. We’re still on a time limit here, remember?”

“It is quite alright, Miss Dash,” Gilderoy said. “I’d been told by my colleagues that I am nothing short of the greatest windbag to have ever served as Lorekeeper, and I take no offense to it.” He laughed, and continued, “At any rate, in my studies, I learned that you ponies are quite magnificent creatures indeed. You see, all ponies have magic within their bodies; the different races of ponies each have their own general manifestations, while for individuals it becomes more diverse.”

“I have a question,” Pinkie said, startling Twilight and the others; she’d been quiet so long that Twilight almost forgot she was there. “Now, when you say ‘all’ ponies, you do mean... all ponies? Right?”

“Well of course!” Gilderoy laughed. “Every pony out there contains at least a little bit of magic within them. Some more than others, to be sure, and that’s precisely the heart of the matter with you six.”

Pinkie hummed. “Well... what... what kind of magic?”

“Unicorns, of course, are most able to easily tap into their magic, as they are the only pony race equipped with horns. All unicorns are capable of using any type of magic, but only if they put their mind to it and if they have the magical fortitude. Mostly they rely solely on telekinesis, though unicorns are very easily able to manifest magic in the field covered by their ‘special talent’ of course, should that talent be related to a school of magic.

“Pegasi are able to fly naturally of course, and their wings are, like unicorn horns, their method of channeling their magic. While there are unicorns that can fly by use of magic, magical wings are inferior to pegasi wings, mostly due to velocity concerns. This prevents them from performing a unique pegasus property in relation to magic.”

“So wait, you’re saying I can use magic ‘cause of my wings?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, and it’s a property I find incredibly fascinating, much more so than anything unicorns are capable of. Though... that may be my bias as a fellow winged creature,” Gilderoy said with a laugh. “While the phenomenon has not yet been given an officially-documented name, there have been many scholars that have researched it. My own theory on the matter calls it, ‘Pegasus Magical Velocity’, or ‘PMV’ for short. Have you ever noticed how, when a particularly talented pegasus flies extremely fast, they leave a trail behind them? Usually of some relation to their special talent, or some other physical qualities?”

Rainbow hummed. “Yeah... yeah, now that you mention it, I know when I’m moving fast enough, you can see the rainbow trail for miles.”

“Yeah! And it’s so super duper great!” Pinkie said with a wide smile. “I didn’t know that was magic! Oh Dashie, that’s totally neato!”

Rainbow brightened up now that Pinkie was getting involved with the discussion. “Yeah, you’re right, Pinks!”

“Don’t the Wonderbolts do something similar to that in their air shows? I can recall something like it when I attended one of their royal performances during my schooldays,” Twilight asked.

Rainbow nodded excitedly. “Yeah! When flying as a group it creates that thunderstorm look, but they all have special trails of their own that they bring out for solo performances. Let’s see... Spitfire leaves flame trails, Jet Set leaves a whirlwind, Coldfront leaves snowflakes, Thundercloud leaves a trail of lightning—"

“Rainbow...” Twilight interrupted.

“Eh? Oh... oh, um...” Rainbow blushed, and sheepishly scuffed a hoof on the floor. “R-right. You get the idea.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. Only the best fliers are capable of leaving truly impressive trails and only the best of the best can use their inner magicks to actually control it,” Gilderoy said.

“How ‘bout me?” Applejack asked. “I got magic too, right?”

Gilderoy nodded. “Earth ponies are, of course, connected to the earth itself and all the fruit it bears. This connection makes them more physically fit and able-bodied, and gives them a powerful connection with nature, both flora and fauna.”

Applejack whistled. “Well shucks, if that ain’t true, I’ll eat mah hat. I’ve always been tough ‘n’ strong, even back when I was a lil’ filly. An’ o’ course y’all know there ain’t no better farmer in all o’ Equestria than yours truly.” She pushed her hat up to scratch her head. “Now, y’all ‘re sayin’ that’s magic though? Seems a bit far-fetched, if’n y’all don’t mind mah sayin’.”

“It is most definitely magic.”

“Golly, that’s somethin’ all right.”

“Applejack, that’s awesome!” Pinkie interjected. “This means that you’re, like, super strong and stuff! Nopony’s gonna give you any trouble!”

“There are, of course, exceptions,” Gilderoy added. “Some earth ponies are not known for the robustness of their physique or earthly connection, but for other talents, such as music. Some pegasi are not particularly powerful fliers, but possess skills elsewhere, such as weathercrafting.”

“L-like me,” Fluttershy peeped. “I’m good with animals, like an earth pony...”

“Yeah, and me!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’m not a tough cookie like Applejack here, but I’m great at parties and having fun!”

“Precisely. In addition to these general traits, each pony has their own individual magic as well, typically related to their special talent,” Gilderoy continued. “A unicorn with a talent for finding things, for example, has a stronger tie to the magicks of Inspectromancy. An earth pony who tends to gardening has a stronger tie to Biomancy. And so on, and so on. All ponies have this capability, and some have such strong magic within them that they can wield the power actively, rather than passively.”

Pinkie bounced in place, appeared more excited than she’d been all day. “So... we do have magic? For really really? The same as Starlight and her sisters do? That’s where you’re going with all of this, right Mister Gilderoy? That those six Meanie McMeaniepants aren’t gonna mess with us anymore?”

“Correct,” Gilderoy said with a nod.

“I think y’all might be mistaken,” Applejack said. “We ain’t got the same type of powers they all do. I’ll grant that y’all ‘re right ‘bout that other stuff, ‘bout us bein’ magic and whatnot just by bein’ who we are, but doin’ what they do? No way.”

“Yeah, I can’t throw fireballs around like some kind of pyromaniac,” Rainbow said.

“And I can’t make y’all weigh different just by wavin’ my hooves around.” Applejack shook her head. “Y’all’re tellin’ us that we can do stuff like that, too?”

“That is exactly what I am saying,” Gilderoy said. “That you aren’t aware of it worries me, for you are to cross through the Red Death soon. Hmm...” He scratched his chin, then perked up with an idea. “Very well, if understanding your inner selves will grant that determination to you, then perhaps I can lend a claw after all. I think a little more of my magic may prove of assistance here.”

He brandished his wand again and pointed it first at-

“Ooh ooh oooh! Do me first, please? Please?” Pinkie shouted, waving her hoof around in the air. “I’ve gotta know, I just gotta! This means everything to me about... well, everything.”

“Ah, I only wish I still had such eagerness and energy as you do, my dear,” Gilderoy laughed.

He tapped his wand gently on her head, and closed his eyes. The wand glowed white at first, then shined with all the colors of the rainbow. He drew it away in surprise, and chuckled as he waved the wand about in the air. It gave off a sound like a kazoo whenever it moved.

“Miss Pie, I do believe you are already aware of your connection to the magicks of Verisimulation. You just didn’t know what kind of magic it was, or the extent of which you could use it.”

Pinkie nodded excitedly. “Yup! I sure do! Oh boy this is so exciting, I can’t believe that all this time, it was magic that made all my super fun stuff possible! Can you believe it, Dashie? Me! Magic! Hee hee!”

She giggled and bounced around, then without warning blasted off into the air with a tremendous display of colorful lights and sounds. Her friends each took a step back and watched on in awe as Pinkie exploded in the air, like some sort of firework. Pinkie landed seconds later, and immediately began hopping about in a circle around her friends, sending colorful sparks flying about wherever her hooves landed.

“If I have magic, that means I’ve got nothing to worry about, because that means you all have magic too! That creepy Velvet ain’t gonna hurt a hair on your heads when you show her what you’ve got!” She squealed in delight, and launched off around the room in another brilliant fireworks display.

“She can use Veris-a-what?” Rainbow asked as she watched Pinkie tear around the chamber creating beautiful multi-colored explosions everywhere she went.

Pinkie giggled and began trying to spell the word out in the air above, looping about and tracing rainbow-colored sparks in her wake. When she was done, she touched down next to Rainbow and gestured at her display, which she read aloud:

“Verisimanamana  
Verisimsimsalabim  
Verishamalamadingdong  
Veryhardwordtosay.”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh...”

Pinkie hung her head in defeat. “Yeah, I can’t spell that word at all.”

“Verisimulation. Very-sim-u-lay-shun,” Gilderoy said. “It is derived from the word verisimilitude, which means the appearance of truth in something. It is a very... unique form of magic, quite unlike any other, capable of performing some of the most incredible feats imaginable. It’s one of the few schools of magic that I actually don’t know much about, as it’s not easy to tap into or analyze, but I do know that it is astounding to watch in action.”

Rainbow continued staring at Pinkie’s lingering prismatic display. “Yeah... sure is...”

“I’ve never heard of such a magical school,” Twilight said. “What sort of magic is it capable of?”

“Verisimulation is difficult to explain from a technical level, even for me, so I’ll simply give you the most basic explanation. Miss Pie here can look inside her imagination, and make it into reality.”

“But... that’s how all magic works, is it not?” Rarity asked.

Gilderoy shook his head. “That is a fundamental understanding, yes, but not from a technical standpoint; Verisimulation is a little more complicated than that. It’s best not to ask questions.”

“But what about—" Twilight started to say, until Rainbow put a hoof over her mouth. “Mmfmmf?”

“Asking questions is what Twilight does though,” Rainbow said.

“In this case it would perhaps not be the wisest decision. In my studies, I have found that Verisimulation is finicky in how it takes hold in reality. It is capable of most anything, so long as there is enough faith in its success. My theory is that Verisimulation magic follows a very acute rule of perception.”

“Well what the hay does that mean?”

“In plain terms, it means seeing is believing, and believing is seeing. You’re allowed to be surprised, and you’re allowed to have your doubts, but don’t ever think for a moment that what she does is impossible, because then it very well may become so. If you can’t accept that what Pinkie does is beyond your grasp, then perhaps it is best that you follow the mantra, ‘it’s just magic, and I should really just relax’.”

“Well that’s not really—" Twilight started to say.

Rainbow shoved a hoof in Twilight’s mouth again. “So wait, hold on,” she said. “She can do anything she wants? Say, take us home? Like, right now?!” She turned to Pinkie and put her hooves on the other mare’s shoulders. “Pinkie! That’s fantastic! Go on, open up like a... a portal or something!”

Pinkie frowned. “I... I can’t...”

Rainbow stared, slack-jawed and bewildered. “What do you mean, ‘you can’t’? I thought you could do anything you wanted.” She looked at Gilderoy, eyes narrowed. “What gives?”

Gilderoy shrugged. “As I said, Verisimulation is finicky in how it manifests. There are certain fundamental rules of magic that it cannot break... and I am still attempting to figure out just what those rules are. My guess is that Pinkie’s own manifestation of the power only allows her to perform things that are entertaining to her.”

“Sorry, Dashie,” Pinkie said, putting her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I already tried that way way way back in Chapter One, like as soon as we landed in that junk pile. But then I realized that that would be a pretty lame Deus ex Machina, wouldn’t it? Nobody likes those, and nobody would want to read the story!”

Applejack blinked. “Chapter what-now?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Read what, darling?”

“Don’t ask,” Pinkie said with a shrug.

Twilight hummed, unable to ease away a confusing thought that had just arisen. She turned to Gilderoy for the answer. “You said Pinkie already knew her power, yes?”

Gilderoy nodded. “That I did.”

“Is that true, Pinkie?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. I mean, didn’t you guys notice?”

“Well yeah, of course we noticed, but... that was always just Pinkie being Pinkie, right?” Twilight shook her head, “Great, and now you’re telling me I can’t question it either. This is like Pinkie Sense all over again, only cranked up to the next level.”

“So all this time, you’ve been able ta use magic, y’all just didn’t know it was magic?” Applejack asked. “Well I’ll be...”

Rainbow chuckled, patting Pinkie on the back. “This is awesome! You’ve got superpowers, Pinks!” She turned to Gilderoy, a wide smile on her face. “What about the rest of us, huh? What kinda stuff can we do? I bet mine has something to do with being super-fast. I mean, it’s obvious right? Fastest pegasus alive y’know?”

“I am glad to see you are all so eager to learn more about yourselves,” Gilderoy said.

He tapped his wand on Rainbow’s head as he’d done with Pinkie. At first it glowed white, then turned a bright, neon blue. Gilderoy hummed and drew his wand back, then whipped it in the air above his head. It gave off a sound like distant thunder.

“Ah... Miss Dash, it would seem you do not fully understand your own power. While your guess was certainly a valid one, I can see much more to it.”

“Oh. So it has nothing to do with my speed?” Rainbow asked, sounding disappointed. “Huh... that’s... wow, I didn’t see that coming. You’re sure it has nothing to do with my speed?”

“On the contrary, your speed is what makes your incredible power possible in the first place. It has everything to do with your speed, but not just simply because you can fly faster than anypony else,” Gilderoy said. “You have a deep connection to the magicks of Meteomancy.”

Pinkie gasped. “Oh. My. Celestia. Dashie can summon meteors?! That’s a late-game spell!”

“Oh wow, that’s awesome,” Rainbow said. She offered her hoof to Pinkie. “Hoofbump!”

“Hoofbump!”

Hoofbump.

“Meteomancy deals with weather control, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

Both Pinkie and Rainbow’s spirits fell instantly.

“Weather control?” Rainbow groaned. “But I’m already the best at that.”

Gilderoy smiled. “Do not fret, Miss Dash. Remember, all pegasi have the ability to manipulate the weather, and particularly fast, capable fliers can generate trails of magic in their wake, typically resonating with some sort of weather or elemental effect. Under normal circumstances, however, a single pegasus cannot generate more powerful weather effects without the assistance of additional pegasi. You, however, are particularly talented, more so than any other pegasus I’ve seen, and it is because of your speed that this is possible.”

“I don’t see how my speed affects my weather control.”

“Many of the most potent forms of weather require incredible power to make possible, and with the proper application of basic physics and aeronautics, you can create a trail of Meteomancy magic of any kind. Achieving proper velocity and force is enough to cause variations in air molecules, and that is exactly the sort of thing that creates weather patterns, be it a lightning bolt or a torrent of rain. And, as a Meteomancer yourself, you’d be able to manipulate it to your whim.”

Rainbow scratched her head. “You lost me somewhere around the ‘physics’ mark.”

Gilderoy laughed. “Ah, forgive me, I tend to forget that not everypony is able to understand the more complicated descriptions. Let’s keep it simple then. By adjusting your speed and flight pattern, you will have the powers of Meteomancy at your beck and call.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying that I can create and control weather without any help at all? Just by flying the right way?”

“Precisely.”

“Oh man... oh man! That is so cool!” Rainbow gushed. “No, beyond cool! Beyond radical! I’m my own weather factory! Ha ha!”

She beat her wings and took flight. She circled around the ceiling, her familiar rainbow trail following in her wake.

“Ooh ooh! Dashie’s gonna show off her stuff!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around the others and sending colorful sparks sprinkling about once again. “Come everypony, let’s give her a good cheer! Gooo Dashie!”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah, show us what you’ve got, Rainbow Dash!” she cheered.

Rainbow flew around for several moments, performing some of her best tricks at top speed. Nothing seemed to be happening though, at least nothing out of the ordinary where Rainbow Dash was concerned. Then, Rainbow kicked her hind legs together and swooped around with her most impressive trick short of a Sonic Rainboom: the Buccaneer Blaze. Twilight and her friends had seen it before, but it was always impressive to watch. Rainbow blazed out of a spin in a flash of bright blue sparks, sending electricity crackling through the air.

Twilight connected the dots, seeing a correlation between Rainbow kicking her hooves and the explosion of electricity. Rainbow seemed to realize it as well, because now as she circled around the room, she continued kicking her legs together. Her rainbow trail dwindled, and with one final kick, a new trail tore out from behind Rainbow, one made entirely of silvery-blue lightning.

“That’s it, Miss Dash!” Gilderoy called. “That is how you use Meteomancy!”

Rainbow laughed. “Right on! This is awesome!”

“Woo-hoo! Go Dashie! You rock! Awesome!” Pinkie cheered. “Hey Dashie, do a barrel roll!”

Rainbow obliged, kicking herself into a wide, arcing spin. At first nothing happened, only her lightning trail seemed to be sputtering out and losing its luster. Her rainbow trail returned. As she continued spinning though, the rainbow trail began twisting itself into a spiral before disappearing again. A great gust of wind burst throughout the chamber as Rainbow’s trail became a fearsome tornado.

“Impressive!” Gilderoy called. “You are a quick learner, Miss Dash!”

Rainbow screeched to a halt; her tornado trail vanished instantly. “Oh man, this is beyond awesome. Hey Pinks, did you see—" She paused. “Pinks?”

Twilight glanced to her side. Pinkie had disappeared. “Pinkie? Where’d you go?”

Pinkie delivered a crushing hug to Rainbow from behind. In the air. “Yay, Dashie! That was so totally awesome! Oh wow, that was the best air show you’ve ever put on, ever ever!”

“P-P-Pinkie?!” Rainbow sputtered. She let out a baited breath. “Sheesh, don’t sneak up on me like that!

“Sorry, Dashie, but I just had to come up here and congratulate you!” She nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “Ooh, I’m so proud of you!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Oh man, this is so cool! We both have superpowers! Look at you, you’re flying!”

Pinkie gasped. “Yeah, hey! You’re right!” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Wanna fly together?”

“Oh you know it.”

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie’s hooves and began circling around in the air with her, leading her about in a sort of ballroom dance.

“Man, this is great! You and me, Pinks? We’re gonna make those punks think twice about messing with us.”

Pinkie giggled and let Rainbow dip, twist, lead her through the air, tumbling around together without a care in the world. “Yeah! You’re gonna show those meanies who’s boss, Dashie! Nopony messes with the mare that can shoot lightning tornadoes out her butt!”

“Yeah I—" Rainbow paused. “Wait what?”

Back on ground level, Twilight hummed in thought. She turned to Gilderoy. “I have a question. You mentioned Pinkie’s Verisimulation being a manifestation of her Element of Laughter because it allows her to entertain herself and anypony else. Well, what about Rainbow? What does Meteomancy have to do with Loyalty?”

Gilderoy nodded. “Remember, a friend is considered loyal to you if you can always rely on them to stand at your side, to defend you, inspire you, and support you whenever you need them, and especially when you don’t know that you need them.” He flapped his wings briefly, though the breeze generated was rather stiff. “Loyalty is like the wind: when it is at your back, you can travel the greatest of distances with the greatest of speeds; but, when it is absent, you’ll stagnate in the quagmires of doubt and loneliness.”

“So do all of our ‘powers’ have to do with our Elements?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Well, if our Elements are what makes us so powerful, then why are those other six mares so powerful in turn?” Twilight asked, tapping a hoof to her chin. “If I didn’t know better... I’d say they are somehow to blame for the balance returning to normal.”

“That, I cannot tell you, but it is a sound theory.” Gilderoy shook his head sadly. “My only theory tells me that perhaps some other powers are at work here. Maybe they are servants of Nihila? She would have sensed the balance shifting, and may likely have empowered agents to reverse the flow.”

“It would explain a lot...” Twilight muttered.

“But that is all of little importance at the moment,” Gilderoy said with a smile. “It’s critical that I help you all realize your potential, so that you may carry on your quest. So let’s move this line right along, shall we?” He turned to Rarity next. “Ah, Miss Rarity. Perhaps, as Miss Pie and Miss Dash have done, you’d like to take a guess as to what your ability is as well?”

“I think I may have a good guess,” Rarity boasted, striking an overly proud, stylistic pose. “Over the course of our travels, I’ve noticed I have a knack for empowering my unicorn friends. Obviously that would even have a connection to my Element of Generosity, as I am giving my magic to others to benefit them.”

Gilderoy tapped his wand on the tip of her horn. It flashed white, and stayed white. When he drew it back and swished it through the air, it gave a faint tinkling sound.

“Your assessment is indeed correct, Miss Rarity,” he said. “You have great aptitude with the art of Benefaction, the school of magic that deals with giving one’s power to others. But, it would appear you are not fully aware of what you are truly capable of when using this power of yours. As I said before, all ponies have within them a force of magic, and Benefaction works by empowering magic. Thus, you should be able to utilize it on your other friends as well.”

“Oh, how marvelous,” Rarity said, her smile wide. “I must say it will feel good knowing I can even assist Rainbow and Applejack in their battles. Perhaps now we truly will all have a chance.”

“Speakin’ o’ me,” Applejack said, though she didn’t sound enthusiastic. “I s’pose mah power has somethin’ ta do with makin’ grass grow. Everypony else’s special talents ‘re so... special, compared ta me. So lay it on me, what kinda borin’ power do I got?”

“Oh, Applejack,” Twilight said, putting her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, “don’t say things like that. Your talent is very special, and you should be proud of it. Not many ponies out there can claim to have your natural aptitude for growing so many different kinds of crops. You are a critical part of Ponyville’s livelihood. That’s why you’re the Plant Team Leader during Winter Wrap-Up.”

“Indeed you are, darling! Why, I do believe you are responsible for the vast majority of Ponyville’s food supply, if I am not mistaken?” Rarity agreed, putting her hoof on Applejack’s other shoulder. “That’s pretty special, if I do say so myself.”

“That sounds all well ‘n’ nice, girls, but it ain’t nothin’ impressive like what y’all got,” Applejack said, shrugging the two unicorns off. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud o’ my upbringin’ an’ what I can do, but it just ain’t the same thing. I remember goin’ ta Bring-A-Parent Day at Apple Bloom’s school, havin’ ta stand up in front o’ that class full o’ lil’ fillies ‘n’ colts, and tellin’ ‘em what my special talent was.” She put on a big, fake smile, and said, “‘Boy, lemme tell ya, I sure do love apples’.” She replaced her smile with a frown again. “What kinda sorry ‘excuse fer a ‘superpower’ is that?”

“I didn’t think you’d be one to care about what other ponies think of you, dear Applejack,” Rarity said.

“It ain’t that, I’m just worried that I ain’t gonna be able ta help where we need it now. Being good with crops ain’t exactly gonna help me fight off some nutcase throwin’ fireballs or nothing’, well, ‘less I can make fruit explode or somethin’, but then where’re we gonna find any fruits ‘n’ veggies out here?”

Gilderoy tapped his wand on Applejack’s head. It flashed white, then glowed bronze. When he swished it through the air, it gave off a sound like the faint rumblings of the earth.

He gave a light chuckle. “Oh, my dear Miss Applejack, you sell yourself short. You do have a deep connection with the earth, but you simply do not realize the extent to which your connection can go. You, my dear, are what is called a Geomancer.”

Applejack’s face went blank. “A Geo-what-now?”

“A Geomancer,” Gilderoy repeated. “Like how Miss Dash’s power stems from a basic pegasus ability, yours lies in the fundamental capabilities of all earth ponies, only drawn out to their extremes. In your case, this is the connection with the earth and its bounty. Your magic is tied more deeply to the earth than any average earth pony, such that you can bend the ground beneath you to your will. You use this connection at home to tend to soils so that they could grow any crop imaginable, but your connection is far deeper than that. With proper application of focus and willpower, you can call upon the might of the earth below, empowering you with its own strength.”

“I don’t think I understand,” Applejack said, removing her hat and scratching her head. “Y’all mean I could make myself as strong as rock or somethin’, if I only just tried hard enough? That really don’t make a lick o’ sense ta me.”

“That is an essential part of it, yes, but with practice you could do much more. The earth will obey you without question and without failure. If you were to walk along a sandy beach, for example, the sand would respond to your call and lend you its aid. You tend to the earth, dear Applejack, and the earth will gladly repay its debts.”

“Well golly... that does sound mighty interstin’,” Applejack said, tapping her chin. “Hmm... what’s all that got ta do with my Element o’ Honesty, though?”

Gilderoy smiled. “What’s the one thing in the world more honest and true than any creature? What thing is the most ‘down to earth’, as the saying goes? The earth itself of course! Soil doesn’t lie or cheat or steal, it just is.”

“Heh, well now, that’s a good way o’ puttin’ it,” Applejack chuckled. “Say, does it work with all this here metal?” she asked, tapping the floor with her hoof. “Metal’s a part o’ th’ earth an’ all that, I mean that’s where we get metal in the first place ain’t it? Can I use this metal ta try my stuff out like ol’ Dash is, seeing as there ain’t no dirt or rock around?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “I am sorry, but no, Geomancy does not work that way. The metal that we made our home from is an artificial metal called ‘obidium’; it has no ties to the earth and would not answer to you no matter how hard you tried. Other metals may answer your call, but they’ll only do so in their natural states, untainted by tools. Once it has been crafted into something unnatural, it is no longer tied to the earth and thus no longer to you. Controlling crafted metal would fall under the school of Metallumancy.”

“Is there anythin’ y’all got I could practice with? A... a rock, or somethin’?”

“I am afraid I am running quite short on samples, none of which would be large enough to assist you. I do apologize.”

“Well shoot.” Applejack replaced her hat on her head. “I was hopin’ ta figure somethin’ out like Dash is doin’ before we headed out inta the unknown.”

“I wonder...” Rarity hummed a moment, then raised a hoof in triumph. “Aha! I did say I would try and help you turn into a fearsome fighter, did I not Applejack? Well perhaps there’s a way I can help you demonstrate your abilities?”

“Ah, now there’s an idea,” Gilderoy said. “You have a keen mind, Miss Rarity, always thinking of others. Hold for but a moment, and we shall see if your assistance can be of help.”

He leaned over to his computer station and tapped a few buttons. There was a dim flash from the terminal, and then a small hatch opened up just below the keyboard. Inside was a small container which held small masses of gold and some bright, colorful gems. Gilderoy reached inside and pulled out the largest chunk of gold in the bunch, and allowed Rarity to take it from him.

“I regret that all I have to offer at the moment is gold, what with it being so easy to come by in these parts. While it is a most luxurious metal, malleable and good for a great many things, it is not known for its... toughness.”

“It is quite alright, Mister Gilderoy,” Rarity said as she, in turn, passed it over to Applejack. “This is really just for a proof of concept demonstration after all. Applejack, darling, see if you can’t focus your energy from this gorgeous little hunk of gold, hmm? Like Mister Gilderoy said, you can use more than just rock or dirt, you can use natural metal as well, correct?”

“Well... sure, I guess I’ll give it a try,” Applejack muttered.

She took the chunk in her hooves and closed her eyes in concentration. Twilight’s ears perked up; she could hear a very faint metallic sound coming from Applejack’s hoof. Applejack apparently heard it as well, and grit her teeth in determination. However, after a few moments of nothing else happening, Applejack cracked one eye open.

“Uh, am I s’posed ta do somethin’ special or what? I don’t rightly know what I’m s’posed ta be doin’.”

Gilderoy shook his head and sighed. “That stone is likely too small for you to draw any power from. I am sorry to have gotten your hopes up, Miss Applejack.”

“She cannot call upon it on her own, perhaps,” Rarity said with a wink, “but with the marvelous Benefaction of Lady Rarity behind her, I’m sure dear Applejack will be more than capable of accomplishing such a feat.”

She lit up her horn and channeled a spell, coating Applejack with a dim white glow. Applejack shuddered as the light melted into her being.

“Whoa... uh, that feels mighty weird, I tell ya what,” Applejack muttered. “It’s like my whole body’s just... full o’ energy.”

Rarity smiled. “Go ahead, darling. Give it another try. Just focus with all your might on willing that pretty little rock to aid you.”

“Well... alright, here I go.”

Applejack closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. Twilight’s ears perked up when the metallic sound came ringing again, louder this time. Then, a faint gold glow radiated outward from the tiny gold rock, coating Applejack in its splendor. Within seconds, Applejack’s entire body shined a bright gold. Only her hat was not affected by the change.

After a few moments, Applejack let out a defeated sigh. She opened her eyes, which were still green. “Well shoot, thanks anyway, Rarity, but—"

“Oh, darling, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Rarity cooed, clapping her hooves together.

Applejack blinked. “What in the hay ‘re y’all talkin’ ‘bout?”

“It worked, Applejack!” Twilight said.

“You look... pretty,” Fluttershy peeped.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Really? I don’t feel any different.”

“Why, just take a look, darling. You are positively stunning.” Rarity smiled and used her magic to generate a makeshift mirror, which she directed Applejack to gaze into.

Applejack gazed into it; her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as she saw what everypony else was seeing. She touched her hoof around her chest, then tapped it a couple of times. Her coat was now solid, and gave a soft ringing sound with every tap.

“Whoa nelly...” Applejack breathed. “Y’all weren’t kiddin’ ‘bout becoming strong as rock or nothin’, I am rock! Well, gold, but still! Golly, this here is just... wow!”

“And you look simply marvelous, dear,” Rarity said, running her hoof along Applejack’s foreleg. “Oh my, this is simply incredible. I wonder...” She turned to Gilderoy. “Would you be so kind as to allow me to borrow some other materials please, Mister Gilderoy? I want to see what Applejack looks like with perhaps some other metals or... aha! Would those lovely gemstones work?”

“That all depends on the gem. Some gems are responsive, others are not, and I lack the knowledge of geology to know which gems would qualify off the top of my head. Let’s just say that a little trial and error will go a long way in discovering what you can and cannot manipulate.” Gilderoy reached into his container and pulled out a clawful of tiny gems. “Here you are, then. Feel free to experiment.”

Rarity eagerly took them, and beckoned for Applejack to follow her off a ways from the group. “Come along, Applejack, let’s try and figure out what else you can do, hmmm? Ooh, imagine yourself glowing as splendidly as a ruby? Or a sparkling sapphire?”

Applejack shook her head as she trailed behind Rarity. “Why do I feel like I just got recruited inta some kinda fashion show?”

Twilight glanced sideways at Fluttershy. “I think it’s your turn now, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy peeped. “Oh...oh, i-is it? Um... m-maybe I shouldn’t. You go first, Twilight. I don’t mind.”

“Nonsense! I want to find out what sort of powers you have.”

“Oh... well... if you insist...” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “I just don’t think I have anything useful...”

Gilderoy smiled, and moved his wand towards Fluttershy. “No need to be so worried, dear Miss Fluttershy,” he said. “I am certain you are blessed with just as much magic as the rest of your friends. Would you care to take a guess?”

Fluttershy scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Oh... um... well, I sort of already know my, um, ‘power’, if that’s what you want to call it. Since you never said anything about pegasi being good with animals, and well, I’m good with animals...”

“Ah, you think you are a Zoolomancer, do you? Well, let’s find out.”

He tapped his wand to her head. It flashed white, then glowed a light green. When he swished it through the air, it roared like a lion.

“Very astute of you,” he said. “You are indeed a master of Zoolomancy, the art of commanding and understanding animals, and a very potent one at that. Easily one of the greater ones I’ve ever encountered.”

“Yeah... I know...” Fluttershy sighed.

“What’s the matter, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “Aren’t you glad to know that you can use magic too?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, it’s not that I’m not happy, it’s just... um... how am I supposed to be of any help to anypony with my power? There aren’t any animals around... well, except those Gargantuans...”

“You likely wouldn’t get anywhere with those things, dear,” Gilderoy cautioned. “Those poor creatures have been so thoroughly corrupted by Dark magicks that they’re less animals now than they are—"

“Monsters, I know,” Fluttershy completed. “My talent is animals, but there aren’t any animals around.” She mumbled to herself and sunk down to the ground. “I’m useless... just a dead weight for my friends to carry around...”

Twilight frowned. “Fluttershy...”

Gilderoy tapped his good claw to his chin. “Hmmm... I think I may have a solution for you.”

He swiveled his chair around and leaned over to another terminal, then tapped a few buttons. A small compartment to the side began to glow, then gave a soft clunk. As soon as the light dimmed, Gilderoy opened the compartment, then reached in and pulled out a tiny, ornate box. He swiveled back around and presented the box to Fluttershy.

“Go on my dear, open it.”

Fluttershy inched towards the box and opened it cautiously, as if expecting something to jump out at her. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. “Ooh...”

“What is it, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy pulled out a beautiful bracelet; Twilight’s reaction was much the same as hers. It was crafted of brilliant gold that shined even in what little light was in the chamber. The band was thick, and lavishly etched not with Hierogryphics, but with Runic markings. Most splendid of all was the ornate gem that sat in the center. It was clearly magical in nature; despite looking like a regular plum-colored orb, Twilight could clearly see something moving about inside. It was a little white light that excitedly flittered about its crystal surroundings as though eager to escape.

“Don’t be frightened, Miss Fluttershy,” Gilderoy said. “I assure you, it won’t hurt you. Go ahead, put it on.”

Fluttershy gulped, but followed his instructions and slid the bracelet over her left hoof until it was half-way up her foreleg, where it clicked into place on its own. As soon as it did, its crystal glowed a brilliant white. The tiny, bouncing light from inside the crystal shot out into the open air, then began orbiting around Fluttershy as an orb of silver light.

Fluttershy gasped, and started looking around her as if in shock. “Oh... oh my...”

Twilight stepped forward. “What’s wrong Fluttershy?”

“D-d-don’t you see them too?”

Twilight looked around, but saw nothing different. “See what?”

Fluttershy gulped. “Animals... I see the spirits of animals. There are so many...” She sniffed. “Oh my... they seem so lonely. I can feel their spirits...”

“What is this bracelet?” Twilight asked.

“It is a Bonding Bracelet,” Gilderoy said, “an enchanted piece of jewelry that binds the wearer to the spirit familiar within the Spirit Stone at its center.”

“A... spirit familiar?” Fluttershy asked, turning her attention to the orb of light orbiting around her head.

“Ooh, I’ve heard of those,” Twilight said. “Some of history’s most powerful mages had spirit familiars to help them with daily tasks. I hear they take the form of animals. I believe Starswirl the Bearded had one that took the form of an owl.”

“That is all correct, but the familiars you speak of are nothing more than simple toys compared to this one,” Gilderoy said with a smile. “This is ‘Ophanim’. Unlike regular familiars, which are artificially created, he was carefully cultivated by manipulating natural Zoolomancy magicks, and thus responds to its master as though it were a real animal. This limits his handling to Zoolomancers, but he is much more potent than a regular spirit familiar because of it.

“Hence, of course, why I present this to you, Miss Fluttershy. I doubt there is or ever will be another creature in this world with the possibility to connect with him. Unlike a regular familiar, he doesn’t just take the form of an animal, he becomes that animal at his very core by connecting with its spirit. Ophanim’s connection to the realm of animal spirits is uniquely significant, as the northern continent otherwise has no animals of any kind any longer.”

“That’s terrible...” Fluttershy sniffed. “Oh... all you poor creatures...”

“Do not fret Miss Fluttershy,” Gilderoy assured her. “They are at peace now, in a realm where they cannot be hurt, hunted, or tainted by the horrors of the Darkness. Animal spirits’ souls are pure, and are drawn to places or things with high concentrations of Zoolomancy magicks. Until you arrived in this world, Ophanim’s Bonding Bracelet was that thing. Now, I have no doubt that they will be drawn to you, and as a creature yourself, they will likely be at greater ease around you. Put your mind at ease, Miss Fluttershy. Your presence soothes the spirits, I can assure you of that.”

Fluttershy smiled weakly. “Well... that’s good, I suppose. I wish I could help them more...”

“In a way, you can. With Ophanim’s help, you can allow these creatures a chance to live again, in a manner of speaking. Ophanim is a powerful entity filled with magicks that rival your own, but he relies on you to summon forth that power. He will bend to your every whim, and serve as your intermediary between the living world and that of the animal spirits, allowing you to call forth one animal of your choice to serve as your guardian or your guide, however you wish to use them.”

“Only... one? B-but... there’s so many of them. I would feel awful if I had to... choose.”

“Spirit familiars are notoriously high maintenance, and even under the best circumstances require high amounts of magic to function. Thus, they must retain their chosen form. As Ophanim is a spirit familiar himself, that rule should still apply to him, though he will likely also be able to maintain the ‘neutral’ form you see him in now.” Gilderoy frowned and shook his head. “Of course, it is only a theory. I have not had the luxury of experimenting with Ophanim to see if he can break that rule. As he is made of Zoolomancy magicks, rather than Artificing, I am not completely sure what the difference in effect would be.”

“I see...” Fluttershy sighed. “Well... th-thank you, Mister Gilderoy. I’ll do my best to put Ophanim to good use. I... might have to take my time to think about which animal I want him to be...”

“I certainly hope that you do, my dear. Now then!” Gilderoy said, turning in his seat to face Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, I saved you for last. I can sense a great deal of magic within you indeed, and... there’s something unique about it. I am most eager to see if my theories are correct.”

“Well, to be fair, I think I know my power too,” Twilight said with a nod. “Everypony says I’m really good with magic, even Tick Tock, and she’s supposedly seen a lot of strange magical phenomena. Heck, even Starlight claimed that if I wanted I could be her equal, I only needed the drive to tap into it. But...” She sighed. “I don’t see how that’s possible. What could I hope to do against what she’s capable of?”

“Your special talent is magic, and you wield the Element of Magic. Suffice to say that magic itself may just be your speciality. Let us see how far that power goes though, shall we?”

Gilderoy tapped her head with his wand. It glowed white at first, then exploded in a flash of purple. Gilderoy jerked his wand back, and marveled at the smoking tip. He hesitated a moment, then swished it through the air; it didn’t make a sound.

“Oh my... this is fascinating indeed. Absolutely astounding!” Gilderoy exclaimed. “Your special talent is magic, yes, but you wield a specific force of magic that is rare, very rare indeed.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Rare? What do you mean by that?”

“You wield the fundamental power of magic in its purest form: Arcane. It surely is no coincidence that your cutie mark is so close in resembling our kind’s symbol for Arcane magicks, the same symbol I chose as my insignia.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t ‘Arcane’ just another word for ‘magic’? That’s what I learned in school, anyway. What makes this so special?”

“Oh, Miss Sparkle, how gravely misinformed you are,” Gilderoy chuckled. “Yes, the word ‘arcane’ is often used as a synonym for ‘magic’, in the absolute most technical terms. Arcane, with a capital ‘A’, is something different. You have already expressed knowledge of the two fundamental forces of magic, Light and Dark. The third, Void, you also have experience with, for that is the source of Miss Shadow’s magic and is what gives her such destructive power. Yours, Arcane, is the fourth, and a personal favorite of my kind. We harnessed it for use in our most powerful spells, particular the energy shield that kept out the forces of darkness long ago... and did so once again very recently.”

“You mean... when Starlight and her sisters couldn’t get into the city, like we did?” Twilight shook her head. “Hold on, you mean your barrier is still working? It’s been almost a thousand years since the Fall.”

“Correct, but you, Miss Sparkle, reactivated it the moment you passed through its border. Any other techno-magic you come into contact with will do the same, for at least a brief period. You have been powering the city’s force field since you arrived, and when you leave, the field will shut down once again, its new source of energy gone.”

“I have? I don’t feel like I’m functioning as something’s battery though. Should I feel tired?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “If used properly, Arcane magicks are nearly limitless even in the smallest of amounts, much like Void magicks are.” He leaned forward in his seat, and took on a much more serious disposition. “Incidentally, Miss Shadow is unique in her connection to Void magicks, like you are with Arcane. I know not why either of you possess such power, but it can be used to your advantage. See, Void magic is most interesting in how it reacts with Arcane magic, and this is why the portal in your world reacted so strangely to your attempt to seal it. Void and Arcane magicks have very... interesting properties when they interact with one another, though they seem rather sporadic and inconsistent, so I have not been able to formulate a consistent theory.”

“How so?”

“Sometimes, Void and Arcane magicks clashing together do absolutely nothing, as though the spells ‘canceled’ each other out. Other times, they have a very hostile reaction to one another and can cause greater damage than when alone. The two forces are fundamentally equal, yet opposite, much as Light and Dark are. Were you to tap into your Arcane powers the same as Miss Shadow does with her Void, you most certainly would be her equal.”

“Well... that’s good to know. I’ll see what I can do in that case,” Twilight said. “Still, I’m more interested in the existence of a fourth magical element. I’m going to have to look into this when we get back home. I wonder if there’s any research into the subject...”

“Well come on, Twi, what’re you waiting for?” Rainbow exclaimed. “Show us what you can do!”

Twilight jumped. She hadn’t noticed that her friends had returned to her side. “W-what do you mean, Rainbow?”

“Ol’ Mister Gilderoy here says y’all got the same power that Starlight does,” Applejack agreed. “Let’s see it! Give us a lil’ demonstration.”

“Oh... well, okay, I guess I’ll give it a shot.”

Twilight took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and channeled her energy through her horn. She charged as much power as she could into the spell, so much that she began to sweat. She took deep breaths in rapid succession, pumping more and more magic into the spell. She was determined to put everything she had into it. Still, it didn’t feel like anything special, and when she chanced a glance at her friends, she could see the dejected looks on their faces; only Rarity seemed impressed, but only a little. Twilight knew what they were expecting, and she wasn’t delivering. When Starlight had displayed her power, even the non-unicorns could feel it in the air. They couldn’t feel Twilight’s, so what was she doing wrong?

“Come on, Twi, you can do it!” Rainbow cheered.

Applejack joined in. “Twi-light! Twi-light! Come on everypony!”

“Twilight, Twilight she’s our mare, she can do it, ‘cause we all care!” Pinkie cheered, leaping into the air. Her hooves were bedecked with pom-poms, and she’d inexplicably changed into a cheerleading outfit.

Twilight grinned, pleased with the enthusiasm of her friends. The more she thought about it, the more she could feel her energy surging through her horn at greater intervals. She wondered if the two events were related, and that’s when the thought struck: friendship. Was that where her magic’s power lay? It all made perfect sense now. Friendship had helped her unlock the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon. Friendship had helped her rescue her friends from Discord’s evil magic. She’d always figured that the magic of friendship was capable of a great many things, but not that friendship was magic, in and of itself.

She let her friends’ cheers soak into her spirit, and the more their love and support she felt, the more power her spell contained. It flowed through her horn as naturally as a river down a mountainside, carried along by an unseen, yet powerful force. Twilight’s horn now glowed with such intense light that her friends had to shield their eyes. With a bright flash, she completed her spell, soaking the room in such abundant light that the black metal floor turned white. Her friends’ smiles were filled with pride; Twilight’s smile could not have been wider.

Gilderoy clapped. “A fine display, Miss Sparkle! There is such incredible power in you.”

“No, not just in me,” Twilight said. “There’s a great power in each of my friends as well. That’s when my magic is at its strongest: when I have the love and support of my friends.”

“Well spoken, my dear. You and your friends certainly are at your best when you work together and rely upon one another.” Gilderoy smiled, and spread his wings in triumph. “And with that, I believe our meeting here is done. I have nothing more to offer you, my little ponies, except for wishes of good luck and of hope. I have no doubt that fate has indeed brought us all together, and it is with a heavy heart that I must say farewell to the first visitors I’ve had in years...” He sighed and drew out his wand. “Now, to send you on your way.”

“Hold on, one last thing before we go,” Twilight said, holding up a hoof. “We have friends elsewhere in the ruins, but we were separated when we came here. Is there any way you could help us find them?

“Worry not, dear Miss Sparkle. With just a little magic, one can accomplish most anything. You will not have trouble reuniting with your friends; I will transport you to the exit, so that they may find you.”

He raised his wand into the air; it let off a brilliant white flash, and for Twilight, the world suddenly tasted... gold.

***

“Damn it all, another fork,” Tick Tock grumbled. “This damned ‘lead’ we had is turning into a tiresome chore. I think we may have made a mistake after all. Where in the bloody hell are we?”

She looked at her map in every which way she could, trying to find out exactly how they’d ended up looping back around and finding themselves somewhere far northeast of the central hub. They were supposed to be finding the sewage treatment plant, but it made no sense to her why it would be in this direction. She knew enough about her map to remember that the gryphons had an abandoned reservoir to the northeast, though it had been long empty.

“Perhaps we should take a break and rethink this,” Flathoof suggested, out of breath. “My hooves are killing me.”

“For once... I’m with Flathoof,” Lockwood panted. “I’m totally out of breath, here. The ventilation here stinks.”

“We can rest up when we get there. We should be getting close by—" Tick Tock was about to start heading down the next hallway when her attention was drawn to her map. She literally slammed it into her nose to get a better look. “Oh... oh! Bloody brilliant! Flathoof! Lockwood! Look!”

She dashed over to them and pointed at the far northeast corner of the map, just an inch away from their own position. This led to another unexplored section, and thus blank, except for the six familiar dots and labels that represented the six mares they were searching for.

“Oh thank goodness,” Flathoof breathed. “They’re all okay.”

Lockwood hummed and tapped his chin. “Any idea where that section is, or which symbol it might be represented by?”

“Not a clue,” Tick Tock muttered. “Let’s see...”

She put her hoof upon the sigil list on the wall, then jerked back when one of them—a water droplet—glowed bright purple. A golden, liquid-like substance seeped out of it and dripped to the floor. It oozed along the tile until it reached the central groove, at which point the liquid rocketed through the groove along the left path, snaking around the corner in the distance. The groove began to glow the same purple as the sigil upon the wall.

Lockwood blinked. “Um... how’d you do that?”

“I didn’t,” Tick Tock said, “but I bet I know who did.” She turned to the stallions and gestured for them to follow. “Come on, boys! We have a new destination!”

***

Tick Tock rounded the corner of the next hallway first, nose buried in her map, and slammed into somepony coming the other direction.

“Oof!” Tick Tock grunted as she fell to the floor. “Oi! What the—"

“Oww...” Twilight groaned.

“Sparkle!” Tick Tock shot upright and helped Twilight up off the floor. She glanced behind Twilight, where the rest of Twilight’s friends had just caught up. “Oh thank goodness! You're all okay!”

“Tick Tock! Oh wow, am I glad to see you.” Twilight brushed herself off. “Where are the boys?”

Tick Tock turned to look behind her. “They should be right behind me.”

On cue, Flathoof and Lockwood rounded the corner, winded and sweaty. They both brightened when they saw Twilight.

“Oh thank goodness,” Flathoof breathed, putting a hoof over his heart. “We found them. Oh... oh boy, I need a break.”

“See? Told you they'd be okay,” Lockwood said as he trotted over to Fluttershy. “You are all okay, right?” he asked her.

“Oh, more than okay, Lockwood,” Fluttershy said with a grin. “Um... are you okay though? You look... um...”

“Tired, of course,” he chuckled. “We’ve been overturning every part of these ruins looking for you girls.” He noticed her bracelet, and lifted her hoof to examine it. “Ooh, that’s a pretty piece you’ve got there.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh... um... d-do you like it? I c-can’t wait to tell you all about it.”

“It’s good to have the group all back together,” Rarity said. “Now we can get out of these dusty ruins—"

“And out into the dusty desert,” Rainbow completed.

“We figured we would try an exit through the city’s sewage treatment system,” Tick Tock said as she fumbled with her map. “Let’s see, it should be... um... this way.”

“Hang on a tick, there Tick Tock,” Applejack said as she grabbed Tick Tock's map. “We’ve got a different way out.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow and glanced at her map, which was now filling itself up with all the different halls and rooms of the ruined city. “What the bloody hell? How did you- what- but you—"

Applejack chuckled and pointed at the northeast section, labeled Aqueducts. “This here is where we're headed. It's the fastest way out. Piece o' cake.”

Twilight started towards the exit with Applejack and the others. “Come on everypony, we'll talk on the way. We can take a break when we get out into the open.”

“What exactly happened down there anyhow?” Flathoof asked. “Not that I’m complaining, but none of you look the worse for wear at all. You all look pretty refreshed, actually.”

“It’s a long story,” Applejack said.

“Long nothing, this was the longest chapter yet! I just hope Chapter Twenty isn’t this bad!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Chapter what?”

“But this chapter just had to be long, or else my joke wouldn’t work!”

“What joke?” Lockwood asked, tilting his head.

Pinkie waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Next Chapter! Go!”


	20. Inspiration

Twilight had to admit, the gryphons of this world had developed an aqueduct system that completely outclassed any she’d ever seen or read about before. Certainly they weren’t functioning any longer, but she knew enough about magical architecture to see how the intricate craftwork would function if they were. The aqueducts led into a massive reservoir, but centuries without rainfall had long since drained the water level. Nothing but scant pools of stagnant water remained.

While the others took a short break along the edge of the reservoir, Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie volunteered to scout the terrain behind the surrounding wall. Though Tick Tock had insisted it was unnecessary, and Twilight had protested because it was dangerous, the trio had gone anyway. Those who stayed behind sat in a loose circle, taking the opportunity to rest.

While Twilight waited with the remaining ponies, she took full advantage of having water available nearby. With a flourish of magic, she pried a few large hunks of metal off a nearby machine and fashioned it into a set of canteens, one for everypony. The nearest pool of water was just enough to fill each one, and then it was a matter of purification. Before today, she wouldn’t have thought she could do either, but recent events made her more confident in trying out spells she’d never practiced before. Once she finished, she passed out a canteen to everypony present, and set the remaining three aside.

“Well, everypony... drink up,” she said, bravely taking the first sip from her own canteen. The water smelled minty and had an odd nutty taste to it that she couldn’t quite place, but it was pleasant, and more importantly, clean.

Flathoof placed his lips on his own canteen and chugged down two-thirds of his portion in one gulp, giving a great exhale afterward. “Oh, wow... thank you, Twilight,” he said, after wiping his lips. “I can’t tell you how much I needed that. I’ve been dying of thirst.”

Lockwood took a long sip, and let out a breath of relief as well. “Mmm, I tell you, nothing quite makes a pony thirsty more than running and flying for eight hours straight. That hits the spot.” He took a kerchief from his pocket and dabbed his lips. “All we need now is a little something to eat, and we’re all set.”

“I don’t suppose your newfound power can help us out of that jam, can it darling?” Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. “Unfortunately, that’s not how transmogrification spells work. I could certainly take a lump of metal and fashion it so it looks, feels, even tastes like a basket of hay fries and a daisy sandwich—my favorite—but it would still be composed of metal. I can’t just arbitrarily give nutritional value to something without altering its fundamental alchemical content.” She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Alchemy isn’t my strong suit. I’ve relied on Zecora a little too much, I think.”

These were unfortunate circumstances, Twilight thought, but it was just the way the cards had been dealt. This had been the longest she’d ever gone without even the slightest hint of food, and that didn’t bode well for the others. She knew for a fact that amongst her friends from her own Equestria, she’d probably skipped the most meals in her lifetime, thanks in part to her heyday as a student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns; the only pony she thought might be able to relate was Rarity, for work-related reasons. Rainbow and Applejack were the most physically active, and needed a lot of food to maintain that energy; Fluttershy usually ate light, but as far as Twilight knew she took regular meals; Pinkie was... well, Pinkie. She couldn’t speak for the natives of this Equestria, but she doubted that Lockwood or Flathoof had ever gone hungry, and Tick Tock didn’t seem the type to travel unprepared. The thought of traveling all the way to the coast without a solution to their food dilemma troubled her deeply.

“We could always ask Miss Pie,” Flathoof suggested. “I saw her pull a tub of popcorn out of nowhere just the other day when she was watching you and Miss Tock argue about something.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “If only things were that simple. I’m still trying to wrap my head around Verisimulation—it’s an utterly confounding school of magic.”

“She didn’t exactly explain her ‘magic’ to us, Sparkle,” Tick Tock said. “Perhaps you’d care to enlighten us?”

“I’ll give it a shot.” Twilight cleared her throat. “What I can gather is this: she can do literally anything so long as it doesn’t violate certain rules; the rules are so arbitrary that I can’t tell what counts as breaking a rule and what doesn’t; Pinkie can’t tell me the exact rules because that would itself be breaking the rule of keeping the mystery.”

“So many rules,” Flathoof groaned, shaking his head. “Why can’t magic ever be simple? How do you unicorns put up with it?”

“Don’t feel like you’re the only one having trouble understanding it.” Tick Tock interjected. “Believe me, this is the most complicated magic I’ve ever heard of.”

“Worse, she seems insistent that her magic functions best when it is entertaining, either to herself or to her audience, whoever that may be.” Twilight sighed. “If her explanation for why she can’t just take us home is any indication, she wouldn’t be able to give us food, either. She’s treating it like the plot of a story; ending the conflict instantly would ruin the ‘rule of drama’, and thus spoil the entertainment value.”

“Well, food may be a wash, but at least we have water, a plan, and we’re out of those dingy ruins,” Lockwood said, brushing his hoof along his shirt. “The air out here may not be ‘clean’, per se, but it’s certainly better than the stagnant, dusty air in there.”

“I agree. At least we’re back on our way to the coast, and for home,” Rarity added, using the better light and some of her drinking water to make sure that her dress was clean. “Why couldn’t all of the ruins have been kept so clean as Mister Gilderoy’s sanctum?”

Tick Tock hummed, tapping her hoof to her chin. “This ‘Gilderoy’ and the Sanctuary he resides in are fascinating to me.”

“I was awfully impressed as well,” Twilight added. “To think, all that pure magic—"

“Not that, Sparkle—though that does interest me in its own right.” Tick Tock shook her head, and pouted. “No, I speak of the fact that the gryphons managed to sufficiently duplicate, and in fact improve upon, the pocket dimension spell of the Chronomancers. I’m proper embarrassed to learn we’ve been outclassed so bloody thoroughly.”

“Outclassed?”

“Well, individual Chronomancers don’t get much in the way of pocket dimensions. For example, my T.A.R.D.I.S. is only about the size of a small hotel room on the inside. Chronomancer HQ is the size of a small city. This Sanctuary, though, sounds as large if not larger, and accommodates those fields of magic you described. Nothing at Chronomancer HQ quite matches that.”

“Well, suffice to say it was a real learning experience for all of us,” Twilight said with a grin. “I, for one, learned more about how your world’s magical system works, and it makes me eager to return home to study my world’s system more thoroughly. I’m curious if we have the same powers as we do here, or if that’s truly unique to this world.”

“I certainly have never known myself to be able to grant others my magic to aid them,” Rarity said, tapping her chin. She tilted her head towards Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, however, is quite capable with animals back home. But, if what Mister Gilderoy said is true, then she’d be able to command animals at will.” She patted Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Angel Bunny would beg to differ, I think.”

Fluttershy sheepishly scuffed her hoof on the floor. “W-well... I... suppose that’s true. I can’t really make him do anything... and even asking n-nicely sometimes doesn’t work.”

“I can’t wait to see what sorts of things you all can really do once we get out into the Wastelands,” Flathoof said. “I mean, I hate to sound like I’m hoping we run into Miss Shadow and her sisters, just so you can send them packing, but... well, I suppose I wouldn’t object to seeing your abilities in action, is what I’m saying.”

“I doubt they’d be much hindrance anymore if all the powers you have now were put together,” Lockwood agreed. “Why, I bet we’ll make it to the coast in no time at all.”

“Mister Gilderoy assured us of that,” Twilight said. “He seemed confident enough in us that we’d be able to make it to the coast even if we did face Starlight’s gang.”

Flathoof scratched his chin in idle thought. “Still, I’d feel better if I could be of more help to you girls. I mean, I’m sure I can, but I’m just not sure how much. I’m just a normal pony compared to all you... supermares. I was barely able to help against Miss Force, after all.”

Lockwood chuckled. “Why, I’m sure you’ll be fine moral support for everyone, just like me!”

“Oh great, now I’m being compared to you,” Flathoof groaned.

“And what exactly is wrong with that, hmm?” Lockwood said, feigning offense. “Why, I have all manners of redeeming qualities that more than make up for my inability to lend a hoof in combat. My dashing good looks, for example.” He struck a brief pose, and shot Rarity and Fluttershy a quick glance. “Am I right, ladies?”

Rarity giggled. “Well, being rather dashing certainly does make up for a lack of more robust qualities.” She tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t you agree, darling?”

Fluttershy peeped, and hid her face behind her mane. “You do look... um... d-d-dashing...”

“See?” Lockwood said, flashing Flathoof a bright smile. “Why, if you looked half as dashing as me, you’d certainly be able to serve as eye candy for our little troupe. Nothing more motivating than that! Come now, don’t you want to be eye candy, sugar?”

Flathoof stared at Lockwood, eyes half-lidded. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”

“At any rate, don’t feel down just because our friends can handle themselves without you, now. It won’t do to have you being a mopey sadsack for the rest of the journey.”

“Oh, he’s just upset that a bunch of mares are tougher than he is,” Tick Tock chuckled, slapping Flathoof on the back. “What’s the matter, old chap? Your masculinity feeling threatened?”

“Oh please,” Flathoof scoffed. “Have you met my mother? My masculinity is plated with durasteel; it’s gonna take more than a couple of superpowered mares to make me feel emasculated.”

“And who says you need to be tough, anyway?” Lockwood asked. “I don’t think being tough is all it’s cracked up to be. Is it, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy jumped at her inclusion. “Oh! Um... I... I’m s-sorry, I was distracted.” She turned her attention back to the small orb of light slowly circling around her head. “W-what was the question?”

“It’s quite alright,” Lockwood dismissed, shaking his head. “I see you’ve been distracted with this new friend of yours. Care to tell us more about him? Does he have a name?”

Fluttershy paused, then smiled and turned her attention fully to Lockwood. “Mister Gilderoy said he’s a special ‘spirit familiar’. His name is Ophanim.”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Orphan?”

“Ophanim,” Tick Tock corrected. “Derived from an archaic term of zebra origin that refers to the wheels of the chariots belonging to their gods. Or, alternatively, the halos of light that typically orbit those same gods when they take physical form. The details are sketchy.” She cleared her throat. “Either way, it deals with the concept of circular motion; hence, the orbital movement pattern.”

Flathoof blinked. “So... not ‘Orphan’, then.”

Fluttershy frowned, and sighed. “All of these spirits are sort of like orphans, in a way. Orphan wouldn’t be a bad name. I... guess you could say that I’ve adopted them.”

At these words, Ophanim’s orbit greatly increased in speed, until he was moving so fast that he appeared as a solid halo of light.

Rarity smiled. “Oh, that is a most wonderful way to put it, darling. I just know you’ll give Ophanim and these other spirits the love and kindness they deserve.”

“I just wish I knew what sort of animal I wanted him to take the form of,” Fluttershy murmured, turning her attention back to Ophanim’s light. “There are just so many choices. I... I really don’t want to have to pick just one. It’s not fair...”

“Take as long as you need, Fluttershy. Nopony’s going to rush you,” Lockwood said with a smile. “Besides, you should be in no hurry to charge into battle, anyway. You’re still recovering from your injuries, after all.” He placed his hoof on her shoulder. “Are you feeling any better?”

“I... do feel a little better, b-but...” Fluttershy sighed. “Well, I can walk on my own okay, but... I get tired easily. I’m all worn out from climbing through all those pipes. I don’t feel strong enough to fly, either...” 

Lockwood frowned. “I do wish we had some way to make this easier on you. A delicate flower like yourself shouldn’t be exposed to these harsh conditions.”

“I’m sorry, everypony,” Fluttershy muttered. “We keep having to stop for breaks because of me.”

“Nonsense! You’re not a burden on any of us. Right, Rarity?”

“Of course she’s not a burden!” Rarity agreed, patting Fluttershy’s other shoulder. “Nopony here is complaining one little bit about taking more frequent rest breaks.” She turned to Tick Tock and narrowed her eyes. “Almost nopony.”

Tick Tock snorted. “Every rest break we take cuts further into our itinerary. While I have made adjustments that will ensure we can take breaks occasionally, I highly recommend that somepony assists her in traveling more efficiently.”

Rarity made to speak, until Fluttershy placed her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. She shook her head. “It’s okay, Rarity... she’s just trying to get us home as quickly as she can. Thank you, though... for trying to make me feel better.” She turned to Lockwood. “And y-you, too, Lockwood. I... appreciate it...”

“Don’t mention it, Fluttershy,” Lockwood said. “Anything I can say to put your mind at ease, I’ll say it. This journey has probably been harder on you than any of us, so you deserve some reprieve. Hopefully your new gifts, and those of your friends, will help speed us on our way.”

“I... h-hope so, too...”

“It’s still a bit hazy,” Tick Tock interjected, tapping her hoof to her chin. “These strange powers you and your friends have, Sparkle, as well as those of Shadow and her sisters, seem to be quite beyond what I am used to seeing in average ponies.”

“Well, as Mister Gilderoy explained it, it’s because we’re not average ponies, insofar as it helped us realize our potential quicker,” Twilight said. She shook her head. “It doesn’t exactly explain Starlight and her sisters, but for us, at least, we figured out where our powers come from.”

“If I may hazard a guess, is it because of your connection to the Elements of Harmony?”

Twilight nodded. “That’s precisely it. Our connection to the Elements of Harmony helped increase our magical potential in your world, where all ponies are capable of much more effective magical feats than in our own. They didn’t give us the powers, just helped them manifest more readily.”

Tick Tock hummed, and tapped her chin rapidly. “If that’s the case... then it explains my own above-average magical powers. Perhaps that’s because of my status as a Chronomancer. It would certainly explain my mentor’s own capacity as a Chronomancer as well; he has accomplished feats that, to this day, I still cannot believe.”

“Well, if your mentor was so special, then I see no reason why we can’t be,” Flathoof grunted, “yet I haven’t seen anything that makes me believe I’m capable of anywhere near the same sorts of things the rest of you can do.”

Rarity suddenly brightened. “Oh, I just had the most wonderful idea!” she exclaimed, leaping to her hooves. “I believe I can help you to help us, my dear Captain Flathoof. My Benefaction magic is supposed to be capable of empowering any and all magic!”

“Ah, that’s right,” Twilight said. “And, since all ponies in this world are capable of magic to some degree, then that means, technically, Rarity should be able to empower whatever latent magical abilities you have.”

Flathoof tapped his chin in consideration, then sighed. “Forgive my skepticism, ladies, but I don’t see how you could believe I can use magic like you all can. Just moments ago, I watched Pinkie leap over that wall”—he pointed at the fifty-yard-high wall bordering the reservoir—“in a single bound. I’m no superstallion; I couldn’t dream of doing the same.”

Twilight smiled. “Just because you’re not ‘super’ doesn’t mean you don’t have abilities of your own that may be of use. Some ponies’ magical powers may be more subtle than others’, much like ponies’ special talents sometimes are. They’re connected: every talent can be represented by a school of magic. I think everypony’s would be useful in its own way.”

“Well... I suppose that makes sense.”

“See? And you were worried you weren’t going to be of any help,” Lockwood said, clapping Flathoof on the back. “Miss Rarity will give you a little boost, and you’ll be on the front lines in no time.”

Flathoof shook his head. “Even so, my special talent is bringing no-good criminals to justice. How exactly does that translate into magic?”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Hmm... a good point. What school of magic would you manifest? There isn’t a specific branch of any of the superschools or major derivatives that would relate to criminology, as far as I can tell...”

“Well, our magical abilities are related to our Elements of Harmony, so perhaps personality plays some role in it?” Rarity suggested. She turned to Flathoof. “Captain Flathoof, while your talent may be apprehending unscrupulous types, surely you have some reason for doing so, do you not?”

Flathoof thought for a moment. “Well,” he said, “I tend to use my talent to protect those in need, I suppose. I don’t like seeing ponies unable to defend themselves, so I do the defending for them.”

“Protecting those in need...” Twilight murmured. She then brightened, and lifted her hoof in realization. “Aha! Protecting others would be related to Repelomancy, which encompasses things like barrier spells and warding spells. Perhaps that school is connected to you.”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “So... you think I’d be able to make barriers like the ones you make? I don’t see how—"

“Oh, don’t be such a stick in the mud, Flathoof,” Lockwood huffed. “If this works out, you’ll be able to help protect these lovely ladies, just as you wanted. I, on the other hoof, will remain comfortable on the sidelines. I don’t see how my talent would translate into any magic that would be of help either, to be honest.”

“What exactly is your talent, anyway, darling?” Rarity asked.

Lockwood smiled. “Well, I told Fluttershy the whole story, but I’ll spare you all the gritty details. My special talent is making social connections. Now, unless you can tell me that the ability to talk to other ponies and exhibit no small amount of charisma is a type of magic, I think my point stands.”

“As a matter of fact, it is,” Twilight said. “The school of Sociomancy represents the ability to influence others through speech, via magically-enhanced charisma.”

“All of the greatest unicorn rulers throughout history were skilled practitioners of the art of Sociomancy,” Tick Tock added. “Don’t think it’s all tea and crumpets, though. The ‘influence’ is far-reaching, and can often be used to convince others to do things they would never otherwise do. Committing murder or adultery, for example.”

“You mean... mind-control?” Lockwood asked.

“Worse,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “The magic, if strong enough, can fundamentally alter a creature’s entire way of thinking: their morals, values, even their personality. Mind-control just forces a pony to do something against their will, and can be traced as such. Properly-applied charismatic magic can make a pony think that whatever they’re doing is right, so they do it of their own will.”

“Oh. Well... that’s, uh... neat,” Lockwood said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “You... don’t sound too pleased at the prospect.”

Twilight frowned. She’d hoped she hadn’t let on too much her own distaste for Sociomancy magic. “Let’s just say I can speak from experience that, in the wrong hooves, it’s incredibly evil magic. I don’t think I have to worry about you abusing it so unethically.” She cleared her throat. “However, I can see your point, insofar as that particular skillset wouldn’t be particularly useful in our situation.”

“Not unless he could convince Starlight’s crew to leave us alone,” Tick Tock scoffed. “Fat chance of that. I think I did a proper good job at pissing off Starlight; I doubt she’d listen to a word.”

Lockwood dismissed the idea with a hoof. “Don’t fret over it.” He turned to Flathoof, and patted the other stallion on the shoulder. “What’s important is getting my good friend Flathoof a boost, so that he may be of help.”

Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Oh, yes, I am looking forward to seeing how this turns out.”

Flathoof shrugged. “Well, if you want to give it a shot, Miss Rarity, go right ahead. Can’t hurt, I suppose.”

Rarity lit up her horn and bathed Flathoof in a soft, white glow.

When the glow subsided, Flathoof examined himself, as if expecting to see the changes manifest themselves immediately. “Well, I don’t feel any different,” he said, patting his chest and sides. “If anything, I feel a little less tired.”

“That sort of effect would be typical of Benefaction magic, period. Restomancy is a derivative of Benefaction, after all,” Twilight said. She shook her head. “Still, Applejack was able to immediately feel the difference and wield her magic actively after receiving empowerment. Perhaps we were mistaken on what your magical school is?”

“Well, thanks anyway,” Flathoof said with a shrug. “I’m not bothered too much. Maybe we’ll figure out what it is later. How long does this little boost last, anyway?”

“I suspect a few hours, no more than half a day,” Twilight said.

“More than enough time for us to get through this ‘Red Death’ place, where maybe I can put it to use.” Flathoof paused, then frowned. “I hope it doesn’t wear off while we’re in the middle of anything.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem, dear,” Rarity said with a smile. “Applejack has certainly mastered her magic, and Rainbow Dash has as well; I think that perhaps, with just a little practice, you can use your ability entirely on your own!” She paused, then coughed into her hoof. “Once we figure out what exactly it is, of course.”

“Exactly,” Twilight agreed. She put her hoof on Flathoof’s shoulder. “I have no doubts that you, too, have magic, Flathoof, just like my other friends do. With proper practice, you should be able to use it without help from Rarity at all, and Rarity will simply make your magic stronger.”

“I certainly hope so,” Flathoof said. “Thank you, Twilight. Miss Rarity.”

Rarity smiled and turned to Lockwood. “Now then, seeing as our scouting party has not returned yet, how about we see if Mister Lockwood does indeed have the magical talent we think he does.”

Lockwood pointed at himself. “Me? I didn’t think we were going to bother with any of that.”

“Pish-posh, darling,” Rarity dismissed. “We have time, and there’s no harm in finding out. Why, if your magical talent is what we think it is, you’ll be a positive boon in procuring speedy transport to Utopia.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I don’t think I’m going to need any assistance from anypony in that endeavor, but if you insist, I’m not going to stop you. It can’t hurt, after all.”

“Wonderful!”

Rarity lit her horn, and enshrouded Lockwood in a white glow just as she’d done with Flathoof. And, just as Flathoof had done, Lockwood looked about himself for some sign that the spell had worked.

“Well, I certainly don’t feel suave and sophisticated. Well, more so than usual, anyway,” Lockwood chuckled. “I don’t feel different at all, actually.”

“Drat,” Rarity muttered. “I certainly hope my Benefaction magic hasn’t been oversold, as t’were. My success rate is awfully low at the moment...”

“It’s... okay if nothing happened, Lockwood,” Fluttershy said, patting Lockwood on the shoulder. “You’re f-fine just the way you are. You don’t need some... superpower.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Fluttershy. That’s very sweet of you to say,” Lockwood replied. He put his hoof on hers and patted it gently. “I just wish I had some sort of power that might help you... feel... better...” He shook his head, as though suddenly debilitated.

“Lockwood? Are you alright?”

“I feel... wow, I just feel so... so tired, all of a sudden.” Lockwood slumped to the floor. His eyes became bloodshot almost instantly, as though he’d gone days without sleep. “Why do my... wings hurt? Why does everything hurt?”

“That’s... that’s just I—" Fluttershy gasped. “That’s how I felt... I don’t feel tired at all anymore...”

“You don’t? Oh, darling, that’s wonderful news!” Rarity exclaimed, putting her hooves on Fluttershy’s shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re feeling... better.” She paused, her expression souring. “Wait a moment... this is too sudden. You feel better, but dear Lockwood doesn’t?”

“You don’t think they’re connected, do you?” Fluttershy asked. “Twilight? Tick Tock?”

“Nothing that I’ve ever seen before,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “Improving one’s physical well-being would fall under Restomancy, but I’ve never heard of improving another’s well-being by taking it upon yourself.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “I wonder... hmmm...” She shook her head. “It’s just a theory, but I’m going to need some clarification before I can rationalize it. Mister Lockwood, what exactly is your special talent again?”

“Keep it simple, please,” Flathoof interjected.

Lockwood cleared his throat. “Well... like I said, my talent is... essentially... forging social networks.”

“Would you say you’re the center of these ‘social networks’?” Twilight asked.

“I suppose so, yes.”

Twilight hummed, then nodded. “Then my theory is sound, though it’s still a little awkward. Basically, your power would be related to Sociomancy, but in more of an empathetic sense, rather than a charismatic one.”

“Well, I... am an empathetic pony,” Lockwood said with a smile.

“You’re pathetic, all right,” Flathoof scoffed. “So what does this mean, exactly?”

“Essentially, Lockwood’s special talent is such that he serves as a sort of conduit for social interaction,” Twilight explained. “His ‘power’ translates to him serving as a conduit for, apparently, physical well-being. Of course, the reason it’s just a theory is because while I’ve seen him take the physical weakness from Fluttershy, I haven’t seen him transfer it to anypony else. My theory reasons that he could do so.”

“It’s like some bastardization of Sociomancy, Restomancy, and Vampirism,” Tick Tock muttered. “What the bloody hell would you even call that sort of magic? Restocioism? Vampestiomancy?”

“It doesn’t sound like it’s new magic, just a new take on an old magic,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I’ll figure out exactly what it is, sooner or later, but that’s my theory, anyway.”

“Oh, Lockwood, is this all true?” Fluttershy asked. “You took my weakness; can you give it back? You don’t deserve to be like this...”

“Oh, no no no,” Lockwood chuckled, shaking his head and patting Fluttershy’s hoof. “We won’t be having any of that. You just got... over your weakness; I’m not going to be... the guy that gives it back.”

“I think it’s funny the posh one’s got a ‘power’ with combat applications,” Tick Tock scoffed. “If it’s as easy as physical contact, I bet he can just flash his pearly whites at any one of those stupid bints and have a practical ‘free shot’, if you will.”

“I would do nothing... of the sort,” Lockwood said, turning up his nose for a moment before the effort exhausted him. “Dirty, underhoofed trick, that is. No, I think I’ll... just hang onto this...”

“Oh, but darling, what would you do if somepony dear to you was in danger?” Rarity asked with a brief glance towards Fluttershy. “Surely you’d lend a hoof to protect her... er, them?”

“I doubt anypony’d ever need my help,” Lockwood chuckled, “though if it... came down to it... yes, I suppose I’d rather have to, wouldn’t I? Though I’m not too sure... how much help... I’d be... especially now...”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, darling,” Rarity said, a bright smile spreading across her face. She turned her gaze ever-so-slightly to Fluttershy again. “We’ll make sure you’re back in tip-top shape in no time.”

“Well, hopefully he’s feeling well enough to walk by the time the others get back,” Flathoof said, turning his gaze towards the high reservoir wall. “What’s taking them, anyway? I hope nothing’s happened...”

***

Applejack burst forth from the rocky ground in a stream of sand and dust, leaping high into the air before landing perfectly on all four hooves. She brushed off her hat and shirt, which somehow had barely collected any debris, then shifted her thoughts away from the earth beneath her. Her body, which until now had been made of solid, reddish-brown rock, softened instantly back into fuzzy coat and soft skin. She took a deep breath; the sensation of dry air against her coat felt odd compared to the sand and dirt beneath.

“I think I’m finally gettin’ the hang o’ this,” she said to herself. “Just a lil’ more practice an’ I can figure out how ta use this stuff ta do some real good.”

“Yay! Go Applejack!”

Applejack tilted her head to the side, where Pinkie had taken up a seat on a nearby rock to watch her fellow earth pony practicing her new abilities. Applejack shook her head in disbelief; Pinkie always seemed to be right on top of wherever she was practicing, despite attempts to distance herself and get some time alone.

A great wall of pink magic loomed behind Pinkie, obscuring whatever was behind it from view. The wall stretched in both directions as far as Applejack could see, and from her own exploration of the area, she’d learned that it met up with both walls of the canyon they were now in. There was no way around or through that she could see, at least not a simple or direct one. Certainly she could climb around, and Rainbow could fly, but getting the others past it was not going to be an easy task.

“Your new powers are super neat, AJ!” Pinkie chirped as she bounced over, drawing Applejack’s attention away from the magical barrier. “You move through that rock like it was water! You’re, like a... a dirt-swimmer! A sand-surfer! An earthbender!”

Applejack smiled lightly. “I s’pose that’d be the best way ta describe it.”

“So? How does it feel? How does it work?”

Applejack tapped her chin. “Well... it’s kinda like swimmin’, like y’all said. I just think about movin’ through the dirt ‘n’ rock, and the dirt ‘n’ rock lets me move through it, just like water. It’s still as tough as ever,” she added, punctuating the point by tapping her hoof on the rock beneath her, “but it don’t feel like that while I’m passin’ through. It’s kinda... weird, ta be honest.”

“It sounds neat-o, that’s for sure,” Pinkie giggled. She twirled a pair of binoculars she’d somehow procured in her hooves. “It’s not as fun to watch, though, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Pinkie shifted her gaze to the northern sky, and Applejack followed. She could just make out the signs of thunder clouds, lightning bursts, and rainfall in the distance. Rainbow Dash was clearly hard at work practicing her new powers as well.

“Ya been watchin’ us both, huh?” Applejack asked.

“Yep!” Pinkie replied. “I gotta give my support to all my friends!”

“Any luck findin’ a way through this here wall?”

Pinkie shook her head and sighed. “Nope, no luck at all, at least as far as getting all of you guys through. I’m sure I could get through it, no problem, but I don’t want to go on the other side all by myself. That’s boring!”

Applejack took another deep breath. “Well, I think we’ve been out here long enough. I’m sure Twi’ll think of a way ta get past it.”

“Or maybe Tick Tock!” Pinkie suggested. “She knows a lot about the area, right? Maybe she’s been here before.”

Applejack grumbled. “Yeah, right. Let’s ask Twi first, though, okay? I’m sure she has a better solution than whatever that two-bit tea-chugger does.”

Pinkie blinked. “Well... if you say so, AJ.” She lifted her binoculars up to her face and aimed them in Rainbow’s direction, then lifted a megaphone to her mouth; Applejack hadn’t seen where she’d lifted it from, but knew it was better not to ask. “Hey Dashie! We’re ready to go!”

“I don’t think she can hear ya from this far, Pinkie,” Applejack chuckled.

“Oh, trust me, she heard me,” Pinkie assured her, a sly grin on her face.

“Well, if y’all say so. Just in case, let’s go—"

A massive boom in the air silenced Applejack. She glanced in the boom’s direction, and saw all of Rainbow’s weather patterns disappear instantly, save for a bright crackle of lightning that was racing towards them.

“See? Told ya,” Pinkie giggled. “You’ll find my voice carries quite a bit, AJ.”

Applejack twisted her hoof in her ear. “Yeah, no kiddin’.”

Rainbow closed the immense distance in what Applejack was certain was much faster than usual; perhaps, Applejack thought, the new lightning trail carried a speed increase with it. There wasn’t a chance that Rainbow wouldn’t be using that kind of ability at every given opportunity. Rainbow screeched to a stop just over their heads, creating a great burst of wind in the process, then swooped down to greet the two earth ponies.

“Did I hear something about ‘ready to go’?” she asked, taking her goggles off her face and replacing them on her forehead. They left a distinct void in the ashy dirt that otherwise caked most of Rainbow’s body.

“Yeah, it’s been long enough,” Applejack said. “We can’t find nothin’ ta get past this here place, so we may as well go get Twi ‘n’ th’ others. I think we’ve got our fair share o’ practice, don’t ya think?”

“I think I’ve figured out enough to do some damage, so I guess so, yeah,” Rainbow said with a shrug. She stepped over to Applejack, took to the air, and scooped the earth pony up in her hooves. “Hold on tight, AJ.”

Applejack braced herself, and Rainbow took off with a burst of speed. The air rushed through her mane and threatened to tear off her hat, but it only lasted for a few seconds; they were at the reservoir wall in no time at all. Applejack wasn’t surprised in the least to find Pinkie waiting for them, waving her hooves about excitedly.

A moment’s flight later, and the trio were within earshot of the rest of the group.

“Oh, there they are!” Twilight exclaimed. She and the others, except Lockwood and Fluttershy, who were huddled close together, rose to their hooves. She trotted forward to greet them. “Welcome back!”

“You three certainly look in high spirits,” Rarity observed as she trotted up alongside Twilight. “Did you find anything? Another route through, perhaps?”

Applejack shook her head. “Nothin’. Looks like we’re stuck goin’ through that there ‘Red Death’ place. Gettin’ all o’ y’all around the barrier’d be mighty difficult, what with the cliffs on either side.”

Tick Tock snorted and scowled. “That kind of information couldn’t have taken you more than twenty minutes to ascertain. You three took over an hour. What took you so long?”

“We were working on our new powers,” Rainbow said, shooting Tick Tock a glare. “If whatever’s on the other side of that barrier is as dangerous as Mister Gilderoy says it is, we’d better be ready for it. No telling when Starlight’s crew might show up either.”

“Considering the two o’ us’re gonna be on the front lines, we figured we’d try and find out exactly what we could do,” Applejack added. She grunted and narrowed her eyes at Tick Tock. “Lemme guess, y’all think that’s a waste o’ time.”

“Yes and no,” Tick Tock replied. “While I think it’s commendable that you’re trying to increase your combat capability on the off chance that we meet up with Shadow and her sisters, I think that could be done en route. We’ve been sitting too long, wasting too much time.”

“Did you at least figure out some way to use your powers to protect us?” Twilight asked.

“Sure as shootin’ did!” Applejack said, thumping her chest boastfully. “The rock around these parts ain’t half bad. T’ain’t much fer growing crops, o’ course, but it’s sure made o’ some tough stuff. I bet I can take a lickin’ an’ keep on tickin’. Sure makes movin’ easier, too.”

“‘Moving easier’? I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Well, I can... uh, ‘swim’ through the dirt ‘n’ rock like it was water. Th’ only trouble I’m havin’ down there is seein’, ta be honest. Y’all got any ideas, Twi?”

Twilight hummed and tapped her chin. “I’m not so sure. Geomancy was never of particular interest... uh, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“I was telling her about my dad’s techniques for sifting through rocks back on the rock farm, because I figured it might help her see a little better, or something. But then, I found out the rocks here are different,” Pinkie said in awe. “They’re made of different material altogether! I’m not the rock farmer my dad is, so maybe I’m just rusty or something, but what I was trying to do wasn’t working right.”

Rarity brightened. “Ah! I’ve got just the thing!” She cleared her throat and turned to Applejack, putting on her best smile; Applejack knew that meant it was time to hear Rarity gush about something. “Applejack, darling, you are aware of how I use my magic to find gemstones for my fashion lines, are you not?”

“Well, uh, yeah,” Applejack replied. “I don’t see how that helps—"

“Oh! I know!” Twilight exclaimed, drawing everypony’s attention to her. “Magic resonates with gemstones, specifically Geomancy magic. All you’ll have to do is magically induce that resonance in the visible spectrum. It’s a very basic theory in Geomancy, so basic that it’s on page three of the Beginner’s Textbook.”

Rarity smirked. “My thoughts exactly, Twilight. Though I’d thank you not to make my gem-hunting technique sound so simple. My technique is a little more refined and elegant than that basic spell, and I think you, of all ponies, would appreciate it’s complexity.”

“Er... right,” Twilight murmured, her face tinted with a blush. “Sorry.”

Applejack scrunched up her nose in thought. “Uh... so I have ta... what, exactly? I ain’t got any idea what Twi just said.”

“Simply put, I use my magic to locate gemstones,” Rarity explained. “The magical field locates the gems and highlights them for me, and me only, helping me figure out where I should dig—"

“Or have Spike dig,” Twilight added with a knowing smile.

“If you were to use that same magical technique, darling, you could sense gems around you and use them as a sort of guide.” Rarity beamed and patted Applejack’s shoulder. “I’d be more than happy to teach you how to do it yourself!”

Applejack sighed. “I s’pose this’ll somehow work ‘round ta me findin’ gems fer ya.”

“Well, we have to have some proof that the technique is working, don’t we?” Rarity added with a wink.

“All this rubbish aside, we have more important matters to deal with,” Tick Tock interjected, trotting forward and nearly pushing Rarity out of the way. “You say there’s no way around this force field, yes? Are you certain?”

Applejack grunted, annoyed to be this close to Tick Tock’s presence. “Yeah, I’m certain. Y’all can see it fer yerself from the top o’ that wall, even without Pinkie’s fancy binoculars.”

Tick Tock narrowed her eyes and turned to Pinkie. “I don’t suppose it would do much good to ask where you got those. Just another ‘Pinkie Thing’, I take it?”

“Oh, these?” Pinkie flipped her binoculars off her neck and twirled them around on the tip of her hoof. “I just figured it’d be more fun to watch both AJ and Dashie practice their new tricks, so I could show them both support! They’re pretty neat-o, too, huh?” She pulled them up to her eyes—backwards, Applejack noticed—then aimed them at Rarity and gasped. “Oh no! Rarity! You’re sooo faaarrr awaaayyy!”

Silence.

Pinkie frowned and drew the binoculars away. “Nothing? Really? C’mon guys, that was a classic.”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Well, anyway, it looks just like it did in them visions Mister Gilderoy showed us, even from here. Ta tell the truth, I’m not much likin’ the look o’ this place, not one bit.”

“Any ideas for getting us through the barrier?” Rainbow asked. “You’re not gonna lower the whole thing like we saw the Warden do, are you Twi?”

“That probably wouldn’t be the best idea,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “That might have the same effect it had in Mister Gilderoy’s vision. No, I think I’ll try to phase us through, assuming I can. I don’t know how powerful the Warden’s barrier is, and improper phasing could crack it.”

“Well we’ve got that all settled, what say we get a move on?” Tick Tock suggested, pushing past Applejack and moving towards the reservoir wall. “We’ve wasted enough time talking.”

***

Twilight’s gaze remained fixed on the field of pink magic in front of her. True to Applejack’s description, she couldn’t see through it whatsoever, a fact that bothered her to no end. Even the strongest barriers she’d ever encountered weren’t completely opaque, as this one was. After many long moments examining it, she took a step forward and tapped it with her hoof. It flickered beneath her touch, and to her surprise, not only actively resisted what little force she was exerting, but delivered a weak electrical shock.

“Curious...” she murmured. She drew her hoof away, shaking off the slight pain from the shock. “This barrier is of a different construction than what I’m used to. It’s less a shield than it is a prison, similar to the spell Starlight used on Velvet back in the cave. This must’ve taken a lot of power to create.”

“That isn’t going to be a problem is it?” Rainbow asked.

“No, I can get through it. Despite it’s atypical construction, it’s still a barrier spell, so a phasing spell will still work as intended.”

“I’m curious as to how this field could still have such strength this long after its caster’s death,” Tick Tock said, stroking her chin. “It feels as though it’s brand new, which implies either it was recently cast, that it’s been maintained, or that nopony has ever touched it. All three choices are simply illogical, given what information you’ve given.”

“It certainly is a perplexing conundrum,” Twilight added, shaking her head. She turned to the others. “At any rate, the fact that such a powerful field is serving to keep the Red Death in certainly doesn’t make me feel any better about traveling through here.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever traveled through here myself. Given the general lack of information my map has, I can’t say Master Zenith ever did, either,” Tick Tock said, pointing at her map. “On that note, it would seem as if the given name of this region has changed since the age of gryphons. Says here this place is called the ‘Blood Mire’ nowadays.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds loads better,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “You ponies sure love giving dangerous-sounding names for everything. Not that they don’t deserve it, but geez, lighten up, would ya? We got Redblade Mountains, Blood Mire, and Wastelands. What’s next, Apocalypse Cavern?”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie exclaimed, waving her hoof frantically in the air, as if expecting to be called upon. “How about Spinebreaker Canyon?!”

“Ooh, good one.” Rainbow tapped her chin in thought, then brightened. “Deadmare’s Peak. Eh? Or like, the Sea of Torment.”

Pinkie nodded in approval. “I’m gonna have to remember these for my next campaign. These are perfect for a good grimdark setting!”

Fluttershy squeaked and shied away behind Rarity. “P-p-please tell me n-none of those are real.”

“Relax, Fluttershy darling, they’re just joking around,” Rarity assured her, patting her on the back. She glared in Pinkie and Rainbow’s direction. “Really, girls, there’s no need for that kind of talk. Surely not everything in this world has such dreadful names. Why, I’d like to think the southern continent, what with being a haven for Light and all that, has some bright and colorful names for places. Such as... Sunshine Fields, or something like that.”

“Sunflower Fields,” Tick Tock corrected. She let out a wistful sigh and looked up into the sky. “I really wish we were there right now. Such a pleasant place. I could go for a sunflower...” She shook her head. “Anyway, while it is true that the northern continent’s locales aren’t given exactly inviting names, not all of them are quite so foreboding. Just look at Goldridge Pass, for example.”

“I suppose you make a solid point,” Rarity agreed. “It was quite the pleasant place to be, I must say.”

“And besides, the Sea of Torment had its name changed sixty-two years, five months, and three days ago anyway. Give or take a few hours.”

“Oh? What’s it called now?” Twilight asked.

“The Sea of Endless Sorrow.”

Rainbow snorted. “Pfft... good one. A little over the top, but—"

Tick Tock’s stoneface expression did not falter.

“Oh... oh, you’re not kidding.” Rainbow chuckled. “Okay, I take it back, you ponies are really bad at coming up with names.

Pinkie tapped her chin and hummed loudly. “The Sea of Endless Sorrow, huh? How do they keep track of all that sorrow, if they can know it’s endless? Some kind of gizmo?”

Tick Tock shook her head. “I’m no expert on how regular sorrow is there day-to-day, but I think we can infer that it’s constant, with no signs contrary to this behavior, i.e. signs of stopping. Hence, Endless. Also, it’s a Sea. As Rainbow so succinctly put it, it’s not a very creative name. It is, in fact, very straightforward.”

“All we need now is the Forsaken Forest, and we’ve got the whole collection of geographical regions,” Pinkie said thoughtfully. She giggled and dismissed the thought with a hoof. “This is straight out of a horror movie! Next thing you know,” she continued, her voice turning dark and sinister, “we’ll be just walking along, and from around the nearest corner...” She reared back, her face obscured by darkness, then clicked on a flashlight she’d just procured to highlight her face. “Zombies!”

A clap of thunder and a flash of lightning sprung from about Pinkie, completing the appropriately spooky imagery.

Fluttershy squeaked and darted behind Rarity for cover.

“Really now, Pinkie, there’s no need for such fantasies,” she scolded. She turned her glare to Rainbow next. “And you, Rainbow, don’t encourage such behavior! You both are scaring Fluttershy.”

Rainbow pointed at herself, eyebrow raised. “Me? I didn’t have anything to do with any of that. That was one hundred percent Pinkie.”

“Yep! Patented Pinkie special effects!” Pinkie chirped, rapidly clicking her flashlight on and off. The lightning and thunder in the background synced up perfectly.

“Pinkie Pie, you have the strangest ideas sometimes,” Twilight murmured, shaking her head. “Zombies. Really?”

“What’s so strange about zombies?” Pinkie asked, incredulous.

“Well for one, they don’t bloody exist,” Tick Tock huffed.

“And before you bring up Necromancy,” Twilight added, “that school of magic deals with communicating with the spirits of the departed, not enslaving them or animating the dead. It’s a horrible stigma, and a totally inaccurate one at that.”

“Bunch of superstitious nonsense. Zombies are about as real as ghosts or goblins. Total works of fiction, all of them.”

“All that aside, can we just get this over with, please?” Twilight interjected, before Pinkie could argue more about the existence of zombies or other fantastical things. She lit her horn and encased her friends in a dull white glow that quickly subsided. “There we go. We should now be able to phase through the barrier. So, who wants to go first?”

Nopony stepped forward for several moments.

Then, Applejack groaned and raised her hoof. “Since there ain’t nopony else willin’ ta go, fine, I’ll do it. We’re wastin’ time actin’ all chicken ‘n’ waitin’ out here.”

Rainbow clapped Applejack on the back. “That’s the spirit, AJ! We’ll be right behind you!”

Applejack stepped up to the barrier, and brought her hoof up to test Twilight’s spell. Sure enough, her hoof passed right through the shield as though it were a wall of soup. She turned to Twilight for approval; Twilight nodded, and encouraged her to walk through the barrier. Applejack did just that.

Only a second later, she violently lurched back out and, without warning, vomited all over the ground beside her. The others practically leapt back in shock and dismay, Rarity especially. Applejack did not stop dry heaving for several moments, and cradled her stomach the entire way through.

“Are... you okay, AJ?” Rainbow asked, stepping up alongside the earth pony.

“The smell...” Applejack groaned.

“The smell? What smell?” Twilight asked. She sniffed the air, but didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary, just the stagnant musk of the Wastelands, which she’d gotten used to.

“Maybe the barrier is keeping it out?” Rainbow suggested.

Tick Tock grunted. “Barriers don’t work that way. They allow air to flow through, as well as any scents associated with it. If they didn’t, barriers could be used to suffocate ponies.”

“Well, we’ve already established that this barrier is different,” Twilight said, stroking her chin.

“If y’all... don’t believe me... just take a whiff... fer yerself,” Applejack panted.

Twilight hummed, then stepped up to the barrier to test the situation herself. As expected, her hoof passed through the shield without incident. She pulled her hoof out and sniffed it, but still couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary, not even the slightest hint of unpleasantness. The barrier seemed to be doing a more than adequate job at keeping whatever was inside from getting out. So, she took a deep breath, and stuck her head through.

It took only a second for Twilight’s nose to register the single most repulsive, vile stench that had ever graced her nostrils. She’d smelled rot and decay before, but even the worst of that she’d ever smelled paled in comparison to this repugnant odor. In the second it took her brain to register the smell, she violently jerked back, just as Applejack had done, and wretched on the ground. Again, the others in the group nervously stepped back, even more concerned than before. Applejack patted Twilight’s back a few times to help ease her through.

Rainbow tugged the collar of her jacket. “Uh... whoa. What the hay is up with this place, huh? I don’t remember Mister Gilderoy telling us anything about a smell.”

“Heavens, we have to go through this horrid place?” Rarity asked, blanching at the thought of it. “I have the sudden urge to suggest we find some alternate route.”

“There isn’t an alternate route, Rarity,” Rainbow reminded. She turned to Twilight, who was finally recovering from her dry heaving fit. “Uh... hey, Twi? Got any ideas for how to, y’know, not deal with that?”

Twilight took a moment to collect her wits and take in deep breaths of the air outside the barrier; even the stagnant odor of the Wastelands was better than the rotten stench of the Blood Mire. Once she’d regained her focus, she coughed and shook her head, then lit up her horn. Seconds later, she and all of her friends had a new accessory: a translucent blue bubble around their heads.

“This should do the trick, I hope,” she said.

“Hmmm... clever. A diving bubble spell,” Tick Tock observed, her voice muffled by the bubble.

“Precisely.” Twilight turned to the others, who appeared confused about the new addition; some, such as Pinkie and Rainbow, were poking and prodding their bubbles to test the durability. “This spell is typically used by unicorns when they go diving. It provides a self-contained supply of oxygen to breathe while keeping everything else outside the bubble. There’s enough air in each bubble to last several hours.”

Rainbow sniffed the air inside her bubble, then crinkled her nose. “It smells like the hospital.”

“It smells better than what’s in there,” Applejack said, taking a deep breath of her own air supply. “I’ll take this here air over that stink any day.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s test them out!” Pinkie interjected, bouncing towards the barrier.

“Yes, we’ve wasted enough bloody time out here,” Tick Tock agreed. “Onward!”

Twilight led the party through the barrier, and was the first to behold the horrible sight within. Without the foul stench to distract her senses, she could really see what lay before her and her friends, and it did not assuage her worries one bit.

The air inside was dark and murky, tainted with a thick, black gaseous substance that resembled the emissions from the Beacon, but more concentrated. It was so thick, in fact, that Twilight could not see the barrier’s ceiling through the fog. Strangely, she could feel it pressing against her as she walked, almost as if it were trying to force her to the ground; it took some effort to resist its push and stay upright.

Trees of varying heights dotted the area, and despite their black, rotten appearance, they still appeared to be full of life; their trunks were thick, and their branches swayed gently in a nonexistent breeze. There were enough of them spread about in such a way that the region appeared to have once been a swamp or a marsh.

Great black masses were also piled about the area. Twilight couldn’t make out exactly what they were, but the sight of them repulsed her. From a distance, she could see distinct signs of rot and decay in the festering piles. There were so many that they outnumbered the trees substantially.

Most disturbingly, though, the very ground on which she and her friends walked was coated with a blackish-red goo, almost bloodlike in its texture and appearance. She remembered seeing this material in Gilderoy’s vision; she remembered watching this stuff swallow up the hapless messenger that had failed the Warden. When she lifted her hoof away from the sticky substance, she saw it lurch after her, though weakly enough that she could get away from it. It certainly didn’t seem to be attempting to actively devour her.

“Good heavens, what is this horrid stuff covering the ground?” Rarity asked. She cringed, and nervously cantered in place. “It’s sticking to my hooves, and it is most unseemly.”

“Gross,” Rainbow said, shaking the stuff off her hoof before taking to the air. “Whatever this stuff is, it’s pretty nasty. It’s like trying to walk through syrup.”

“Ahhh! Get it off! Get it off, get it offf!” Pinkie cried. She frantically flailed her hooves about in an attempt to remove the goop from her, sending the stuff spraying about.

Twilight observed that when her friends were moving quickly, the gooey substance couldn’t get quite as strong of a hold on them, and while it had attempted to chase Rainbow into the air, it didn’t get very far before collapsing to the ground again. Yes, it was attempting to swallow them, but it did so so weakly that Twilight figured the only ponies it would be able to have a real effect on were those who stopped altogether.

“Who votes we keep moving? I vote we keep moving,” Tick Tock said, striding forward to escape the goo.

“You’ve got my vote,” Flathoof agreed. He turned to help Lockwood trot along, as the pegasus stallion was still weak and just barely keeping pace. “C’mon, bud, we’ve got to get a move on.”

“Yes, yes, I’m right with you,” Lockwood murmured.

“Oh look, vote passed, let’s be on our way,” Tick Tock continued. “Come along, all! The region isn’t too wide, so if we maintain a brisk pace we’ll be across in a few hours.”

The party followed Tick Tock’s lead east, passing dozens of the dead trees and black mounds. Twilight glanced to the side occasionally to try and figure out what the mounds were, but still couldn’t ascertain anything conclusive. She could see now that they were a multitude of different forms, not just mounds of a single substance, but everything was so black and rotten that she couldn’t make out exactly what the shapes were.

She and her friends continued walking, and soon they lost sight of the barrier’s pink glow behind them, leaving nothing in sight except the expanse of red and black around them.

That was when the noises started.

The sounds were quiet at first, barely above a whisper, and resembled the sound of somepony slogging through thick mush. At first, Twilight paid little heed to it, figuring it was her own hoofsteps or those of her friends, but then she noticed that not only were these sounds out-of-sync, but that her own hoofsteps were making a distinctly different crunching sound, like stepping on piles of wet leaves. Something else was making these noises.

“Anypony else hear that?” Applejack asked. Twilight was glad that somepony else had heard the sounds, fearing it was just in her head.

“Yeah, I hear it too,” Rainbow added. She rose up into the air to look about. “Where’s it coming from?”

“Everywhere,” Twilight said. “It’s coming from all around us.”

Twilight and her friends stopped walking, and huddled together. The noises grew louder, and it was clear that whatever was making the sounds had surrounded them. The sloshing sound was now accompanied by the slow sound of hoofsteps, and though they were disjointed and irregular, there were lots of them. Some were distant, others were closer, but through the thick, black air, nopony could see anything.

Then, Twilight heard a noise much closer to her and her friends, and turned to face it. It had come from one of the nearby piles of black, rotten shapes. Her eyes widened as the shapes in the pile began to move.

They were bodies. Bodies of ponies. Horribly mangled and rotten bodies of dead ponies. Rotten, dead ponies that were moving.

Their flesh was in the last stages of decomposition, blackened and decayed beyond recognition. Strips of rancid flesh appeared to have been torn off in places, allowing decay-caked bone to protrude, and rotten innards to spill. Most of this damage had clearly been caused by something other than decomposition, but Twilight couldn’t tell what.

In places where the bodies were broken or mangled to the point of uselessness, there was a bright red glow of a magic that Twilight was not familiar with. It seemed to replace bone and muscle, allowing the once-living ponies to move about; in the unicorns and pegasi, it even filled in for their respective horns and wings. Most importantly, it glowed within the eye sockets of every single one of the bodies that emerged from the pile, giving the bodies an unblinking, bone-chilling stare.

Gilderoy had said the Red Death killed gryphons outright, but that it turned ponies into abominations. Twilight saw just how true his words rang.

“Sweet Harmonia...” Tick Tock mumbled.

The festering crowd of once-ponies began to trot towards them, though their pace could only be described as a shamble. The sounds from around the group of still-living ponies grew louder, and soon, through the black fog, they could see pairs of red eyes pinpricked in the distance; more of the rotten things were coming.

Twilight and her friends crowded closer together, unsure where they could flee to. Their faces went white with horror. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, and Flathoof formed a protective ring around the others.

“Okay everypony, d-don’t p-panic,” Twilight stammered. She cleared her throat to dismiss her nervousness; this was no time to sound afraid, this was a time to sound like a leader. She lit her horn in preparation for what she knew was coming. “Just stay calm, and we’ll figure out a way out of this, and through these things.”

Rarity kept close to Fluttershy, who was a trembling mess, in the center of the formation. “W-w-what are they, Twilight?!”

“Z-z-zombies!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Oh come on, you guys, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Pinkie dismissed, her voice astoundingly calm. “Sure, they’re zombies, but really, how cliché is that? They’re just dead ponies animated by some horrible dark magic with the intention of devouring our flesh, chewing on our bones, then adding us to their number in the most gruesome and bloody ways possible.”

Fluttershy wailed at the top of her lungs and clung closer to Rarity, pulling the unicorn into a vice-like embrace.

Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin. “Huh, well, when you put it that way...” She paused, then threw her hooves in the air in panic. “Aaahhh! Zombies! Aaahhh!”

“This don’t look good,” Applejack muttered. She shifted into an aggressive stance, ready to charge at the nearest thing that came at her or her friends. “There’s so many of ‘em.”

“So what?” Rainbow scoffed, taking a step forward and flaring her wings. “Pinkie’s right, there’s nothing to be afraid of. We’ve got these new superpowers now, right? We’ll push our way through, no problem!” She pointed her hoof eastward, where the majority of the once-ponies were approaching from. “AJ, you take the left side, and I’ll take the right. Twilight, push through the center. Everypony else, stay close and provide support.”

“That won’t be necessary, Rainbow,” Twilight said. 

She stepped forward, planted her hooves, and flared her horn, generating a shining shield of light around her and her friends. The gooey muck beneath their hooves thinned slightly under the light of the shield, enough to allow Twilight and her friends to stand still without the stuff climbing up their legs. Twilight knew it wasn’t her biggest barrier ever, nor was it her most impressive, but she did know that it was designed expressly to keep her friends safe, and that made it more powerful than any barrier she’d ever created before. Nothing would get through, so long as she could help it.

The abominations approached Twilight’s barrier like a horde of insects. The first to reach the shield wall pounded away uselessly at it, unable to affect its stability in the slightest. Soon, the mass of creatures behind the first line clamored over their brethren and scaled the smooth, rounded sides of the dome. It was not long before the entire bubble was covered in the things, forming a mass so thick that Twilight couldn’t see through them. All she could see were their rotten black bodies flailing against her barrier, their bright red eyes focused on their unreachable prey. 

The sight was rather unsettling.

“See? Simple and efficient, if I do say so myself,” Twilight said, turning her bright, proud smile upon her friends. “This is probably my most effective barrier spell ever.” She paused, her cheeks reddening in sudden realization. “Er... uh, n-not to brag, or anything.”

“Far be it from me to heap praise upon our glorious savior,” Tick Tock scoffed.

Rarity shot Tick Tock an angry look, then turned back to Twilight with a smile. “Trust me, Twilight, I’d be more than happy to listen to you be proud for once than to deal with what’s out there,” she said. She shuddered as she watched the horrors on the other side of the field gnash their rotten teeth and pound away with their sharpened, decayed hooves. “Simply dreadful doesn’t even begin to cover it...”

“On second thought, these zombies aren’t so scary,” Pinkie said thoughtfully.

“I beg to differ—" Twilight started to say as she turned to Pinkie. Her jaw dropped. “Um... Pinkie? What happened to your clothes?”

Pinkie had, without anypony noticing, changed her entire wardrobe. She wore a light gray shirt and a dark gray beret; the beret and the sleeves of her shirt bore an insignia that read S.T.A.R.S. Armored braces covered her shoulders, and she wore a pair of dark gray, tight-fitting pants. A belt around her waist was loaded with assorted tools, and a strap around her leg held a tool that looked similar to the weapon the pegasus soldier used back at the Gate; Flathoof had called it a “gun”. She also wore black boots on all four hooves.

“Do you like it?” Pinkie asked, grinning and showing off her new duds to the others. “I figured I’d change into something more appropriate, what with the zombies and the survival horror sequence and all.” She reached her hoof back and drew the weapon from its holster, striking a pose. “Nothing beats classic Valentine. Especially not a bunch of weakling zombies.”

“Who or what is a Valentine, darling?” Rarity asked, looking over the outfit with interest. “And what makes this such a ‘classic’?”

“It looks like a police uniform, almost,” Flathoof noted. “What’s S.T.A.R.S.?”

Pinkie opened her mouth to answer, but Tick Tock interrupted. “It means Stop Talking And Return to Strategizing. As in, everypony shut up, because may I remind you that all that’s changed is, instead of us being surrounded by a horde of bloody abominations, we’re surrounded by a stationary magic shield that’s surrounded by a horde of bloody abominations. Sparkle has merely given us some time to think; let’s not waste it.”

“That’s not even close to what it stands for,” Pinkie said.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Normally, Tick Tock, I’d agree with you. Today, however, is not a normal day. I’m not going to use this barrier to just sit and think of a plan; the barrier is the plan. We’ll use it to quite literally force our way through this mass of creatures.”

“A far-fetched plan, if there ever was one,” Tick Tock replied, shaking her head. She sighed. “I know you’re powerful, Sparkle, but—"

“I know normally that physically moving a barrier is rather difficult,” Twilight interrupted, “but... I think that with my friends to support me, I can do it.”

She turned to her friends and smiled, knowing that her friends wouldn’t let her down. They smiled right back, and just seeing them safe made Twilight’s magic surge through her. Without hesitation, she took a step to the east, and the barrier moved with her, keeping its shape and pushing the abominations aside like a bulldozer. Another step, and the barrier followed. The effort put some strain on Twilight’s magic, but so long as she knew her friends were behind her, supporting, and most importantly, protected by her, she felt no weakness.

Tick Tock hummed as she followed along. “Hmm... impressive. Okay, Sparkle, I’ll admit your plan has merit. I remind you, however, that with how bloody thick the crowd of these things is, we’re moving at a snail’s pace. We have miles to cover. Are you certain you can handle this?”

“Like she said, as long as she has us by her side, she can do anything!” Rainbow cheered. She swept through the air inside the shield, scraping the edges and making faces at the horde outside. “So maybe I don’t get to bust a few zombie heads, this is still pretty cool!”

“And if she needs a little extra ‘oomph’, as it were, she need only ask,” Rarity added, trotting up alongside Twilight, Fluttershy in tow. She flipped her mane and let out a small laugh. “Now do you see why we put our faith in you, darling?”

Twilight grunted and nodded. “I suppose...” She sighed, and shook her head. “Don’t be too quick to thank me, though; we’re not on the other side yet. Truth be told, I don’t know if I can keep this up the entire way across.”

“You’ll do fine, Twi,” Applejack said, clapping Twilight on the back. “What’s the worse that could—"

The ground beneath Twilight shook, and it was only through sheer reflexes that she leapt back enough to avoid one of the abominations erupting from the tainted earth, swiping at air. A soft rumble around Twilight alerted her to more of the things burrowing their way beneath her and her friends. She frantically tried to think of how they were getting past her barrier, when a thought came to mind: Gilderoy had mentioned that the Red Death had been able to seep beneath the otherwise impenetrable barrier around Aeropolis; who was to say they couldn’t do the same to any barrier? How, then, was the Warden’s barrier able to keep them in?

Her train of thought crashed when Tick Tock blasted the abomination in front of Twilight with a burst of magic. Twilight fought the urge to vomit for the second time in the past hour; the creature’s head had quite literally exploded in a burst of rancid gore. This did nopony any favors; some of the others were puking, much as Twilight and Applejack had done earlier, with only Rainbow, Pinkie, and Flathoof seeming able to stomach the sight.

“So much for that, Sparkle,” Tick Tock murmured. Her horn was aglow, ready to blast the next zombie who popped out to attack. “Any more bright ideas? Or should we ask our resident ‘zombie expert’?”

Twilight turned to Pinkie for a second, then second-guessed the idea.

“We could always clear them out,” Rainbow offered. She swept upwards. “Ow!” Her head struck the interior of the shield before she got very high up.

“We don’t got much room ta move ‘round and keep these things off us,” Applejack noted, though it was obvious at this point. She turned to Twilight. “Don’t suppose y’all could make the field bigger?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Once the barrier is cast, I can only adjust its shape, not its size. I could adjust the shape of the barrier to give us more room, but it’d be so insignificant a difference that it wouldn’t help. No... I think perhaps that Rainbow’s original plan is our best option here. We’re going to have to fight our way out.”

“Are you daft, Sparkle?” Tick Tock scoffed. “That horde out there must be hundreds deep by now. You can’t possibly expect us to try and push our way through—"

“It’s either that, or focus entirely on keeping these things from attacking us from below, something I can’t help with since I have to concentrate on pushing forward. I don’t doubt you, Tick Tock, nor do I doubt my friends, but if too many of them come at once, we don’t have the room to avoid getting injured. If we’re out in the open, we can form our own perimeter of sorts, and I can assist with combat. Plus, we’ll likely be able to move more quickly.”

Tick Tock frowned, grumbling. She then sighed in defeat. “A fair point, Sparkle. We’ll fight our way through.” 

Rainbow pumped her hoof. “Oh yeah, now we’re talking! Everypony can just stand back and watch the master at work.” She thumped her chest and flared her wings. “These zombies don’t stand a chance against Rainbow Dash, Zombie Slayer!”

Twilight knew the battle ahead would be hectic, so it needed to be as organized as possible to prevent anypony from getting hurt. Her mind immediately went into Team Leader mode, and without a second thought, she began rattling off orders at her friends as though they were part of a military unit.

“Rainbow, you take the skies and keep the pegasi off us. AJ, you and Flathoof cover the rear. Pinkie, you take the sides. Tick Tock and I will focus on the front, but call us if you have any trouble with unicorns; I don’t know if these things can still use magic. Rarity, Fluttershy, you two provide support to whoever needs it. Lockwood—" Twilight paused to stare at Lockwood, who still looked a bit winded from walking, and had never shown any combat utility before. She sighed. “Just... stay safe, and keep lookout. Don’t let anypony get snuck up on.”

Nopony questioned a word Twilight said, and followed her commands to the letter.

Except one.

“Um... T-Twilight?” Fluttershy peeped. “I d-d-don’t know—"

Twilight sighed again, and put her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, giving the timid pegasus as kind a smile as she could manage. “If there’s any way you can use Ophanim to help, Fluttershy, we’d be grateful... but nopony’s forcing you to choose what form he’ll take just yet. If you can’t help that way, then help Lockwood with an extra pair of eyes and watch our surroundings. Okay?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Okay...”

Twilight turned to the east, and took a deep breath. “Okay everypony, on three. One—"

Applejack and Flathoof ground their hooves into the muck beneath them; a thin sheet of rock had already coated some of Applejack’s body. Tick Tock stood at Twilight’s side, lighting up her horn.

“Two—"

Rainbow lifted off the ground a few inches, preparing for takeoff. Pinkie dramatically cocked her weapon.

“Three!”

Twilight flared her horn, and her shield exploded in a fearsome burst of colorful lights. The blast was powerful enough to send hordes of the abominations flying away, clearing a wide berth around Twilight and her friends and giving them ample room to move. In the process, she left a lingering ring of her magic surrounding her friends to ward off any of the creatures that approached; it wasn’t as effective as a true barrier, but it would help keep them from being overwhelmed, Twilight hoped.

Rainbow was the first to go on the offensive, soaring straight into the air with a blast of wind. Several of the creatures that were once pegasi took off in pursuit, until Rainbow had a large trail of them following her. They were significantly slower than she was, giving her more than enough room to sweep down and lure more of them after her.

Once she had amassed a significant number of pursuers, she kicked her hind legs together to form her lightning trail, then looped around and dove straight towards the creatures, challenging them to a game of chicken. The creatures at the front of the pack opened their mouths wide, baring their sharp teeth that could tear through her flesh like tissue paper.

She swerved to the side at the last instant, then zig-zagged her way through the swarm as a living bolt of lightning. Her lightning trail connected with each and every abomination in the swarm, sending them into fierce convulsions as billions of volts of electricity ripped through their bodies. The energy exerted by the lightning disrupted the magic keeping the once-pegasi together; many of them fell to the ground, the magic no longer able to make their wings work, while others were torn apart in bursts of rancid flesh and bone.

“Booyah! Rainbow Dash, Zombie Slayer is on the job!” Rainbow cheered.

Twilight watched the display with relief; Rainbow could handle herself, so long as she didn’t do anything foolish. Meanwhile, she and the rest of her friends had formed their ring of defense, and were beginning to push eastward, albeit at a slow pace. Tick Tock seemed unbothered by the rotten gore the creatures burst into when blasted by her magic, and continued forward unabated. Twilight found it hard to keep up, not for lack of power or speed, but for lack of stomach.

She took a breath to regain her composure, then unleashed dozens of magical bursts in rapid succession in a wide arc in front of her. The streams of light were effective at sweeping through the horde, but the going remained slow; it seemed that every time one of the putrid things was destroyed, another had already taken its place, clamoring over what was left of its predecessor.

As they pushed forward, the abominations grew more bold in their assault; Twilight noticed this coincided with the resurgence of the red gunk beneath her hooves. It was still a bothersome thought, however, as at first she’d assumed the creatures weren’t able to form enough coherent thought to strategize. And by strategize, she meant form battle lines; the earth pony zombies pushed themselves to the front, taking the brunt of Twilight and Tick Tock’s attacks, while the unicorn zombies remained in the rear and used their magic to attack.

That particular fact surprised Twilight: the unicorns could still use magic. Their spells were weak and easy to deflect, but they glowed with a sickening black-red light unlike any magic Twilight had ever seen. Twilight could only really describe the magic as feeling wrong. It was an affront to all things magical.

“We’re getting nowhere, fast,” Tick Tock grunted. She lifted up a barrier to block another unicorn bolt that screeched towards her; as expected, the blast wasn’t strong enough to really bother Tick Tock at all. “At this rate, I’m more worried about having to carve a path through the bloody things than any of them actually reaching us.”

“Hopefully, my ward will make sure that stays the case,” Twilight added. “It seems to be doing the job so far.”

She lit up her horn and let loose another stream of light, slicing her way through another batch of creatures. Her ward ring expanded to help her and Tick Tock push forward. She turned to her friends behind her; she knew that when her ward moved forward, the rear end of the ring would temporarily weaken as it caught up. She wasn’t about to let Applejack, Flathoof, or Pinkie deal with too many of these abominations if she had anything to say about it.

***

Rarity bit her hoof anxiously as she watched her friends do battle with the horrid creatures all around her. She wanted to help, but was unsure who needed her the most. Twilight and Tick Tock were making some headway through the masses of black, rotten bodies, but even now, Twilight was looking her way. Did she need assistance?

“There's so many of them!” Flathoof exclaimed.

Ah! Perhaps that is my cue!

Flathoof had turned to shout for only a second, but that was enough time for one of the things to pounce at him. 

Applejack slammed into the creature. It shattered apart the second she made impact.

“Stay focused, ya big galoot!” she snapped, turning her attention back to the approaching horde. “Could use a lil’ pick-me-up, Rarity! The ground here feels sick, so I need all the help I can get coaxin’ it out!”

“Certainly, darling!” Rarity called. She turned to Fluttershy, who’d been clinging to Lockwood for dear life, despite the stallion looking like he’d be about as useful in a fight as a wet tissue. “Fluttershy, dear, stay close to Lockwood, understand? Things are getting pretty hectic, but...” She paused, trying to think of the best words. She settled on: “He’ll keep you out of danger.”

“Oh, b-but I want to help,” Fluttershy peeped. Ophanim’s orb burst out of the Bonding Bracelet and began looping excitedly around Fluttershy’s head so fast that he was nothing more than a blur of light.

Rarity shook her head. “Nonsense, darling, it's much too dangerous.”

“Dagnabit Rarity, c'mon!” Applejack snapped.

“Coming!”

Rarity cantered over to Flathoof and Applejack, then flared her horn and bathed the pair in the white glow of her empowering magic. While Flathoof seemed unaffected for now, the effect on Applejack was immediate and obvious: her fur coat became covered in solid earth, a much thicker sheet than before.

One of the creatures leapt at Applejack while she was occupied with another, its mouth open wide. It latched onto her side and bit down on her neck, expecting to sink its sharp, black fangs into soft, tasty meat. All it got instead was a mouthful of rock, shattering its teeth. Applejack effortlessly shrugged the zombie off and swung her tail, which, like the rest of her body, was made of solid rock, down at the creature’s head. She crushed it like a grape, splattering rancid goo all over herself.

“Well now, if that ain’t somethin’ useful,” Applejack commented, swinging her new club-like tail about in appreciation.

Rarity blanched at the horrid sight. “Oh my, how gruesome,” she gagged. “Could you not be so- aiieee!”

Rarity, so focused was she on Applejack’s display, hadn’t noticed one of the creatures leap at her until it was too late. She raised her hooves in front of her in a futile effort to defend herself.

Flathoof rammed into the thing with more speed than Rarity had thought him capable of. The impact carried so much force that the creature literally disintegrated in a spray of red and black mist.

“Oh... oh my,” Rarity breathed. “Thank you, Flathoof! I thought for sure that I was a goner.”

“Just stay close to me, Miss Rarity,” Flathoof insisted, blocking Rarity with his body. “None of these things are gonna come near you, I promise. Whatever that magic of yours did, it seems to have made me stronger. There ain’t no way I could’ve done what I just did on my own.”

“You did seem to move awfully fast, darling. It seems your talent really is protecting others.”

“Enough yappin’ yer gums back there!” Applejack spat. She shook off another of the creatures that had pounced upon her, but as she went to crush its head as she’d done before, another tackled her to the ground. “Dagnabit, they don’t let up! Just ‘cause I’m made o’ rock don’t mean I like being covered in these gross things!”

***

Pinkie lifted her pistol and took careful aim at the horde of zombies in front of her, watching for the first of them to dare step over Twilight’s ward ring. Their scurrying, shambling forms writhed on the other side of the invisible barrier, apparently unsure if they wanted to risk crossing it. It was strange, seeing zombies act this way; they certainly didn’t have the same mindless, unrelenting, self-destructive tendencies as the ones in Pinkie’s movies and games did.

Then, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She swiveled around and aimed at the horrid thing that had stumbled across Twilight’s ward, and even now moved towards the two unicorns at the front of the formation of living ponies. The ward itself had no effect on the creature’s formidability; it seemed to Pinkie as if all the ward did was function like repellent. It was time to do her job and defend the formation’s flanks.

“Okay,” Pinkie whispered to herself, “rule number one: aim for the head, destroy the brain.”

She squeezed the trigger just once. The bullet tore through the skull of the rotten creature without much effort; it slumped to the ground, unmoving.

As Twilight and Tick Tock continued pushing forward, the ward ring shifted to keep up with its caster. During these movements, the ward seemed to weaken, and the zombies pushed through it more easily. Pinkie worked her hardest to cover both sides of the formation by herself; Applejack and Flathoof were needed at the rear end, where the ward was at its weakest, and Twilight and Tick Tock were too focused on pushing forward to divert too much attention elsewhere. But, as they moved closer and closer towards their goal, the zombies seemed to grow bolder and bolder, brazenly pushing past Twilight’s ward in greater numbers.

Pinkie popped off several more shots, taking out a single zombie with each one. Just as the last zombie fell, she squeezed the trigger once more, unsure if her shot had been fatal; the gun gave a loud click. Out of ammo. But, as she reached for her holster to grab another magazine, another pack of zombies began pushing past the ward. Pinkie glanced at her pistol, and frowned.

“I’m gonna need more than this dinky thing,” she muttered.

She holstered her pistol in one swift movement, then reached around to her back to pull a grenade launcher from her pack. To an outside observer, it would seem impossible that she’d pulled such a large weapon from such a small satchel; to Pinkie, it was just a matter of inventory management. She double-checked to make sure she’d loaded a round in the chamber, then took aim and fired.

The trio of zombies in front of her exploded in a burst of flame, shrapnel, and putrid filth.

“Boom,” Pinkie said in a deep, masculine voice. She cracked a small smile as she lifted another round from her pack to reload.

That was when her eye caught a strange sight: one of the zombie’s burned, rotten remains glowed purple. Warily, she stepped away from her post to approach the glowing carcass. She rummaged in the remains for only a second—disgusting as that was—until she fished out a massive metal sword, decorated with a deep purple blade and a golden hilt with a bright red jewel in the middle.

“Oh wow, sweet loot!” Pinkie cheered, her excitement almost palpable. “[Ragnarok] huh? Let’s check the stats... ooh, plus fifty to Awesomeness? That’s best-in-slot!” She twirled the blade around a little, getting a feel for the weight. Then, satisfied, she went to put it in her satchel. “I’ll save this for later. Melee weapons are terrible for zombie slaying, what with putting you in just the right range to get bit.”

To Pinkie’s consternation, however, she couldn’t place the weapon in her bag.

“Huh? What gives?” She paused, then giggled. “Oh, right. I’m in a party! Gotta roll for it first.” She reached into her mane and pulled out a one hundred-sided die. She rolled it in the muck. Ninety-nine. “Booyah!”

She tried to put it in her bag again. Still, nothing.

“Oh c’mon, who else is rolling on this thing?” she grumbled. She glanced back at her friends; all of them seemed too focused on their own thing to be rolling dice for loot. Could any of them even equip a two-hoofed sword? “Okay, which one of you is rolling on it?”

Then, inexplicably, the sword disappeared from out of her hoof.

“Bwuh?”

She frantically looked about, and then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of another pink pony. Said pink pony was clad in an all-black ensemble: long, baggy pants, a shirt with no sleeves whatsoever, and a metal shoulder pad on her left shoulder. Pinkie glanced at the ground; another die was there, black just like the other pony’s outfit, and it read a perfect one hundred.

“Oh my...” She glared at the other pony. “Ninja! Ninjaaa!”

Pinkie chased after the other pink mare, but she was already gone, disappeared through the hordes of abominations—abominations, incidentally, that seemed resolute to not disturb Pinkie through all of this.

Pinkie raised her hooves to the sky. “FFFUUUDGE!”

***

Fluttershy shirked away from the carnage surrounding her, desperate to avoid being caught in all the gruesome action. While at first she’d wanted to help, the more violence she saw, the more she second-guessed herself. Seeing her friends tearing through hordes of these creatures that had once been living, breathing ponies just like her chilled her to the bone. She wasn’t sure she had the stomach to participate.

Ophanim orbited Fluttershy’s head in frantic, erratic movements, reacting to her anxiety; she could feel his worry in her mind, and knew he wanted nothing more than to be given the opportunity to protect her. Some animal spirits had followed her into this awful place, and even they were reacting to her terror, desperate to chase away her fears. Their empathy warmed her heart, but at the same time, filled her with dread.

Fluttershy knew that if she wanted to help, she needed to make a choice. Which of these spirit beasts would help the most? The animal would need to be something fierce, obviously a predator; it would also need to be strong enough to handle the monsters that surrounded her and her friends; it would also likely need to be agile enough to deal with multiple creatures at once without getting bogged down.

So focused was Fluttershy on trying to come to a decision, that she did not notice the hordes of abominations around her push through Twilight’s ward. She did not notice Pinkie’s explosive barrage fail to take out the entire pack. She did not notice one of the survivors leap at the closest prey it could find: her.

“Fluttershy!”

Lockwood’s voice shook Fluttershy from her reverie, and she turned to see the rotten, blackened body of one of the once-ponies coming down on her. In her terror, she couldn’t even make a sound. She froze, eyes wide, as the creature bore down on her like a wolf upon a rabbit.

Just inches from her face, the creature was knocked aside. Lockwood had tackled it, much as she’d seen Flathoof and Applejack do. But Lockwood was neither Flathoof nor Applejack; he did not have their physique, and he was still weak from taking on Fluttershy’s condition. The abomination easily turned the tables on him, and had him pinned to the ground.

“Lockwood!” Fluttershy screamed. “Somepony! Help!”

Applejack turned her head in Fluttershy’s direction, but only for a second before she was set upon by another pack of zombies.

Lockwood pushed the creature off of himself as best he could, then attempted to scramble away.

The putrid predator was undeterred, and pounced upon him again, sinking its rancid fangs into the base of his left wing.

Lockwood’s agonizing pain bled through into his scream.

Fluttershy’s world collapsed around her. “No!”

There was a blinding flash of light. In a blur of movement, a glowing form ripped through the air around Fluttershy’s head and sprung upon the horror that now attempted to prey upon Lockwood. The figure of white mist latched onto the zombie’s torso, and in a swift motion, flung it off of Lockwood.

The zombie recovered surprisingly quickly, and attempted to assault its attacker. The white mist opened its great maw wide, showing off its solid white fangs, and clamped down on the zombie’s head. With a sharp crunch, the zombie’s head was nothing more than a putrid glob of remains; it’s remaining body fell, motionless, to the ground.

Ophanim, now in the form of a great wolf, turned its head to Fluttershy, then was by her side in an instant. He stalked around her, preparing to assault the next abomination that dared to get close.

Fluttershy couldn’t believe her eyes. “Oph... Ophanim?”

A pained groan from Lockwood drew Fluttershy’s attention. She galloped to his side and knelt beside him.

“Lockwood!” she exclaimed. Her worry turned to panic; he’d been injured. “Oh... oh no... th-th-this is all m-my fault!”

“Hey... relax, Fluttershy,” Lockwood murmured as he struggled to his knees. “I’m alri—" He winced, and collapsed back the to ground. “Augh... ah... oww. Okay... moving, not a good- aaughh!” 

Fluttershy glanced at his wing to see what was causing him such pain, and her eyes widened in horror. The putrid red gunk on the ground was no longer content to sit and cling harmlessly to his coat. The horrible material had oozed up his side and melted into his coat, skin, and worse, his wound; it writhed around the bloody gash like a mass of worms, seeping into his body at an alarming rate.

Fluttershy desperately tried to scrape the disgusting stuff off of him, but found she wasn’t making any headway whatsoever. She didn’t know what to do. But, she knew somepony who might.

***

Twilight cut through another line of abominations and pushed her ward circle forward again. The pace she and Tick Tock had been making was beginning to slow; her partner was growing tired, and the hordes of monsters before them still seemed as endless as ever. She’d been forced to double her efforts; for every one of the zombies she or Tick Tock destroyed, it seemed that two more took its place. At this rate, it would take hours just to make it midway through this horrible place.

“Twilight! Twilight, we need you back here!”

Twilight turned back to the source of the voice. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy!? What’s wrong?!”

“Lockwood’s hurt! We need you!”

Twilight bit her lip. How had one of her friends gotten hurt? She thought she’d perfectly divided the group’s duties such that everypony would be safe. She turned her attention to Tick Tock, who, in Twilight’s brief moment of distraction, had taken up the offensive.

“Tick Tock—"

“I know, I heard,” Tick Tock grunted. “I just knew that bloody useless twit wouldn’t be able to keep himself out of trouble.”

“Do you think you can keep things under control here?”

Tick Tock deflected another foul unicorn bolt away, then countered with a blast of her own. “I’m not confident in my chances, but what choice do I have? Go on, Sparkle, get going.”

Twilight nodded, then flared her horn and wiped out the closest batch of zombies to her ward circle, hoping to give Tick Tock some breathing room. She then turned and galloped to where Fluttershy was, though she became distracted for a moment by the glowing white wolf nearby that was tearing apart abominations as they clamored across the ward circle. Twilight detected the familiar essence of Zoolomancy magic radiating from the creature.

“Is that... Ophanim?” Twilight asked.

“Twilight, focus! Lockwood needs help!” Fluttershy chided.

“Okay, I’m here, just relax,” Twilight said. 

She lit up her horn and channeled her magic to coat Lockwood’s body to clear off the red ooze that had swarmed over him. Almost immediately, she could see his wound, and gasped in horror at the sight. A deep, bloody gash had been torn into his side at the base of his wing, and she could see traces of the Blood Mire’s red goo still lingering inside, writhing about as though it were alive.

“Don’t... worry about it. It’s just a... a scratch, okay? I’ll be fine,” Lockwood murmured. The breathlessness of his voice and the agonized expression on his face didn’t lend any support to his words. 

Twilight immediately lit up her horn and began casting a healing spell, strengthening her ward circle in the process to give her more room to concentrate. However, after spending several minutes attempting to patch up Lockwood’s injury, she realized her magic was having no luck in healing the wound at all. Even a wound as severe as this should have taken no more than seconds to seal, but every time she managed to close it up, it reopened again; Lockwood recoiled in pain each and every time. Twilight attempted using more power in her spell, yet still her efforts went to waste.

“This is bad,” she murmured, panicked. “This is very bad. Why isn’t my Restomancy working? This doesn’t make any sense!”

“Please, Twilight! You have to do something!” Fluttershy pleaded.

Lockwood glanced up at Fluttershy and attempted to smile and hide his pain. He failed miserably. “D-don’t worry about me, Fluttershy, I’m just... f-fine...”

“You need to stop talking, and conserve your energy,” Twilight said. “I don’t know why my magic isn’t working, so I’m going to need more time to examine your injury. But, this is neither the time nor the place to do so. We need to get moving, now.” 

She turned to the rear of the formation, where Flathoof, Applejack, and Rarity were still keeping the hordes of abominations at bay. “Flathoof! Applejack! Change of plans! I need somepony up here, now!”

“On mah way, sugarcube!” Applejack called back.

“Let me,” Flathoof said. “You can handle these things better than I can.”

“Fine, just quit yappin’ and get movin’!”

Flathoof galloped over, faster than Twilight had ever seen him move, and immediately went into a panic as he saw Lockwood on the ground, wounded. “Lockwood! What happened?!”

“No time to explain,” Twilight said. She rose to her hooves, brushing off some of the goo that was sticking to her in the process. “We need to get him to safety before his condition gets any worse. You’re going to carry him. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” Flathoof said with a salute. He leaned down to Lockwood and, with Fluttershy’s help, hefted him up onto his back. “There we go, buddy. Don’t you worry, we’re getting you out of here. You’re gonna be alright, you hear me?”

“My hero,” Lockwood chuckled. He then coughed, and groaned in pain. “Oww... it hurts to laugh...”

Twilight turned to Applejack and Rarity in the rear, and shouted, “AJ! Rarity! Lockwood’s hurt, so we need to get a move on! Tick Tock and I are going to push through, and we’re going to be moving fast! No ward circle, just a fast eastward push! Stick close to us so you don’t fall behind!”

Rarity immediately cantered forward to meet up with the others. She grimaced when she saw Lockwood’s wound. “Oh my, this is awful! Is he—"

“We’ll talk later, Rarity,” Twilight said. She turned back to Applejack. “AJ! Are you coming?!”

Applejack shrugged off one of the abominations that had managed to squirm its way past Twilight’s ward spell, and crushed its head with her hoof. “I’ll keep the rear covered, sugarcube!” she called back before turning to face the horde again. “These here things ain’t got nothin’ on me, y’all just move on ahead!”

“Right!”

Twilight then turned to Pinkie, who stood dutifully by her side, scanning the collection of creatures for movement; Twilight wasn’t sure where she’d gotten the cumbersome object she now carried in her hooves, but if she’d been using it to defend the group, then it was a welcome addition.

“Pinkie, you stick close too, okay? Tick Tock and I are going to need you to help keep our sides covered.”

Pinkie nodded. “You got it, Twilight. S.T.A.R.S. always comes through in a pinch, I promise. Though I might need just a teensy bit more firepower.”

Pinkie reached back and placed the cumbersome weapon into the small satchel on her back; Twilight couldn’t wrap her brain around how such a large object could fit into such a small space, but decided not to ask. While Pinkie was fumbling around in said satchel for “more firepower”, Twilight turned to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy, do you think you and Ophanim can help Pinkie keep us covered, too?”

Fluttershy nodded, though her attention was still mostly on Lockwood’s limp body hanging over Flathoof’s back.

Twilight returned the nod, then turned to canter back up to Tick Tock’s side. To her relief, her empowered ward circle had been enough to keep Tick Tock from getting overwhelmed, but the green unicorn was growing tired; her mane was matted with sweat, and her horn’s glow was slightly dimmer than Twilight remembered it being just minutes earlier. Twilight cleared out the front line of abominations creeping over her ward.

Tick Tock breathed a sigh of relief. “About time, Sparkle. What’s the situation?”

“Lockwood is hurt, so we’re getting out of here. Get ready to move fast,” Twilight explained. She stepped in front of Tick Tock and flared her horn; her ward circle expanded, glowing bright purple as it did so and forcing the monsters back. “This should buy us some space to start moving.”

“I hope your new plan to clear a way through is better than the last one,” Tick Tock scoffed. Twilight detected a hint of worry, though, not indignant aggravation. “They’re endless, they are, and my magic just isn’t strong enough to handle more than one or two at a time. I’m getting proper knackered already, and we’ve not even made good distance yet.”

“How much further is the other side?”

Tick Tock pulled out her map and gave it a quick once-over. “If we were to move at our previous pace, we’d be at the other end in three hours.”

Twilight frowned. “We don’t have that kind of time. Looks like we’re going to have to put everything we have into moving faster. I want us to the other side in under an hour; Lockwood’s wound needs immediate treatment.”

“You’re asking a lot,” Tick Tock grumbled. “That’s a full gallop, that is. Are you sure we can push forward at that speed?”

Twilight grunted, and flared her horn even brighter; the light was such that Tick Tock had to shield her eyes for a moment to adjust to its luster. “I am. Just do me one favor.”

“Yes?”

“Stand back.”

Tick Tock obliged.

Twilight ground her hooves into the thinning muck beneath her, and turned all of her focus inward, concentrating on strengthening her magic to get her friends to safety. Her mind was clouded with doubt that she’d be able to do so; already, one of her friends had suffered a critical, potential life-threatening injury, and her magic had been unable to heal him. Would another of her friends fall if she pushed forward too hard and fast? Would her magic be as useless in helping them as it was Lockwood?

No, she thought. That wouldn’t happen. She would not let that happen. Her friends trusted in her still; despite Lockwood’s injury, they did not doubt her, and only supported her plan to escape this wretched place. She wouldn’t let them down. 

Her magic flowed fluidly throughout her body, filling her horn with so much magic that it became a star in the black mist that hung in the air. The power was such that even her body became luminescent, and when she opened her eyes to look upon the hordes of monstrosities that stood between her and her friends, they shined with the purest white possible.

She sucked in a breath, and her ward circle followed the action, retracting inward until it just barely surrounded her friends, then evaporating into nothingness; she and her friends no longer had a boundary to stave off their attackers. Twilight had faith that they would not need one.

“Out of the way.”

She unleashed her spell. Her horn released a terrifying mass of magical bolts that sprayed in an arc in front of her, ripping apart the rotten creatures like paper.

“Stay close to me and pick off anything that I miss,” she said, addressing Tick Tock.

“Right,” Tick Tock agreed.

***

Tick Tock, exhausted after expending so much magical energy, struggled to keep up with the other ponies rushing eastward: Twilight led the way, clearing a path with her magic yet not showing the slightest hint of slowing down; Flathoof kept pace just behind her, Lockwood draped over his back, and despite the extra load seemed none the worse for wear—if anything, he was moving faster than Tick Tock had ever seen him move; Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie trailed just behind them, in part due to not having to focus much on defending themselves—Ophanim, now a great wolf made of white mist, was doing most of the work, though Pinkie did her fair share wielding what Tick Tock recognized as an assault rifle. Only Rainbow and Applejack were not leaving her in the dust, the former due to being completely out of sight in the air, the latter due to purposefully keeping her pace slow to stay at Tick Tock’s side.

“I can see the eastern boundary of the barrier!” Twilight called; her voice seemed so distant, despite being not too far ahead. She sped forward faster. “We’re almost there, everypony, just keep moving!”

While everypony else hastened their pace to keep up with Twilight, Tick Tock found herself unable to do the same; it was hard enough just keeping the pace she was.

“C’mon, ya darned tea-chugger!” Applejack spat as she drew up alongside Tick Tock. “Pick up the pace! Y’all’re fallin’ behind!”

“Well, forgive me if I don’t quite have the stamina of other ponies after using up most of my magic!” Tick Tock spat back. “If you’re so bloody concerned with keeping up, then maybe- oof!”

Tick Tock wasn’t sure what she’d caught her leg on, but guessed that the red goop that even now attempted to tighten its grip around her was to blame.

“Dagnabit, now y’all just had ta trip too?!” Applejack snapped. She stopped moving to ward off the hordes of abominations that approached them; Tick Tock was thankful she hadn’t told the country bumpkin to just go on ahead. “C’mon, giddyup! Don’t just lie there!”

Tick Tock scowled at Applejack as she struggled her way to her hooves. Then, she noticed that the horde of fetid creatures around her and Applejack had not only stopped approaching them, but was ignoring them to continue pursuit of Twilight and the others, who had gotten so far ahead that Tick Tock couldn’t even see them. Only a piddling number of the creatures remained to harass Applejack.

But, before she could even wonder what was going on, she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye: the faint glimmer of light reflecting off of metal. She didn’t question how the metal was reflecting light—seeing as there was hardly any light at all in this loathsome place—because she was too focused on defending herself from the approaching weapon.

She raised a barrier in time to block a metal blade, and to her surprise, the blade and its wielder were not deflected.

That surprise lasted for all of a second when she caught sight of what was wielding the blade, and what the blade was. 

“Bloody hell...”

The pegasus was an abomination against life and magic, just like all the other rancid, rotten creatures that infested the region, of that much she was certain. Unlike the others, though, this one seemed more recently-deceased, as it retained distinct features that the others did not. It was still wearing clothes, a full body suit, to be precise, though it was so stained with blood and decay that she wasn’t sure what colors it had once been. This one’s body was less corroded by festering decomposition, and though she could not smell it through her breathing bubble, she was certain it smelled just as rank. None of this one’s limbs were missing, nor were any of them damaged such that foul magicks were needed to fill in for muscle or bone. One of its eyes had been destroyed, though, and glowed with the same dark red sheen that the others’ eyes did; the other eye, however, was intact. Through the goggles the creature wore, she could see that it had suffered from a broken blood vessel, as the white of the eye was red but the pupil was unblemished, and was colored a familiar green. 

The wings of the pegasus, however, were another confusing matter entirely. They weren’t made of flesh and bone, rotten or otherwise, nor were they composed of the same magicks as the other zombified pegasi. No, they were made of metal; the blade she’d seen this once-living pony wielding was in fact its wing. The metal was silver, and carried a luster to it that Tick Tock almost immediately recognized: pure obidium.

“Oh, bugger...” Tick Tock muttered. Pure obidium certainly explained the resistance this creature’s wings had against her barrier, and why the shield hadn’t deflected the putrid thing away. “Buck me, this isn’t good.”

The pegasus raised its other wing and struck the opposite side of Tick Tock’s bubble-shaped barrier, trapping Tick Tock between them. Her eyes widened in shock as the pegasus proceeded to use its wings to lift her, barrier and all, into the air; the force its wings exerted on her shield threatened to cut straight through.

Then, the creature dropped her, just in time to avoid having its head smashed by Applejack’s stone tail. Said tail, having missed its target, slammed into Tick Tock’s barrier instead. The force of the blow had been enough to break straight through her shield; Tick Tock gave Applejack some credit, but attributed most of it to exhaustion. It had been a wonder her shield had even resisted the zombie’s first attack.

As the pegasus bounded away to distance itself, Applejack turned to Tick Tock. “Y’all okay there?”

“Yes, for now,” Tick Tock panted. “Keep your guard up!”

The pegasus bolted forward and, to Tick Tock’s surprise, deftly swerved around Applejack’s wild, sloppy swing, and instead made a beeline straight for her. Applejack turned to pursue the thing, but at the most inopportune time, another pack of abominations burst out of the ground and tackled her, dragging her to the muck. 

Tick Tock was on her own dealing with the pegasus. She ducked under a wide, horizontal slash of one wing, then barely blocked the quick follow-up strike of the other with another shield.

The second strike, combined with the sloppy composition of the ground under her, knocked her off balance, and she toppled into the muck. The pegasus was quick to pounce upon her, and pinned her to the ground with its sharpened, cracked hooves. She supposed she was lucky that it hadn’t attempted to pierce her flesh, fearing that she’d end up in the same boat as Lockwood was.

She looked up at her assailant, and to her utter confusion, she could see it smiling at her. Confusion soon turned to terror: despite the thing’s rotted and missing teeth, she would know that smile anywhere. The pegasus leaned down, a low chuckle escaping its throat; Tick Tock knew that chuckle too. Then, the pegasus spoke in a voice that she also knew, though it now carried with it a deep, sinister reverb.

“Hello again, Chronomancer. And goodbye.”

Tick Tock paled as the zombified assassin brought one of his great metal wings up to her face.

Then, the pegasus snapped his head to glance to the side, but did not react in time to avoid being blown off of Tick Tock by a blast of lightning.

Tick Tock scrambled to get upright, then graciously accepted the stone-clad hoof that offered to help to her hooves. Applejack took a defensive stance by her side, and was joined by Rainbow Dash a second later. Tick Tock had never been happier to see these two mares.

She watched as the assassin recovered from Rainbow’s surprise attack almost instantly. She watched as he seemed to gauge his chances against the trio of mares. Then, she watched as he disappeared into the ground, nothing more than a black blot upon the sea of red goo. She could not help but stare at that spot for what felt like hours. Would he resurface and try to attack her again?

“We gotta get movin’,” Applejack said.

Tick Tock shook her head. Applejack had drawn her from her reverie, and she quickly evaluated the situation: without the assassin nearby, the other zombies seemed to have gained a renewed interest in the three mares, and had now surrounded them. Had he been controlling them somehow? Why else would they have dispersed to give him room to assail her?

“R-right,” she said, choking back traces of fear. “Sparkle’s liable to get too far ahead if we don’t make to catch up.”

“I’ll push through on my own,” Applejack said. She then turned to Rainbow. “Dash, y’all carry tea-chugger here ta Twilight ‘n’ th’ others. She ain’t much use by herself.”

Rainbow saluted. “You got it.”

Before Rainbow could so much as move, a blast of light scoured its way through the eastern pack of abominations, clearing a wide path.

“Girls! Come on!” Twilight shouted from the clearing. “The others are waiting on the other side of the barrier! Let’s go!”

The trio of mares didn’t need to be told twice.

***

Twilight and her friends kept galloping, and galloping, and galloping, until at last they passed through the barrier and made their escape out into the eastern Wasteland. As expected, the horrible creatures within that loathsome place had been unable to follow, so now the only company she had was that of her friends, and thankfully not hordes of zombified, decaying ponies. She knew that now, at last, she and her friends were in the clear. This allowed her to take the proper time to examine Lockwood. Now that she had more light, time, and room to work with, she could get a good, clear look at just how bad his injury was. The others circled around her and her patient, though apart from Fluttershy, they all kept their distance.

The sight wasn’t pretty. The wound was deep, deeper than Twilight thought was possible from the bite of a pony, horrible zombie or not. It looked more like it had been inflicted by a piercing weapon, such as a lance or a sharpened horn, than a bite. The wound was also messy, filled with globs of torn flesh and muscle; luckily, Twilight’s stomach had grown quite strong in the last few hours. The physical traces of red goo from inside the Blood Mire were gone, likely kept inside by the barrier, but Twilight was certain that other traces that she couldn’t detect still remained. Worse, the wound seemed to be spreading.

Lockwood groaned in pain. “Y’know... apart from the... burning sensation... this isn’t so bad,” he murmured, forcing a smile. “The blood loss is... making me a little lightheaded...”

Fluttershy held Lockwood close to her, unbothered by all the blood. “Oh... Lockwood...”

“If I can’t stop the bleeding, this is gonna get real bad, real quick,” Twilight hissed, more to herself than anypony else.

Then, the sound of tearing fabric distracted Twilight. She turned to see Rarity standing there, half her dress still on her body, the other half held aloft by her magic. 

“Twilight, darling, we need to do something about that grisly wound, don’t you think?” Rarity said. Within seconds, Rarity had formed the tattered silk into a long roll of makeshift bandage. “Here. Use this.”

“Rarity... your dress...” Lockwood croaked.

Rarity shook her head. “It is of no concern of mine at the moment, Lockwood.” She then offered the roll of silk to Twilight. “Take it, Twilight. It’s of more use to you than me.”

Twilight took the bandage from Rarity and nodded. “Thank you, Rarity. This will do nicely.” Within seconds of applying the bandage, the silk became soaked with blood. It wasn’t much, Twilight thought, but it would have to do. She then sighed, disappointed with how things were playing out. “I don’t know how else to say this, but... I don’t think I can help.”

“What do you mean?” Flathoof asked.

“Give it to me straight, doc,” Lockwood murmured.

Twilight cleared her throat. “The good news is that the attack didn’t strike any vital organs, so... there’s that. The bad news is that there’s a lot of blood, and...” She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and continued. “Well, I’m trying to use Restomancy, but nothing I do is having any lasting effect. Now, I’ll admit that I’m no expert, but this injury is such that basic Restomancy should be able to cover it. However, the wound isn’t sealing up like it’s supposed to. It’s as if there’s something... blocking my magic, and whatever it is, it’s not pleasant.”

“What could possibly be blocking your magic?” Rainbow asked. “I thought you were supposed to be super powerful, Twi.”

Twilight frowned, none too pleased with the implications that she wasn’t as powerful as her friends were making her out to be. “I do have one theory as to what’s causing this effect, but it’s just guesswork. The first thing that struck my mind was a curse of some sort. I’ve never believed in curses, or hexes, or any of that sort of thing. If you’ll recall, I outright dismissed them as not being ‘real’ magic, back before we met Zecora. Learning about her culture certainly made me more accepting of the concept, but I’ve still yet to see actual proof.”

“So if this here thing is a curse, or whatever, can’t ya, y’know, de-curse him or somethin’?” Applejack asked. She removed her hat and scratched her brow. “I know I don’t know much about magic, but I’ve heard y’all talkin’ ‘bout a... a ‘de-spell’ before. Just a thought.”

Twilight shook her head. “Dispelling the magic is probably not the best idea. Whatever it is that’s keeping me from healing him is exceptionally malevolent magic, and I don’t know how it works. If I try to force it out of him, I might do more harm than good, and with a wound that size, it could kill him. We need to see an expert, hopefully one on each Restomancy and curses, if not both.”

“Oh, well that’s helpful,” Flathoof snorted. “Let’s see if we can find a damn curse doctor or whatever out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“W-well, it’s the only course of action I can think of,” Twilight said. She backed away from Flathoof half a step; she’d never seen him get angry before.

“There are plenty of doctors... in Hope’s Point... that deal with stuff just like this,” Lockwood panted. “They can help us.”

“Ha, right, the city that’s, what, four days away at our top pace? Yeah, that’s helpful too,” Flathoof grunted.

“Hey, relax buddy. Twilight... did her best. It’s gonna be... okay,” Lockwood said. He turned his weak smile to Twilight. “Twilight, tell this... big lump... it’s gonna be okay... so he’ll stop fussing.”

Twilight frowned. She couldn’t meet Lockwood’s eyes, nor did she dare meet Flathoof’s. “I managed to quell the worst of the bleeding, but at this rate...”

Flathoof blanched. “N-no... no, you’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”

“Flathoof, just calm—" Lockwood started to say.

“Don’t you bucking tell me to calm down!” Flathoof snapped, stomping his hooves in the dirt. “Are you even listening you careless idiot?! You’re dying!”

Lockwood remained silent for a long moment, then said, “So? What does that matter? We just... push towards the coast... a little faster... no big deal.”

“No big deal? No big deal?! How the buck are you so damn calm even now?!”

“Well... the way I see it... it could be worse,” Lockwood said, forcing another smile.

“Buck you and your bullshit jokes right now!”

Fluttershy let out a loud wail, and buried her face in Lockwood’s neck. “Oh... th-th-this is all my fault!”

“Hey... hey now... don’t start blaming yourself,” Lockwood said softly. “I’m the idiot who... tried to wrestle... a zombie. I should’ve been paying... more attention...”

Fluttershy bawled even louder.

“We have a stricter time limit than ever to get to the coast,” Twilight said. “We’re going to need to re-review our route, see if we can cut any corners. Tick Tock, let’s see that map.” She held out her hoof and waited a moment, expecting to either hear Tick Tock grumbling about changing the route again, or at the very least unfurling her map, but the other unicorn didn’t make a sound. She turned in Tick Tock’s direction. “Tick Tock?”

Tick Tock hadn’t moved once from the spot where she’d collapsed after Rainbow had dropped her off. Her face was pale and sweaty, and she didn’t seem to have been paying any attention to the goings-on of the rest of the party.

Twilight approached her. “Uh... Tick Tock? What’s wrong?” She put her hoof on Tick Tock’s shoulder.

Tick Tock, startled by Twilight’s gesture, jerked away. When she realized who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief, and cleared her throat. “That... that thing attacked me. He was coming after me.” She jolted upright and grabbed onto Twilight, shaking her in a panic. “He smiled at me! He talked!”

Twilight paused. “He... talked? One of those things talked to you?”

“It wasn’t just a thing, Sparkle. I recognized his voice.” Tick Tock gulped. “That thing was... the same maniac that tried to kill me back in the city.”

Flathoof, too, paled. “You mean... the stallion that... oh... no...”

Tick Tock nodded.

Flathoof slumped to the ground. “That twisted thing... is a real monster now? Does... does that mean that... that place is where they—" He glanced at the barrier in the distance, then began to shake violently. “Oh... oh no...”

Twilight eyed Flathoof with confusion for a moment, then the connection clicked. Her eyes widened in horror, hoping almost as much as he did that the implication wasn’t true.

Flathoof pounded his hooves into the dirt. “Dammit! Damn the whole bucking system!”

Twilight stepped to this side in an attempt to calm him down. “Flathoof... I know your city has a lot of backwards policies and all, but do you really think—"

Flathoof glared at her, his eyes red and already full with tears. “Don’t you get it?! Pandemonium doesn’t even have any damn cemeteries!” He shook his head in disbelief. “If they dumped that heartless piece of scum in here, then maybe...” He paused, then stood up and trotted away. “I... I need to be alone for a while.”

Twilight was hesitant to speak up, but wanted to remind him that time was of the essence. “Take your time, but... well, I don’t mean to rush you, but we do need to get moving soon. I don’t know if... if whatever’s inside Lockwood will—"

“Turn him into one of those things? Don’t think I haven’t already gone over that in my head. No, I won’t let that happen.”

“We’ll start getting ready to move, then. I’ll come get you when we’re ready.”

Flathoof shook his head and resumed walking. “I just need a moment.” He then turned to face Applejack, who’d come up alongside him before he got too far away from the group. He paused, then sneered. “What do you want?”

Applejack seemed caught by surprise at the anger in his tone and on his face. “I... I figured y’all might... need somepony ta talk to?”

“Don’t. Don’t even try to pretend you care,” Flathoof said through clenched teeth. “For days now I’ve been trying to talk to you, and all you’ve done is give me the cold shoulder, or give me a bad attitude, or outright ignore me. Not exactly things that show you give a crap about what I’m going through.”

“W-well, I—"

“I don’t know what happened to you, or what the hell I did, but whatever it is, I don’t even care anymore. I thought you understood me, but I guess I was wrong. Somewhere, you lost interest in being a friend, and you know what? Fine. So be it.”

“B-but—"

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I said I needed a moment alone, Miss Applejack.”

Applejack stood frozen as Flathoof trotted away, looking as though she’d just been kicked in the gut.

***

Shadowstep flicked his wings, shaking off flecks of black-red goo like a dog would fleas. Once they were clean, he lifted his wings to examine them, impressed as to how they’d remained in such a perfect state. Rancid ichor slipped off the metal smoother than silk against silk; there was no trace of combat upon his new blades. He flattened his left wing out to examine his reflection. Seeing himself in this new state was odd, to say the least. Not because he was repulsive in appearance, of course, but because of how his transformed, rotten body felt. It wasn’t that it felt strange, either, so much as it was strange that he couldn’t feel at all. He knew that, in life, the lightning blast from the rainbow-maned mare would have likely caused excruciating pain, if not outright killed him. He hadn’t felt a thing, and hadn’t suffered any damage that he could see.

He grunted in annoyance. It shouldn’t have even come to that in the first place. He’d been so close to slicing the Chronomancer’s face open, but he couldn’t resist taking the time to strike terror into the unicorn’s heart. He’d wanted her last moments to be spent in fear, a well-deserved revenge for the horrors he’d been put through due to her interference. He chastised himself; he should’ve slit her throat the second he had the chance.

A sharp, searing pain in his head told him that he was not the only one who was displeased with the turn of events.

“Shadowstep, I do hope that this is not going to become a habit of yours.”

Shadowstep bowed, though he knew the voice’s presence was only in his mind. “Milord, forgive me,” he replied. His voice reverberated and had become somewhat bestial in nature; whatever parts of his voicebox that the other abominations had torn out had been replicated by magicks that Shadowstep did not understand. At least he could still speak. “I grew overconfident in my ability to deal with the Chronomancer and her friends, but it would seem that they’ve grown more powerful since last I saw them.”

“Yes, that much I saw. Do not fret too much, Shadowstep. While your lack of action allowed the Chronomancer to escape, it was no fault of yours that she was given the opportunity to do so.” Silvertongue’s voice paused; with it came a brief reprieve from the searing pain in Shadowstep’s mind. It didn’t last long. “This turn of events does not surprise me, though seeing it made manifest brings me no pleasure, either.”

If Shadowstep had eyebrows to raise, he’d have done so. “You’re... not surprised that those non-unicorn mares are wielding magic?”

Silvertongue clicked his tongue. “It is a logical assumption. My daughters were born with the powers that they wield; they were not granted them by Nihila’s essence. Thus, I reasoned that these six mares would, too, possess such powers, though I was curious to see them go without use. Perhaps they did not realize they had them? If such was the case, then it would seem that since my daughters last engaged them, they’ve learned of their powers. What could they have possibly found in the ruins of Aeropolis, I wonder? Hmm...”

“It’s an unfortunate circumstance, milord,” Shadowstep mused. “Had I known, my plan of attack would have been less grandiose. Next time, I will resort to stealth to kill the Chronomancer. They cannot have gone far; I shall pursue them immediately.”

“Executing the Chronomancer will have to take a backseat for now, Shadowstep. I am making some modifications to your assignment. There have been other recent developments that take precedence.”

Shadowstep paused, confused. “Are you certain, milord? It will not take me long to catch—”

Another sharp, searing pain flared through Shadowstep’s mind, and soon covered his entire body. He collapsed to his knees in agony.

“Do not question me. I will remind you of this only once, Shadowstep: your continued service to me is entirely via my goodwill. My orders are to be followed to the letter, and it is only through further goodwill that you are allowed to do so with any degree of freedom. It would be a trivial task to wield you as a weapon myself.”

Silvertongue demonstrated this fact to Shadowstep by forcing the undead assassin to rise to his hooves, then twirl around in an exaggerated dance against his will. Shadowstep knew then and there, that he was nothing more than a puppet.

“I... will do exactly as you ask... milord...” Shadowstep wheezed.

SIlvertongue laughed. “A wise decision, my loyal servant. Your new assignment will seem rather simple, perhaps beneath you and your abilities, but it is imperative that it is done. My daughters are, even now, seeking to engage their targets: the Elements of Harmony.”

“Am I to warn them of their targets’ new powers?”

“No. That development should, I think, motivate them to test their limits. It may prove beneficial in the end. No, Shadowstep, I merely need you to observe them. Your eyes, ears, and voice will be as my own. Recent circumstances have led me to believe that Nihila’s plans for them have been derailed, and I wish to see for myself whether I need to intervene to keep things in line.”

“And the Chronomancer? Forgive me for asking, milord, but I am just curious if that is still a part of my assignment.”

Silvertongue hummed. “I did say it was a secondary assignment, didn’t I? If you see an opportunity to execute the Chronomancer without being noticed by any of the other parties, then feel free to see to it. I will stress this much though, Shadowstep: Starlight Shadow and her sisters are not to see you under any circumstances. Not yet. Am I clear?”

The searing pain in Shadowstep’s head was enough to make him agree. “Crystal clear, milord. My primary assignment is to spy on your daughters without being seen, and if possible, murder the Chronomancer.”

“Good,” Silvertongue chuckled. “Hopefully, when next we speak, I will have another, more important task for you. When that is completed, you will be rewarded for your services. Just remember that now, more than ever, failure is intolerable. If I am led to believe, even for the slightest instant, that you are incapable of carrying out the tasks set before you, I will carry them out myself. You will experience pain beyond imagining in the process, and, when I am done using your body as my sword, I will cast you back into this darkest pit and let you wallow in festering decay forever. I have worked too hard to get this far, Shadowstep. Nopony is going to ruin my plans. Understood?”

“Yes, of course, milord,” Shadowstep said, bowing low. “I will not fail you.”

Shadowstep felt the sensation of Lord Silvertongue leave his mind, but not completely. There was a lingering hint of his essence there, watching his every action, taking in everything that he saw or heard. Shadowstep no longer felt such intense pain throughout his body, but he knew that he could and would experience it again at a moment’s notice. It seemed his master’s control over him was absolute, but even knowing that he was now nothing more than a living weapon was enough to give Shadowstep the drive to continue forward. He still had a purpose, even if it was only in death. 

He knew he could not say the same for others that had been in Lord Silvertongue’s employ. Commander Jetstream had been snapped in half and devoured by his master’s daughter, Red Velvet, and likely now was nothing more than a pile of excrement somewhere out in the Wastelands after her digestive tract had finished with him. Even Doctor Blutsauger, one of his master’s favorite subordinates, had been killed. The death had been quick and painless, likely the only reward the Doctor received for his years of flawless service, and delivered by his Master directly. Shadowstep had to wonder what that was like, to have Lord Silvertongue personally kill you.

Shadowstep shook those thoughts aside, and returned to the matter at hoof. He stepped towards the barrier on the eastern edge of the Blood Mire, and prepared to step through. The shield did exactly as it was supposed to do: keep the Blood Mire in, and nosy ponies out. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were only allowed to pass through because that’s what Silvertongue wanted. Such a plan worked perfectly; they’d seen the hordes of other abominations stop dead at the barrier wall, and so would not expect anything to be pursuing them. Shadowstep knew that he himself could not pass through the barrier either, not without Silvertongue’s express permission.

When his hoof passed through the field of magic, he knew that all was well. He still had purpose. He stepped out into the stagnant air of the Wasteland, though he only knew it was stagnant from memory. He could not feel the air against his coat, could not taste the dryness upon his tongue, or feel the rough sands beneath his hooves. But none of that mattered, because even in death, he still had purpose, and that purpose was clear to him.

“When we meet again, Chronomancer,” he whispered to himself, “they’re going to have to invent new words to describe what I’m going to do to you.”


	21. Ingeminate

Anything that can go wrong, will. Twilight had never been fond of the adage. She tried to think back to when the saying began carrying weight with her. Which of the constant chaotic catastrophes that plagued Ponyville on a weekly basis was originally to blame? Parasprites? Missing a friendship report? Time travel? It always seemed that no matter how much work and planning went into a task, something would go wrong and ruin everything despite every precaution being taken.

Such was the situation into which she and her friends had been placed: two days without food, and water was running low; one member of the party injured and dying, with no way to ease his pain or treat his wounds; and, just to make matters worse, the typical, sandy, easy-to-cover terrain of the Wastelands had become hard, rocky, and uneven, and excruciatingly difficult to traverse. Black boulders blanketed the entire area, with patches of flat ground so few and far between that they formed a natural maze. Worst of all, Tick Tock’s map was strangely useless in helping them navigate, due to an awkward, unnatural characteristic of the terrain: the rocks shifted about on their own, changing the layout of the maze as soon as they thought they had it figured out.

Twilight sidestepped a boulder that had just lurched in front of her path. “Whose bright idea was it to travel through all this, anyway?”

“It was a joint decision,” Tick Tock said. “Applejack was just as keen on traveling through here.”

Though normally Tick Tock would be at the front of the group leading the way with her map, today, Applejack had taken point. Tick Tock’s face was still buried in her map, of couse. The others followed behind in a single file line. Flathoof remained at the rear, Lockwood still draped over his back. Rainbow was the only one not in the line as she floated above them.

“Navigating this maze is wasting our time,” Twilight said. “Of all ponies, I figured you would be the one least likely to suggest anything that might do that.”

“I’ve never seen it like this, and I’ve been through this region dozens of times, hence why I suggested we travel through here. It’s always been rocky, but the rocks never bloody well moved before. I’m proper confused.” Tick Tock sighed and shook her head. “At the very least, this is still the faster route. The Rockfield only covers a few dozen miles, so we should be on the other side in a few hours.”

“It ain’t as bad as y’all’re makin’ it out ta be either, Twi,” Applejack said as she led the party down one fork of a path that had suddenly sprung up. “I can feel th’ earth shiftin’ ‘round beneath me, so I can predict all the changes in the layout.” She paused, stopping mid-stride, then sidestepped to the left. A large boulder popped out of the ground where she’d been standing. “See? Ain’t no trouble.”

“Maybe not for you, Applejack, but the rest of us aren’t having as easy of a time of it back here,” Twilight huffed. As soon as she’d finished talking, a rock popped up beneath her right hooves, throwing her sideways.

“I don’t see how this is still the faster route,” Rainbow grunted, as she circled around the group’s heads. “You guys are bumbling around down there. You can’t even move faster than a trot.”

“Not to mention that all this constant shifting certainly isn’t making it any easier for Captain Flathoof to keep our dear Lockwood stable,” Rarity added, glancing behind her.

Twilight turned back as well to see that Flathoof was indeed having a tough time keeping Lockwood on his back while being forced to constantly dodge rocks popping up out of nowhere. Only Fluttershy’s assistance in keeping Lockwood from falling off was making the task easier, though it was cause for everypony to slow their pace so that nopony was left behind.

Applejack grunted; she’d seen the whole thing too. “Yeah... I realize that, but there ain’t no use in complainin’ ‘bout it. This here is still the fastest route through, no matter how ya slice it. The cliffs to the west are harder ta climb, and circlin’ round th’ eastern way’d take a whole extra day.”

“Why don’t we just have Twilight teleport everypony to the other side?” Rainbow asked. “I could fly her over there, fly her back, and poof! Piece of cake.”

Twilight frowned. “While that’s a good suggestion, Rainbow, the distance limitations on teleportation magic are too extreme to make it viable. A single pony can teleport themselves maybe five miles, tops. Mass teleportation of that distance is out of the question, completely unheard of, and impractical to boot. I could maybe teleport all nine of us a few dozen yards.”

“Twilight has a point, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity agreed. “If you’ll remember, even that loathsome Starlight Shadow couldn’t possibly teleport so many ponies such a great distance. Why, if she could, she very well could have captured us at any time, were that their intent from the start.”

Rainbow groaned. “Man, magic’s got way too many rules. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be super powerful now?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Power can’t just break the laws of magic, Rainbow. That would be like you breaking the laws of aerodynamics when you fly.” She glanced at Pinkie. “Uh… Verisimulation excepted, of course. That has its own rules to follow.”

“Right... well, if you guys say this way is faster, I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Rainbow muttered. “At least AJ’s taking the lead now.”

Tick Tock grumbled something incoherent, but Twilight was sure it was very rude.

“Well thanks, sugarcube, I appreciate the support,” Applejack said. She then shook her head and sighed. “I tell ya, if I didn’t have this newfangled Geophagy—"

“Geomancy,” Twilight corrected.

“That’s what I said. Anyway, if I didn’t have it, navigating this here place would be a mite bit tougher.”

“At least you don’t need to be down here trekking through all this filthy dirt and rock, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chided. “If anypony has no right to complain, it’s you.”

“I’m only complaining because it’s taking so long,” Rainbow fired back. “Besides, the terrain does affect me, for your information. I’m supposed to be scouting, remember? Fat lot of good that does when the whole area looks different every time I turn my head. For all I know, something could be hiding around any one of these rocks, but I can’t see it because everything keeps changing.”

“If there was anythin’ down here with us, I’d have felt it by now,” Applejack assured her. “I only feel seven sets o’ hoofsteps, which is all nine o’ us, minus you ‘n’ Lockwood, who ain’t walkin’ ‘round down here. Ain’t nothin’ down here, so keep yer eyes open fer anythin’ up in th’ air.”

Rainbow grunted. “I am. There’s nothing up here either. Believe me, if anything was coming by air, I’d see it a mile away.”

Twilight froze mid-step. She felt a strange energy in the air. There was flash and a popping sound, followed by a loud explosion.

A blur of silver and red tackled Rainbow mid-air, slamming her to the ground a few yards in front of Applejack. “Eat dirt, Rainbow Crash!”

Havocwing.

The foul-mouthed red pegasus shot off into the sky. “Catch me if you can, punk!”

“Oh, we’re doing this!” Rainbow spat before rocketing after the other pegasus.

“Rainbow! Come back!” Twilight shouted.

“Dashie! Wait up!” Pinkie scrambled past the others and chased after Rainbow.

Twilight followed suit, trying to catch Pinkie before she got too far. “Wait! Pinkie! Don’t go off on your own! We can’t afford to get—" 

With a loud rumble, a wall of rock sprung up in Twilight’s face, blocking the path ahead. A similar rumble from behind told Twilight that the path back had been blocked as well.

“Separated...” Twilight stomped her hoof. “Shoot.”

To Twilight’s surprise, the surrounding walls of rock expanded and changed shape. The thin corridor they’d once been standing in became an encircled patch of flat rock. The surrounding walls were several yards taller than her, and were so smooth and straight that it would be impossible for anypony to climb.

“Hell-ooo!” called a voice from above.

Twilight and her friends glanced up to see Insipid standing atop the wall nearest them. 

“Oh no...” Rarity muttered. “Not her.”

“Looks like we got company, girls,” Applejack said.

Grayscale Force and Curaçao soon joined the excitable black unicorn, who waved at the ponies below her with great enthusiasm. Grayscale took hold of Insipid and flew her down to meet the group, while Curaçao simply slid down the wall without an ounce of effort.

Twilight and Applejack took up defensive positions, putting themselves between the approaching trio and the rest of their friends. Twilight glanced about cautiously, wondering why only these three had come. Where were Red Velvet and Starlight Shadow?

“Like, hey guys!” Insipid chirped, as if the two groups had no possible animosity between them. “It is so totally super to see you! I thought we’d, like, never get to see you guys again! That would be so lame-o. But now you’re here, and we’re here, and it’s like, y’know, perfect and junk?”

“Four days away from you isn’t quite long enough,” Tick Tock said. Her eyes darted between the trio. “So, an ambush, is it? Why am I not surprised a bunch of no-good rats like you would resort to this?”

Curaçao huffed, and smoothed back her mane. “Rats? Hmph! C’est une dégoûtante insulte.”

“You’re absolutely right, and I apologize, because that was insulting. Insulting to rats.”

“Whoa, like, take a chill pill there Hip Hop,” Insipid snorted.

“Tick Tock! Get my bloody name right, you ignorant twit!”

“Since you showed up, I am assuming that you’re here to fight,” Twilight interjected. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’re going to get.”

“I would razer avoid such garrish zings as fighting, Mademoiselle Sparkle,” Curaçao said, idly eying her hoof for dirt or blemishes. “We ‘ave defeated you and your friends before. What makes you zink we cannot do it again?”

Twilight smiled. “This time, we’re going to even the playing the field. Isn’t that right, Applejack?”

“Sure are, Twi.” Applejack ground her hooves into the rock, and the rock climbed up to coat her body. “This ain’t gonna be no one-sided tussle this time. We got some new tricks up our sleeves.”

“Interesting. This changes things,” Grayscale muttered, stroking her chin. She shrugged. “Not by much, of course.”

Insipid clasped her hooves together and let out an excited gasp. “Like, oh my stars! You so totally look like my cutie mark! I love your new trick, Applejohn!”

“Applejack!” Applejack shouted.

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Whatever! Geez, you guys are, like, totally lame, always correcting me and junk? Rarity, tell your friends they’re total lamewads.”

“Well, at least she gets my name right,” Rarity muttered.

“Where are your other sisters hiding?” Twilight asked. She kept her focus on the trio before her, but made sure to scan the nearby area for any sign of the two remaining members of Starlight’s group.

Curaçao chuckled. “Oh non non non, zey are not ‘iding. Zey are merely preparing zemselves. Red Velvet will deal wiz Mademoiselle Pie soon enough, et ma capitaine ‘as been very busy making zis arène. She will make ‘er présence known soon enough.

“Now zen, zis is your last chance to surrender, mademoiselles,” she continued. “We will not go easy on you zis time.”

Applejack scoffed. “Y’all kiddin’? There’s six o’ us, ‘n’ three of you. I don’t need no fancy mathematics ta tell me y’all’re outnumbered.”

“Outnumbered, maybe, but that’s all you’ve got going for you,” Grayscale yawned. “Six against three, huh? Sounds to me like we still have the advantage.”

“Tough talk from somepony who’s about ta get a whuppin’.”

“Such confiance! Well zen, if you insist on trying to fight us, per’aps you should do somezing about your ozer friend back zere. Lockvood was ‘is name, non? We vould not want ‘im to get... ‘urt.”

Fluttershy frowned. “You wouldn’t.”

Flathoof narrowed his eyes. “If any one of you so much as tries—"

Curaçao erupted with a great, open-mouthed laugh. “Ooh là là, c’est magnifique! Such a brave, strong étalon. A shame zat you are, ‘ow you say, ‘taken’, non? Mademoiselle Applejack is une chance jument.” She over-dramatically placed her pastern to her forehead. “C’est la vie!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and turned to Applejack. “Uh... what is she talking about?”

Applejack grunted. “She ain’t talkin’ ‘bout nothin’. I’m as confused as y’all are.”

“Oh? Zen ‘e is... euh, ‘available’? Mmhmm, c’est une agréable surprise!” Curaçao smirked, smoothed her mane back, and fluttered her eyelashes in Flathoof’s direction. “Per’aps ‘e would prefer une jument wiz plus goût raffiné—refined taste. Hmm?”

“Are we gonna do this, or ain’t we?” Applejack spat. “I’d sure like ta get ‘round ta wipin’ that there smug look off yer face.”

“Yeah, enough talk already,” Grayscale agreed. She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders. “I was about to fall asleep, you were talking so much.”

Curaçao shrugged. “Oh, pardon, I did not mean to bore you, Grayscale. Allons-y!”

Twilight and Applejack stepped forward; Insipid leapt forward to meet them, flaring her horn as she did so. Insipid’s spell created a blinding flash of light, disorienting the ponies in front of her. Grayscale rushed forward, scooped Applejack up, and flung her over the wall.

“The country bumpkin’s out of the way. The rest is up to you,” Grayscale said to Curaçao and Insipid. “If you can handle it, of course.”

“Zee capitaine will be intervening shortly,” Curaçao replied. “Go on zen, ‘ave fun.”

Twilight’s eyes readjusted just as Grayscale’s form soared over the rock wall. Now, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack were alone with Starlight’s other sisters.

“Bloody rotten trick!” Tick Tock spat, rubbing the remaining blindness out of her own eyes. “Oy, you stupid git, eat this!” She fired a burst of magic at Insipid.

Insipid blocked it with a well-crafted barrier spell; the bolt of magic deflected skyward. “Ha ha, nope!” she giggled. “Try again, Knick Knack!”

“That shield... how did you—" Tick Tock gasped. “Rarity’s magic. You still possess that power increase?”

“That’s impossible! My enhancing magic doesn’t last that long!” Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight fell in line with Tick Tock. “Just relax, Tick Tock. If Starlight isn’t going to show her face, that pits me against Insipid and Curaçao. Even with Rarity’s power boost, Insipid’s magic still isn’t as strong as mine—no offense, Rarity. Plus, Curaçao has yet to show any combat prowess.”

“We still don’t know what she can do though, Sparkle,” Tick Tock replied. “I’d be cautious, just in case.”

“Naturally.” Twilight put her hoof on Tick Tock’s shoulder. “Just let me take point, and—"

Twilight and Tick Tock disappeared.

***

Twilight and Tick Tock blinked into existence with a flash and a pop.

“-we’ll be... fine?” Twilight finished.

The two unicorns found themselves in the middle of a large, circular rock arena. Tall, sharp spikes topped the surrounding wall. The wall itself was as smooth and polished as marble, and taller than twenty ponies. Even the ground was smooth, with a tile pattern meticulously etched into it. The ring of rock appeared perfectly crafted for aesthetic appeal.

Twilight kept her guard up. She’d been so focused on Insipid earlier that the teleport spell’s signature escaped her notice. It was obvious, though, who was responsible for it.

Tick Tock had the same idea. “Where is she, Sparkle?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “Just hold on to me. She clearly has some mastery of a non-contact teleportation spell, but the rule of contact still applies. As long as we stick together, she’ll be unable to separate us, and we can take her as a team.”

“Right.”

Several long moments passed, each one tenser than the last. Twilight carefully examined the surrounding area for any sign of company, but there was none. This portion of the Rockfield wasn’t shifting, but remaining completely static. She didn’t know where she and Tick Tock had even been teleported to, so she couldn’t teleport back to her friends without knowing their relative position. They were trapped and alone.

Where is Starlight Shadow?

A pop drew Twilight’s attention behind her. She didn’t have time to react as a blast of magical light shot towards her and Tick Tock.

Tick Tock had better reflexes, and raised a barrier to defend against the attack, but it wasn’t big enough to shield both her and Twilight. Only Tick Tock moved; she skidded several yards back from the sheer force of the blast.

“Tick Tock!” Twilight exclaimed.

Tick Tock vanished with a flash and a pop.

“That affair certainly transpired without drawback,” came Starlight’s smug voice from behind her. “I would have favored an outcome where the Chronomancer did not safeguard herself, but it is essential to adapt to circumstances as they unfold.” She clapped her hooves together. “Well now, with that distraction expunged, you and I may partake in a proper challenge.”

Twilight grit her teeth and turned towards Starlight. She glared at the other unicorn, who stood smug as ever, horn aglow. “You. Where did you send her?”

Starlight’s mouth curled in a cocksure grin. “Her destination is one where nopony would desire being, were they an acrophobic sort of individual.”

Twilight paused, then looked skyward. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a tiny green dot far, far above her head.

Twilight racked her brain to calculate the proper distance based on her split-second evaluation, and cast a teleport spell of her own. She warped straight up. Tick Tock whizzed past her. She had no time to react.

“Oi!” Tick Tock screamed as she passed by. “Sparkle! Help!”

“Hang on Tick Tock, I’m coming!”

She spun in the air, desperate to straighten herself out so she could see what was going on. It took only a moment to right herself, and now she could see she was still much too far above Tick Tock. She focused her magic and teleported again, but this solved nothing; Tick Tock was still falling too fast, and every time Twilight teleported, she lost some of her momentum.

Twilight cursed her inability to make proper calculations for her teleport. Trying to judge proper distance when both she and her target were in freefall was an algorithmic nightmare; one wrong teleport could easily create a horribly messy outcome. Not having much conservation of momentum just made it that much harder. What she could calculate, though, was how long she had left. Based on the height Tick Tock had started at, how much Tick Tock was doing to slow her own descent—which included lots of limb flailing—and the amount of time that had passed, Twilight had only a few short minutes before the unthinkable happened.

Then, when all Twilight needed was more distractions, Starlight blinked into existence just beneath her, falling at precisely the same speed Twilight was. Seeing the other unicorn bend such a basic rule of teleportation left Twilight speechless.

“As amusing as this is to observe, Sparkle, I must inform you that it was never my intent to permit you to ‘rescue’ your companion,” Starlight said, her voice magically amplified. She shook her head in disappointment. “A grave misfortune that you are not as apt with teleportation magic as I am. Were our roles reversed in this dilemma, I assure you that Miss Tock would no longer be in jeopardy.”

“Get out of my way, Starlight!”

“I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.”

“Oi!” Tick Tock shouted, lighting up her horn. “Take this, you bucking twat!”

Starlight turned her head just slightly, then rolled her eyes and teleported away just as Tick Tock fired a flurry of bolts at her. Without her in the way, the bolts shot at Twilight instead.

“Gah!” Twilight raised a barrier in time to deflect the shots. “Watch what you’re doing, Tick Tock!”

“Eh... sorry, Sparkle!” Tick Tock called. She shook her head. “Just... just hurry up and catch me, damnit! I’m not too fond of pancakes, if you catch my drift!”

Twilight grunted, and tucked her limbs in at her sides, slimming her shape to decrease wind resistance. It seemed to work, as she closed the gap between herself and Tick Tock almost immediately. She drew closer, and closer, until she was so close she felt she could grab Tick Tock. She reached out a hoof, but came up short; Tick Tock raised her own hoof up. Together, they inched towards their goal.

“Almost... there...” Twilight breathed through clenched teeth.

“Come on, Sparkle! Just a little more!” Tick Tock shouted.

There was a flash and a pop, then Twilight found herself back on solid ground; she slammed hard into the rock, knocking the wind out of her. Tick Tock was not with her. She groaned in pain and glanced up to see Starlight’s legs right in front of her.

“Really, Sparkle, did I not promulgate succinctly enough for you?” Starlight asked. She sighed, and put her hoof on Twilight’s head, pushing her face back down into the rock. “The Chronomancer is most assuredly a lost cause. Were I you, I would surmise that the more prudent course of action would be self-preservation.”

***

“Twilight! Tick Tock!” Rarity shouted, rushing to the spot they had just disappeared from. She spun, seeking out some trace of the two. She then turned her glare upon Insipid. “What did you do?!”

Insipid snickered. “Hey, like, relax, Rarity. Okay? Don’t like, blow a gasket or whatever?”

“Mademoiselle Sparkle will be indemne—un’armed,” Curaçao said with a coy grin. “Mademoiselle Tock, zough, I cannot say zee same for. I would be more worried about myself, if I were you.”

“Yeah! Like, me and Curie are total battle buddies! We’re gonna like, y’know, totally thrash you, or whatever?” Insipid gave a happy squeal and grabbed Curaçao in a hug. “Eee! I can’t wait to see what Curie’s got in store for you! This is gonna be, like, tray awesome! Remind me to thank the boss for, like, letting me be your partner, Curie.”

“D’accord, ma copine. Now zen, let us begin.” Curaçao turned her gaze to Flathoof, and flashed a sly smile. “I will ‘andle zee beau étalon. You take zee two ozers. Zey will be easier, oui?”

Insipid bounced in place. “Ooh! Yes! Yes yes yes! Let’s see, which one first?” She pointed her hoof at Rarity first, then shifted it to Fluttershy, then back to Rarity. “Eeny meeny miny mo—"

“You ladies aren’t really taking us seriously, are you?” Rarity huffed. She stood tall, taking up a defensive position in front of Fluttershy and Flathoof. “If you think I’m a pushover just because I’m a lady, then you are sadly mistaken. There’s no need for either of you to involve anypony other than myself in your little scheme; leave Captain Flathoof and dear Fluttershy out of this.”

“No need to step in as my defense, Miss Rarity,” Flathoof said. “You and Miss Fluttershy can stay behind me, and keep Lockwood out of harm’s way.”

“Tch, are you guys still worried about that lame-o back there?” Insipid huffed. “I mean, like, look at him. He’s such a scrawny wimp. Totally useless.”

“You take that back,” Fluttershy said through clenched teeth. “He is not useless! He saved my life! I will not listen to you insult him!”

Rarity turned to Fluttershy and frowned. “Fluttershy, there’s no need to get yourself involved in all this. You should stay safe with Lockwood, and let Flathoof and I handle the situation.”

“No.”

Rarity froze, glanced at Curaçao and Insipid for a brief instant, then turned her gaze back to Fluttershy. “Please, darling, these mares aren’t fooling around. I don’t want to see you get hurt—"

“And I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Fluttershy said, stepping forward so she was even with Rarity. “I’ve already seen one friend get hurt because I stood by and did nothing. I won’t allow somepony else to get hurt when I have the opportunity to do something about it. Let me show you that I don’t need defending anymore.”

“Fluttershy...”

“Awww, that is so totally cute and junk. The little squeaky thing thinks she’s, like, tough?” Insipid snickered. “That is super. Major. Funny. What’s she gonna do, like, cry on me? Huh? Are you going to cry, squeaky thing?” She then turned to Curaçao and asked, “Hey Curie, do you like my Havoc impression? Is it good? Huh?”

Curaçao nodded. “C’est convenable—it’s good, ma copine.”

Insipid squealed excitedly and clapped her hooves together, before turning her glare back to Fluttershy. “So, like, yeah, I think I picked my first target and junk? I call the squeaky thing.”

“You’re going to have to go through me, first,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy pushed Rarity aside and glared at Insipid. “No, she’s all mine, Rarity.”

“What? But—"

“Lesson ten!” Fluttershy shouted. “When somepony wants to disrespect, make it clear that they’ll get wrecked!”

“If... if you insist, Fluttershy, I’ll do what I can to support you. Both of you,” she added with a glance to Flathoof. “I’ll keep Lockwood safe as well.”

Curaçao chuckled. “Well now, zis is quite zee change, oui? I did not zink zat zee lâche pouliche would want to fight.” She turned to Flathoof and smoothed her mane back again. “Monsieur Flathoof, je regrette zat I ‘ave changed my mind, so we will not be ‘aving any private time today. I cannot let ma copine deal wiz two ponies zat want to ‘urt ‘er, voyez-vous?”

“You don’t really expect me to stand by and let you two try to hurt my friends, do you?” Flathoof scoffed.

“You don’t ‘ave a choice.”

The rocks beneath the group of ponies violently shifted and separated everypony into pairs: Fluttershy and Insipid were left alone within a much larger ring of stone; Flathoof and Lockwood were shoved into a ditch and surrounded by twenty-pony-high walls.

Rarity and Curaçao were shifted a great distance away when the rock surged like a wave beneath them. Rarity was unable to keep her balance. Curaçao, on the other hoof, was able to remain perfectly still the entire way.

When the pair stopped moving, they’d been placed inside an arena with a large rock in the center, so that the area was shaped like an elongated donut.

Rarity stumbled upright and scrambled towards the wall. “Fluttershy!” she exclaimed. “Where are you?!” She scraped and clamored at the wall before falling back to the ground; it was too smooth and steep to climb, and too tall to leap over.

“C’est louable, zat you care for ‘er so much, Mademoiselle Rarity,” Curaçao said. She glanced at her hoof, as if looking for dirt. “Right now, zough, it may be better to care about yourself, non? I believe I ‘ave said zis before.”

Rarity backed away from the wall and glared at Curaçao. “Are you threatening me? I assume you wished to ‘challenge’ Captain Flathoof because you felt you could charm him, and I also assume that you decided to go against me because you think me weak. I warn you again, I am no pushover.”

“C’est vrai, c’est vrai,” Curaçao sighed, shaking her head. “I was so certain zat zee beau capitaine would prefer not to fight, but would succumb to mon charme. It would make Red Velvet jalouse, et Applejack as vell.” She chuckled. “Ah, but you are incorrect in assuming zat I zought you were une chiffe molle. I ‘ave seen you fight... euh, quelque peu. I assume zat when you are by yourself, you a more of a ruffian.”

Rarity sputtered. “Ruffian?! Well, I never! If either one of us is the uncouth brute here, it’s you.” She huffed and straightened her mane. “I need not resort to such dreadful things to subdue such a brute.”

“Alas! Woe is me!” Curaçao said, putting her pastern to her forehead in an over-dramatic fashion. “Une petite poney de terre against zee might of zee grande licorne. I fear I ‘ave made a mistake, choosing to fight you, Mademoiselle Rarity,” she added.

Rarity’s eyebrow twitched. “You... you’re mocking me! Well, if you think you’re so tough, then have at you!”

Rarity lit her horn and attempted to envelop Curaçao in her magic. She wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to keep an adult mare subdued, but she was going to try.

Curaçao did not give her that opportunity. The earth pony leapt at her so quickly that Rarity didn’t have time to react; she hadn’t expected Curaçao to possess such speed. She tackled Rarity; the pair landed and rolled on the hard rock. 

Curaçao maneuvered her way around to Rarity’s back and pinned her to the ground. She placed her foreleg around Rarity’s throat in a tight chokehold.

Curaçao pushed her weight into Rarity’s spine, keeping the unicorn from moving. She leaned close to Rarity’s ear, and whispered, “So, tell me ‘ow zis ‘power’ of yours works. Elle fascine moi—it fascinates me. Zee power to améliore zee powers of ozers... c’est similaire to ma copine’s magic, only in reverse, oui?”

Rarity struggled to get out of Curaçao’s chokehold, but she was only able to lift the other pony’s leg off her windpipe just enough to catch a breath. She used the opportunity to voice her outrage. “Get off of me you barbarian!”

Curaçao continued her interrogation. “I just want to understand ‘ow it works. Ma copine only keeps it because je vois son potentiel.”

Rarity flared her horn, bathing Curaçao in bright blue light. “I said”—she lifted the earth pony of her and flung her at the nearest wall—“get off!”

Curaçao nimbly flipped as she flew through the air. With a dexterous twirl, she planted her hooves on the wall, then dropped safely to the ground. “Ooh là là!” she exclaimed, a wide smirk on her face. “Such fearsome power, you unicorns ‘ave. I am trembling!”

Rarity staggered upright, then glared in Curaçao’s direction. She kept her horn aglow. “I’ll give you trembling, you tactless thug!”

Curaçao absently eyed her hoof. “I suppose you do not know ‘ow your power works, zen. C’est la vie. Per’aps I will ask ma capitaine after she ‘as dealt wiz Mademoiselle Sparkle et Mademoiselle Tock, and after I ‘ave dealt wiz you.”

“You may have gotten the drop on me earlier, but I assure you, that was the only one you’ll get.”

“Oh? Vous êtes sûr?”

“Oh, it. Is. On.”

Curaçao smirked, then darted towards Rarity with blinding speed.

Rarity raised a barrier in time to block a vicious jab.

Curaçao bounced off the shield, but was able to flip upright before landing neatly on one hoof and proceeded to maintain her balance while giving Rarity a coy look.

“Ah, you ‘ave learned to make barriers yourself. Très bien!” Curaçao laughed. She pushed off her one-hoofed stand, somersaulted through the air, then landed on all four hooves. “But, ce n’est pas tout à fait suffisant—not good enough.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes, annoyed less by Curaçao’s taunting and more by her superiority. She had never seen somepony so nimble before, not since she took Sweetie Belle to the circus some years back. The earth pony was a natural acrobat, and judging from the chokehold and precise jab before, she was a practiced bare-hooved fighter too. Then, she remembered a small tidbit she’d learned from Insipid when they first spoke together: Curaçao practiced martial arts. Apparently, Rarity thought, not just to maintain her tight figure.

She kept her horn aglow, determined not to be caught off-guard. “Back off, you oafish lout. I don’t wish to hurt you, but if you leave me no other choice—"

Curaçao laughed. It was a great, open-mouth laugh, as though Rarity had told the funniest joke in the world; a joke so funny, perhaps, that it would leave Pinkie Pie herself in awe. It took the earth pony several moments to calm down; Rarity was so outraged at the reaction that she didn’t even bother attempting to capitalize on it.

“Oh... oh my, arrête de déconner! Sois sérieux!” she breathed. She wiped a false tear from her eye, making a great show of her mockery. “If you really vant to ‘urt me, Mademoiselle Rarity, you are going to ‘ave to catch me first.”

Rarity huffed. “Bring it on, you—"

Then, Curaçao was gone. She didn’t disappear with the traditional flair of a teleportation spell, no, she just sort of melted away into thin air. However, it took Rarity only a moment to realize that she hadn’t vanished without a trace, or somehow left the area. Her keen eyes were accustomed to seeking out the little things in fashion: loose stitching, fine details, intricate patterns, and the like. She could see that Curaçao was still exactly where she’d been, only her coat and clothing had somehow become almost completely transparent.

“This is... unexpected,” Rarity muttered. “But it’s not enough to stop me from defending myself. I can still see you.”

“Oui, oui, zat may be true,” Curaçao said. Rarity couldn’t see it, but she could practically hear the cocky smirk on the earth pony’s face. “‘owever, zere is zee matter of your friends. Zey cannot see me, and zey will not even know I am zere. Ta ta!”

Curaçao’s near-invisible form turned, then darted around the boulder in the center of the arena, and out of sight. It happened so fast that Rarity barely even registered what was going on until Curaçao was already gone.

“Oh... no, wait!” Rarity exclaimed. “Come back here! Don’t you dare go after my friends! Your fight is with me!”

Rarity gave chase. After she darted around the boulder, she saw that the walls on this side of the divider were exactly the same as those on the other side. That is, they were tall, smooth, and straight; no earth pony—save for Pinkie Pie, perhaps—could possibly scale or leap over these walls.

Or so Rarity hoped. That, of course, was the dilemma: she had no idea what Curacao was capable of. Her group had already seen the strange powers of most of these mares, so they at least knew what to expect, but against Curacao, she was flying blind.

***

Rainbow honestly wasn’t surprised that Havocwing was as fast as she was. While her normal flying speed was above-average, it was nothing special compared to Rainbow; with the weird rocket effect she’d thought up, though, she was easily faster than Rainbow was, so long as Rainbow wasn’t shooting for a Sonic Rainboom. Now, though, Rainbow had a new trick up her sleeve: her lightning trail. To her dismay, however, all it seemed to do was put her even with Havocwing; the two of them could chase each other forever, and neither one would catch the other. 

The pair had been swooping and darting about the sky for several minutes now, and Rainbow had yet to catch the other pegasus; so long as they didn’t keep flying in a straight line, Rainbow couldn’t reach Rainboom speeds. The only way for either of them to actually do any fighting, it seemed, was for the lead mare to slow down.

Which is exactly what Havocwing did.

Rainbow did not swerve in time to avoid Havocwing abruptly stopping dead; she collided with the other pegasus, and the two tumbled towards the ground.

Havocwing, however, had been ready for the collision. “Whoops!” she exclaimed. She pulled her hoof back and punched Rainbow in the gut. “Watch where you’re flying, Rainbow Crash!”

Havocwing punched Rainbow again, and again; Rainbow wheezed as each punch knocked the air out of her lungs.

Rainbow moved her hooves to block the next punch, then pulled her head back and headbutted the other pegasus in the nose.

Havocwing reeled back, clutching her now-bleeding nose. “Augh! You punk-ass b—"

Rainbow cut Havocwing’s curse short by rushing forward and punching her in the jaw. Then, kicking her in the stomach before delivering a vicious uppercut.

Havocwing tumbled downward for half a second before recovering. “Oh... that’s it! You’re dead!”

“Eat it, dragon breath!” Rainbow spat as she bolted off in the opposite direction.

“Hey! Get back here!”

Rainbow ignored the pain in her ribs; Havocwing had only punched her a few times, but it felt like she’d been hit with a sledgehammer. The other pegasus sure had a lot of power in such a small frame. She had to rethink her plan; a direct fight wouldn’t work, even if she initiated it. She just had to keep the foul-mouthed missile behind her occupied until she had the perfect opportunity.

Taunting, of course, still proved a fine distraction. “What’s the matter, torchy?!” Rainbow shouted back at her pursuer. “You look like you’re having trouble keeping up!”

“Bullshit!” Havocwing spat back. “You might be fast, punk, but you’re not fast enough!”

Rainbow laughed. “Eat my dust, shrimp!”

She looped, and spun, and rolled, and dived. The erratic moves came easy to Rainbow, easier than ever before thanks to her new weather powers. The wind dared not hinder her; her trail of lightning allowed her to move more fluidly.

Havocwing, to her credit, was able to keep up, but only just. “You’re just making things worse for yourself!” she shouted. “When I catch up to you, I’m gonna rip your bucking face off! I’ll teach you a lesson about respect!”

“Respect? Ha! I guess it is disrespectful to handicap myself against somepony who so clearly can’t keep up! Smell ya later, jerkwad!”

Since Rainbow was the lead pegasus now, she dictated how the chase played out. No more fancy flying. Now, it was all about speed.

She soared upward as high as the air would let her, then rocketed off in a straight line. Havocwing gave chase, but Rainbow already had a sizeable lead, and it just kept growing. Rainbow knew there was no way the other pegasus could keep up once she hit Rainboom speeds.

Havocwing, however, did not seem to like being outmatched. Rainbow chanced a look back at her pursuer, and saw that the distance had increased even further. Havocwing had cut off the jet of flame on one of her forehooves, and even now was taking aim.

A second later, and a fireball whizzed past Rainbow’s head, just inches away from her ear. Another fireball skimmed Rainbow’s jacket, searing the leather. Rainbow did not wait to see if the next blast managed to hit her; she swerved to avoid it, losing speed in the process.

“Not so fast now, are ya?!” Havocwing cackled, launching fireballs in such a rapid stream that Rainbow had no room to do anything but dodge. “What’s the matter, afraid of a little fire, Rainbow?!”

“Damn! How does she have such good aim at these speeds?” Rainbow muttered to herself as she swerved to avoid another salvo. “Fine... if that’s the way she wants to play, then let’s play!”

Rainbow clapped her hooves together, expanding her lightning trail far behind her. The length was such that it forced Havocwing to back off, lest she fly straight through the trail and get electrocuted.

This didn’t stop Havocwing from volleying fireballs and insults, however. “Ooh, fancy trick, crash master! Is that all you’ve got?!”

“Ha! I’m just getting started!” Rainbow shouted back. “Try and dodge this!”

She clapped her hooves together again, harder this time, sending a shockwave through her trail. As the shockwave moved along the bolt of lightning, more lightning sparked outwards in all directions, creating a veritable storm. When the shockwave reached the end of the trail, dozens of lightning bolts arced through the sky.

One just narrowly screeched by Havocwing’s face. “What the buck?! Hey! Watch where you’re aiming, bitch! You almost bucking hit me!”

“Well duh! That’s kinda the point, idiot! We’re supposed to be fighting!”

“Buck your point!”

Rainbow produced another shockwave, creating another lightning storm. Havocwing dove to avoid the lightning arcs, then responded with a volley of fireballs. Rainbow looped to avoid the torrent of flame, then responded with another lightning storm. This back and forth continued for several moments before Rainbow grew tired of it.

“This is getting me nowhere,” she muttered to herself while dodging more fire. “I need to try something else. Ah! I know just the thing.”

Rainbow swerved sharply to the left, spinning into a barrel roll in the process; her lightning trail evaporated, but Rainbow suppressed the formation of the whirlwind trail that should have formed to replace it.

Havocwing gave chase, as expected. “Giving up, punk?”

Rainbow smirked. “Just try to keep up!”

Rainbow continued to maintain a tight, circular turn; Havocwing attempted to take an inside path, but Rainbow put everything she had into keeping her distance. The faster Rainbow went, the tighter she brought her circle; the tighter the circle, the faster the winds moved. Before long, the winds had picked up to a fearsome gale.

Just a little more, and I’ve got her right where I want her. 

***

Applejack crashed on a flat stretch of rock. Stones burst up from around her, encircling her and cutting her off from the rest of the area. She rose to her hooves and glanced about to examine her new surroundings. The new arena was packed pretty tight; there was hardly any room to move. The earth around her groaned in pain; to Applejack, it pleaded for her help. She wished she knew how to.

She didn’t have long to think on it, though. She had company.

Grayscale Force glided lazily over the arena wall and landed in front of Applejack, striking the ground like a two-ton weight. She took a moment to give Applejack a once-over; Applejack did not take her eyes off the pegasus for a second. Then, the pegasus grunted out a greeting: “Hey.”

Applejack adjusted her hat on her head—she was glad it hadn’t fallen off mid-flight—and shifted into a fighting stance. “That all ya got ta say ta me? ‘Hey’?”

“Would you rather I start taunting you, or something?” Grayscale asked. She shrugged. “I mean, okay, if that’s what you want... hayseed.”

“Y’all’re in fer a world o’ hurt there, missy,” Applejack snapped. “This ain’t gonna be like last time. You ‘n’ me, we’re gonna do this legit-like. Mare-ta-mare, hoof-ta-hoof. None o’ yer fancy flyin’, or weird weight tricks. None o’ that.”

“Eh, I guess I can humor you. I’ll even let you keep your rock armor,” Grayscale said, gesturing to Applejack’s flank.

Applejack grunted, and sprung forward. Grayscale raised her hooves to intercept Applejack’s tackle. The two entered into a grappling match. Applejack pressed forward, pushing Grayscale towards the ground.

Grayscale yawned, and pushed back, bringing them to their original positions. Applejack pushed harder, but Grayscale barely budged.

Applejack took a deep breath, drawing more of the earth’s power into her body. Still, Grayscale did not move. Applejack was left putting all of her effort into an attempt to move an immovable object, and that left her confused. She knew Grayscale could mess with weights, but she’d always moved her wings to do so; Applejack had seen it clearly, and Twilight had expressed the same understanding. Was she really strong enough to resist Applejack’s force?

She pulled out of the grapple for an instant, then rushed back in to tackle Grayscale. She slammed into Grayscale’s midsection, and pushed her back several inches. Then, Grayscale skidded to a halt, and she pushed back with so much power that Applejack went tumbling to the ground.

Grayscale slammed her forehooves down on Applejack’s back; to Applejack, it felt like having a house dropped on her. “Are you done?” she asked. “This is boring.”

Applejack snorted, but kept her eyes on Grayscale’s hind legs, which were just in front of her face. “Hmph. I wasn’t expectin’ y’all ta be so fat.”

“Cute. I’ll ask again: are you done? Because I want to get this over with already.”

“Oh, we ain’t done. In fact, we’re just gettin’ started!”

Applejack called out to the earth below and, with its strength behind her, swept Grayscale’s legs with just her own forelegs. Grayscale wobbled for an instant; it was enough for Applejack to roll out from under the other mare’s weight.

Grayscale recovered quickly, though, and kicked Applejack hard in the midsection, then flicked her wings the instant Applejack left the ground.

Applejack felt her body weight decrease for all of a few seconds—enough to go airborne—then suddenly increase again, so sharply that she slammed right back down into the rocky ground, cratering the surface on impact.

Once her weight returned to normal, Applejack rose to her hooves. “Dirty cheater... I done told ya not to use none o’ them fancy tricks! Ya said ya’d fight fair!”

“Fair? Fair is for fools,” Grayscale chuckled. “It’s just not practical to play fair. Makes things take too long.”

“Yeah, well, that don’t make ya any less of a dirty cheater.”

“I just want to get this over with.” Grayscale yawned. “Face it: I’m way out of your league, ground-pounder.”

“Oh yeah? We’ll just see about that,” Applejack snorted.

“Here we go again. Second verse, same as the first, I guess,” Grayscale said with a shrug.

Applejack leapt towards her, but Grayscale easily avoided it by taking to the air.

“Get back here, ya danged coward!” Applejack shouted, shaking her hoof up at the retreating pegasus. “Fight me like a mare, dagnabit! Y’all ain’t doin’ this right!”

Grayscale circled around in the air above Applejack at a lackadaisical pace. “If being practical is wrong, who wants to be right? Only total numbskulls fight fair. It’s a pretty simple concept, really.”

“An’ only total cowards fight like dirty, rotten cheaters! That’s all you ‘n’ yer sisters are! A bunch o’ cowards! Sneakin’ around, ambushin’ ponies, an’ fightin’ dirty!”

“Y’know, these easy assignments are kind of a mixed blessing,” Grayscale said. “On one hoof, I hardly have to put in any effort. You’re just not worth it. But, on the other hoof, I can’t just up and take a nap, on the off chance you decide you want to be competent.” She shrugged, and kicked back in the air. “I’ll look at the bright side though: at least from up here, I can see what everypony else is doing. Might as well enjoy the show.”

***

Curaçao watched in amusement as Rarity circled past her for the fourth time, her eyes darting every which way for some unseen opponent. The distraction had worked perfectly. Rarity was unsure if Curaçao was anywhere nearby, or if she was even nearby at all. It had been a simple matter of playing off her invisibility capability as less effective than it truly was. If Rarity knew that Curaçao could turn completely invisible, she’d probably be trying to feel around for her, rather than just use her keen eyes.

Magnifique.

Curaçao took a breath and focused her mind on reaching out and connecting with Grayscale’s. Once she felt the connection, she asked, 

Grayscale responded over the connection. 

_ Curaçao cleared her throat. _

_***_

_Applejack lifted another chunk of rock out of the ground, tossed it into the air, spun and bucked it as hard as she could, sending it speeding up at the bulky pegasus above her._

_Grayscale had seemed distracted earlier, enough that she didn’t even see Applejack work out her plan of attack. Now she had no choice but to sit up and take notice. She flicked one wing, and the rock sailing towards her plummeted to the ground._

_“Hey, featherbrain!” Applejack shouted, now that she had Grayscale’s attention. “Why don’t y’all bring yer sorry butt down here, before I make yer sorry butt get down here!”_

_Grayscale didn’t come down. She circled in the air, as if looking for an opportunity to strike._

_Applejack wasn’t about to give the pegasus any such opportunity. She focused her energy to summon another bunch of rocks from the ground. The rocks orbited her at just the perfect height for bucking. She turned, and, using only one leg so as to buck faster, bucked each rock one at a time. Every time she bucked a rock at her opponent, she summoned another to replace it, until she had a steady stream of ammunition launching skyward._

_To Applejack’s delight, Grayscale didn’t seem to have an easy time avoiding the rocks at all. While at first she’d just flicked her wings to deflect them groundward, now there were too many, and their intervals were too uneven to catch all of the rocks in a single weight-changing action. _

_Since Grayscale needed both wings to fly, she soon had to resort to dodging the rocks, a feat not made easy by her broad frame. Applejack counted the rocks that managed to hit their mark, and was pleased to say her aim was getting better._

_“What’s the matter, Grayscale?” Applejack called. “Y’all havin’ a lil’ trouble up there?”_

_Grayscale stopped moving just over Applejack’s head, then dropped like a stone._

_Applejack dove to the side. Grayscale slammed into the ground, cratering the spot where Applejack had just been standing only a split second before; rocky debris and clouds of dust sprayed in all directions, and great fissure lines ripped through the earth._

_Applejack rose to her hooves. The dust did not bother her senses, so she could see Grayscale just fine through the settling clouds; the pegasus bore a cocksure grin, and was looking straight at her._

_ “Not bad, dirt farmer,” Grayscale said. “Maybe you’re not so boring.”_

_***_

_Fluttershy hadn’t really given much thought to how she was going to go about teaching Insipid a lesson. The other mare didn’t seem like she’d accept or even understand anything Fluttershy could try to explain to her. So talking to her was out. She had to take action; Lockwood was hurt, and this mare had insulted him. Even now Ophanim bounced erratically around Fluttershy’s ears, eagerly waiting to be called upon._

_Insipid, however, did not seem patient enough to let Fluttershy think. “So, like, are you gonna do something, or what?” she asked with a weary sigh. “You’re just, y’know, standing there and junk? This is totally super dull.”_

_Fluttershy huffed. “You’re right. No more standing around. I’m going to give you a chance to apologize for everything you’ve said and done. I don’t want to hurt you.”_

_“Hurt me? Pshaw! Yeah, right! You?” Insipid laughed, long and loud; it was the most annoying sound in the world, like somepony was tormenting a helium-filled duck. “That’s sooo totally funny! You’re, like, a super good jokester, Buttercup.”_

_“Fluttershy,” Fluttershy said through clenched teeth._

_Insipid rolled her eyes and groaned. “Okay, like, who cares? Why are you and your friends so touchy over your names and junk? I don’t have time to, y’know, memorize everypony’s totally lame-o names, okay?” She flipped her mane and huffed. “So like, are we gonna get to it or whatever?”_

_Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and readied herself to sic Ophanim on the unicorn. “This is the last time I’m going to ask,” she said. “Apologize, or else.”_

_“Ah, bite me!”_

_Insipid sprung at Fluttershy like a cat._

_Ophanim bolted forward, taking on his wolf form in the process, and pounced on Insipid in mid-air. He had her pinned in seconds; his large frame dwarfed hers, and made it easy to keep her from escaping. He brought his muzzle just over her face, then snarled, baring his great, sharp fangs._

_“Ahhh!” Insipid wailed, her pitch so high that Ophanim pulled back an inch and flattened his ears. “Big doggie! Get it off! Get it offff! I don’t wanna be doggie chow! Help! Helllp!”_

_“Good boy, Ophanim,” Fluttershy cooed. She flew over and patted the great wolf on his head, then scratched him behind his ears. “Who’s a good puppy? You are! Yes you are!”_

_Ophanim’s hind leg twitched excitedly, and his tail swished to and fro. Fluttershy was glad to see that even though Ophanim wasn’t a real wolf, he certainly did act like one. Gilderoy was right: for all intents and purposes, Ophanim was whatever animal he took the shape of, only he obeyed Fluttershy’s commands. He was also much larger, which gave him an advantage over a wild animal._

_“Okay, Ophanim, just keep her pinned,” she said. “Mommy’s going to see if she can find where the others have gotten to and if they need any help.”_

_As Fluttershy took to the air and began to fly off, Insipid cried, “H-hey! W-w-wait! Y-you’re not just gonna, like, leave me here? Are you?”_

_Fluttershy turned back, and landed beside the unicorn. She scowled at her, and shook her head. “If you apologize, and you promise not to hurt anypony ever again, I’ll let you go.”_

_“B-but the boss said—" Insipid paused, and her ears perked up. “Hey... wait a sec...” Her mouth curled into a toothy grin, and her eyes glowed with wonder. “Your doggie’s made of magic. Heh. Ha ha ha! Yes!”_

_Insipid brought her forehooves up to grab the sides of Ophanim’s face. Ophanim whined, and his light flickered erratically, like a shorted-out light bulb. He leapt off of Insipid and staggered back a few steps, as though wounded._

_Fluttershy darted over to him. “Ophanim! Are you alright?” she asked as she stroked his fur. “What did she do to you?”_

_“Oooh, yum yum yum! That’s good magic!” Insipid cackled as she rose to her hooves. She lifted her forehoof and gave it a once-over; Fluttershy noticed the hoof glowed green for all of a few seconds. “Hmm... okay, let’s see how this works. Form of... a, uh... whatever that doggie is!”_

_Insipid’s body flashed a bright white for a few seconds, then took on a new shape. When the glow subsided, her body had taken the form of a wolf just like Ophanim, though not as large. Her thick fur was charcoal black like her regular coat, and tufts of bright yellow—the same color as her mane—spread across her chest and streaked through her tail. Her cutie mark no longer emblazoned her flanks, and her horn was gone. The only pony feature she retained were her big, decidedly un-wolflike eyes._

_“Oh... oh my...” Fluttershy gasped._

_Insipid raised a paw to her face, then glanced back to examine herself, and even spent a few seconds chasing her tail. When at last she was satisfied with her new form, she bounced excitedly in place. _

_“Oh boy! This is so cool! Now I’m a doggie too! Woof woof! Arf arf!” She dropped her body low to the ground, as though preparing to pounce. “Okay, round two! Ready... setgo!”_

_She leapt at Ophanim and tackled him, slamming him to the dirt. She opened her maw and bit down on Ophanim’s neck._

_Ophanim yowled, then rolled over so that Insipid was beneath him. He used his leverage to wrestle out of her bite, then he backed away to ready himself for his next attack._

_As Insipid attempted to right herself, Ophanim leapt upon her and sunk his teeth into the back of her neck, putting all of his weight into forcing her to the ground in the process._

_“Ow! Like, watch it, you stupid dog!” she spat._

_“Ophanim! Please, try not to hurt her!” Fluttershy pleaded._

_Insipid shook Ophanim off and scrambled away. “Tch, your dumb doggie’s, like, one tough cookie.”_

_Fluttershy glared at Insipid. “Stop this, Insipid. You might look like a wolf, but Ophanim’s the genuine article, and he’s bigger than you. If I let him cut loose, he can and will hurt you. I don’t want that, and neither do you.”_

_“Pshaw, as if. Okay, like, fine. So your doggie’s a better doggie than me,” Insipid said with a shrug. “Let’s see if he can handle something else!”_

_Insipid glowed white again, and in seconds, her form had changed. Her body molded into a longer, thinner shape, and grew in size until she was just slightly bigger than Ophanim. Her head shorted, her ears shrunk, and her tail grew and thinned. When the glow subsided, Insipid had morphed into the form of a tiger with stripes alternating between charcoal black and garish yellow._

_Fluttershy balked. “B-but... how?”_

_“Round three!” Insipid shouted. “Rawr!”_

_Insipid darted at Ophanim and pounced upon him as she’d done before, only this time she dug her great claws into his sides. Ophanim yowled in pain, and attempted to throw Insipid off of him; Insipid’s grip was too tight, though, and he couldn’t dislodge her._

_Insipid roared and sank her fangs into Ophanim’s neck. He howled again and sunk low to the ground. His light flickered; Fluttershy could feel his pain. She wanted to help, but she didn’t know how. A tiger was naturally superior to a lone wolf, and so Insipid’s form was superior to Ophanim’s. Even if his was that of a bigger, stronger wolf, she was even bigger and stronger. She was faster too, and she had an additional weapon in her claws. The only thing Fluttershy could think of that would help is if Ophanim could change forms, which wasn’t possible._

_Or was it?_

_If Insipid copied Ophanim’s powers entirely, and she can change forms, then perhaps..._

_Fluttershy glared at Insipid for a moment, then directed her attention to Ophanim and focused her thoughts on molding him into the sort of animal that would best beat Insipid’s tiger. Ophanim flashed white for a brief instant._

_This distracted Insipid; she backed away from the glowing form before her. “Uh... like, what gives?”_

_Ophanim reached out with a massive arm and grabbed Insipid’s face with its huge hand, then slammed it into the rocky ground. He did not give her time to register the pain, either; she was forced to dart aside to avoid being crushed when Ophanim, now in the form of a mighty gorilla, swung his fist down to crush her._

_“Like, whoa! Giant monkey!” Insipid exclaimed._

_“Giant ape,” Fluttershy corrected, shooting Ophanim a proud smile._

_Ophanim roared and pounded his chest._

_Insipid rolled her eyes. “Whatever! I’m still gonna beat it!”_

_She leapt at Ophanim, claws reared and ready to tear into him. She was met by a forearm almost as thick around as the rest of her body; the blow knocked her into the rock wall behind her._

_“Oww...” Insipid groaned as she stumbled upright._

_“Are you ready to apologize now?” Fluttershy asked. She trotted up to Ophanim and patted him on the waist; it was the highest she could reach without taking to the air._

_“This totally blows. So like, okay, doggie beats pony. Kitty beats doggie. Monkey beats kitty. So... what beats monkey?” she asked, tapping her chin. “Shark?”_

_“Just give it up, Insipid. Any animal you pick, I’ll pick something suited to beat you. Ophanim will always have the size and intellect advantage over you. Stop this already, and apologize for what you’ve said and done, and I’ll be on my way.”_

_Insipid blew a raspberry._

_“Suit yourself,” Fluttershy sighed. She turned to the spirit gorilla at her side. “Ophanim?”_

_Ophanim grunted in affirmation and took a step forward._

_“Go.”_

_***_

_Pinkie galloped as fast as her hooves would carry her, keeping her focus on the sky. She could see Rainbow and Havocwing looping about up there, and had been watching them ever since they had broken away from the others. She was so focused on what was going on above her that she almost ran into a boulder that sprung up in front of her; she only noticed when it poked into her line of sight. When she tried to go around it, more rocks burst out of the earth, forming a solid ring around her._

_She frowned, but kept some of her attention on the sky. If these rocks were in her way, she’d be unable to follow Rainbow’s path._

_Just as she stepped back to take a running leap, she was struck by a chilling cold. She froze in place; the light around her dimmed to nothing, leaving her in total darkness._

_“Well, well, well. Look at what I caught,” came an all-too-familiar cackle. “A Pinkie Pie! Mmm… just the way I like ‘em: fat and stupid.”_

_Pinkie wheeled around, drawing her pistol from its holster and aiming it at where she thought she’d heard the voice originate. There wasn’t anything there but darkness._

_“I know you’re there, Red,” Pinkie said. “Show yourself!”_

_“You’re like a teeny, tiny mouse in a trap, lured away from her safe little hole by the promise of cheese,” Velvet continued, though she still spoke from nothingness. “How does it feel, knowing you can’t help your lover up there? She’s all alone with a crazed pyromaniac. Havocwing might be an idiot, but she’s brutal when she wants to be. When she’s done, your precious Dashie will be burned to a crisp. You might as well call her Rainbow Ash.”_

_Pinkie aimed her pistol to her left. So long as Velvet kept talking, she’d eventually figure out where she was. “Dashie’s no slouch either, and she’s stronger than the last time we met. She’ll handle herself just fine.”_

_Velvet’s bone-chilling laugh echoed through the darkness. “Aww, that’s so cute. Who are you trying to convince, Pinkie? Me, or yourself?”_

_Pinkie felt the sharp cold creep up her spine. Velvet was somewhere behind her, but she couldn’t be sure where. She wanted to turn and look, but resisted the urge. All she needed to know was where she was; if she turned, Velvet might move._

_“I can taste just the slightest bit of fear in you, Pinkie. For all your big talk about being confident, you still fear for dear Dashie’s well-being. You’re still afraid of losing her. You’re still afraid of me.”_

_Pinkie closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “I’m not afraid of you.”_

_“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you,” Velvet teased, sliding unseen tendrils along Pinkie’s once-injured leg. “You’re gonna have to speak up.”_

_“I said...”_

_Pinkie spun around and delivered a vicious jab into the darkness. The punch sent Red Velvet reeling backward into the wall._

_“I’m not afraid of you!”_

_In Velvet’s stupor, she lost control over the surrounding darkness; it evaporated like fog, and the cold went with it. The ring of rock was clearly visible now, and soon, too, was the sky. Pinkie could no longer see Rainbow and Havocwing; she frowned._

_Velvet righted herself, and shook her head to clear it. She hadn’t been expecting the blow. “How?! You should be—" She paused, and raised an eyebrow. “Now what the hell are you wearing?”_

_Pinkie’s outfit had changed once again. A much more colorful ensemble had replaced her gray-on-gray police uniform. Her now-muscular frame pressed tightly against the spandex-like material of a blue jacket and matching blue pants. The golden color of the boots on all four hooves matched the bright scarf around her neck. A silver shoulder plate accented the jacket, but only covered one shoulder. Her helmet was the most distinct part of the outfit by far. It was a bright, sporty red, and bore a golden emblem on the front that looked like a falcon. A black face shield covered the top half of her face and obscured her eyes, though to an outside viewer, they appeared as white slits._

_Pinkie reared back on her hind legs and shifted into a fighting stance. “Yeah, you’re right. I am afraid about something bad happening to Dashie, and to any of my friends. But I’ll say it again: I’m not afraid of you.”_

_Velvet sneered, and her eyebrow twitched in anger. “This... this feeling. I feel your fear, but... I still feel so much joy! How can you be excited at a time like this?”_

_“Oh, I’ll tell you why I’m excited. The thing that would make me happiest is if I knew all of friends were safe. Since I can’t help them with their own battles right now, I’ll do the next best thing: keep you away from them. And that means kicking your butt!”_

_Velvet smirked. A slit along her spine burst open, letting loose a torrent of blood that formed blades, spikes, and blunt objects of all shapes and sizes. “I love it when they get all brave. Okay then, you wanna go? Let’s go. I’ll tear you to shreds. Then, I’ll do the same to allll your little friends.”_

_“Aww, but I thought your boss lady was keeping you on a leash, little puppy. Did she let you out for walkies?”_

_Velvet grit her teeth. “I might be bound by that ridiculous ‘non-lethal’ garbage, but you know what’s funny about that? You’d be surprised at what you can live through.”_

_Velvet leaned forward as if to charge, but her hooves didn’t budge an inch. Her tendrils wobbled about in a tight formation, clearly aching to move but also unable to do so. _

_“Why can’t I move?!” Velvet spat. “What did you do? What’s going on?!”_

_Pinkie pulled a small, flat gadget out of her pocket, and used her hoof to fiddle with the screen. “Hang on, okay? I’m picking the accompanying music. You can’t have a fight scene without some sort of background music, after all.”_

_Velvet rolled her eyes. “Ugh. This again? Are we gonna do this every time?”_

_“Yes.”_

_Velvet groaned._

_“Don’t worry, I always pick something appropriate.” She tapped her gadget’s screen with a dramatic flair. “Aaand... there!”_

_The music Pinkie picked played though the arena from some unseen source._

_“How... what... but...” Velvet sputtered. She then paused, sighed, and shook her head. “You know what? I’m just gonna stop asking questions. Are we ready to do this?”_

_From out of nowhere, a distinctly male voice announced:_

_“READY?”_

_“What the hell was that?!” Velvet exclaimed. She frantically looked about for the source of the voice. “Who said that?”_

_“What happened to not asking questions?” Pinkie snickered. She settled back into her fighting stance. “Here we go, Red. Show me your moves!”_

_The male voice announced:_

_“GO!”_

_“Who keeps—"_

_Pinkie cut Velvet off with a running shoulder tackle, popping her up into the air. Then, before Velvet could react, she leapt after her, and slammed both rear hooves down hard on Velvet’s back, knocking her right back into the ground._

_Velvet recovered and rolled out of the way before Pinkie landed. She swung a single blade at Pinkie’s face; Pinkie jumped mid-air to avoid it._

_“Falcon Kick!” Pinkie shouted. She came rushing downwards at her, her hind leg sheathed in fire; Velvet’s eyes widened._

_Pinkie’s hoof struck Velvet’s face and knocked her airborne again. She then leapt up and smacked Velvet with a quick one-two kick, knocking Velvet clear to the other side of the arena._

_Velvet snarled as she rose to her hooves. She rushed Pinkie, tendrils flaring in the air like lightning. She lashed a blade at Pinkie; Pinkie rolled back to avoid it. She unleashed a flurry of spikes; Pinkie miraculously sidestepped the entire barrage. She charged at Pinkie, slicing rapidly through the air; Pinkie rolled behind Velvet, somehow passing through her tendrils and body in the process._

_“Stop moving you stupid oaf!” Velvet snapped._

_“Pfh, that defeats the purpose of picking a fast character, Red,” Pinkie scoffed. She twirled around the air to avoid another wildly-flailing spike. “You can’t complain about me avoiding all your attacks if all you’re going to do is spam. Predictable noob tactics, Red. I expected better.”_

_“I’ll show you predictable!” Velvet snorted. She lashed out with multiple spikes at once from varying directions._

_Pinkie darted away to avoid them. When she saw an opening, she sprung at Velvet with a running short-hop. She lifted her hind leg up and smashed Velvet in the gut with her knee; the impact sent electrical currents ripping through the air, launching Velvet into the wall._

_Velvet removed herself from the wall and shook off her stupor. She glared at Pinkie. “Enough of this!” she shouted. She reeled in her blood until all that was left were four thick globs, which she slathered on her hooves._

_Pinkie gestured for Velvet to ‘bring it on.’_

_Velvet lunged at Pinkie, hooves outstretched. Pinkie sidestepped the initial charge, and attempted to capitalize with a fierce roundhouse._

_This time, though, Velvet rolled out of the way, just as Pinkie had done earlier: through the kick, through Pinkie, and to Pinkie’s other side. Before Pinkie could react, Velvet thrust her blood-soaked hoof into Pinkie’s back; her blood allowed her to easily pierce through Pinkie’s flesh._

_Pinkie yowled in pain, and squirmed to dislodge herself from Velvet’s grip._

_Velvet punched Pinkie in the spine with her other hoof once, twice, three times. She then lifted Pinkie over her head, and slammed her face-first into the ground behind her in a reverse powerbomb._

_Pinkie bounced at an odd angle, giving Velvet ample time to pounce again. Velvet snagged Pinkie’s hind legs with an outstretched tendril, swung her around in a wide circle, then tossed her over the arena wall._

_Pinkie exploded in a shower of white and blue sparks the second she passed the boundary._

_Velvet’s jaw dropped. “What the—"_

_The male voice from earlier returned, and shouted:_

_“GAME!”_

_“Uh...”_

_“THIS GAME’S WINNER IS... RED VELVET!”_

_“What? What game? What’d I win? What is happening?!”_

_Pinkie giggled. “Looks like I underestimated you, Red. That was a pretty sick combo.”_

_Velvet turned slowly to face Pinkie’s voice. Pinkie stood before her, unharmed, as if nothing had happened. Velvet glanced down at herself to see that she, too, no longer had any injuries; even the gash along her spine had healed._

_Pinkie rolled her shoulders and got back into a fighting stance. “Okay then, let’s keep going. Round two.”_

_“No... I just... but you...” Velvet babbled. She ground her teeth in rage, then stopped, as if struck by an idea. She let out a great, loud, open-mouthed cackle. “I think I get it now. You’ve locked us in some sort endless duel, and we recover from our injuries after every fight.”_

_“Well, technically one-stock isn’t exactly endless,” Pinkie said, scratching her chin. “We just play another round immediately after the last one.”_

_“Either way, this is good. This is very good.” Velvet cackled again, then smiled wide, revealing rows of fangs. “If you heal every time I ‘win’, then I can really cut loose and unleash everything I have on you. I’m going to enjoy this!”_

_Pinkie smirked. “Funny story: I get stronger when ponies are having fun.”_

_“READY?”_

_“Let’s do this!” Velvet shouted, letting loose another full array of tendrils._

_“Show me your moves!” Pinkie retorted._

_“GO!”_

_***_

_ Applejack dodged another of Grayscale’s crushing dives. She misjudged her landing, though, and slammed into the surrounding wall. She quickly recovered and prepared herself for the next attack, but was genuinely surprised when it didn’t come._

_She glanced skyward. Grayscale was up there, certainly, but didn’t look to be preparing for an attack. In fact, she looked like she was just observing the surrounding area._

_“Now don’t that beat all,” Applejack muttered, scratching her head. “What is she doin’ up there, jus’ lookin’ ‘round like—" She paused, then grinned. “Ohh, I get it now. She thinks she can just leave me down here ‘n’ find some other fight ta join in on. Well, we’ll just see about that.”_

_She kicked another rock just past Grayscale’s head._

_Grayscale groaned and turned her gaze down at the earth pony. “Really? Why do you have to mess up this good thing I’m trying to have? It’s so easy: I don’t bother you, you don’t bother me. It’s the perfect system.”_

_“Fat chance!” Applejack kicked another rock, not really intending to hit so much as show intent. “I ain’t ready ta throw in the towel yet, featherbrain, so get yer sorry butt back down here an’ let me whoop ya!”_

_Grayscale sighed, shrugged, then dove at Applejack again. Applejack remained still._

_Grayscale came in hard and fast. Applejack stood firm._

_A second before impact, Grayscale adjusted her trajectory and, instead of landing right on top of Applejack, landed directly in front of her._

_Applejack weathered the shockwave, then leapt on Grayscale as soon as the ground stopped shaking. She and Grayscale tussled, rolled, and finally came to a stop near the middle of the arena, where the rock had been so cratered and broken that all that remained was sand and dirt._

_It had been easy, really; Applejack was used to wrestling with her brother ever since they were little. Big Macintosh was a big, powerful workhorse, bigger than any stallion Applejack knew. Grayscale nearly matched him in size. Catching her off-guard was all it took._

_Applejack slammed Grayscale down on her back and pinned her neatly to the ground. She planted her legs such that Grayscale was effectively unable to move. She’d used this exact pin on Rainbow once or twice when she’d caught her catching a nap in her apple trees, so it was only a matter of adjusting for size. _

_“Well lookie here! I caught me a pesky pegasus.”_

_Grayscale snorted. “Not for long.” She flicked her wings and pushed upwards; even without much leverage, if Applejack was light enough, she’d be easy enough to dislodge._

_Applejack didn’t budge an inch._

_“Heh, nice try,” Applejack laughed. “But y’see, th’ other thing ‘bout bein’ connected ta th’ earth is that I’m really connected ta th’ earth.”_

_She gestured towards her legs with her eyes, hoping Grayscale would follow the glance. Grayscale did exactly that, and saw that Applejack’s legs had fused with the rock beneath her._

_Grayscale returned her gaze to Applejack’s face and narrowed her eyes. “I see. By fusing yourself to the ground, you’ve added its strength to your own. Clever.”_

_“Yeah, I reckon it is,” Applejack said. “See now, you ‘n’ me? We’re gonna just sit here and have us a grand ol’ time. Y’know, I never much got a chance ta talk ta y’all before all this here fightin’ happened. What’s yer favorite color?”_

_“Are we really doing this?”_

_“Favorite food, maybe?”_

_Grayscale snorted. “You know, by staying here with me, you can’t help your friends.”_

_“Yeah, an’ by stayin’ here with ya, you can’t help yer sisters, neither. I saw y’all up there lookin’ ‘round. Y’all’re keepin’ an eye out, ta see if ya can’t make sure they all win, ain’t ya? Now, that ain’t fair.”_

_“Fair? The fights are already unfair. You think your friends Fluttershy and Rarity can last against Insipid and Curaçao?”_

_“They’ll have a better chance if y’all ain’t involved, so if that’s what I gotta do to help my friends, that what I’m gonna do.”_

_Grayscale paused, then cocked a slight grin. “Huh. Seems I misjudged you, Applejack. You’re not so bad after all. Now, I’m gonna figure a way out of this, and then we’re gonna fight again, okay? I won’t hold back, either. How long do you think you’ll last?”_

_“As long as it takes, Grayscale,” Applejack replied, cocking a grin of her own. “As long as it takes.”_

_***_

_Havocwing took aim at the rainbow-maned pegasus ahead of her with all the care and precision her patience would allow. A surge of heat wafted through her leg up to her hoof; she launched a fireball like a bullet. She led her target, she adjusted for drop, and the blast was large enough that even if she just glanced her target, the rainbow-maned pegasus would be in for a world of hurt. It was the perfect shot._

_The only thing she couldn’t figure out was the wind, and that was what caused her fireball to wildly miss its mark. There was hardly any wind at all in the air, so accounting for it was easy. But, when the projectile got within a few yards of its target it careened off course so erratically that it was as if it had a mind of its own, and its mind was telling it to avoid hitting Rainbow Dash at any cost. This was not the first shot that had done this, either; in fact, Havocwing had lost count of how many shots she’d fired and missed since Rainbow pulled into the simple, circular flight pattern she was in now, a pattern that had no right making it so easy to avoid Havocwing’s shots._

_“Is this all you’ve got, crash master?!” Havocwing yelled. “Flying around in circles like you’re some kind of bitch chasing her bucking tail?! You can’t lay a hit on me so you’re just gonna fly around? Come at me, punk!”_

_“Whoa now, looks like we’ve got a real badass over here!” Rainbow hollered back, her mouth curled in a wide grin. “You having problems back there, hothead? Maybe you need some glasses!”_

_Havocwing snarled. “Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, or I’m gonna kick your bucking teeth in! Then we’ll see who needs glasses... braces!”_

_“Uh-oh, you sound mad. You mad, Havoc? ‘cause you sound mad.”_

_“You haven’t even seen mad yet, you muff-diving skank! I’m just getting started! If you’re trying to get me mad, maybe you’d better stick to something you’re good at, like munching carpet!”_

_Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before. Keep ‘em coming, skunk face! I can do this all day!”_

_Rainbow continued circling, not showing even the slightest signs of switching it up._

_Havocwing was still trailing just behind Rainbow despite taking the inside path, so she increased her speed. She launched a fireball every chance she could, but the bursts still just would not hit their target._

_Rainbow’s loops tightened by the second. Havocwing tightened hers in turn to keep her positioning. Soon, her own loops were so tight that she was effectively flying in a circle no bigger than three ponies wide. At the same time, the wind picked up. Really picked up, so much so that Havocwing had trouble aiming at all, let alone trying to compensate for it in her shots; worse, the wind snuffed out several fireballs before they even came close to Rainbow’s tail._

_“Dammit!” Havocwing spat. “Where the buck did all this wind come from?!”_

_<’avocwing! Fais attention!>_

_Havocwing paused. That was Curaçao’s voice, and it had spoken into her head just like Starlight had a habit of doing. _

_<Ça ne fait rien!> Curaçao exclaimed. <Écoutez, you need to—>_

_ Havocwing snapped. _

_Havocwing closed off her mind to Curaçao, effectively severing their connection; no more distractions. The winds were picking up more than ever, and it was hard enough trying to fly without her elder sister’s incessant yapping in her head._

_“Hey, torchy! I bet you’re gonna wish you had some goggles in a minute!” Rainbow shouted. “Things are about to get windy!”_

_“What?!” Havocwing shouted back; the winds had drowned out Rainbow’s words so much that she wasn’t certain what had been said. “Speak up, I can’t y- whoooaaa!”_

_A fearsome gale sucked Havocwing up into the swirling vortex of a tornado; it had formed so quickly that she hadn’t even noticed it. She frantically tried to right herself, but the winds were so strong that everything she tried proved useless. Around and around she spun, losing all sense of direction, and her lunch as well._

_She didn’t even notice Rainbow Dash flying through the whirlwind unabated, nor did she notice Rainbow Dash screech towards her with a dive bomb kick._

_“Eat it, chump!” Rainbow yelled._

_Rainbow’s hoof impacted Havocwing’s back, knocking her out of the tornado’s vortex with enough force to rocket Havocwing towards the ground below._

_Havocwing flailed about to try and regain control, and failed miserably. She slammed into the rocky ground, hard, and bounced a fair distance before hitting the ground and bouncing again, punctuating each hard crash with a loud swear:_

_“Shit—" Slam. “Cock—" Bounce. “Dammi—" Crack. “Motherfuck-k-k—" Tumble. “-unt...”_

_***_

_Insipid snarled, bared her sharp fangs at the absolutely massive bear towering over her, and prepared to pounce. Then, she heard a loud crack behind her; both she, the spirit bear, and Fluttershy turned their heads to look at the source of the noise. A foul-mouthed pegasus had just bounced over the wall and landed within the bounds of their arena, rolled along the ground, then came to a screeching halt against the opposite wall, swearing all the while with words that Insipid knew were very, very bad._

_Insipid’s sisterly instincts took over; she rushed to Havocwing’s limp body with all the speed of a cheetah—conveniently, this happened to be the animal form she’d been in before the crash, albeit her coat was black with yellow spots rather than the other way around. She leaned down and pawed at her elder sister’s side. Havocwing was covered in cuts and bruises, her wing was bent awkwardly, and she was missing a tooth._

_“Havoc! Are you, like, okay?” she asked._

_Havocwing’s eyes blinked open, barely. Her mouth curled in a dumb smile. “Oh... hey there... pussycat...” She laughed, then her head dropped and she closed her eyes as unconsciousness took her._

_Insipid frowned. “Uh oh... totally not good.” She pawed Havocwing’s cheek. “Havoc? Hey! Hey Havoc, wake up! C’mooon, don’t go all, like, lame-o on me!”_

_“Looks like Rainbow won,” Fluttershy said. “That’s not good for you, or your sisters.”_

_Insipid jumped and dropped back into a pounce-ready position; she’d completely forgotten Fluttershy or her big spirit bear were even there. Then, Fluttershy’s words finally registered: Havocwing was here, injured and unconscious, which meant that the rainbow-maned pegasus had free reign to help out any of her friends. And, since Havocwing had just landed right here, that meant the other pegasus was close by. Insipid immediately turned her gaze skyward, but couldn’t see anything except a fading tornado._

_Curaçao’s voice spoke into Insipid’s head. _

_Insipid perked up and glanced about in search of her eldest sister, tail swishing back and forth excitedly. “Curie? Is that you? Where are you?”_

_Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Curaçao? She’s not here... is she? That would mean...” She gasped. “Rarity!”_

_ Curaçao hissed. _

_“Uhhh... okay?” Insipid muttered. “I am thinking? I mean, duh, Curie. I have to think before I can talk.”_

_Curaçao paused, then sighed. _

_“Oh, Havoc? Yeah, that crash was totally her.”_

_Insipid glanced at Havocwing’s limp form. She hesitated. “Um... not really? She’s kinda bleeding, and she passed out and junk. She’s, like, the opposite of alright?”_

_Curaçao groaned. _

_“The what? Oh! You mean Flufflepuff! Yeah, I’m still having a little trouble, I guess?”_

_“Fluttershy! It’s Fluttershy!” Fluttershy shouted. “Who are you talking to? Is that Curaçao? Tell me: is Rarity okay?”_

_Insipid snorted. “Cha! Rude much? I’m trying to have, like, a conversation here?” She huffed and turned her attention back to Curaçao. “So, you were saying, Curie?”_

_“Aww, but Havoc’s powers are so lame—"_

_“Ohh... fine. But only because it’s you, Curie. But, uh... so like, what am I supposed to do with them?”_

_“No, not exactly. I took her doggie... bear... whatever’s animal powers though. Uh... I forget his name. She talks to him like he’s her, like, pet or something?” She turned to Fluttershy. “Hey! What do you call your whatever-it-is?”_

_“His name is Ophanim,” Fluttershy said. “He’s a spirit familiar, and... wait, why am I explaining this to you?”_

_Insipid turned her attention back to Curaçao. “She said his name is Optimus. He transforms into different kinds of animals and junk? He’s a spirit… uh, transformer.”_

_ Curaçao paused. ___

_ _“Okay!” Insipid chirped._ _

_ _She put her paw on Havocwing’s head. Her body glowed red for a moment, and she braced herself for Havocwing’s typical explosive temper, but it never came. She now had Havocwing’s ability to control and create flame once again._ _

_ _Fluttershy blinked. “W-what are you doing?”_ _

_ _Insipid scoffed. “Uh, I’m taking Havoc’s powers? Duh.”_ _

_ _“But... doesn’t that hurt her?”_ _

_ _“Nah,” Insipid said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her paw. “Dummy here went and got, like, knocked out, so she can’t feel a thing. Good thing too, otherwise she’d be totally mad and junk? Besides, even if it did hurt, she like, totally deserves it. Her motto is, ‘if you can’t take the heat, stay out of my way.’ She, like, obviously wasn’t cut out to go against your pal up there?”_ _

_ _Fluttershy glared. “Just because you have Havocwing’s abilities now doesn’t mean I’m going to give up. I said I’d stop you from hurting anypony, so that’s what I’m going to do.”_ _

_ _Insipid cracked a toothy smile. “We’ll, like, just see about that, won’t we?”_ _

_ _***_ _

_ _Applejack sighed. It felt as though hours had passed since she’d pinned Grayscale to the ground, though with no sun to judge by, she couldn’t rightly tell. Looking down at the bulky pegasus mare’s face for this long was, to be blunt, boring. The only thing that affected the tedium of it all was Grayscale’s continued attempts to dislodge herself._ _

_ _“So, are y’all ready ta just admit that ya lost, or what?” she asked._ _

_ _“Lost? No, I don’t think so,” Grayscale said, eyebrow raised. “See, right now, we’re technically at a draw.”_ _

_ _Applejack rolled her eyes. “Pfh, whatever ya say. Y’all‘re just like Dash. None o’ y’all hotshot pegasi can admit losin’.”_ _

_ _“Admitting losing implies I lost. I haven’t lost yet.”_ _

_ _“Uh huh. Listen missy, I got ya pinned down good ‘n’ tight, so ya ain’t gonna get me off o’ ya any time soon. If that ain’t losin’—"_ _

_ _Grayscale shook her head. “If I lost, then you’d have won. Do you call sitting here doing nothing ‘winning’?”_ _

_ _“I call keepin’ y’all outta their business winnin’, yeah.”_ _

_ _“Well then, you haven’t won just yet. You’re not the only one with tricks up her sleeve. For example, did you know I don’t need my wings to adjust my own weight?”_ _

_ _Grayscale closed her eyes and took a deep, deep breath._ _

_ _Applejack watched, unsure what Grayscale was up to, when a sharp pain shot through her head. The earth was crying out to her, as though a massive weight was pushing down on it. _ _

_ _Grayscale began sinking into the sand; it did not take her long to sink low enough that Applejack no longer had her pinned. “Later,” she said with a small smile._ _

_ _“Oh no you don’t!” Applejack spat._ _

_ _She sunk herself into the dirt so that she landed right on top of Grayscale. Their combined weight sunk deeper and deeper into the sand, until they passed straight through the sand into the solid rock beneath. Dust, dirt, and sand crumbled around their heads, burying them under its weight and pushing them further down._ _

_ _Grayscale, however, was no longer effectively pinned. She shifted and rolled so that Applejack was pinned beneath her, instead, then punched Applejack in the jaw. Applejack barely reacted; her skin had transitioned from soft sand to stone. Grayscale just didn’t have the velocity needed to put her mass to work. She only punched once, though. Once she realized Applejack wasn’t going anywhere, she stopped moving completely of her own volition. _ _

_ _She did not, however, stop adding to her own weight. She and Applejack continued to sink down into the earth, passing through another stratum of rock, this one greenish-white—Applejack’s skin changed to match it._ _

_ _“Dagnabit, what’re y’all tryin’ ta do?!” Applejack grunted._ _

_ _“Me?” Grayscale chuckled. “You’re the one that’s just letting us keep going.”_ _

_ _Applejack blinked, then sneered. With a grunt, she put all of her effort into pushing against Grayscale’s weight. They slowed to a stop._ _

_ _“Well now, looks like we stopped,” Grayscale muttered._ _

_ _“Dang right we did.” Applejack snorted and shook her head. “Nice escape plan there, wingnut. Did ya really think ya could get away by bringin’ me closer ta th’ earth?”_ _

_ _Grayscale shrugged—at least, attempted to shrug, what with all the sand and rock on top of her. “Not exactly. Now you’ve got me right where you want me: buried alive.”_ _

_ _Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”_ _

_ _“See, now that we’re buried down here, you can win. You can probably just move through this rock like it was nothing, and leave me here to die so you can go help your friends. That’s dirty, and unfair. I like it.”_ _

_ _“Y’all can’t be serious,” Applejack muttered. Grayscale’s expression did not change. “Listen here, missy, that ain’t my style. I ain’t gonna leave ya down here ta die.”_ _

_ _“Could’ve fooled me,” Grayscale chuckled. “If you were telling the truth, you’d have done something by now.”_ _

_ _Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Y’all accusin’ me o’ bein’ a liar?”_ _

_ _“Yes.”_ _

_ _Applejack grunted, then focused all of her effort on asking the earth around her to aid her in proving Grayscale wrong. The surrounding rock complied, and slowly shifted itself around until it formed an open, spherical chamber around the pair. The walls of the sphere were coated in a thin layer of quartz, which Applejack was able to use to see._ _

_ _Grayscale, however, was not able to do the same. “Hmm... what’s this you’re doing?” she asked._ _

_ _Applejack picked her hat off the ground, glad that it had followed her all the way down here—though maybe the earth around her had something to do with it—and adjusted it on her head. “This here’s a lil’ cell I made. We’re surrounded by tons ‘n’ tons o’ rock, so much that no matter what y’all do, y’all ain’t gettin’ out without my help. But, I ain’t gonna leave ya buried alive or nothin’. I’m gonna go up there, I’m gonna help my friends, then I’m gonna come back ‘n’ getcha. Sound fair?”_ _

_ _“I suppose it does,” Grayscale replied, stroking her chin. “You left me with enough air to last me several hours. More than enough time for my sisters to beat you and your friends, and for my sisters to come get me.”_ _

_ _Applejack smirked. “Yeah, y’all just keep thinkin’ that. But yeah, y’all’re right: I left enough air fer ya ta last a while. Ain’t nothin’ else down here fer ya ta use against me in a fight, an’ I know I can rightly beat ya if’n ya tried.”_ _

_ _“Nothing, huh?” Grayscale shrugged, and flared her wings. “Let me educate you a little. Consider it thanks for providing me with my first real challenge since, well, ever.”_ _

_ _“What’re y’all goin’ on about now?” Applejack huffed._ _

_ _“See, the thing about air is that it, too, has mass. Watch, and learn.”_ _

_ _She flicked her wings. A great burst of air blasted throughout the little cage._ _

_ _Applejack found herself having trouble breathing. She tried to ask Grayscale what she’d done, but her words did not come out. The cell grew eerily quiet, as though nothing was making a sound at all. She and Grayscale began to tremble as their breaths became shorter._ _

_ _One second._ _

_ _Applejack clutched her neck; a layer of frost had formed on her and was beginning to do the same to Grayscale and the rest of the surrounding chamber. While it looked like frost, it wasn’t very cold._ _

_ _Two seconds. _ _

_ _The rock beneath the frost cracked. Applejack couldn’t hear it, nor could she see it beneath all the frost, but she could feel it. The sensation felt like snapping bone._ _

_ _Three seconds._ _

_ _Applejack turned her gaze to Grayscale fully. Grayscale cracked a weak smirk, then pointed at Applejack, then pointed straight up. Applejack raised an eyebrow, unsure of what the gesture meant. _ _

_ _Four seconds._ _

_ _Grayscale repeated the gesture: she pointed at Applejack, then pointed up. Applejack closed her eyes, realizing what Grayscale wanted: she wanted Applejack to take them up and out. If she didn’t, they’d both die._ _

_ _Five seconds._ _

_ _Applejack glared at the pegasus. She’d just told Grayscale she wasn’t going to leave her to die, but she didn’t think for a second that Grayscale would force her to make a choice like this. It was cruel. It was dirty. It was unfair. But, it was done, and Applejack needed to act._ _

_ _Six seconds._ _

_ _Applejack called out to the earth above her, and with a resounding crack, a gaping tear ripped through the ceiling, letting air rush into the chamber. The sudden change of pressure knocked Applejack to the floor._ _

_ _Grayscale, though, was unshaken. She stomped over to Applejack and forcefully helped her to her hooves, then pointed upwards again. “Still have... one more... step, hayseed.”_ _

_ _Applejack grunted, still trying to catch her breath. She grabbed Grayscale, and called out to the earth beneath her. A fierce rumble shook the chamber, and a torrent of rock shot up from beneath Applejack, forcing her and Grayscale through the hole in the ceiling._ _

_ _***_ _

_ _Fluttershy was only slightly bothered by the fact that Insipid had yet to act since she’d drained Havocwing’s powers. Nearly two minutes had passed, and the loony unicorn hadn’t so much as started a fire. Insipid had, however, been circling around on the opposite edge of the arena, talking to herself. Sure, she sounded like she was holding a conversation with Curaçao, but Curaçao was elsewhere, trapped with Rarity, or so she hoped._ _

_ _A loud boom drew everyone’s attention skyward; Rainbow Dash had tamed her tornado and blasted off in their direction like a streak of lightning. She arrived in seconds, swooped around the rocky enclosure, then landed next to Fluttershy. She removed her goggles and eyed both Insipid and Havocwing’s limp body, then grunted in approval and smiled._ _

_ _“I guess torchy’s out of commission for a while. One down, five to go,” she said. She turned to Fluttershy and put a hoof on her shoulder. “You okay down here, Fluttershy? This airhead isn’t giving you any trouble, is she?”_ _

_ _Fluttershy’s answer was stiff: “I’m doing just fine on my own, Rainbow, thank you.” She hadn’t really intended to sound so curt, but she wanted Rainbow to understand that she wasn’t a weakling that needed her help._ _

_ _Insipid clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Pfft. Figures Havoc would, like, bring her problems with her too and junk. So unfair. Curie was right. Now I have to deal with Gutterball and Potato Mash.”_ _

_ _Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Who the hay is Potato Mash?”_ _

_ _“I... I think that’s supposed to be you,” Fluttershy muttered. “She’s bad with names. Really bad.”_ _

_ _Rainbow paused, stared at Insipid in disbelief, then shook her head. “I... have no words.”_ _

_ _“Good!” Insipid said. “That means we can, like, get to the fighting now, yeah? Two against one may be super. Major. Totally. Unfair. But, I’ve got extra powers now, and Curie’s got an awesome plan in store and she’s, like, gonna tell me right now, aren’t you Curie?”_ _

_ _“Who the hay is she talking to?” Rainbow asked._ _

_ _Fluttershy shook her head. “Curaçao, supposedly. I think Ophanim might have hit her in the head too hard or something, because there’s nopony else here.”_ _

_ _“And you’re just letting her talk to… whoever?”_ _

_ _“I’m… just concerned for her mental health.” Fluttershy frowned. “To be honest, I can’t stop watching her do it.”_ _

_ _Insipid’s mouth curled in a mischievous grin, and she turned her attention back to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “Ooh hoo hoo, that is so totally awesome, Curie. See? This is why you’re my favorite. You’re so super smart and clever, but you explain things to me so I can understand it, not like Star.”_ _

_ _She shifted out of her cheetah form into her original unicorn body, and stepped a fair distance away from Havocwing. She lit up her horn; her body glowed bright red, then began to change. She grew, and grew, and grew, until at last she stood five stories tall and half as wide. Her shape had gained some frightening features throughout the transformation: her tail had become solid and gained a sharp point at the tip; her scaly body stood upright on two massive legs and stretched out two great arms; gaudy yellow spikes trailed along her spine from the tip of her tail to the top of her head; her neck grew longer, and her head elongated; she opened her great maw, revealing rows of gleaming fangs; a grand pair of wings flared out behind her. _ _

_ _Fluttershy’s jaw dropped, her knees quaked, and her wings snapped to her sides. She recognized Insipid’s new form instantly: a dragon. Insipid stood tall and proud, and let out a massive, terrifying roar; Fluttershy bolted behind Rainbow and Ophanim for protection, drained of all her courage._ _

_ _Rainbow gulped. “Okay. Didn’t see that coming.”_ _

_ _Insipid lifted her large claws up to her face and looked them over, then glanced down to examine the rest of her body. “Oooh… this is totally neat-o!” she said; her voice had become deep and menacing, and managed to be completely terrifying in spite of her dialect. “Oh. My. Stars. So awesome! This was a great idea, Curie!” She paused. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I made sure to, like, follow your directions totally super exactly-like. I’m mega huge.”_ _

_ _She leaned down so that her great snout was inches from Rainbow’s face. From behind Rainbow, Fluttershy could see Insipid’s rows of gleaming, sharp teeth, each one as large as a grown pony. Insipid’s devilish grin didn’t help matters any; if Fluttershy didn’t know any better, she looked hungry._ _

_ _“Look at you guys! You’re so tiny! I could totally just like, squish you!” To demonstrate, Insipid brought her claw down to Rainbow’s level and measured the pony’s frame between two talons. “Hee hee! You’re like little toys! I just wanna brush your manes and dress you up!”_ _

_ _Rainbow snorted, and pressed her hoof against Insipid’s snout in some feeble attempt to push her away. “Get your big mouth out of my face, airhead. Your breath stinks.”_ _

_ _“R-Rainbow… w-we should g-g-get out of here,” Fluttershy whispered. “D-don’t antagonize her…”_ _

_ _Insipid huffed and drew herself back up to full height. “Tch, rude much? Well, for your information, my breath might be a little stinky because I took Havoc’s powers too. Curie said it’s to, like, ‘complete the image’? Which means I can do… this!”_ _

_ _She turned her head to the side, took a deep breath, then unleashed a torrent of flame into the air. The dark green flame raged against the wall of solid rock for but a second before melting straight through it. When Insipid was done, she turned back to the ponies and spirit animal below her, a huge grin on her face._ _

_ _“See? Cool, huh?”_ _

_ _Rainbow stood still for a moment. “Huh,” she murmured. “Well… see ya!” In one swift motion, she turned, grabbed Fluttershy, and flew away as fast her wings could take her; Ophanim morphed back into his orb form and returned to Fluttershy’s bracelet. “Hang on Fluttershy! I’m gonna get you out of here!”_ _

_ _Insipid snarled. “Hey! No fair, flying away! I can’t—" She paused. “Ohhh… right. I can fly! Thanks, Curie!”_ _

_ _Insipid flapped her great wings, then took off in pursuit. Rainbow glanced behind her; Fluttershy looked as well. Insipid was able to fly surprisingly fast for her large size, and despite Rainbow’s speed, was already catching up. _ _

_ _Insipid took a deep breath and unleashed another torrent of flame, this time directly at the two fleeing pegasi. Rainbow dove to avoid to blast, then looped around and rocketed past Insipid in the opposite direction._ _

_ _“Hold on tight, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said. “This is gonna take some fancy flying.”_ _

_ _Fluttershy squeaked in response._ _

_ _“Hey!” Insipid barked. She twisted around to give chase, but her unwieldy frame made it difficult to maneuver. “Get back here!”_ _

_ _***_ _

_ _Velvet swung her blade briskly through the air, only to miss Pinkie by about a yard; the blue-clad buffoon moved with far too much agility to catch easily. The longer they fought, the more agile Pinkie became, as if she were learning how to fight as she went. Rather, it seemed like she was learning to fight against Velvet, specifically: the range of her tendrils, the speed at which they moved, and how to time her dexterous rolls, side steps, and jumps to avoid them. Velvet could hardly even land a glancing blow anymore._ _

_ _“Where in the bucking hell did you learn to fight?!” she bellowed as she whiffed another swing._ _

_ _What made matters worse was, Pinkie always took advantage of every missed attack to deliver one of her own. So, after Velvet had missed again, Pinkie slid along the ground, rear hoof first, encased in fire, and shouted at the top of her lungs: “Falcon Kick!”_ _

_ _Velvet popped up into the air and tumbled back to earth, landing face first on the rocky ground. She seethed and grumbled and spat a thick glob of blood onto the ground before wiping her lips. “This is ridiculous. How did she get so fast?”_ _

_ _She spun around, bringing a bladed tendril with her, just in time to block Pinkie’s shoulder tackle. Velvet gave herself some credit; it seemed that as easily as Pinkie was able to avoid Velvet’s attacks, Velvet had come to an understanding about Pinkie’s in turn. Pinkie was fast, sure, and she was plenty strong, too. But, she couldn’t overpower Velvet in a straight confrontation._ _

_ _Pinkie rolled back to a safe distance. Velvet remained where she was and lashed out with a tendril while Pinkie was still in mid-roll. She snagged Pinkie’s leg just as she popped out of the roll._ _

_ _“Gotcha!” Velvet cackled._ _

_ _Velvet swung Pinkie through the air and slammed her onto the ground as hard as she could. Pinkie bounced high into the air, but regained control quickly and righted herself before she landed, then dashed forward again._ _

_ _Velvet, not about to give Pinkie another attack opportunity, sliced a tendril through the air, spraying blood out in a forward arc. The blood splatter formed into tiny spikes mid-flight. Pinkie couldn’t avoid them all, and she didn’t; Pinkie stopped midway through her charge and bounced back a fair distance._ _

_ _Velvet sprayed another salvo of blood spikes as Pinkie was recovering from the first, knocking Pinkie back again. She cackled as she pressed her assault; Pinkie had difficulty fending off ranged attacks. It was draining to use her blood in such a fashion, but damn if it didn’t work._ _

_ _Once Velvet had pushed Pinkie back against the wall, she halted her spray of blood and reared back with one long tendril, molded into a club. She swung it at Pinkie, fully expecting to smash the infuriating pink mare’s face in the second she got up._ _

_ _Pinkie, though, had other plans. She recovered from Velvet’s salvo too quickly. She sprinted at Velvet. Instead of her usual shoulder tackle, she leapt into the air over Velvet’s tendril and over Velvet herself. _ _

_ _Pinkie bellowed, “FALCON—"_ _

_ _Velvet found herself awed as Pinkie spun mid-air so that she was facing the opposite direction she’d been when she jumped. Pinkie’s forehoof was encased in a miniature inferno. Velvet reeled in her tendril and turned around, swinging a tendril wildly in an attempt to catch Pinkie._ _

_ _She missed._ _

_ _Pinkie thrust her hoof forward, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “PUNCH!”_ _

_ _Her hoof exploded into a tiny supernova, and struck Velvet in the face with just as much force._ _

_ _Velvet couldn’t really describe what the punch felt like, only that it hurt. A lot. The sheer force of the blow knocked her sailing over the wall of rock. As soon as she passed by the arena’s boundary, she felt her body grow searing hot for just an instant._ _

_ _“GAME!”_ _

_ _Then, the pain was gone._ _

_ _She opened her eyes. She was back inside the arena, standing precisely where she’d started the “round” at. Pinkie stood opposite her in the same spot she’d started at as well. She groaned; this is exactly what had happened with Pinkie earlier when Velvet had tossed her over the wall. She took some solace in the fact that at least losing inflicted severe, burning pain for a fleeting second, because that meant Pinkie had felt it too._ _

_ _“THIS GAME’S WINNER IS... PINKIE PIE!”_ _

_ _Pinkie busted out a series of lightning-fast kicks so fast that Velvet had trouble keeping track of them, then struck a boisterous pose._ _

_ _“Ha ha! I win!” she giggled. She then broke out into a wild, unseemly dance; words wouldn’t do it justice. “Yes! Yeah! Woo! Go Pinkie! It’s your birthday!”_ _

_ _Velvet grumbled and snarled. “Gloat while you can, moron!”_ _

_ _“It’s not really my birthday,” Pinkie interjected._ _

_ _“Shut up! You’re going to regret making me play by whatever these wacko ‘rules’ are that you’ve set up!” Velvet brandished another array of blood weapons, opting for a more balanced, unusual selection this time; ranged attacks seemed to be effective, as did variety. “Let’s go! Bring it on, punk! I’m gonna shove my hooves down your throat and tear out your stupid lungs!”_ _

_ _Pinkie smirked and settled back into a fighting stance. “Sounds like you’re ready to… show me your moves.”_ _

_ _“READY?_ _

_ _GO!”_ _

_ _***_ _

_ _Fluttershy held on to Rainbow for dear life as her friend swooped, looped, spun, rolled, dove, flipped, and darted to and fro. Insipid was, to her credit, a voracious predator when she was on the chase; despite Rainbow’s speed, she managed to just barely keep up, and she pestered the pair of pegasi with persistent blasts of fearsome flame._ _

_ _“Would you, like, stop moving around so much and junk?!” Insipid shouted. “You’re being a total lame-o right now, y’know?”_ _

_ _Luckily, Rainbow was still superior in the agility department; while Insipid could match her flight speed, she could not maneuver as well, by far. She tucked and rolled, bolted at Insipid, and narrowly skimmed the dragon’s underbelly. Insipid flailed, trying to snag Rainbow in her claws, but came up short._ _

_ _“Just try and catch me!” Rainbow snickered. “I’m the fastest thing alive!”_ _

_ _“All you’re doing is, like, running away! Ooh… what would Havoc do in this situation? She did the whole ‘catch me, chase me’ bit with you.”_ _

_ _“She liked to run her mouth a lot, is what she did. Bunch of lame taunts and stuff.” Rainbow paused. “Crud, I just told her to start talking, didn’t I?”_ _

_ _Insipid abruptly stopped flying, and tapped her chin. “Taunts, huh? Uh… oh!” She cleared her throat. “Run, run, run as fast as you dare! I’ll catch you, ‘cause I’m, like, the gingerbread… dragon? Wait… wait, that doesn’t- tch, how does Havoc, like, make all those rhymes?” She turned her attention back to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “Do you guys rhyme too? Is that like a pegasus thing?”_ _

_ _Rainbow put her hoof to her face. “Ugh. Just… just shut up and get back to chasing me, so I don’t have to listen to your stupid voice anymore!”_ _

_ _“That didn’t rhyme either,” Insipid said. She paused, then scowled. “Heyyy… what’s wrong with my voice?! Rude much! Get back here, you little meanie!” She promptly resumed the chase._ _

_ _Rainbow zipped past Insipid again. While the dragon was distracted, she turned her attention to Fluttershy. “Hey Fluttershy, we’re gonna need to fight back if we’re ever gonna get out of this and help the others. Think you and your little friend there can whip up a distraction for me?”_ _

_ _“I don’t know,” Fluttershy whimpered. “I’m scared, Rainbow.”_ _

_ _“Scared? Of her? Just a minute ago you were all over that ditz.”_ _

_ _“That was before she turned into a huge dragon!”_ _

_ _Rainbow snorted. “So? You’ve dealt with huge dragons before. Remember? C’mon, you said you wanted to show us that you can handle yourself out here, so prove it!”_ _

_ _Fluttershy hesitated, then nodded. “You… you’re right. You’re right, Rainbow. I’ve got to… swallow my fear and… face her. Even if she is a huge dragon.”_ _

_ _She took a deep breath and let go of Rainbow. Rainbow continued onward; Insipid flew right past Fluttershy, still in hot pursuit of a more active target. Ophanim sprung out of her bracelet and circled Fluttershy’s head, then took on the form of a hummingbird and perched himself on her hoof. Off in the distance, Rainbow and Insipid had looped around and were headed straight back towards her._ _

_ _“Lesson seventeen,” Fluttershy whispered to herself, “if somepony makes you upset, show them that you are a threat! C’mon Ophanim! We’re off to take down a dragon!”_ _

_ _Ophanim took on the form of a falcon, and when Rainbow flew by, he soared up to land on Insipid’s back as she passed over as well. As soon as he was safely upon her, he took the form of a lion and dug his claws under her scales._ _

_ _“Ow!” Insipid exclaimed. She turned her head to see what had caused the pain. “Tch, you again? Like, what do you think you’re gonna do? Get off!”_ _

_ _She spun into a tight roll, flinging Ophanim off of her. He quickly recovered, changed back into a falcon, and dove at her like a missile. He was on her again in seconds, landing on her underbelly this time, turned back into a lion, and sunk his teeth into the softer flesh._ _

_ _“Ow! No fair! Get off! Get off get off get off!”_ _

_ _“Hey, airhead!” Rainbow shouted. “Eat this!”_ _

_ _“Eat what?” Insipid asked. She turned to face Rainbow, who was zooming towards her, ensheathed in lightning. “Oh.”_ _

_ _Rainbow slammed her lightning-clad hoof square between Insipid’s eyes, knocking Insipid off balance._ _

_ _The shock of the attack broke Insipid’s concentration, and she shrunk back down into a unicorn. It only took her a second to realize that, without wings, she could not fly. She flailed her legs about, attempting to flap them like wings. Despite this, she still fell like a rock, and the ground was approaching fast._ _

_ _“Ahh! Helllp!” she screamed. She shut her eyes tight. “I can’t change back! I’m afraid of heights! Helllp!”_ _

_ _Fluttershy swooped towards Insipid and scooped her up, then gently floated her down the rest of the way to solid ground. Ophanim, a falcon again, returned to Fluttershy’s side before turning back into his original wolf form._ _

_ _Insipid stopped screaming and opened her eyes, then let out a breath of relief. “Phew! Like, thanks, Bumbershoot,” she said, wiping her brow. “I was almost, like, an Insipid pancake, and that would be totally not cool and junk? Major. Grody.”_ _

_ _“My name is Fluttershy,” Fluttershy huffed. “Get it right already!”_ _

_ _Insipid rolled her eyes. “What-ever. Why should I—"_ _

_ _“Quiet!” Fluttershy snapped._ _

_ _Insipid drew back, confused. “Uh…”_ _

_ _Fluttershy scowled, and Stared Insipid right in the eyes. “I’m only going to say this once, got it? Stay away from my friends! Or else, I might have to use lesson twenty-four: when somepony tries to hurt, you bury them in the dirt!”_ _

_ _To emphasize the point, Ophanim gave a loud snarl, baring his fangs for Insipid to see._ _

_ _Insipid glanced between the two, then gulped. “Like... um... o-okay? Whatever you say… uh… F-Fluttershy.”_ _

_ _***_ _

_ _Twilight stared down Starlight, unsure of exactly what she should be doing. She’d seen what the other mare was capable of, but that had been in a rather closed environment. Her first thought, though, was for Tick Tock up in the air, desperately needing a rescue right now. So, she grit her teeth and prepped a teleportation spell. _ _

_ _A fierce rumble beneath her broke her concentration. A spire of rock erupted from the ground; she used her teleport to avoid it, warping just out of range. Another rumble kept her from focusing on a more effective teleport, so she warped away just far enough to avoid another spire._ _

_ _Starlight’s cocky grin did not leave her face. “Your persistent attempt to extricate your companion from her dire circumstances vexes me so, Sparkle.”_ _

_ _“If I’m annoying you, then just let me save her!” Twilight snapped. “I thought you said you weren’t trying to kill anypony!”_ _

_ _“Your recollection of events is erroneous. My explicit promulgation was that my sisters and I were not to inflict lethal injury upon the Elements of Harmony. The Chronomancer is not a constituent within that organization, thus said edict does not pertain to her.” Starlight paused. “In short, her life is forfeit.”_ _

_ _“I know what all that meant, thanks,” Twilight snorted. She eyed the rock spire beside her, and realized exactly what was happening. “I assume that all this nonsense is your doing too, then. Keep us separated so that we can’t help each other, is that it?”_ _

_ _Starlight nodded. “It was not initially my strategy to ambush your company, Sparkle, but Curaçao insisted upon it. I must concede to her tactical brilliance; father did explicitly advise me to heed her words, after all. It was no paltry task, manipulating the sediment in such a fashion, but if anypony was capable of such an undertaking, it was me.”_ _

_ _“You still think you’re the top pony, huh? Well… I’ve got some power of my own.” Twilight channeled her own magic until her horn glowed a brilliant purple, bright enough to match Starlight’s aura. “You want a showdown? You’ve got one.”_ _

_ _“Well now, this is intriguing.” Starlight laughed. “A fine demonstration! At last, you have reached inside yourself and actualized your potential. Bravo, Sparkle. Though I must regretfully inform you that your power is still a mere pittance juxtaposed against my own.” She shook her head and shrugged. “It is a ‘showdown’ that you desire, then? If so, I offer fair warning: I will emerge victorious. How shall we compete? A sparring match of sorts?”_ _

_ _Twilight chuckled. “Actually, I’ve got something better in mind.”_ _

_ _She flared her horn and exploded in a flash of light bright enough that even Starlight flinched. When the light was gone, Twilight stood there as firm as ever, completely unchanged. The only difference was that there were four more Twilights flanking her, two on either side. Each wore the same clothes, their manes and coats were all equally dirty and disheveled, and they each bore the same cocksure grin._ _

_ _“I figured we’d play a little game, Starlight,” the central Twilight said. “It’s called, ‘Find the Real Twilight’.”_ _

_ _“Duplication… fascinating,” Starlight murmured. She snorted and shook her head. “A guileful technique with numerous practical combat applications. Clever indeed.” She flared her horn. “But not clever enough!”_ _

_ _A great rumble resounded from beneath the Twilights, and was followed by a thick wall of rock. It would have easily destabilized the lot of them and canceled the spell—duplicates weren’t known for their formidability—had any of them been present. As it so happened, all five Twilights teleported simultaneously, warping into positions to surround Starlight on all sides._ _

_ _Starlight glanced around between the three Twilights in front of her. “Incorporating teleportation spells with duplication, are we, Sparkle? An attempt to invoke disorientation, and a pitiful one at that.”_ _

_ _She flared her horn again, and a single spire erupted from the ground beneath each Twilight. Each Twilight, in turn, teleported away to avoid being struck. It was rather easy for the Twilights to pull off, too: while Starlight was using more magic to create bigger or more numerous rock eruptions, she was also taking more time to cast the spells, making them easier to predict and avoid._ _

_ _Starlight unleashed another quintuplet of spires, and another, and another; the Twilights warped out of the way of each one in turn. She attempted to increase the rate at which the spires burst forth, but this only made it harder to aim; spires were erupting from the ground in places nowhere near the Twilights. She spun around in place in an attempt to maintain line-of-sight with at least one of the Twilights, and failed miserably._ _

_ _“Cease this shameful parody of combat at once!” she snapped. “You are not properly engaging me in battle! This is a grievous assault upon propriety!”_ _

_ _“What’s the matter, Starlight?” one of the Twilights snickered. “Are we moving too fast for you?”_ _

_ _“Can’t keep up?” another taunted. “This must be how Rainbow feels all the time.”_ _

_ _A third laughed. “You look pretty silly, twirling around in a circle like that. Getting dizzy yet?” _ _

_ _“Silence!” Starlight screamed._ _

_ _She stopped using the rocks to attack, and instead turned and fired a bolt of magic at the Twilight that had called her silly; or at least, the one she likely thought had called her silly. She missed, at any rate._ _

_ _“Whoa!” that Twilight blurted. “Upgrading our attacks, huh? Well, two can play at that game!”_ _

_ _“Though I think six would be more accurate,” another Twilight corrected._ _

_ _One Twilight fired a bolt of magic of her own at Starlight. Starlight easily turned and deflected it, but as soon as she did, another bolt struck her in the back of the head. It wasn’t a very strong blast, just enough to sting and distract, and it certainly worked in the latter regard; as soon as Starlight turned to face the source of the second blast, another blasted her in the flank. She winced and twisted towards whoever had fired it, only for another burst to strike her in the ear while she wasn’t looking._ _

_ _“Hey! Over here, Starlight!” called one Twilight._ _

_ _“No no, over here!” called another._ _

_ _Starlight snarled, then shouted, “Enough!”_ _

_ _Her horn flared even brighter, and she launched a volley of bolts outwards in all directions. The Twilights were unable to avoid the entire salvo; the blasts knocked them back into the surrounding walls. Starlight then latched onto each with her magic, then slammed them together in a single location._ _

_ _She kept them pinned as she trotted over, her calm, confident demeanor returning mid-stride. “While it was an amusing distraction while it lasted, your frenzied merrymaking now comes to its conclusion. So, as per your issued stipulation, permit me to confer judgement as to which of you is the genuine Twilight Sparkle.” She lifted one of the Twilights up and gave her a quick once-over. “Not this one, certainly.”_ _

_ _She blasted it with a searing bolt of magic; the Twilight copy disintegrated. She lifted the next Twilight in the set and, once certain she was looking at a fake, blasted that one as well. She followed suit with two more, until at last the fifth and final Twilight was in her grasp._ _

_ _“By process of elimination, I have discerned that you are the genuine article. As my dear sister Havocwing would phrase it, ‘That’s a bingo’.” Starlight paused. “That is the proper phrase, correct? ‘That’s a bingo’?”_ _

_ _Twilight snorted. “Actually, it’s just ‘bingo’.”_ _

_ _“Ah. Bingo! How delightful.” Starlight cleared her throat. “But I digress. Where were we? Ah, yes, I was just proving that you, Sparkle, are the… genuine… article.” She paused, then her eyes widened. “No… you are… how are you not indubitably Twilight Sparkle?!”_ _

_ _A flash and a pop behind Starlight drew her attention. Twilight—the real Twilight—had just teleported into the arena, and Tick Tock was with her, practically clinging to her savior. The pair dropped the remaining few inches to the ground, greatly benefitting from the lack of conservation of momentum._ _

_ _Tick Tock detached herself from Twilight almost immediately. “Oh, thank the stars!” she exclaimed. She took several deep breaths and held her hoof to her heart. “Thank you, Twilight. I thought I was a goner for sure.”_ _

_ _Starlight glared at the pair, then turned her attention back to the Twilight clone in her levitation field. “A distraction.” The Twilight clone blew a raspberry; Starlight abruptly vaporized it with another blast of magic. “You do not engage in honorable combat adequately, Sparkle.”_ _

_ _“Neither do you, Starlight,” Twilight retorted. “Ambushing us, separating us, and trying to kill our friends isn’t exactly fair. Besides, the first rule of combat is to know thine enemy.” She smirked. “I happen to know for a fact that you’re easily distracted when angry.”_ _

_ _Tick Tock chuckled. “Yeah, maybe you should take some bloody anger management courses.”_ _

_ _Starlight seethed. “I will not be lectured by the likes of you!”_ _

_ _She flared her horn with a fearsome burst of magic, then fired a volley of blasts at the pair of unicorns._ _

_ _Twilight raised a barrier to defend herself and Tick Tock._ _

_ _The first blast struck the shield, and exploded with all the brilliance of a star._ _

_ _***_ _

_ _A pained roar above Curaçao drew her attention away from stalking Rarity to the writhing form of Insipid. From this distance, her dragon form was still easy to see; then, in an instant, the dragon form shrunk, and Curaçao lost sight of her younger sister. _ _

_ _ Curaçao said, her voice rapid and panicked. _ _

_ _“Ha! Well done girls!” Rarity cheered. “I just knew Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could handle that brute!”_ _

_ _Curaçao snarled, and leapt upon Rarity, slamming her roughly against the rock wall and pressing her hoof to the unicorn’s throat. She dropped her camouflage in the process specifically so that Rarity could see the fierce anger in her eyes._ _

_ _“Imbéciles!” she spat. “Qu'est-ce que vous avez fait?!”_ _

_ _“C-Curaçao!” Rarity sputtered. “So… you are still… here…” She placed her hoof on Curaçao’s and attempted to push it away. “Your ‘copine’... has failed. Perhaps you… should go help her.”_ _

_ _Curaçao responded by placing both hooves on Rarity’s throat and squeezing. “Ferme ta gueule avant que je ne la ferme à ta place, espèce de catin!”_ _

_ _She glowered at Rarity, squeezing harder and harder simply because the unicorn didn’t respond._ _

_ _All Rarity did was gasp for air, and her face started turning blue. “Choking…” was her only response._ _

_ _Curaçao lessened her hold on Rarity’s throat, realizing that perhaps Rarity hadn’t even understood what she’d said. So, she made it clear how she felt about the situation. “If anyzing ‘appens to ‘er, I will—"_ _

_ _Rarity glared back. “You’ll what?” she choked. “Your... ‘capitaine’ would not… like it if… any of us… were hurt. I wouldn’t… worry about… Insipid. Fluttershy won’t… let anything happen—"_ _

_ _A massive explosion to the south drew their attention. A great, blue cloud rose from the ground, forming a mushroom shape; lightning danced through the cloud formation, and the very air around it darkened and caught fire as it spread. _ _

_ _“What is zat?” Curaçao muttered, releasing her grip on Rarity. “Le sud... zee capitaine?”_ _

_ _Rarity gasped, more for a breath of air than anything. “Twilight!”_ _

_ _***_ _

_ _Starlight struggled to open her eyes. Her head felt like it was on fire. She shook her head to chase away the feeling, but that only made it worse. When she managed to get her eyes open, she saw that the wall surrounding her had been obliterated, and that the rocky ground had been warped into a thick, circular sheet of glass dozens of yards wide. The circle’s origin was the brightly glowing barrier generated by Twilight Sparkle. Twilight looked just as bad as Starlight felt, her face contorted in pain._ _

_ _Tick Tock, on the other hoof, didn’t seem to have been affected at all. “Twilight? Are you alright?” she asked._ _

_ _Twilight shook her head. “My head… it feels like it’s… about to split open.” She attempted taking a step forward, but collapsed the instant her hoof left the ground. Her shield collapsed with her._ _

_ _“Twilight!” Tick Tock exclaimed. She rushed to Twilight’s side and tried to help her up, to no avail. The purple unicorn slumped back to the ground. “Come on, you have to get up!”_ _

_ _“What manner of—what did you do, Sparkle?” Starlight demanded. She took a step forward, though she tried her best to hide the slight wobble in her step. It was hard enough to think, let alone walk. “This should not have happened. Answer me, Sparkle! What did you do?!”_ _

_ _Twilight did not respond._ _

_ _Starlight snarled. “Very well. I will just have to interrogate you.”_ _

_ _Tick Tock stepped between the other two unicorns. “Leave her alone!”_ _

_ _“Ha! You think you can defend her?” Starlight chuckled. “I have been anticipating this moment for some time, Chronomancer. I will derive great pleasure from atomizing you. Goodbye.”_ _

_ _She channeled her magic for just a split second, only for the attempt to send severe, burning pain through her horn. She abruptly canceled the spell and stumbled back, falling onto her rear in the process. Her breaths were heavy, and her eyes had started to water; the pain had felt as though her horn had been struck by lightning._ _

_ _Tick Tock dropped the shield she’d cast to defend herself. “Well now, it looks as though somepony’s run out of juice.” She stepped towards Starlight, a coy grin on her face. “So let’s see, what was that you were saying? About atomizing me? Yeah, good luck with that.”_ _

_ _Starlight panicked. “N-no! This turn of events makes no logical sense!” She attempted to cast another spell, only for the searing pain to return. She cried out as the pain whipped its way through the rest of her body as well. “This… this is not possible! Sparkle! What have you done to me?!”_ _

_ _“It would seem as though Twilight’s theory about the interrelations between Arcane and Void magicks has at least some merit. This certainly would qualify as a hostile reaction.”_ _

_ _“What are you blathering on about? Arcane? Void? Make sense, you vile cretin!”_ _

_ _Tick Tock smirked. “What does it matter? You’re finished, Shadow.” She flared her horn and took another step forward. “Ta ta.”_ _

_ _Starlight scrambled back several inches. “St-stay back!”_ _

_ _“Ha ha! Looks like the horseshoe’s on the other hoof, isn’t it? Come on then, you bloody lunatic! Beg for forgiveness!”_ _

_ _“Tick Tock... stop...” Twilight muttered._ _

_ _Tick Tock turned her attention back to Twilight. “Twilight, this maniac—this monster tried to kill me. Twice, actually. I feel a little fair treatment is in order.” She turned back to Starlight, a wicked grin on her face. “I just want to show her what happens to monsters out here.”_ _

_ _“You w-would not dare,” Starlight stammered as she continued to back away._ _

_ _“Wouldn’t I?”_ _

_ _“If you did... you’d just be the same kind of... violent monster... you make her out to be,” Twilight said. “I know you can be... kind of a jerk sometimes... but I know you don’t have it in you. I… hope you don’t have it in you.”_ _

_ _“You underestimate me, Twilight,” Tick Tock snorted. “I’ve killed monsters before. What’s one more in the pile? In my eyes, there’s no difference between her and some bloody Gargantuan. Kill or be killed is the philosophy of life out here.”_ _

_ _“Please… Tick Tock…” Twilight set her head down on the ground and fell into unconsciousness._ _

_ _Tick Tock rushed back to her. “Twilight? Oy! I having a bloody debate with you, don’t you pass out on me now! Twilight!” She grumbled, then turned her attention back to Starlight. “So! Where were we?”_ _

_ _Starlight shut her eyes. _ _

_ _Her horn flared a brilliant purplish-silver and fired off erratic pink sparks. The pain was unbearable, but Starlight trudged through it to utilize her magic to its fullest. She focused every ounce of her being on calling out to her sisters and bringing them to her with a single, complicated spell: a simultaneous mass teleport, with no line-of-sight or even acknowledged coordinates. The spell took everything she had and more; she passed out just as the spell completed._ _

_ _Tick Tock took a step back as a crackle in the air preceded the traditional flash and pop of teleportation magic. Five other figures warped into existence right before her eyes, all in different states of being, all within seconds of one another._ _

_ _Havocwing was the first to appear, and popped into the air just a few inches above the ground. She was unconscious, and fell limp the instant she appeared. Tick Tock could tell she’d been dealt a particularly heavy beating; Rainbow Dash certainly gave her the fight she’d wanted._ _

_ _Grayscale Force was next. She appeared to be in the middle of throwing a punch when she warped in; had Havocwing been standing, she’d have likely taken the punch instead of Applejack, who Tick Tock guessed was the intended target. It took the bulky pegasus a split second to realize she’d been teleported, and she turned her attention to her two unconscious sisters._ _

_ _Red Velvet followed, poised in the middle of a pounce. Once the spell completed, she lashed out a tendril at the nearest target: Grayscale. Grayscale didn’t flinch when Velvet’s blade nearly sliced her neck; Velvet drew it back instantly, apparently mortified at who she’d almost attacked. Her body was covered in bruises and burns; Tick Tock figured the earth pony had been in the middle of a fight, likely with Pinkie Pie._ _

_ _Insipid was next, and appeared as a panicked mess. Whatever she’d been dealing with just before the teleport had truly frightened her; Tick Tock couldn’t fathom a guess as to who she’d been engaged with. Neither Rarity nor Fluttershy seemed to type to inspire this sort of reaction. Flathoof, maybe?_ _

_ _Curaçao was last, and of all the five, seemed to be the only one expecting the teleport. She warped in perfectly still, perfectly calm, and perfectly upright. That is, until Insipid tackled her to the ground._ _

_ _“Oh Curie! Curie Curie Curie!” Insipid cried, sobbing into the earth pony’s mane. “Oh it was so terrible! There was, like, all this lightning, and there was a big explosion, and next thing I remember I was falling and, and… it was awful! Oh stars, those eyes!”_ _

_ _“Shhh, shhh, ma chérie,” Curaçao cooed, stroking the unicorn’s mane. “It’s fine now. I am ‘ere for you, d’accord? Are you alright?”_ _

_ _Insipid sniffed, wiped her nose with her hoof, and gave Curaçao a small smile. “Yeah... yeah, I’m totally fine now, Curie. Like, thanks.”_ _

_ _Curaçao sighed, and helped Insipid get up. Then, she noticed Starlight laying nearby, unconscious; to Tick Tock’s surprise, she didn’t seem at all surprised to see Havocwing in the same state. “Ma capitaine!” she shouted, rushing to her sister’s side. She attempted to wake Starlight up, to no avail. “Capitaine? Ma sœur! Réveillez-vous!”_ _

_ _When Starlight did not respond, Curaçao turned to glare in Tick Tock’s direction, her face and eyes alight with an intense, furious anger Tick Tock did not expect to see on the normally cool, collected earth pony._ _

_ _Tick Tock gulped as Grayscale, Velvet, and Insipid also glared in her direction. She took several steps back until she was next to Twilight’s limp form again. “Uh… eh heh. Let me just, uh… yeah.” She lit up her horn and sent a light up into the sky; she only hoped somepony could see it._ _

_ _“You! Chronomancer, you did zis!” Curaçao snapped. She turned to the others. “Mes sœurs! Détruisez—"_ _

_ _An explosion to the north drew everypony’s attention, and they turned to see what it had been. Even from this great distance, everypony could clearly see the ring of rainbow-colored light._ _

_ _“Rainbow Dash,” Grayscale muttered. “She won’t take long to get here. We need to act quickly.”_ _

_ _“Acting quickly is my speciality!” Velvet exclaimed, brandishing an array of spiked and bladed tendrils. “The boss won’t like me kill-stealing, but orders are orders. The Chronomancer has to die!”_ _

_ _“Who, like, says you get to kill her?” Insipid snorted._ _

_ _“We don’t have time to argue. I’ll kill her. Discussion over,” Grayscale said._ _

_ _“Discussion not over!” Tick Tock exclaimed. She grit her teeth and erected a barrier large enough to encase both herself and Twilight. “None of you are going to bloody well do anything.”_ _

_ _Grayscale shook her head. “Cute. Velvet and I have more than enough power—"_ _

_ _“Power, yes, but time?” Tick Tock said, a coy grin upon her face. “I’ve still got plenty of energy left, more than enough to last until Dash gets here, and she’ll be able to hold you all off long enough for the others to arrive as well. You’re down two members; do you really think you can handle the rest of the Elements of Harmony when they arrive as a team?”_ _

_ _Grayscale took a step forward, then hesitated. She glanced north, where now they could all see the telltale signs of a forming storm cloud; Rainbow Dash was coming, and fast. “Damn. She’s got a point.”_ _

_ _“Oh no! No no no!” Insipid exclaimed. She frantically tried to take cover behind Curaçao. “Like, hide me, Curie! I don’t wanna take another lightning bolt to the face and junk!”_ _

_ _Curaçao patted Insipid’s shoulder. “Do not worry, ma chérie, we will not be fighting zem. We are at un désavantage, non?”_ _

_ _“Bullshit we’re at a disadvantage!” Velvet spat. She stepped up to Curaçao and prodded the earth pony’s nose. “We can handle whatever they want to throw at us! Lemme at ‘em!”_ _

_ _“It’s not worth it,” Grayscale said. “We need to regroup and recover. We got thrown into a fight we weren’t prepared for, and need to rethink our plans.”_ _

_ _“We are wasting time discussing it. Wiz zee capitaine unable to issue orders, j’ai l’autorité,” Curaçao agreed. She turned to Insipid. “Insipid... ma chérie. We need une évasion, quickly!”_ _

_ _Insipid pointed at herself, confused. “Wait, what? Me? Like, what am I supposed to do?”_ _

_ _“Zee capitaine ‘as zee power to teleport a great distance, non? Take some of ‘er power and get us out of zis situation.”_ _

_ _Insipid’s eyes widened. “Like... t-t-take the boss’s powers?! N-n-no way! She’ll kill me!”_ _

_ _“We do not ‘ave time to argue!”_ _

_ _Insipid gulped, nodded, then laid a hoof on Starlight’s head. She glowed a deep purple as she did so. “Um... like, okay, so now what? How do I teleport and junk? I don’t know how to do that.”_ _

_ _“Don’t you usually figure out how to use the power once you’ve gotten it?” Velvet asked. “You figured out Havocwing’s in just a few seconds.”_ _

_ _“Well yeah, but that’s her power,” Insipid insisted. “The boss’s power is, well… power. I don’t, like, suddenly know how to cast the same spells she does, I just can, y’know?”_ _

_ _“Just focus on someplace as ‘ard as you can, and we’ll be taken zere,” Curaçao said. “C’est ma compréhension.”_ _

_ _“But where? Where should we go?”_ _

_ _Grayscale hummed. “There’s nothing but flat desert out here. Just pick a direction and take us a few dozen miles out.”_ _

_ _“Um… o-okay, here goes,” Insipid said. She flared her horn, biting her tongue in concentration. There was a flash and a pop, and all six mares were gone, leaving Tick Tock and Twilight alone._ _

_ _Rainbow came screeching in to a halt just seconds afterwards. “Damn!” she spat. “Missed ‘em...”_ _

_ _“Dash!” Tick Tock called, waving to get Rainbow’s attention. “Quickly, help me get Twilight back to the others. She’s injured.”_ _

_ _Rainbow bolted over to the pair like a bullet. “Whoa! What happened?!”_ _

_ _“Long story, lots of magic babble. Just help me.”_ _

_ _***_ _

_ _There was an empty stretch of desert. Then, there was a flash and a pop, and the empty desert was empty no longer, now occupied by six mares._ _

_ _Insipid was the first of the six to stumble away from the others. “Ow ow owww,” she muttered, rubbing her temples. “Why didn’t you guys, like, tell me that teleporting hurts? My brain feels all burny and junk.”_ _

_ _“Zee capitaine never complained,” Curaçao said, tapping her chin._ _

_ _“It’s probably because Insipid doesn’t usually use her brain,” Grayscale noted. “Emergencies are emergencies though. Let’s just be glad we’re all in one piece.”_ _

_ _Curaçao leaned down and gave Starlight’s unconscious form a more thorough investigation. “C’est terrible. What ‘as ‘appened to zee capitaine? I ‘ave never seen ‘er like zis.”_ _

_ _“She’s not the only one, either.” Grayscale tilted her head towards Havocwing. “Havoc got hit pretty hard too.”_ _

_ _“I smell blood!” Velvet exclaimed. She leaned in close to Havocwing’s limp body, and licked her lips. “Ooh! Yeah, Havoc’s beat up pretty bad. I bet I could—" She paused when Grayscale put her hoof on the back of her head. “Okay, fine. No snacking, I promise. I bet I could help, though!”_ _

_ _Grayscale shook her head. “I don’t think any of us really trust you.”_ _

_ _Velvet rolled her eyes. “Tch. Whatever.”_ _

_ _“What I want to know is, where did those guys get those new abilities?” Grayscale asked, addressing Curaçao. “They definitely weren’t using them before.”_ _

_ _“Oui, c’est un mystère,” Curaçao mused. She shook her head. “We will worry about zat later. What is important is ‘elping zee capitaine and ‘avocwing.”_ _

_ _“And how do you propose we do that? Without the boss, we don’t have—" Grayscale paused, and tapped her chin, then nodded in agreement with her own idea. “Hey, Insipid. Over here. You’re needed again.”_ _

_ _Insipid tilted her head. “Hey, me? What do you, like, need me for?_ _

_ _“You’ve already used the boss’s powers once,” Grayscale explained, “and we need you to use them again. She’s a master of every magic I’ve ever heard of, so she should have healing magic too.”_ _

_ _“Ah, oui! Très bien,” Curaçao agreed. Then, she frowned. “Hmm. But, ma chérie does not know ‘ow to make zis kind of magic vork, n’est-ce pas?”_ _

_ _Insipid rapidly nodded. “Yeah! I, like, have no idea—"_ _

_ _“She was able to teleport just fine,” Grayscale said, “so she should be able to heal just fine, too. All she has to do is think about what she wants to do, and it’ll happen. That’s how unicorn magic works, right?” She stared at Insipid, as if expecting an answer. After not receiving one, she asked again, “Right?”_ _

_ _“Huh? Oh! You were asking me.” Insipid tapped her chin. “Like, yeah, I guess that’s how it works. I just think, think, think, and like, poof! Magic!”_ _

_ _“Yeah, this sounds like a great idea! Let’s ask Insipid to think.” Velvet huffed and shook her head in disbelief. “This idiot couldn’t think her way out a paper bag! And you’re asking her to think about healing ponies?”_ _

_ _“Like, bite me, Red,” Insipid snorted. “I’ve got the boss’s powers now, remember? That means I can, like, send you to the moon or whatever? Cha, then we’ll, like, see who the idiot is?”_ _

_ _“Newsflash: it’s still you.”_ _

_ _“Red, just leave her alone,” Grayscale said._ _

_ _Velvet turned to Grayscale and snarled. Grayscale didn’t flinch. So, Velvet clicked her tongue and trotted away. “Whatever. Call me when you need to clean up the mess she’s gonna make.”_ _

_ _Insipid frowned. “But… what if she’s right? What if I screw this up and hurt the boss more?! She’d be so mad at me.”_ _

_ _Curaçao patted Insipid’s shoulder. “Do not worry, ma chérie. You will do fine. Zough… maybe you should try ‘ealing ‘avocwing first. Just in case.”_ _

_ _“Right! Good idea! Nopony cares if I make a mess of Havoc.”_ _

_ _Insipid set her hoof upon Havocwing’s forehead and focused all her energy on making her elder sister feel better. Her horn glowed with a dim silver light, and soon her entire body glowed as well; the light slowly flowed through her hoof into Havocwing’s body._ _

_ _The blood on Havocwing’s face and sides evaporated. The cuts and bruises healed in seconds. Her wings straightened, her feathers smoothed out, and her coat regained its former luster. The tears in her jumpsuit repaired themselves as well. Lastly, her tooth grew back. Havocwing was, for all intents and purposes, good as new. The glow subsided as soon as its work was finished._ _

_ _Insipid scrunched up her nose. “Hmm… did it, like, work?”_ _

_ _She and her sisters crowded around Havocwing’s still body._ _

_ _“Yo Havoc! You alright?” Velvet asked. She poked Havocwing’s nose._ _

_ _“Aauughh!” Havocwing screamed as she jolted awake. Her eyes darted back and forth amongst her sisters. “Oh… it’s you guys. Uh… what the buck happened? Where are we?”_ _

_ _“See? Told you it’d work,” Grayscale said. She clapped Insipid on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Insipid. You’re not completely useless.”_ _

_ _“Woo! Not completely useless!” Insipid cheered._ _

_ _“Oh man, my head is bucking killing me,” Havocwing groaned, rubbing her temples. She weakly rose to her hooves and stretched out her wings. “I feel like I got hit by a train.”_ _

_ _“You got hit by Rainbow Dash,” Grayscale explained. “So much for ‘kicking that dyke’s ass’, huh?”_ _

_ _“This just in: Havocwing sucks!” Velvet announced. “As if any one of us is surprised that you bucked up royally.”_ _

_ _“Both of you can kiss my ass,” Havocwing snorted. She turned to walk off her lingering pain, and nearly tripped over Starlight in the process. “Whoa. Is that the boss? What the buck happened to her?”_ _

_ _Curaçao sighed. “We do not know yet. We will ask when we finish ‘ealing ‘er. Speaking of which,” she added, tilting her gaze sideways towards Insipid._ _

_ _Insipid blinked and tilted her head. “Huh? Oh! Me. Heal. Right! On it, Curie!”_ _

_ _Insipid knelt down and proceeded to administer the same spell she’d used earlier on Havocwing._ _

_ _Curaçao shook her head. “C’est très perturbante—most unfortunate.”_ _

_ _“Unfortunate? Ha!” Havocwing blurted. “The boss is down for the count! That means that, as second-in-command, I’m the new boss until she gets better.”_ _

_ _“What?” Grayscale asked._ _

_ _“Quoi?” Curaçao asked in unison._ _

_ _“You heard me. Boss is down, that means I’m up to bat,” Havocwing insisted._ _

_ _Velvet laughed. “You? Seriously? First of all, none of us would take an order from you even if our lives depended on it. Second, Curaçao is the boss’s second, not you.”_ _

_ _“Pfft, as if,” Havocwing scoffed. “A leader needs to be able to hold her own in combat, to prevent mutinies and stuff. Curaçao isn’t enough of a total badass to be the leader. That’s why she went after that stuck-up skank instead of anypony that might have actually challenged her: because she knew she’d get her ass kicked.”_ _

_ _“Yeah, like Rainbow kicked your ass?” Velvet snickered._ _

_ _Havocwing darted over to Velvet and got right in the earth pony’s face. “That was a bucking fluke and you know it, Red,” she snapped. “I didn’t know she had freak-o lightning powers. Lightning and pegasi don’t mix. Whose bright idea was it to pit me against her, anyway?”_ _

_ _“I think it was you,” Grayscale said. “As I recall, you wanted a rematch. The boss got sick of you begging to fight against Rainbow, so you and I traded targets. I still say you’d have fared better against Applejack than you would’ve against Rainbow.”_ _

_ _“You’re full of shit. I don’t remember any of that,” Havocwing said, crossing her hooves over her chest. “And even if you were telling the truth—which you’re not—then you guys let me get away with it.”_ _

_ _Velvet raised an eyebrow. “Get away with it? What, with letting you go through with fighting Rainbow?”_ _

_ _“Exactly. None of you guys would make good leaders because you guys buckle like a bucking belt. What good leader would listen to an idea they knew was bad?”_ _

_ _Grayscale stared at Havocwing for a long moment. “I’m sorry, but what planet are you from that that makes any logical sense?”_ _

_ _Havocwing huffed and flared her wings. “The point is, I could kick the shit out of any of you in single combat, and by default that makes me the leader while the boss is down. Eat it up, chumps.”_ _

_ _“Forgive my intrusion, but what is all this discussion about me ‘being down’?” asked Starlight._ _

_ _Havocwing turned white. She turned her head slowly; Starlight was standing right behind her, the picture of perfect health._ _

_ _“Ooh, this is gonna be good,” Velvet snickered. “Wish I had some popcorn.”_ _

_ _“Well? I believe I postulated an inquiry, Havocwing,” Starlight said, narrowing her eyes._ _

_ _Havocwing tugged at the collar of her jumpsuit. “Oh, uh... hey, boss! I was just, y’know, stepping up to take charge while you were out of it and all, so that we wouldn’t get sidetracked or anything. Ha! Ha ha... um... right. So, uh… seeing as you’re not out of it, I guess we don’t need to worry about it! Nope! No need to worry about me attempting to take charge or anything. Ha! What a… silly idea.”_ _

_ _Starlight grunted, lit up her horn, and yanked Havocwing to her by the throat so that they were eye-to-eye. She glared at her elder sister. “Let me be as unambiguous as possible: I am the authority here, and in the event of a misfortunate vicissitude, Curaçao was nominated as my second-in-command, not solely by our own vote, but by our father’s.”_ _

_ _“Oh… right…” Havocwing muttered. She chanced a smile. “I was… just kidding?”_ _

_ _Starlight tightened her grip around Havocwing’s throat. “Any attempt to usurp said position can and will be interpreted as insubordination. You recall what fate befalls insubordinates, do you not?”_ _

_ _Havocwing chanced a glance at Velvet. “Y-yes sir,” she gulped._ _

_ _Starlight dropped Havocwing to the ground. “Now, if I am not mistaken—which I never am—you are under obligation to your younger sister, Insipid. Is that not correct? If so, please, display some sense of gratitude.”_ _

_ _Havocwing turned her gaze to Insipid, who gave Havocwing a bright, cheery wave and a full-toothed smile. She growled, then snorted. “Thanks, sis…”_ _

_ _“You’re welcome, Havoc!” Insipid exclaimed._ _

_ _“I, too, am indebted to you, Insipid,” Starlight said. She turned and nodded to her elder sister. “Much obliged.”_ _

_ _Insipid gasped and put her hoof to her mouth. “Oh. My. Stars. The boss thanked me for something. Boss… you… you’re so totally welcome!”_ _

_ _“In the interim, it is impractical for you to possess my capabilities past this point in time, Insipid,” Starlight continued. “You lack crucial understanding of the intricate nature of my magical aptitude, and such ineptitude may prove precarious if said capabilities are misused under duress.”_ _

_ _“Right!” Insipid said with a salute. She glowed deep purple for an instant; Starlight’s powers left her body. “All done!”_ _

_ _“Is everything okay, boss?” Velvet asked. “You look like you took quite a beating.”_ _

_ _Starlight frowned. “My physical, psychological, and magical health are at peak levels. There is no need for you to fret over any of them, Velvet.”_ _

_ _“Well, zat is good to ‘ear,” Curaçao sighed. “Still, ‘ow did Mademoiselle Sparkle inflict such injury, ma capitaine?”_ _

_ _“I… am not able to make an accurate assessment at this time,” Starlight admitted. “I would query father for possible theories, but… I hesitate to involve him in this.”_ _

_ _“More importantly, where did those six get those powers?” Grayscale asked._ _

_ _“Per’aps zee Gryphon Ruins are zee answer,” Curaçao suggested. “Zey must ‘ave found somezing in zere… but what?”_ _

_ _“A sound theory,” Starlight agreed. “Whatever the case, it will certainly factor into any future strategizing. I do not, however, foresee possible complications in our next engagement. We merely encountered an unpredictable circumstance, but now that we are aware of this variable, we can adapt.”_ _

_ _She turned to her sisters and smiled. “First, though, we must recuperate and replenish our energy. Our targets are injured, disoriented, and demoralized, and as we have observed, they are also without nourishment. Our next encounter will proceed differently. Time is our ally; let us utilize it.”_ _


	22. Indignation

Things always get worse before they get better. Tick Tock hated the adage with a passion, partly because it was impossibly vague, partly because it was logically impossible. Mostly, though, she hated it because it was laughably optimistic. Things never get better; they just get worse and worse and worse, until they’re so bad that any sane pony would wonder why they should bother going on. If things did manage to improve after getting worse, they’d only manage to be less bad. Miracles that could turn a bad situation into a net gain were as rare as an albino dragon, and no rational pony ever held out for a miracle. Why anypony would give the saying any merit was beyond her understanding.

Tonight, Tick Tock had been given a responsibility nopony wanted, least of all her. Two responsibilities, actually, and it was difficult to decide which of the two she wanted least. At least, she thought, it was easy to decide which of the two was the priority; Lockwood wasn’t getting better—getting worse was more accurate—but Twilight had a problem Tick Tock could at least diagnose.

Twilight lay before Tick Tock, fast asleep. She wasn’t sleeping soundly; the look of pain on her face concerned Tick Tock immensely. The dim light of a natural campfire played across her features, highlighting blemishes brought about by days without rest or food, and recently inflicted injuries. Tick Tock could scarcely believe a pony filled with such spunk could be reduced to such a state. It was rather sobering.

“Is she going to be okay, Tick Tock?” Rarity asked.

Tick Tock dimmed her horn’s glow and turned to Rarity, who had silently come up behind her. The campsite was large enough that Tick Tock was able to isolate herself and Twilight from the others, all the better to focus her attention, so she hadn’t even noticed the other unicorn.

“I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” she replied. “The good news is, Twilight suffered only minor physical injuries in her altercation with Shadow. Apart from the same malnutrition that we all share, she has nothing more than a few bumps and bruises.”

Rarity frowned. “If that’s the case, then what’s wrong with her? The poor dear’s been out of it for hours.” She stepped forward and put a hoof to her friend’s forehead; her frown deepened. “She’s got a dreadful fever! Her head feels like it’s on fire. Oh, Twilight…”

Tick Tock sighed and wiped her brow with her kerchief; the poor piece of cloth was so caked with dried sweat by now that it just made Tick Tock’s face dirtier.

“That would be the bad news,” she said. “While I am no expert on Restomancy, I am… well-acquainted with the ailment known as a ‘Ley Line Fracture’. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“The ailment is a severe strain on the unicorn’s Ley Line, the conduit inside the horn that directs energy from the brain into magical output. Fracturing the Ley Line drains the unicorn entirely of their ability to use magic. It’s caused by extreme overuse of magic, to the point of exhaustion.”

“Oh… my,” Rarity muttered. She put her hoof upon Twilight’s. “Twilight… you poor dear. Unable to use magic...” She turned to Tick Tock. “How could she have possibly used so much magic as to exhaust herself? I’ve seen Twilight do extraordinary things with her magic before we ever came here, and at worst she was out of breath.”

“Twilight mentioned a quality of her ‘Arcane’ magical source,” Tick Tock explained. “It reacts in odd ways when exposed to Void magicks, correct?”

Rarity nodded. “That is what Mister Gilderoy explained to us, yes.”

“Well, Shadow appeared to have suffered the same ailment when her and Twilight’s magicks collided. The hostile reaction is the likely culprit.” Tick Tock cracked a small smile. “At the very least, we can take solace in the fact that Shadow is temporarily out of the picture. They won’t be pursuing us any time soon, not with two injured players on their team.”

“But at what cost, Tick Tock?” Rarity sighed. “I don’t like seeing her like this. Twilight shouldn’t… oh dear…”

Tick Tock frowned. “Chin up, mate. I’m doing all I can, even if I can’t do much. She’ll recover, so long as she gets some good rest and plenty to eat…”

Her stomach groaned at the mention of eating. She put a hoof to her belly to calm it down, but the hungry beast only cried louder. She could scarcely remember the last time she had something edible pass her lips. They were days from the old gryphon reservoir, and still had more to go before they reached Hope’s Point. How much longer could she and the others go without food? It had gotten to the point that Rainbow had to drag Pinkie away from the camp’s scant pile of firewood before she could eat any of it.

“Well, at the very least she’ll have some rest,” Rarity said. She sighed. “I do hope you’re right about Starlight and her sisters not coming after us again. With Twilight injured, I… I don’t like our chances, even if they have injured of their own.”

“I hope I’m right, too.” Tick Tock shook her head, then turned to the other side of the camp. Lockwood lay on the other side of the campfire under the care of Fluttershy and Flathoof. “In the meantime, I should really try and do a check up on Lockwood. Stupid git isn’t getting any better, and hell if I know what to do to fix him any more than Twilight did. But, as the only unicorn here with any knowledge of this sort of thing—no offense—I suppose it’s my job.”

Rarity put her hoof on Tick Tock’s shoulder. “Please, allow me, darling. Fluttershy and Flathoof are taking as good care of him as possible, so there’s no need to draw you away. You’d do more good helping Twilight however you can.”

Tick Tock hesitated. “Are you sure? I don’t know if I’m doing any more for Twilight than I could for Lockwood.”

“Just knowing somepony here knows what they’re doing and is trying to help puts me at ease, Tick Tock.”

Tick Tock didn’t know what to say. Rarity was putting her trust in her to do whatever she could for Twilight, even when she’d admitted to having no idea what to do. She turned to look at Twilight, and stared at the other unicorn for a long moment. Twilight Sparkle was many things: she was wielder of the Element of Magic; she was the prized pupil of Princess Celestia; she was a mare from another world so different from Tick Tock’s that it frightened her.

But most importantly, Tick Tock thought, Twilight was the mare who had saved her life, and she’d put herself at great risk to do it.

“Very well, Rarity,” she said, “you can go check up on Lockwood. I’ll keep watch over Twilight. I promise you, I will do everything it takes to help her recover.”

She meant every word.

***

Applejack huffed and puffed as she pushed her way through layer upon layer of solid rock, circling around a central point. She dug deeper as she circled inward, smoothing the edges of the hole as she went. When she reached the center, she stopped and looked around to admire her work. It had taken less than a minute to make the perfect funnel-shaped hole—her fastest one yet—and she was mighty proud of it. She climbed up the smooth wall and hopped over the rim without so much as tarnishing the craftswork. Then, she asked the earth to cover the hole with a thin, weak sheet of rock that was indistinguishable from the otherwise solid ground beneath her.

This had been the fiftieth or so in a series of identical holes encircling the campsite. Each was two ponies wide, two ponies deep, not enough to stop a unicorn or pegasus from escaping, and only enough to slow down any earth pony worth their salt. That wasn’t the intention, though. Each hole was hoof-crafted by Applejack herself, and each would alert her the instant anypony stumbled into one. They were far enough away from the camp that she’d have ample time to prepare everypony for another ambush.

Assuming their attackers came on the ground, of course. Applejack knew the other possibilities sullied the entire effort, but she didn’t have anything else to do with her time. There wasn’t an ounce of food around these parts, no matter how hard she looked. The soil was dry and barren, completely incapable of supporting any plant Applejack had ever known. Heck, even cacti grew in better conditions than this. The trees in the region were long dead and so dried out that they could barely even be used for firewood.

Just thinking about food made Applejack’s stomach roar. She’d give anything for a way to distract her from those thoughts.

A crack of thunder in the air provided all the distraction she needed. A voice followed it. “What are you doing?”

Applejack turned to Rainbow, who hovered above her, a bewildered expression on her face. “Diggin’ holes,” she said with a smile. “What’s it look like I’m doin’?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and landed next to Applejack. “You know what I meant. Why are you digging holes? Rarity rope you into gem hunting or something?”

“Ha! She wishes. Nah, I’m layin’ traps for those no-good mares, if’n they decide they wanna come after us so soon.” Applejack explained her plan to Rainbow, making sure every detail was covered in depth, though she glossed over the fact that her whole plan depended on the other mares traveling by ground.

“Huh… okay, I see where you’re going with this,” Rainbow said, stroking her chin. “I dunno, though… a bunch of holes around the camp might not be the best idea. What if somepony heads off for a bathroom break and falls in? False alarm and somepony’s stuck in a hole.”

Applejack chuckled and clapped Rainbow on the back. “Don’t you worry ‘bout that none, Dash. If anypony needs ta take a leak, there’s a tree near the camp nowhere near the perimeter. Somepony’d have to want an awful lot o’ privacy ta go any further than that.”

“Hmm… okay, guess that angle’s covered.” Rainbow shook her head. “Still, you really think they’d try to come on the ground? They know about your earth magic, so they’d have to think you’d put up defenses.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Well, they know ‘bout yer weather powers, too, so who says they’re comin’ by air?”

“I’m not saying they are. In fact, that’s my point: they ambushed us out of nowhere using teleports before, who says they won’t do it again?”

“Well, fer one, Starlight got injured pretty bad too, same as Twilight, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, and I saw Insipid teleport them away just as well.”

Applejack cracked a smile. “C’mon, y’all tellin’ me ya think she can coordinate an ambush as well as Starlight can?”

“Well… when you put it that way…” Rainbow sighed. “I don’t know. I’m just… this is a lot a horseapples, y’know? We shouldn’t even be in this mess, worried about an ambush, setting up perimeters, hoping Twilight is okay. We should be worried about getting home, and nothing more.” She grunted, annoyed. “We wouldn’t be in this mess either, but somepony went and changed the route.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Beg pardon? Y’all remember that Tick Tock ‘n’ I both planned out the routes, right?”

“Yeah, actually, I do. That’s why I’m talking to you about it. Are you some sort of idiot, AJ? Why’d you go changing the route back to Curaçao’s? This is the same route we’d originally planned out back when we were traveling with those nutjobs. You changed it before, but now you changed it back. Why?”

“It’s safer, that’s why.”

“Which is why Curaçao planned it out. She wanted us to have the fastest, easiest route, because it would get us to trust her. Now that we know we can’t trust her, why’d you change it back? You diverted from it before, why stop? Just because it’s safer?”

“Yes, Dash, just because it’s safer. I’d think you of all ponies would appreciate speed.”

Rainbow snorted. “Not when it puts us right on the path those guys figured we’d take. That’s why they were able to ambush us. I don’t even get know what it’s supposedly ‘safer’ than.”

“It just is, Dash. Trust me, you’ll see. If the map is as accurate as it has been, you’ll see by tomorrow night. We gotta head near the original route before divertin’ anyway.”

Rainbow hesitated, then shook her head. “So you say it’s safer, then. Fine. If that’s the case, I get why you changed it, but that still doesn’t excuse putting us in perfect position to get ambushed. We could have deviated from the route somewhere, couldn’t we?”

“Not by enough ta make much difference. An’ besides, we weren’t expectin’ them ta attack us out here in th’ open. Tick Tock figured they’d attack in the canyon, which was on the original route, an’ that we did try ‘n’ figure a way ‘round.”

Rainbow snorted. “Great idea, AJ, listen to the advice of a pony that has time and time again proven to have a terrible understanding of the region, dumb luck or no. Anypony could’ve seen that ambush coming. Oh, wow, imagine that: the ambush came when we least expected it.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “So you knew they were gonna attack then ‘n’ there, is that it?”

Rainbow frowned. “Well… no, but—"

“Then how’s this fer a good idea Rainbow? Keep yer danged trap shut,” Applejack spat. “Y’all didn’t know any more than anypony else ‘bout gettin’ ambushed. Y’all didn’t speak up when we was plannin’ out the route. So, way I see it, ya lost yer chance ta complain. It ain’t helpin’ nopony gettin’ yer jimmies all rustled.”

“Who’s rustling whose jimmies?”

Applejack and Rainbow turned to Pinkie, who had popped into their midst without so much as a peep.

“Oh, hey Pinkie,” Applejack said. “Y’all done wit’ yer rounds?”

Pinkie lifted her helmet’s face shield, wiped her brow, and took a seat in the dirt. “I sure hope so, AJ. Doing rounds is exhausting work! You got all your traps done?”

“I should be done after a few more, yeah. Ya made sure ya couldn’t see ‘em, right? I know ya didn’t fall inta any, but that don’t mean nothin’. So? What’s yer verdict?”

“They’re just perfect, AJ! If I didn’t know what to look for, I probably would’ve fallen into every single one. I bet even Rarity couldn’t notice ‘em!” Pinkie’s mouth curled in a mischievous grin, and she rubbed her hooves together. “Ha! They won’t even know what hit ‘em. That’ll show ‘em not to try and ambush us again.”

Then, her expression turned serious, and she glanced between Rainbow and Applejack. “Anyway, don’t try to change the subject. I heard something about rustling jimmies. Now, I know you guys weren’t talking about chocolate sprinkles, because neither of you is from northeast Equestria.”

Rainbow and Applejack gave Pinkie blank looks.

“Y’know, jimmies? Chocolate sprinkles? Like you put on ice cream? Or cake, or cupcakes, or—" Pinkie’s stomach rumbled loudly, interrupting her. She frowned and rubbed her belly. “Right. No talking about food. Sorry. Anyway anyway, those weren’t the jimmies you were talking about, so you were talking about somepony getting upset. Were you two arguing? We really shouldn’t be arguing right now, you guys. We’ve got more important things to worry about.”

“Tell that to Dash, then,” Applejack said, shooting Rainbow a look. “She’s over here straight accusin’ me of bein’ the reason we got ambushed today.”

“Excuse me, but that’s not what I said,” Rainbow interjected. “I said that I disagreed with the decision to return to the original route that Curaçao planned for us, which Tick Tock told Twilight was a joint decision. She’s as much to blame as anypony.”

“I was the other half o’ that decision, Rainbow, so y’all’re sayin’ I share the blame with Tick Tock.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Dashie, nopony’s to blame for the ambush. Nopony could have possibly known exactly where and when we’d get attacked. For all we know, they could’ve attacked us even if we did go a different way.”

“That’s just what I said,” Applejack agreed. She turned to Rainbow and shook her head. “There ain’t no tellin’ if they would’ve found us anyway. We all were expectin’ an attack, it was just a matter o’ when.”

Rainbow huffed. “But by taking Curaçao’s route, you probably increased the chances of us getting found. That’s all I’m saying, AJ, okay? I’m not saying it’s like you lead them straight to us or told them where we were.” She shrugged. “Still, there just has to be a fast route to the coast without relying on Curaçao’s. Maybe I should take over as navigator. I don’t even need a stinking map, I can just use my wings and eyes.”

“Dash, let’s be honest here. Y’all’d get lost in a paper bag if’n ya didn’t have a solid map ta look at,” Applejack said. “Yer sense o’ direction is as useless as ice skates in summer. Remember that time ya took over Derpy’s shift fer a day when she hurt her wing ‘cause y’all crashed inta her? Y’all forgot where half the ponies in Ponyville lived!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault almost all the houses in Ponyville look the same,” Rainbow said. “It’s not like there were any mix-ups. Everypony got their mail just fine. Heck, you got your mail first thing in the morning, just like always.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well shoot, I’d be real worried ‘bout ya if ya forgot where I live, Dash. That don’t mean nothin’. Half the ponies in Ponyville got their mail late.”

“She got my mail to me just fine too, AJ,” Pinkie added.

“I’d be even more worried if she forgot where you live, Pinkie. That’d be like forgettin’ her own address. She spends dang near every other night at your place.”

“I hardly think I spend that many nights with Pinkie, AJ, but thanks for assuming that I have a healthy sex life. I can’t decide if I should be offended or not.” Rainbow huffed and adjusted her goggles over her eyes. “Whatever. I guess just a little address mix-up means I’d be just a terrible navigator. I don’t get a second chance to prove myself, no sir. Well, since I can tell I’m not wanted, I’m gonna get back to work.”

Just before Rainbow darted off, Pinkie reached up and grabbed Rainbow’s tail with her teeth.

“C’mon, Dashie, don’t be like that,” Pinkie said, Rainbow’s tail muffling her voice. She released Rainbow; Rainbow hovered in place but looked ready to fly off at any second. “Hey, maybe when you’re done, the three of us can hang out and talk and stuff. Forget about all this grumpy-grouchy stuff and try to have some fun. Huh? How ‘bout it?”

Rainbow hesitated, then shook her head. “Sorry, Pinks. I’ve had a real bad feeling lately, and this afternoon only made it worse. I’ve felt like we’re being watched ever since we left the Blood Mire.” She cracked her neck and beat her wings a few times, prepping for takeoff. “I’m gonna do a few more rounds. Later.”

“But Dashie—"

Rainbow blasted off like a rocket, leaving a dejected Pinkie in her wake.

Pinkie sighed. “This isn’t working out at all…”

Applejack snorted, annoyed that she’d lost a lot of time working on her perimeter defenses by talking to Rainbow and Pinkie without really getting anything out of it. Anything except an accusation from Rainbow, of course. “Y’all need ta talk some sense inta that filly, Pinkie,” she said, turning back towards her ring of holes. “She gettin’ on my nerves mighty fierce. Not just me, either, but everypony else, too. I don’t know what’s gotten inta her, thinkin’ she knows better’n the rest o’ us ‘bout how ta do everythin’.”

Pinkie frowned. “I’ll try my best, AJ. I don’t like seeing everypony arguing any more than you do. We’re all best friends, remember? I know friends argue sometimes, but… but this seems to be more than just arguing over who gets the last slice of pizza, you know?” She sighed and shook her head. “Anyway, yeah, I’ll see what I can do. See you later, AJ.”

“Yeah, see ya later.”

As Pinkie left, Applejack’s thoughts wandered.

‘More than just arguin’,’ huh? Maybe you’re right, Pinkie. Somethin’ ain’t right… but what?

***

Fluttershy fought with all her might to rein in her tears, but this proved a losing battle. Things had gone from bad to worse and showed no signs of stopping; was there any end to the torment she and her friends had to go through? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried so much over anything. Twilight was hurt in a way she didn’t understand, and Lockwood’s condition was steadily degrading. She wished she could do something for the ponies who’d been hurt, but knew there was nothing more she could offer other than support.

Lockwood lay between her and Flathoof on the ground, just awake enough to keep a weak smile on his face. His heavy, labored breathing betrayed any pretense of wellness. How the stallion could even stay awake was a mystery to Fluttershy; were she in his place, she doubted she’d still be alive. Just thinking about that made things worse. How much longer did he have? Twilight had never given an exact timeline, and she couldn’t very well do it now.

Rarity put a hoof to Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy jumped; she hadn’t even heard Rarity approach. “Oh, hi, Rarity,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m okay, I suppose. Is… is Twilight going to be okay?”

She turned to her friend, and Rarity barely stifled a gasp. Fluttershy looked down at herself; her hooves were caked in dried blood. She wiped her eyes too, for good measure; they were surely puffy and red by now with all the crying she’d been doing.

Rarity recovered her composure with a cough. “Oh, of course she is, darling,” she said. “Twilight is made of much tougher stuff than you or I, I’d like to think. Tick Tock is doing everything she can, and she assures me that a little rest will do Twilight wonders.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Fluttershy breathed, managing a small smile.

“How are you three holding up over here, though? Captain Flathoof? I do hope spending all that time in that dreadful little ditch didn’t cause any harm.”

“I’m holding up okay,” Flathoof said with a nod. “Thanks for asking.”

“And Lockwood? How are things faring?”

Fluttershy’s smile melted back into a deep frown. “Um... w-well, Lockwood…” She sighed, and gestured for Rarity to look for herself.

Rarity glanced over Fluttershy’s shoulder, and this time, she could not stifle her gasp.

Lockwood’s wound had gotten worse, not better. It looked nothing like a normal wound. The color had gone from a dark red to a sickly green. Thick, bulging veins of the same green color spread outwards from the gash along his side and up his wing. His feathers had molted at an astounding pace; he was down to his last dozen or so.

Lockwood himself was sweating profusely, leaving his mane, tail, and coat greasy and matted. He was shaking like a leaf in a breeze, as though he were freezing in the dry desert heat. The bleeding had stopped, despite the wound being open, and had become clotted with blood of an unnatural, languid red. Blood had thoroughly soaked the portion of Rarity’s dress she’d used to dress his wound; they’d discarded the tattered scrap of dress hours ago, knowing it served no more purpose.

“By Celestia,” Rarity murmured. She looked like she was trying her hardest not to retch.

“That bad, huh?” Lockwood muttered, giving Rarity a slightly bigger smile. “Really now… all of you… there’s no need… to fuss.”

“There’s plenty of need for me to fuss, Lockwood,” Fluttershy said, putting her hoof on his shoulder. “It’s my fault you got hurt, after all.”

“Please... stop blaming yourself. It wasn’t your fault... Fluttershy.” Lockwood sighed, weakly putting his hoof to hers. “You’ve done so much… already. Don’t you fret… over me…”

“Well, at least let me give you back your jacket,” Fluttershy said. She started to slide it off. “You’ve been trembling all night. You must be cold.”

Lockwood hastily shook his head. “N-no, that’s… that’s quite… alright.”

Flathoof put his hoof to Lockwood’s forehead, then sighed. “You really should take her up on it, Lockwood. You’re freezing.”

“I respectfully… refuse,” Lockwood said. “I’m not about to have… Fluttershy traipse about… in the nude... because of me.”

“Always the gentlecolt, huh?”

“I’m just glad... I don’t have to listen... to everypony telling me… that I need to eat something. I don’t think... I could hold anything down... even if we had anything.”

“Aha! I have an idea that might just help Lockwood feel a little better,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy turned to Rarity immediately. “You do? What is it?”

“Lockwood was able to take your aches and pains away, wasn’t he? And, I do believe we discussed the possibility of him passing on his own pain to others. Well, why don’t we all chip in and help aleve Lockwood’s suffering? Why, I could even boost the magic so that it’s more efficient.”

Flathoof hummed and nodded his head. “Say now, that’s an interesting idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“No,” Lockwood grunted.

Rarity frowned. “Oh, but why not, darling?”

“Because… inflicting pain… on any of you… isn’t right. I got myself… into this mess… so I’m… gonna deal with it.”

“So don’t give it to any of the mares,” Flathoof interjected. “Give whatever you can to me. I can take it. Super endurance and strength, remember?”

“That’s… not the point.”

“Please, Lockwood?” Fluttershy murmured, putting both her hooves on his own. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’d gladly do whatever it takes.”

“Which would just… defeat the purpose… of me taking your pain away… in the first place.” Lockwood sighed and shook his head. “Look, it’s not… the pain I’m worried about… spreading. It’s this… ‘curse’, or… whatever it is Twilight says… I have. What if it spreads… to somepony?”

Fluttershy frowned. “Oh... well, that’s a good point...”

“And a moot point as well,” Rarity interjected. “Surely, even if we were affected, there’d be a cure waiting for us at Hope’s Point, same as there is for you. So please, enough of this ‘white knight’ routine, hmm?”

“I said, ‘no’,” Lockwood said. “If everypony... caught this thing… because of me… who’s to say… we’d even make it to the coast?”

“But—"

“Rarity, please, enough,” Fluttershy said. She rose to her hooves and put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “He doesn’t want to do it. Even if it might help… we can’t force him to do it.”

”Fluttershy, dear, you can’t seriously tell me that you think this is a good idea. The poor stallion is… well, you know. He’s getting worse. As his friends, we should be doing everything we can to help him.”

“And we are, Rarity. We are. But we are not going to force him to do something he doesn’t want to do.”

Rarity frowned. “Darling, please, I’m not suggesting we force anypony to do anything. I merely want to convince Lockwood that it’s in his best interests to go along with this.”

“What’s in his best interests is what he wants to do, Rarity.”

“It sounds to me as if it’s what you want to do that’s important.”

Fluttershy paused, then narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

Rarity put her hoof to her mouth. “Oh… um... F-Fluttershy, darling, I didn’t mean—"

“Yes, you did. Is that what you think, Rarity? That I want him to suffer like this?”

“That’s not what I meant. I just meant that… that you’re putting an awful lot of effort into going along with what he’s saying, even if it’s not the best course of action.”

“Are you a doctor, Rarity? How do you know it’s the best course of action, huh?” Fluttershy huffed. “That’s right, you don’t. You just think it’s the best thing to do. Even if I think it’s a good idea too, that doesn’t give us the right to decide for him. Even a doctor wouldn’t force him to take treatment.”

Rarity flustered. “F-Fluttershy, I’m just trying to help—"

“You can help by leaving him alone!” Fluttershy shouted. “His mind is made up! He said his piece, so just drop it!”

Rarity made to retort, but decided against it. She shook her head and sighed. “Fine. You’ve got your minds set on this. If you do change your minds, though… you know I’ll be more than willing to help. In the meantime, I’m going to see how the others are faring.”

She turned and trotted away from the trio, and away from the campsite in general.

“She has a point, you know,” Flathoof murmured.

Fluttershy turned to the former police captain. “If he doesn’t want to do it—"

“I know, I know; it’s not right to force him.” Flathoof sighed, and patted his friend on the shoulder. “I just wish you’d let us do something more for you, buddy. Actually, I’d rather you tell us what you’d like us to do. Anypony in your condition would be at least asking for something.”

“Well, what would you… like me to do? Cry and moan about... how I feel?” Lockwood grunted. “I don’t want… anypony’s… pity.”

“Pity? That’s what you think this is about?” Fluttershy huffed. “I’m not doing this because I pity you, Lockwood. I’m doing it because I… b-because you’re my friend.” She stayed silent a moment, then sighed and shook her head. “I just want you to get better. You don’t deserve this...”

“Can we just… lay off the sympathy… for a bit?” Lockwood murmured. “Come on now… let’s think of something… to take all our… minds off this… miserable business.”

Flathoof hummed in thought, then perked up. “Say, you could always tell us the story of how you got your cutie mark. That should be enough to put us all to sleep.” He chuckled.

Lockwood attempted to join Flathoof in laughter, but stopped and winced after only a second. “Nope… still can’t… laugh.”

“Lockwood already told me that story,” Fluttershy said.

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Did he now? When?”

“When he was caring for me while I was sick.” Fluttershy shook her head suddenly. “N-not that I wouldn’t listen to it again! I d-didn’t mean—"

“No, let’s not,” Lockwood groaned. “Actually, I’d… rather not be the one… talking.”

“Oh… oh, r-right.”

“Maybe you could tell us a story about yourself,” Flathoof suggested.

Fluttershy shook her head and hid behind her mane. “Oh... b-but I can’t think of anything interesting.”

“Nonsense. I’m sure you... could think of something… marvelous,” Lockwood said. “I’ve heard... little snippets... here and there about your... adventures... back at home. Surely... one of those stories... would be fascinating... to hear.”

Fluttershy hesitated. “I... I don’t know. I was never the best story-teller. That’s more Twilight or Rainbow’s thing.”

“Come on, Fluttershy, I’m sure there’s something you can tell us,” Flathoof said.

Fluttershy hesitated again, for longer this time. “Well, I... I guess I could tell you how I got my cutie mark, since Lockwood told me about his.”

“That sounds… marvelous indeed,” Lockwood said with a smile.

“Yes, it certainly does,” Flathoof agreed. “I’d like to learn more about the world you all come from. It sounds like a nice place… much better than here, at any rate.”

Fluttershy gave a weak smile. “Well, okay then, if you insist.” She cleared her throat. “It all started when I was just a filly at summer flight camp. I... was never a good flier.”

Lockwood nodded in understanding. “I… know the feeling. I wasn’t… very skilled… either. Never needed it. You’re better now, though… right?”

“I suppose I can handle myself okay now, yes, but I’m nothing special.” Fluttershy shook her head. “Back then, though, I could barely fly at all. The other fillies and colts always teased me and called me names. I didn’t have any friends...” Her mouth curled in a small smile. “One day, some bullies were being really mean to me. Then, somepony stood up for me: Rainbow Dash.”

“I didn’t know you and Rainbow were that close,” Flathoof said, scratching his head. “I thought Rarity was your best friend.”

“I’ve known Rainbow the longest, certainly, but… until Ponyville, I don’t think the two of us ever considered each other ‘close’,” Fluttershy murmured. “She and I were just… incompatible. Rainbow’s so fast, and strong, and loud. Me? I’m… slow, weak, and quiet.”

“I don’t think… you’re weak, Fluttershy,” Lockwood said with a small smile. “You’re strong… in your own way.”

Fluttershy blushed, and averted her eyes. “Th-thanks…”

“So, what happened? Did Rainbow beat those bullies up?” Flathoof asked. “It seems like the kind of thing she’d do. It’s what I would’ve done at that age, too. Heck, that’s what I did do to get my cutie mark: defend this little wuss right here,” he added, ruffling Lockwood’s mane. “After school, of course. No sense in getting in trouble, too, y’know.”

“H-hey, come now… let Fluttershy… tell her story,” Lockwood said.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, she didn’t fight them. She’d have been kicked out of flight school if she did. Instead, she challenged them to a race.”

“A race?”

“Yes. For my... honor, I suppose.”

Flathoof scratched his head. “Pegasi sure are strange. I can’t say I would’ve challenged those colts to a race for your honor, Lockwood.”

“You would’ve been… my knight... in shining armor,” Lockwood swooned.

Flathoof rolled his eyes and grunted. “Yes, well, I suppose that’s just a pegasus thing. Our two worlds don’t sound all that much different, honestly. At any rate, please continue, Fluttershy.”

“Well, they started their race,” Fluttershy said, “but when they started, I… I sort of… fell. From Cloudsdale. Which is really high up.”

“You make that sound like it’s a bad thing. You’re a pegasus. You can fly… oh. Ohhh, right. Poor flier.” Flathoof scratched his chin. “Well, obviously you survived.”

“Obviously,” Lockwood muttered.

“So, what happened? Did Rainbow see you fall and come save you or something?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, she was too busy racing. I don’t think she even saw me fall; she’s never mentioned anything about it, and she talks about that race all the time. It’s how she got her cutie mark too, you know. No, I was saved by a swarm of butterflies.”

Flathoof balked. “B-butterflies? You’re kidding. We’re talking about the same butterflies, right? Little insects, pretty wings?”

Fluttershy nodded in confirmation.

“That… that doesn’t seem possible.”

Lockwood chuckled lightly, then winced immediately after. “No, just… improbable. Pegasus magic… is a strange thing.”

“What happened next, after these butterflies saved you?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Well, they set my safely on the ground, and when I opened my eyes, I was entranced by the beautiful colors, fuzzy animals, bright flowers, and, well, everything. I’d never seen so many wonders before. I… got into kind of a singing mood. I don’t know what came over me.” She blushed.

Lockwood grinned. “I bet you have... a beautiful... singing voice.”

Fluttershy’s blush deepened. “W-well, moments later, just as I was finishing my song, there was a huge explosion. A giant burst of light shining with every color of the rainbow reached across the sky as far as I could see. It was… beautiful, but terrifying at the same time.”

She smiled. “I didn’t find out that it was a Sonic Rainboom for many years, when Rainbow told us all how she got her cutie mark. She created the Rainboom for the very first time during the race that day. It stretched so far across the sky that ponies saw it all over Equestria… specifically our other friends. The Rainboom triggered events that led to them getting their cutie marks, too.”

“You… you all got your cutie marks because of Rainbow Dash and this Sonic Rainboom of hers?” Flathoof asked. He shook his head. “Things just seems so… fantastical in your world. I know things aren’t always bright and cheery—this ‘Discord’ character I’ve heard mention of sounds worse than anypony I’ve ever met—but it’s all so… nice.”

“You make it… sound… so much better than here,” Lockwood added. “I’d love to... hear the other stories... you all... have to share.”

“As would I. What sorts of laws do you have there, for example?”

Fluttershy gave Flathoof a blank stare. “L-laws? Um… I don’t really know too much about that. Rainbow might, because… um… w-well, she got in trouble a lot as a filly, so she only really knows the rules because she’s broken them.”

“Ah… I see.” Flathoof cleared his throat. “Uh… sorry for interrupting. Again.”

“Anyway, the noise scared all the little animals, and I helped to calm them down and come out of hiding. They all listened to me, and that made me really, really happy. That’s when I realized that I had a gift for dealing with animals. That’s when I got my cutie mark.”

To emphasize the story’s end, Ophanim popped out of Fluttershy’s bracelet and happily circled around her head.

Lockwood yawned. “Such a… beautiful story. I wish mine had been… even half as… interesting.”

Fluttershy patted Lockwood’s shoulder. “Your story was plenty interesting, Lockwood.”

Lockwood yawned again, long and hard. “I think it’s time… I got some sleep. Good night… everypony.”

He dropped his head to the ground and began snoring immediately.

Fluttershy and Flathoof each breathed a sigh of relief.

“That really was a nice story, Fluttershy,” Flathoof said, keeping his voice low. “Thank you, for all of this.”

“Don’t mention it,” Fluttershy said. “He did the same for me. He deserves to have the same.” She frowned. “Why is he so unwilling to accept anypony’s help, though? Even… even mine? Did... did I do something wrong?”

Flathoof shook his head. “It’s not like that at all. He accepts help all the time, what with all the favor-trading I’m sure he explained to you. It’s just that he hates being coddled. I know that’s not your intent,” he added before Fluttershy could interject, “but that’s how he perceives it. It’s not your fault, it’s just how he is. He loves to give charity, not receive it.”

“That’s not even close to how I feel about all this,” Fluttershy murmured. “Why is he so adamant to think like that, though?”

Flathoof stayed silent for a long moment. When at last he spoke, he did so in little more than a whisper. “Seeing as we’re in a storytelling mood… would you like to hear one about Lockwood and I? It might just help you understand him a little better.”

“Oh, yes, very much,” Fluttershy said with a nod.

Flathoof smiled. “Well, okay then.” He cleared his throat. “First, just a forewarning that I’m embarrassed about some of this stuff. You see, not a lot of ponies know this, but Lockwood and I are a lot closer than just best friends.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. “You… you mean… oh. Oh my… I… I didn’t think… you two were… oh…” She frowned and hid behind her mane. “I… I see…”

“What that hay are you—" Flathoof paused. Then, he blushed. “Oh. No. No no no. No. No. We are not like that. Not even close.”

“You’re… not?” Her mouth curled into a hopeful smile.

“No. Stars no.” Flathoof cleared his throat rather too loudly. “Look, perhaps it’s best if I start from the beginning.”

“Yes… yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Well, first, Lockwood and I were born in the Outer District. That’s where we lived throughout our youth. We didn’t move into Mid-North until just after I entered the Academy. Anyway, the point is that you’ve met my family. My mother, my father, my sister, and my two brothers. You’ve heard me talk about them lots of times. But, have you ever heard Lockwood talk about his family?”

“Can’t say that I have,” Fluttershy murmured. She shook her head. “But I can’t hold that against him. I never talk about my family, and neither does Rainbow, even amongst our other friends. We just… don’t. I figured Lockwood was the same.”

“Well, I don’t know what reasons you and Rainbow have for not bringing up family, and I won’t pry either. I will tell you, though, that Lockwood is more like me than you think.” Flathoof shifted his gaze to Lockwood briefly, checking that he was still fast asleep. “Now, what I’m about to tell you I want you to keep to yourself, okay?” he whispered. “Don’t tell anypony. Don’t tell any of your other friends. Don’t even tell Lockwood that I told you. Okay?”

Fluttershy nodded, excited and a little scared about what sort of secret this could be. “I promise not to tell anypony.”

“Well then, let’s continue.” Flathoof double-checked that Lockwood was still asleep, then resumed his story. “Lockwood was born in one of the worst sections of the district, to a single mother who could barely put food on the table. He never knew his father. According to his mother, his father died before he was born. He suspects otherwise.”

“Oh my, that’s... terrible.”

“Trust me, it gets worse. Now, this is all second-hoof information, but I trust Lockwood not to embellish or exaggerate his past. His mom was… obsessed. She was devoted to the stallion that had fathered her foal. It developed into a very... unhealthy obsession, too, because Lockwood apparently was the spitting image of his father. She even named him after the guy. So, her devotion to his father became a devotion to him.”

“Well, all mothers care for their foals, don’t they?” Fluttershy murmured. “He should be glad that his mom cared so much about him.”

“But that’s the thing. She didn’t so much care about him, so much as she cared about how much he was like his father. She complimented him on how much he looked like his father, she styled his mane and tail to look just like his father’s, she made him wear clothes that resembled his father’s, etc. Until the day she died, she never even told Lockwood she loved him, just told him how much she loved his father and wanted him to grow up to be just like him. She passed away when he was only a few years old.”

Fluttershy frowned. “Oh dear… he was orphaned at such a young age.”

“Well, Lockwood wouldn’t want you to worry about that,” Flathoof added. “It might sound cruel, but he says the best thing his mother ever did for him was die. I never really understood why he’d say something like that, but he reminds me that she was very obsessed with his father, and that he was his spitting image. I won’t go into it, but I understood what he was implying.”

“No. No, she wouldn’t… would she?”

“Anyway,” Flathoof continued, “upon her death, Lockwood was placed into a foster home.” He snorted in disgust. “I’ll be brief about how much I loathe New Pandemonium’s foster care system. Basically, it’s the most morally corrupt institution in the city’s bureaucracy. Foster foals are treated like goods, and can be bought, sold, or traded like you would a table lamp. Foster families get tax breaks based on the number of foster foals they own. Worst of all, there are no rules in place to ensure the little fillies and colts are actually cared for, only that they’re alive and living at the proper residence.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t think of anything to say to express her utter repulsion with the idea of innocent little fillies and colts living in such conditions, growing up in unloving, greed-driven homes. Was Lockwood truly raised in an environment like that?

“But I digress,” Flathoof continued. “You’re probably wondering where I come in, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Y-yes.”

“Well, he and I met in school, and we became friends. He hadn’t brought a lunch to school that day—or any day, according to him—so I shared some of mine with him; he was a scrawny little thing back then, and I was worried he’d keel over and die. Anyway, one day, he asked if he could come over after school, and he got to meet my family. Everypony loved him; even back then he was a social butterfly, able to make friends with just about anypony. My mom adores him, my father enjoys his sense of humor, both my brothers look up to him, and my sister—" Flathoof hesitated. “Well, she tolerates him. They’re like oil and water, those two… but they don’t hate each other. My mom still thinks they’d make a cute couple, no matter how many times we say it’ll never work.

“Now, this went on for years, all the way through school. He was practically part of the family. So I guess at some point, Lockwood got the crazy idea to make it official, and worked out a favor with a friend of ours that had gotten a job working in New Pandemonium Social Services. One day, Lockwood showed up at our doorstep with a few documents to sign, and he’d already taken care of every other step necessary. My mother and father signed the forms and, just like that, we’d adopted Lockwood.”

“What?!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Shhh!” Flathoof said, putting a hoof to his lips. “Yeah, it’s weird, right? He worked through all the documentation to make it look like my parents had bought him and then paid the bits to make him a legal part of the family. That way, he could do all the things that family members are allowed to do, but that fosters can’t. Things like file our tax forms to exploit loopholes.

“See, he did it because he considered us his family as much as we considered him a part of ours. He knew we were going through rough times, and that without some serious help, none of us would be able to do what we wanted to do. I wanted to enter the police academy and join the NPPD; Lockwood bribed a clerk to approve my application without the entry fee. Pattycake wanted to go to culinary school and become a real chef; Lockwood happened to know the head chef at a fancy restaurant and got her an apprenticeship. My mother was pregnant with Shorthoof at the time; Lockwood knew an excellent doctor and got her the best care she could ask for.”

Fluttershy smiled. “It sounds like he adopted all of you.”

Flathoof laughed. “I guess you could say that, yeah. However, I don’t like to go around advertising it. He’s legally a part of the family, and that legally makes me his older brother, but I hate when he calls me that.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t you want him calling you his brother?”

“It’s an… awkward story. See, when I graduated from the academy, Lockwood threw a big party to celebrate. All my academy buddies were there, and so was my dad, so it was really just a bunch of stallions out for a great time. I can’t say I was surprised when the strippers jumped out of the cake.” Flathoof sank. “Twin sisters.” He sank further and hung his head. “Twin sisters that said they’d always wanted…” He cleared his throat. “Well, let’s just say that I feel very awkward calling Lockwood ‘brother’ after that party.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to ask what these twins wanted—she had no idea what a “stripper” was—but decided against it. Whatever had happened must have truly been awkward indeed.

“Anyway, enough of that. I suppose I should get to the point and tell you what this has to do with why Lockwood doesn’t want to accept anypony’s help right now.” Flathoof sighed. “He did everything he did for me and my family because he loves us dearly. He has never, to this day, asked us for anything in return. He doesn’t ask anypony for help with anything, actually—not for himself at any rate. I think the reason why—and this is just my theory—is because of his mother.”

“His mother? What does she have to do with it?”

“Well, she gave up everything for him. Her intentions may have been misplaced, but she really did care for Lockwood until the day she died. Lockwood… interprets it differently. He thinks of himself as taking advantage of her love for his father against his own will. He says he’d have rathered she hadn’t coddled him at every opportunity, because then she might still be alive; she neglected her own health to ensure that Lockwood was healthy. It’s… an awkward sense of self-loathing he has.”

“But… but I don’t see how these things are connected,” Fluttershy said. “He’s hurt because he tried to help me. If he doesn’t accept our help, he might…”

“I know him well enough to know that he thinks he’ll get better on his own, receiving professional help that he himself seeks out. Heck, I think it’s a miracle that he’s even letting me carry him to Hope’s Point! I was so sure he’d insist on walking himself.” Flathoof shook his head. “He doesn’t like to accept help from those that he loves, be they friends or family. That’s just how he is. He doesn’t want to be a burden. He doesn’t want to feel that he’s taken advantage of anypony. He just smiles and carries on.”

Fluttershy frowned, but nodded in understanding. “Okay… I see your point. I just… I just wish there was some way we could help him without him dismissing it, or—"

“Enough of that,” Flathoof said. “He’s a stubborn fool if there ever was one, but that’s what I love about the guy. Just let it go. Okay?”

“Okay,” Fluttershy yawned.

Flathoof smiled. “Now, as for you, you need to get some sleep too. You’ve had a long day, and Lockwood would kill me if I didn’t make sure you got some rest.”

***

Pinkie needed the time to ponder the day’s events, so she took her time making her way back towards the dim glow of the campfire. Their situation had certainly taken a nosedive in a hurry: Twilight was injured, afflicted with some condition that deprived her of her magic and energy; Lockwood was getting worse every day, and without Twilight to at least try to slow it down, there was no telling how long he had; Starlight and her sisters had made their presence in the eastern Wastelands known, and even with injured of their own there was no assurance they wouldn’t attempt another sneak attack soon. If their time constraint was tough before, it was downright harsh now.

When Pinkie arrived at camp, she took a moment to see how everypony was doing, hoping to find somepony to talk to since Applejack and Rainbow were likely to be busy for a while. On one side of the campfire, Lockwood, Flathoof, and Fluttershy were all fast asleep, lying against one another for warmth. Seeing the trio resting so calmly warmed Pinkie’s heart; she was glad Lockwood was being cared for by two ponies that cared for him so deeply. To Pinkie’s surprise, Rarity was not nearby. Perhaps she’d gone to answer the call of nature?

Then, she noticed Rarity off a ways from the camp, resting on a flat rock. Pinkie headed towards Rarity at a bouncy pace, eager for a chance to talk with Rarity one-on-one for the first time in what felt like ages.

“Hey, Rarity!” Pinkie said as she got closer.

Rarity turned, and let out a small sigh when she saw Pinkie approaching. She put on a smile almost immediately afterwards though; Pinkie recognized it as Rarity’s patented polite smile, the kind used when she wasn’t very happy but wanted others to think she was. The unicorn had definitely been pretty mopey before Pinkie had come along. Pinkie could see it in her eyes.

“Hello, Pinkie Pie,” she said. “I take it you’re all done with your perimeter check?”

Pinkie smiled and nodded. “Yup! I finished my rounds, and now I’m just waiting for AJ and Dashie to finish theirs. Until then, you look like you need somepony to talk to. So, here I am!”

Rarity’s smile quirked ever-so-slightly. “Yes. Here you are.”

Pinkie smiled back, glad to see she’d raised her friend’s spirits a little. “Yup! So, what are you doing over here all by yourself, huh? It’s no fun being all alone like this. I expected to find you in camp with Fluttershy.”

Rarity grunted and turned her gaze back to the empty expanse of sand in front of her. “Yes, well, I’m not needed right now. Fluttershy is certain she knows how best to help Lockwood, so she doesn’t need me butting in and trying to convince anypony otherwise. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Intrude? Rarity, that’s just silly. You could never intrude on Fluttershy. You two are like the bestest best of friends in all of Equestria!”

Rarity frowned. “I know, darling… but right now, she’s rather out of sorts. She blames herself for Lockwood’s condition, so she’s going to extremes to help and protect him.”

“Poor Fluttershy,” Pinkie said. “It must be hard, thinking you’re responsible for something like that. She shouldn’t be so hard on herself.”

“I wish I could say I don’t share any blame myself. It is my fault, after all, that they’ve become so close in the first place,” Rarity murmured.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Playing matchmaker, huh? You do know that we’re going home eventually, right?”

“Well, yes, but… but I just thought I’d try to help Fluttershy open up a little. She’s a beautiful, graceful young mare; a wonderful pony. I just wanted to help her see it for herself.”

Rarity shook her head. “But this is no time for regret, or for throwing about blame for events beyond our control. I’ve had enough of that lately without doing it myself.”

Pinkie sighed. “So you’ve noticed it too, huh?”

“How could I not? To think, when we left those musty old ruins, we were all in the best spirits we’ve been in since we arrived in this world. We were all filled with so much confidence and focus that, even after dear Lockwood got hurt, we still moved forward, united. Then those mares showed up, so now here we are, back to arguing amongst ourselves about whose fault it is and what we should be doing and what we’re doing wrong.” Rarity shook her head in disgust. “Honestly, it’s as though just being around those dreadful ponies brings out the worst in us.”

“I know what you mean,” Pinkie said, her shoulders drooping. “I mean, you’re over here moping because you and Fluttershy got into an argument, right? That never happens. And even when it does, you and Fluttershy patch things up in, like, seconds. So what makes this different?”

“I can’t say for certain, but something about her just seems… off. This is different than that whole incident with Iron Will, I think. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that she’s more assertive, but I’ve never seen her be so… angry.”

“She’s not the only one, either. Dashie’s worse than ever!” Pinkie slumped to the ground beside Rarity. “She’s just… she’s just so mad that things are getting so bad. I think she’s just worried about everypony, but… I dunno, something seems off. I’ve never seen Dashie get so mad before. She’s convinced that nopony’s listening to her.”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “I’ve gathered as much. I do wish Rainbow Dash wouldn’t take it so personally. When we’re all traveling together like this, it works best to either have a majority vote or to nominate a leader.”

“That’s what I told her. We’re all in this together, so we shouldn’t be so upset about not getting our way.”

Rarity shook her head. “But what does it matter why she’s upset? Whatever seems to have Rainbow Dash in such a fit won’t be an issue after we reach Hope’s Point… I hope.”

“I hope so too, Rarity.” Pinkie sighed and rolled onto her back. “What about Applejack? She’s been kinda ornery lately, too, but I have no idea why.”

“Well, it might be—" Rarity stopped herself and cleared her throat. “I mean, why are you asking me?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Huh? I wasn’t asking you specifically, I was just kinda throwing the thought out there. Why, do you know something?”

“W-well, I can’t exactly say, darling. It’s a matter just between Applejack and I, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. I’m sure Applejack would as well.”

“Are you sure you can’t tell me? Maybe I can help!”

“I’m afraid I’ve already said too much on the matter, darling,” Rarity said, turning away from Pinkie. “I’d ask you not to let anypony else know about it, either, if you could.”

Pinkie crossed her legs over her chest. “Trusting a friend with a secret it a big deal, Rarity. You know I won’t ask you to spill. It’s the fastest way to lose a friend forever.”

“I know you won’t, darling. If it ever comes to it, I’m sure Applejack would prefer we get it out in the open.” Rarity sighed. “Hopefully we can solve it before it comes to that, though. It’s certainly driving a wedge between her and Fla—" She caught herself and cleared her throat. “Er, between her and other ponies. But listen to me ramble!” she added with a laugh. 

“It’s okay, Rarity! There’s nothing wrong with a good ramble every now and again,” Pinkie said with a smile. “I’m just glad to have somepony to chat with. Say, though, we should go check on Tick Tock, shouldn’t we?” She started to get up. “We’ve been over here for quite a while, haven’t we?”

“Fifty-two minutes, give or take a few seconds,” Tick Tock said.

Rarity and Pinkie turned to the other unicorn, who had come up behind them without a sound. She looked downright exhausted.

“Oh, hello Tick Tock,” Rarity said. She gasped. “Is Twilight alright? You didn’t come for help, did you?”

“No no, Twilight is quite alright, relatively speaking,” Tick Tock assured her. She took a seat between the two, then took her kerchief from her pocket and dabbed her forehead before continuing, “Her condition hasn’t improved in any way, but I did everything I could to ease the stress on her body. She’s sleeping soundly. Our priority is still getting her and Lockwood to Hope’s Point as quickly as possible, though. There’s only so much I can do.”

“Don’t fret about it, darling,” Rarity said, patting Tick Tock’s shoulder. “You’re doing everything you can, and we’re all thankful for it.”

“‘Don’t fret’ is right,” Pinkie added. “Moping about because of how bad things are doesn’t solve anything.”

“My thoughts exactly, Pinkie Pie. We should be focused on lessening everypony’s worries, not sulking. Let Applejack deal with all the navigation issues. Let Rainbow worry about perimeters and scouting. We should be making sure that everypony gets along and stops arguing all the time.”

Tick Tock sighed. “Everypony else is so bloody focused on the how and the why for getting to the coast that they’ve forgotten they’re supposed to be traveling together.” She shook her head in disgust. “Sometimes, I forget that you’re all supposed to be friends. Forgive me if that sounds harsh.”

“I can understand your reasoning, Tick Tock,” Rarity said. “Lately, I find it hard to believe myself… but I digress! That’s what we’re supposed to be fixing, yes? We’re all friends here; let’s start acting like it.”

“I knew I picked the right two mares to talk to,” Tick Tock said with a smile. “You know, you two are probably the only ponies left in the group that haven’t once been hostile with me. Not that I know of, at any rate.”

“Well, why would we, darling? You’ve done nothing but try to help since this whole ‘adventure’ started.”

“Yeah! And you’ve been a big help, too, no matter what anypony says,” Pinkie added. “You don’t think we’re the only two that like you, though… do you?”

Tick Tock grunted. “The only other ponies I’d seek conversation with are Twilight, who’s in no shape for a chat, or Fluttershy, who’s too busy with Lockwood. I just don’t… mesh well, with the others.” She shook her head. “You two, though, are on the level. Even if you are a posh fashionista and a wild and crazy party animal. You’re just more accepting of my... personality.”

Pinkie put her hoof on Tick Tock’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, Tick Tock. I know the others get all Grumpy Gus with you sometimes, now more than usual, but it’s just the stress talking. They’re all so worried about everything going wrong at any moment that they’re lashing out. I bet if we were all to have met back in our world, under normal circumstances, we’d all be the best of friends!”

“I couldn’t agree more, darling,” Rarity said with a smile. “You’re not a bad pony at all, Tick Tock.”

“Thanks,” Tick Tock muttered. She dabbed her forehead again, then put her kerchief away. “I am trying, you know? Not to be so abrasive all the time, that is. I don’t mean to get on anypony’s nerves, and I am sorry for some of the things I’ve said and done along the way.”

“We know, dear, we know. Never fear, Pinkie and I are here for you if you need somepony to talk to. Right now, though, we need to talk to you.” Rarity cleared her throat. “Now then, to business. Do you have some sort of idea that might help us improve everypony’s mood?”

“Besides asking me to yank food out of nowhere,” Pinkie huffed.

“Yes, and no,” Tick Tock said. She slumped on the ground and took a deep breath. “Honestly, the only things that I think will help everypony calm down at this point are just a little good fortune and a good night’s rest. Aside from that, I’m afraid things will just get worse the longer we’re out here.

“However, I am beginning to develop a theory for what’s truly at fault for everypony acting like a tosser lately. Say what you will about hunger, but I’ve noticed a change since we arrived at the checkpoint. Before then, actually. Sure, there was a bit of back-and-forth here and there before, but nowhere near what I saw afterwards, and nothing like what’s happening now. I suspect the introduction of Starlight Shadow and her sisters was the catalyst, and I’m sure you’ve noticed the same thing.”

Rarity and Pinkie shared glances with each other, then turned back to Tick Tock and nodded. “I was saying much the same thing to Pinkie earlier, darling. You really think those mares are at fault here?”

Tick Tock nodded. “Possibly. I’ve noticed similarities to your encounter with Discord back in your world. Twilight told me about it,” she added in response to Rarity and Pinkie’s confused looks. “She was a bit scant on details, though, and could only give her own perspective. So, if you could enlighten me as to what you went through, I might be able to see the connection more clearly.”

“Well, to be brief, he… he did something to us. Changed us somehow.” Rarity shook her head and shuddered. “Everything I said and did during that time under his influence felt right, but I know it was all wrong. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.”

“Chaos magicks—or ‘Dark’, as Twilight so insists—have a corrupting effect,” Tick Tock explained. “Twilight told me that Discord corrupted you with his power. How, exactly, were you corrupted?”

“He corrupted our Elements of Harmony, mostly, twisting them into total opposites. Whereas I am normally the most generous pony one could ever hope to meet, I became a greedy, selfish lout. The others were corrupted in similar fashions.”

“Applejack became dishonest as all get-out, but was really, really bad at it,” Pinkie added. “Dashie stopped being loyal to us, choosing loyalty to ‘Cloudsdale’ over her friends. Fluttershy was downright mean to everypony, and even dumped a bucket of water on Twilight’s head!” She shuddered. “And me? Me? The happiest, laughingest, partyingest party animal around? I stopped liking everything fun—laughing, games, parties, everything—and turned into the biggest Grumpy Gus in the history of Grumpy Guses!” She paused. “Gussi. Geese? Whatever the plural for Gus would be.”

Tick Tock remained silent for a long time, deep in thought. When at last she spoke, she did so in little more than a whisper. “I don’t like this one bloody bit. This is more serious than I thought.”

“What’s on your mind, Tick Tock?” Rarity asked.

“Your gryphon friend posited that those six mares may be agents of Nihila, did he not?”

Rarity nodded. “He did. I think we can all accept that that’s the case at this point. Is there something more to it than that?”

“I fear that there may be, yes.” Tick Tock shook her head. “Until I have more information, I can’t be so certain, but I’ll tell you one thing: I know we haven’t seen the last of Starlight Shadow and her sisters. Not by a long shot.”

***

Lockwood awoke to a pain unlike anything he’d felt before shooting through him. Every fiber of his being felt like it was on fire. He tried to cry out in agony, but no sound came; he tried to move, but his body would not respond. He felt weaker than he’d ever felt, as though he’d gone months without food or rest rather than days. Despite the searing pain, everything felt cold. His mind raced, and for a moment he was afraid, terrified of what was happening to him. He felt like he was dying.

Then, as though a switch had been tripped, it all stopped. There was no pain. There was no hunger. There was no cold. There was nothing. He couldn’t understand it. One moment, he felt like he was knocking on death’s door; the next, he couldn’t feel anything at all. Was that what death felt like? Was he dead?

A moment later, his head turned. Lockwood immediately went into a panic. This was very, very wrong.

His head had turned itself.

He was now looking to his right, where Flathoof lay asleep at his side. The feeling was surreal. It didn’t feel like he was looking at Flathoof with his own two eyes, but rather like he was looking through a window. He felt trapped within his own body, unable to control its movements but able to clearly see them. Worse, he could feel what his body was feeling and sense what his body was thinking, and he did not like it one bit.

Hunger.

Meat.

Kill.

Lockwood’s mind raced to figure out what his body was doing. He knew what the words meant. “Hungry” meant exactly that; the raging hunger surging through his body was undeniable, insatiable, and terrifying. “Meat” referred to Flathoof, who, despite his own several-day fast didn’t look any worse for wear, appeared to Lockwood’s body like a veritable smorgasbord. “Kill” was self-explanatory. Lockwood put the thoughts together. He knew what his body was going to do, so he made an attempt to stop it.

Hunger.

Lockwood’s body resisted his attempts to wrest control, and slowly and silently rose to its hooves. Lockwood felt a weight slide off his slide and slump to the ground; he figured it was Fluttershy. His body knew it too, though it did not assign her a name and only considered her more meat.

Meat.

Lockwood wracked his brain thinking of some way to wrestle control of his body back. He tried to turn his head to look elsewhere, tried to raise his hoof to shake Flathoof’s side, and even tried to fly. The intense hunger his body felt, the same hunger he could feel, made it difficult to focus. Where before he’d felt like it had been months since his last meal, his body’s hunger made it feel more like years. He tried to scream, hoping the noise would awaken Flathoof, but he did not make a sound. His body did open its mouth, however, but not to scream.

Kill.

Lockwood couldn’t watch what his body was about to do, but he could not close his mind’s eye to what his body could see. He was forced to witness the atrocity his treacherous body committed through his own eyes. His body lunged forward and sunk its teeth into Flathoof’s neck, ripping into the flesh and meeting bone. The taste of blood and flesh ran across his tongue. Lockwood wished he could vomit, but his body was too thoroughly pleased by the taste of fresh meat.

Flathoof managed to utter some sort of noise, but Lockwood couldn’t make sense of it. It only lasted about a second though, before Lockwood’s body twisted its vice-like bite and snapped Flathoof’s neck. Flathoof fell silent.

Lockwood’s world spiraled out of control. He screamed and raged from inside his prison, but his body didn’t react or even acknowledge him. It just kept eating.

Then, his body turned towards a light that appeared nearby. The light was around a large rock as big as his head. Said rock was hurtling towards him. His body reacted in time to avoid having its head smashed in; he wished it hadn’t.

Rarity lifted another rock with her magic. She shouted something, but Lockwood couldn’t make out what she was saying; it only registered to him as white noise, like static.

She flung the second rock at Lockwood, and this time managed to strike him in the wing. The pain was intolerable for him—from within his prison, he howled in pain—but, for his body, it was merely unacceptable. His body was angry. His body was in pain, and it was angry.

Kill. Kill.

Lockwood demanded his body to stay put, to let Rarity destroy him whether it took just one more rock or one thousand. He would gladly endure the pain until his body was a gooey mass in the dirt.

His body would not listen. Kill. It sprung towards her, mouth agape; she tried to leap aside, but was not fast enough. Kill. His teeth latched onto her leg and, with one swift motion, crippled Rarity for life. His hooves crashed against her side, crushing ribs and ripping through flesh. Kill.

Then, a noise behind Lockwood drew his body’s attention. His body turned to face it, and there was Fluttershy. Her face lit up in terror, and she screamed; again, it only sounded like white noise to Lockwood. His body only contemplated for a second, but quickly decided that going after Fluttershy would be a better use of time and effort than finishing off the mangled mess that was Rarity.

Lockwood pleaded for his body not to do anything to Fluttershy. He begged his body to leave her alone. She had suffered enough because of him; she did not deserve to suffer more; she did not deserve to die.

His body disagreed.

Meat. Kill.

His body charged towards the horrified pegasus, hungry for blood. A bright flash nearby signaled Ophanim’s appearance. Lockwood’s body noticed it too, and too easily avoided the great spirit wolf’s lunge; it was as though his body was expecting the familiar to make an appearance. It closed the distance to Fluttershy quickly, and tackled her to the ground.

Ophanim turned and pounced, but did not make it in time.

There was a sickening crunch. Ophanim’s light evaporated instantly. All Lockwood could see was blood.

There was another noise behind Lockwood. His body turned, and was struck in the face by a white-hot blast of magic.

Pain.

***

Lockwood shot awake, his body writhing in pain. “Auughhh!”

Everypony in camp shot to attention.

Flathoof leapt to his hooves and spun round. “What’s going on?!”

“Are we under attack?!” Applejack shouted, rushing over to their end of the camp.

“Oh no, it’s Lockwood!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

Lockwood ignored everypony’s shouting. His body felt weaker than ever. An intense pain burned throughout his body, and his head felt like somepony was striking it with a jackhammer. It hurt to move. It hurt to think. It hurt to breathe. Despite all of this, his mind was set on one thing, and one thing only: getting away. He struggled upright and started lurching away from the rest of the group without a second thought.

Flathoof stopped him before he got more than a few paces away. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Get away!” Lockwood snapped, trying to shake Flathoof away from him. He failed miserably; Flathoof held fast. “Get away from me!”

“Lockwood, calm down. What’s wrong?”

“Get away!” Lockwood pushed Flathoof away and attempted to move again.

Flathoof held him still. “Lockwood! I don’t know what’s come over you, but you’re not fit to be moving!”

“Oh, please be careful with him,” Fluttershy said.

“Don’t you worry, Fluttershy, I’ll be gentle,” Flathoof assured her. With a grunt, he added, “If he stops squirming!”

“Get off of me!” Lockwood pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

Flathoof laughed. “Hurt me? You? Something must be wrong with you if you think—"

“It’s not funny!” Lockwood buried his face in his hooves. “Blood! There was so much blood!”

“Oh dear. What is he talking about?” Fluttershy asked.

“That’s what we’re all wondering,” said Tick Tock. She, Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie had joined Applejack nearby; Twilight hadn’t been roused. “We bloody well thought we were under attack! What’s all this rubbish?”

“Is he alright?” Rarity asked, a hoof to her mouth.

“Stay back! All of you!” Lockwood shouted as he attempted to wrestle out of Flathoof’s hold again. “I’m one of those… those things!”

“What things?” Tick Tock asked.

“Just let me go before I- auughh!” The pain tore through his body worse than ever before, sending him into a spastic fit. “It’s h-happening! G-g-get away!”

“Lockwood, what in blue blazes are you going on about?” Flathoof asked, his voice awash with concern. He put more weight into his hold to keep Lockwood still.

Rainbow grimaced. “Oh man, what’s wrong with his eye?”

Lockwood couldn’t see it, but the white of his left eye had flooded with a bright red color, and his iris had turned totally black. In a panic, he reached his hoof up to his eye and prodded the area nearby. “Oh no. I have to get out of here.” Again, he tried to wrestle out of Flathoof’s hold to no avail; in his weakened state, he didn’t have a chance. “Flathoof, let me go! I need to get away from you all before I get worse!”

“What the bloody hell is wrong with him?” Tick Tock muttered. She stepped forward and lit up her horn, attempting to diagnose the problem. Lockwood flailed his limbs and wings, trying to get out of Flathoof’s hold, and whacked Tick Tock in the face with his good wing. She spit out a few small feathers. “Dammit, would you please keep him still?!” she snapped at Flathoof.

“I’m trying, but he’s squirming way too much!” Flathoof snapped back. “I don’t want to hurt him!”

“Outta the way,” Applejack grunted. She pushed Flathoof off of Lockwood easily.

Lockwood scrambled upright and started running again, but only made it another few steps before Applejack gently pushed him back to the ground; he was so light and weak that a stiff breeze could have knocked him over. She carefully pinned him with the entirety of her body, so fully that Lockwood couldn’t move an inch.

“There,” she huffed, shooting Flathoof an impatient glance. “See? Let somepony who knows how ta deal with a fidgety critter deal with this.”

Lockwood panicked. “Applejack! Stop! I might hurt you! I could change at any moment!”

“I don’t know what y’all’re talkin’ ‘bout, but what I do know is that y’all ain’t gettin’ through me,” Applejack said into his ear. She waved her hoof in front of his eyes; it was made of solid rock. “Whatever y’all‘re afraid o’ doin’ ta everypony, ya ain’t gonna be able ta do ta me. Just calm down, okay?”

Lockwood tried to get out from under her, but her hold was even tighter than Flathoof’s. “Please! Applejack, you must let me go!”

Tick Tock stepped forward and resumed her examination. After a moment, her horn’s dull green glow intensified to a bright blue. “I don’t know what’s going on, but he’s getting worse, fast! It’s like the curse is reacting to something!”

“What could it be—" Flathoof started to say. He paused, and his eyes widened. “He’s afraid of something. You don’t think it’s reacting to his fear, do you?”

“Do I look like an expert on curses? I don’t bloody know!” Tick Tock shook her head. “But if it is, we need him to relax.”

“Ya hear that, Lockwood? Y’all need ta calm down, okay?” Applejack said. “Just calm. Down. Y’all’re just makin’ this harder on yourself.”

“I’m one of those damned abominations!” Lockwood shouted. He still struggled against Applejack despite his lack of progress thus far. “Please, just let me go! I don’t want to hurt any of you! Let me go… p-please… just… just let me go. Let me go!”

Applejack groaned. “It’s no use. He ain’t gonna relax at this rate.”

“Maybe we should knock him out?” Rainbow suggested.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity huffed. “Really, there’s no need for that sort of action.”

“Well I don’t see anypony else giving any ideas!”

“I have an idea,” Fluttershy interjected.

She stepped towards Applejack and Lockwood, and circled around so that she was in front of them; the others watched in surprise as she took a seat.

Lockwood panicked. “Fluttershy, please! G-get away from me, I don’t want to hurt you!”

“You need to relax, Lockwood. All this stress is getting to you,” she said. She placed her hoof to his forehead, and shook her head in worry. “Your fever is worse than ever. You need to get some sleep.”

“Fluttershy, please, get away from me while you can!”

Fluttershy leaned in and gave Lockwood a tender hug, cradling his head in her hooves; Applejack hesitated, but let Fluttershy go about her business.

“♫ Hush now, quiet now,  
It's time to lay your sleepy head.  
Hush now, quiet now,  
It's time to go to bed.”

Lockwood struggled, but found it harder than ever to muster up the energy. He felt more exhausted than ever; his eyes drooped. He fought to stay awake, desperate to distance himself from innocent ponies.

Fluttershy ran her hoof through Lockwood’s mane and pressed his head against her chest.

“♫ Drifting off to sleep,  
Exciting day behind you.  
Drifting off to sleep,  
Let the joy of dreamland find you.”

Lockwood’s breathing slowed. His struggling dwindled to nothing more than weak shifting, but he still fought to stay awake. Applejack had released him entirely now; only Fluttershy stood between him and freedom.

“♫ Tomorrow waits ‘till morning breaks,  
But now it’s time to go to sleep.  
Tomorrow waits ‘till morning breaks,  
So ‘till then, count some sheep.”

At last, Lockwood stopped struggling. He stopped moving entirely, and leaned into Fluttershy’s warmth. His eyes slowly began to close, but he still tried to keep them open.

“♫ Hush now, quiet now,  
It's time to lay your sleepy head.  
Hush now, quiet now,  
It's time to go to bed. ♫”

Everypony remained silent.

Flathoof turned to Tick Tock, and whispered, “Did it work?”

Lockwood let out a loud snore.

“It worked,” Tick Tock grunted.

Rainbow let out a loud yawn. “Okay… everypony back to bed…”

While the others all returned to their spots around the camp, Flathoof returned to Fluttershy’s side and took a seat next to her. “Thank you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy remained quiet for several minutes. Then, she broke down and cried harder than she’d ever cried before.

***

The next day went about as smoothly as Rainbow had expected: not at all. The others had managed to get themselves organized as best they could, then started south. They moved along at a slow, steady pace—much too slow for Rainbow’s liking—and traveled along the flattest stretch of land possible so as not to aggravate Lockwood or Twilight’s conditions. Both incapacitated ponies lay draped over Flathoof’s back, as he was the only pony capable of carrying both of them for extended periods of time; Fluttershy ensured both of them remained steady, while Tick Tock continued to monitor them both for any changes. This left Applejack to navigate entirely on her own, and to Rainbow, it was clearer now more than ever that it wasn’t a difficult job at all.

Make fun of my sense of direction all you want, AJ. I know which way south is.

The miles stretched on and on, taking hours upon hours to cross at the grueling pace they were traveling. There was nothing but flat, arid wasteland in all directions for as far as the eye could see; it was like being back in the western Wastelands, where the terrain was just endless expanses of sand. There were no rocks of any size; no trees, living or dead; no hills or valleys. Just flat, arid wasteland that seemed to go on forever.

Morning lazily turned into afternoon, and afternoon slowly gave way to evening. It wasn’t until the late evening—Rainbow could only trust Tick Tock’s word on the matter for the time— that there was a change in the approaching terrain. Rainbow, being high in the air scouting about and watching for any signs of trouble, saw it first; she informed the others immediately, and everypony increased their pace just a little bit. The barren, cracked rock became darker, smoother, and harder as the group moved further south. In under an hour, the Wastelands were totally, completely, and finally behind them.

The rocky earth was still lifeless and tough, but it at least had some variety. There were dips and bumps, rocks of all sizes strewn about, and even a few dead trees here and there. If any part of the northern continent looked nearly as alive as the Goldridge Pass, it was this place. According to Tick Tock’s map, it had no proper name; as far as the group was concerned, it deserved something inspirational. Everypony’s spirits raised just knowing they were that much closer to their destination.

Then, they came across a welcome sight: a cliff. The cliff itself was nothing special, certainly, but what they could see beyond it was.

“Now that is a sight for sore eyes,” Rainbow said.

“Ain’t nopony gonna disagree with that, Dash,” Applejack said, fanning herself with her hat.

Off in the distance, they could just barely make out a thin line of blue along the horizon, a thin, blue beacon of hope: the ocean. It was still untold miles away, but it was close enough that they could see it and that was all that mattered. Seeing it served no purpose other than letting them know they were close without having to look at a map; nothing could replace the sensation of seeing it with their own eyes. It was so close.

Another sight, though, dampened their spirits. At the bottom of the cliff, between them and their destination, lay a great expanse of sand and rock. Climbing down the cliff wouldn’t prove too difficult, and neither would traversing the remaining distance. However, it was what occupied the area that worried everypony.

“Gargantuans,” Applejack grumbled. “Shoot.”

In the valley below there were several dozen of the creatures, each as large if not larger than the one they’d encountered over a week ago in the western Wasteland. Nearly all of them were fighting amongst themselves for seemingly no reason at all. Massive scythe-like claws and gigantic barbed tails tore through armored exoskeleton with ease. The beasts let loose great shrieks of pain and roars of triumph, shaking the very cliffside.

“Oh my,” Rarity murmured. “How horribly gruesome. Don’t tell me we’re planning on going through all those creatures.”

Tick Tock smirked. “Well, it is the fastest route from here to the coast.”

Rainbow pumped a hoof. “All right! We’re finally doing things right. About time you guys got your heads together.”

“Don’t go gettin’ too excited, Dash,” Applejack said. “It may be the faster route, but it ain’t the one we’re takin’.”

Rainbow stopped cold and stared at Applejack. The words that had come from the earth pony’s mouth sounded like total gibberish. They made no sense. “What do you mean, ‘it ain’t the one we’re taking’? It the fastest way through!”

“Maybe, but it ain’t the route we’re takin’,” Applejack repeated. “I got us an alternate route all planned out. Take a look-see.”

She unfurled Tick Tock’s map until it was large enough for everypony to see. She pointed to a spot several miles west of their current position, where there was a canyon. It wound down through the rocky region until it reached the coastline. They would then travel east along the beach until they reached Hope’s Point. Altogether it was the easier route, as getting to the beach only required them to travel down a gentle slope. It was also obviously the safer route, as it was completely Gargantuan-free; the canyon was more than a mile from the westernmost edge of the valley that held the creatures. However, traveling the extra miles to avoid the valley would take almost an entire extra day.

Rainbow groaned, aggravated by the continued lack of perception on Applejack’s part. “This is gonna take forever. We don’t have time for all these detours, AJ. Do you have any idea how slowly we’ve been traveling? We’re practically snails. I can walk faster than we’ve been moving, in my sleep!”

“So what? You want us ta risk gettin’ Lockwood or Twi injured tryin’ to hustle across the valley? I know we’re in a hurry, Rainbow, but—"

“But nothing,” Rainbow snorted. “If we’re gonna get any help for anypony, be it food or medicine, we need to stop wasting time and get a move on!” She gestured towards the map, specifically a route that had been planned across the valley but had since been abandoned. “Look at what your map says. If we cross the valley, we’ll be at Hope’s Point by late tomorrow morning. That’s barely half a day. If we take your route, we’ll be there by nightfall—"

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad,” Flathoof said.

“Two days from now,” Rainbow completed. “Four times as long! We’ll starve before we even hit the beach!”

“First of all, Dash, the route y’all’re pointin’ to wasn’t perfected,” Applejack huffed, “and it sure don’t account fer recent changes. We made that route way back when we got outta that Blood Mire.”

“So?”

“So, the reason it didn’t take much time is ‘cause the valley ain’t more than a few miles across. Twilight could’ve teleported us across. If’n we’re walkin’, we’re lookin’ at more than doublin’ the time it takes ta cross. We’d be there by tomorrow night, if we were lucky.”

“So it’s one day compared to two? Still sounds like the better route to me,” Rainbow said. She crossed her hooves over her chest and grunted. “Then again, I guess I can’t expect you to understand math. One is less than two, AJ.”

“Why you smart-aleck—"

“If I may?” Tick Tock interjected.

Rainbow turned in the unicorn’s direction, expecting another argument. “Oh good, the ‘expert’,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Tick Tock ignored the comment. “I must remind you, Dash, that the reason this path was good before but is bloody awful now is that we have to contend with those Gargantuans,” she said with a calm—almost cordial—tone. “Our original plan was to skip right past the lot of them, or at least the greatest concentration.”

“Those things are what we’re worried about? Seriously? We’ve got superpowers now! We can take ‘em.”

“Okay, maybe we could handle one,” Tick Tock said with a nod. “Or two, or three. How many are out there, though? Dozens, yes? Do you intend to fight them all?”

“Well… no. We’d blaze past the majority of them, and hold off any that chase us,” Rainbow said. “We don’t fight to win, we fight to buy distance and time. Like we did crossing the Blood Mire. That worked out pretty—" She paused, glanced at Lockwood, and reconsidered. “It worked out… better than it could have, even if it wasn’t perfect. And besides, we’ve got a better understanding of our powers since that lousy place.”

“A fair argument,” Tick Tock said. She shook her head. “However, you’re missing a key factor in the equation that I can’t blame you for not knowing about. Tell me, Dash, what are those Gargantuans doing?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Just humor me.”

Rainbow glanced out over the cliff, then turned back to Tick Tock. “They’re fighting. Tearing each other apart, more like. Should make it even easier to sneak past them if they’re all busy trying to kill each other.”

“Again, fair point. But, do you know why they’re fighting?”

“Uh… no?”

“They’re fighting over a mate. Rather, the mate.” Tick Tock pointed at her map, specifically the name of the region, Gargantuan Breeding Grounds. “There is precisely one female Gargantuan per horde, and the adult males fight for the right to breed. The female stays hidden until then, but may decide to come out if she smells food—i.e. us.”

“So?”

“So, an adult female Gargantuan makes the males look downright scrawny. She’s roughly twice the size, her armor is triple the thickness, her claws and tail are strong enough to dent some of the toughest materials known to ponykind, and she’s even able to spit her lethal venom. On that last point, I bring up the fact that adult male venom is highly corrosive and can melt steel; the female’s can melt through triple-thick durasteel in under ten seconds. You do not want to know what it does to ponies. It would be the equivalent to giving a shark a gun.”

“Or a frickin’ laser beam,” Pinkie added.

Rainbow grunted. “Right. Sharks. Guns. Thanks for the riveting analogy there, Tick Tock.” She crossed her hooves over her chest. “Fine then, we don’t go hoof-to-hoof… claw, whatever. We don’t fight her directly. Applejack could take us underground and we avoid them altogether.”

“Uh, did y’all forget those things live underground?” Applejack asked.

“Oh… yeah.” Rainbow frowned, then brightened a second later. “Okay, how about I fly us over one at a time? It might take a while since I can’t fly top speed, and I’ll have to take my time with Twilight and Lockwood, but it’d work. I’ll just drop everypony off at the coast. Piece of cake.”

“Were that only an option,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head. “The coast is full of threats, too. Having never been to Hope’s Point myself, I’m not completely certain where would be a safe place to drop everypony off, if there even is one. All I know is the type of creatures they are, and aside from Applejack, I don’t know if anypony here can really handle them by themselves. Certainly you could take Applejack over first, but I don’t think it would be safe to assume she can handle herself alone. No offense.”

“None taken,” Applejack grunted.

“Why can’t I fly over first to scout out a landing site?” Rainbow asked.

“Because of the possibility that those mares are spying on us and just waiting for an opportunity. We’re not going to bloody well just give them a perfect chance to attack while half the group is on the coast and the other half is here. Furthermore, the creatures on the coast aren’t likely to attack you, since you’re in the air. You’d have to give them an opportunity.”

“So we’re just giving up, is that it?” Rainbow asked, disappointed. “What happened to us taking the fastest route home, huh? And another thing: didn’t you say that you expected Starlight’s crew to ambush us in the canyon?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Rainbow shook her head, mouth agape, completely bewildered by what she was hearing. “So wait, you’re worried that those jerks would most likely try to ambush us while we’re going through the canyon. You and Tick Tock predicted this? It’s the most likely thing you can expect? I just want to make sure I’m clear.”

Applejack grunted. “Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“So what I understand is, you’re taking us straight into the path where you figure they’re most likely to show up? Am I hearing this right?”

Applejack’s mouth curled, and her eyes narrowed. “Listen, Rainbow, we gave them a right whuppin’ yesterday. Since they didn’t show up last night, and they ain’t attackin’ us right now when we’re just standin’ ‘round talkin’, I think it’s safe ta assume that they’re still recoverin’. If we hurry through the canyon, we should be fine.”

“How can you be so sure?” Rainbow spat, getting back in Applejack’s face. “You could just be walking us into another trap! Plus, if they’re recovering, who’s to say that they don’t pull a worse ambush on us to compensate? That’s why we should be taking the fastest way through!”

Applejack pushed Rainbow back. “I’d rather risk dealin’ with Starlight’s crew, where I know what I’m gettin’ into, than go against them Gargantuans or whatever’s on the beach, where I don’t.”

Rainbow groaned. She was so sure her plans would work, and here again, not only was she being shot down for boneheaded reasons, but everypony had already agreed to take a boneheaded alternate route. How could they all agree to go along with this? Things weren’t like this back home. Applejack was always ready to act first and worry about questions later, just like Rainbow. But, she was also practical and well-grounded in her reason. She’d never willingly walk anypony into a trap. Couldn’t she see it was making things worse?

“I just said that you have no idea what those mares could be planning! None of us do! Why doesn’t anypony listen to me?!” She wheeled around to face everypony. They needed to hear what she had to say. “If everypony had listened to me in the first place, we’d have never gotten into all this mess! We’d have never met those nutjobs! Fluttershy never would’ve gotten hurt! We’d be at Hope’s Point by now! We wouldn’t need to wait around for them to fix whatever’s wrong with Lockwood, because he’d have never gotten hurt either! We’d be getting ready to leave for Utopia right now!”

“Dashie, we don’t know that for sure,” Pinkie said, concerned.

“I know it would’ve been better than this! Look at all we’ve put up with this whole week because of all these stupid decisions! Look at what it’s doing to you!”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Doin’ ta me?”

“Yeah! You’ve been acting kinda fishy lately, like you’re hiding something. Not to mention you’ve been acting like a jerk lately, too.”

Applejack snorted and adjusted her hat. “Dash, I think ya better calm down ‘n’ take a good at yerself before y’all start tellin’ me I’m acting like a jerk.”

Rainbow wheeled around and glared at Applejack. “Calm down? Calm down?!”

Applejack stood firm. “You heard me. Y’all’re makin’ th’ others upset with the way y’all’re actin’.”

“The others? I’m upsetting the others? Don’t act like you even care about what anypony else is feeling!” Rainbow spat. 

“Care ta run that by me again?”

Rainbow huffed and got in Applejack’s face. “You say you care what anypony else is feeling, but you’re full of it. What, you thought I’d forget you and Flathoof arguing the other day?”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Don’t go there, Dash.”

“Why not? Afraid I might be right?” Rainbow snorted and crossed her hooves over her chest. “You two used to be super chatty, but now you’re all cold shoulder with him. Everypony’s noticed it, but nopony wants to talk about it. Well, let’s talk! What the big deal with you two, huh?! You say you care how everypony’s feeling, so what about Flathoof?”

Flathoof grunted. “I’m curious about it myself.”

“I... w-well, uh...” Applejack stuttered. “I... um... I...”

“You think you’re so high and mighty!” Rainbow snapped. “You think you’re so much better than me! You act like nothing’s wrong, but everypony here has asked you what’s going on and all you do is change the subject! Whatever happened to getting an honest answer out of you, huh?” She snorted in disgust. “Element of Honesty... ha! What a load.”

“All of this is irrelevant as to how good of a navigator Applejack is,” Tick Tock said, stepping up alongside Applejack. “Applejack is a superb navigator. Her routes haven’t done anything to get us in trouble by themselves, it’s not her fault those six psychos showed up. If you want to blame anypony for that, blame them.”

Rainbow turned to Tick Tock and grunted. “Hey now, look who’s here! It’s Tick Tock, the best guide ever! You know, the same idiot that led us into an active volcano that nearly got us killed, and pissed off a super-powered unicorn that nearly vaporized all of us and is likely just chasing us down out of spite! Your opinion on who is or isn’t a good navigator doesn’t count for much. And, I know who to blame for those wackos coming after us now: you.”

Tick Tock narrowed her eyes. “First, the earthquake at the volcano was a fluke. Second, I think it’s been made clear Shadow’s crew isn’t after me, they’re after you and your friends.”

“Oh sure, great excuse.” Rainbow huffed and turned to the others. “And none of you are making this any better, either!”

“Us?” Rarity asked, aghast. “I don’t see what it is that anypony else is doing to make things worse.”

Rainbow grunted. “Well, you’re not making things better, that’s for sure.” She turned and pointed at Fluttershy. “She’s definitely making things worse, though.”

Fluttershy pointed at herself. “Me? Wh-what did I do?”

“You’re so blind to Lockwood’s attempts at getting a pity lay that you’re getting into stupid arguments with your best friend, that’s what.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. “Wh-what?!”

“You… you heard that?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, I did! You guys think I don’t notice this stuff, but I do! I saw you just trying to help, but Fluttershy here is so determined to play protector for that wimp that she shut you down, even though your idea was probably for the best. She doesn’t want your help, because she wants to be the one to help him, because she’s been suckered!”

“Are you insinuating that Lockwood would even think of doing such a thing?” Flathoof huffed.

“Yeah, I am,” Rainbow huffed.

“You take that back, Rainbow!” Fluttershy snapped. “Lockwood isn’t trying to… to get a ‘pity lay’, whatever that is! He’s a good pony, and he got hurt trying to keep me safe!”

“I don’t buy it, not one bit. You, though, bought it hook, line, and sinker.” Rainbow shook her head. “Flathoof is the only pony allowed anywhere near him, and that’s because they’re best friends. You’ll keep him around because if you’re nice to him, it’ll look better to Lockwood. But Rarity, oh no, don’t let her help, even if her idea is the best option! That’s exactly what you guys have all been doing to me! Unbelieveable!”

“Rainbow Dash, really, there’s no need to go accusing anypony of anything like that,” Rarity interjected. “The poor dear was hurt trying to keep Fluttershy safe. Why would you even think—"

“Who cares why I think it, and who cares if it’s true or not?!” Rainbow snapped. “What matters is that Fluttershy’s acting like a jerk to you because of it! You’re part of the problem too, Rarity, because you kept trying to play matchmaker; if it’s anypony’s fault that Fluttershy fell for all of Lockwood’s garbage, it’s because you pushed her into it in the first place! All of your attempts to help now look like they’re because you feel guilty! You know it’s your fault!”

Rarity frowned and stared at the ground, but didn’t say a word.

“Then,” Rainbow continued, “we’ve got Applejack acting like she cares about anypony when she doesn’t, and we’ve got Fluttershy acting like a jerk towards ponies just trying to help. Twilight’s hurt because of a bunch of nutjob mares keep attacking us, because she’s no better than any of you, either!”

“Twilight was hurt protecting me, Dash,” Tick Tock huffed. “If anypony’s to blame for her injury, I am. Leave her out of this.”

Rainbow snorted. “Oh, she’s plenty at fault for even getting into that situation in the first place. She nominated you and Applejack to be our sole navigators, completely ignoring me telling her we should all make the decision together! If she’d listened to me, we might have gone a different way, and never got ambushed, and she’d have never gotten hurt!”

She turned to the others. “Hooves up! Who thinks Twilight’s been doing a fantastic job leading us? C’mon, don’t be shy!” Nopony moved a muscle. “Just what I thought. Twilight’s supposed to know what she’s doing, but we keep getting delayed, sidetracked, and hurt because nopony knows what they’re doing and nopony listens!”

She spat on the ground. “I knew when we started on this stupid trip that we’d be changed mares when it was through. What I didn’t know, is that you’d all change for the worse. All any of you do is ignore me and tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. None of you care one bit how I feel, like I don’t matter!”

“Dashie, please… calm down,” Pinkie pleaded. She stepped forward and put her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “You’re scaring me.”

Rainbow ignored Pinkie. “I’m sick of nopony listening to me! I’m sick of everypony telling me nothing’s wrong, when everything is wrong! But if that’s how you guys wanna do it, then fine, you do things your way. I’ll do things my way from now on! We’ll see whose way is right!”

She turned towards the cliff and spread her wings. Lightning crackled through her feathers, shooting through the air with every step she took.

Pinkie rushed over and barred Rainbow’s way. “Dashie, what are you doing? You can’t go off by yourself.”

Rainbow blinked in surprise. “By myself? Pinks, you thought I wasn’t going to offer you a ride?” She laughed. “Hop on. We’ll get to Hope’s Point in less than an hour, then send some rescue ponies to help these guys. No problem!”

“That’s your plan, then, is it?” Tick Tock interjected. She shook her head. “Question: how do you plan to pay those ponies to help? Hope’s Point’s services aren’t free, you know.”

Rainbow sneered. “How did you plan on paying them to help? I’ll figure something out! That’s what I do best: think on the fly!” She turned and offered her hoof to Pinkie. “Come on, Pinks, we’re getting out of here.”

Pinkie hesitated, then slowly lifted her hoof towards Rainbow’s. She stopped just inches away.

“Pinkie?”

Pinkie frowned, and dropped her hoof back to the ground. She shook her head slowly. “Dashie, it... it isn’t right to leave everypony by themselves. What if something happens and they need you? What if I need you?”

Rainbow paused, narrowed her eyes, and lowered her own hoof to the ground as well. “I’m fast enough to get there, get help, and be back by nightfall. There won’t be any time for anything to happen if everypony stays right here. So come on, let’s go.” She offered her hoof again.

Pinkie frowned and shook her head once more. “Dashie, I’m not leaving them by themselves. I can’t. They need us. They need you. Come on.” She smiled, reaching a hoof for Rainbow’s shoulder. “Stop acting like a big meanie.”

Rainbow jerked away. She wanted to scream; she wanted to cry. Even Pinkie was against her? That couldn’t be possible. She clenched her teeth, angrier than she’d ever been before. Her wings flared wider, barely holding her powers in check; lightning stirred the air around her, cracking the rocky ground beneath her hooves; the wind picked up, whipping through the other ponies’ manes.

“So that’s what you think, huh? That I’m a ‘meanie’? That I’m just some jerk who doesn’t care about her friends?”

“Dashie, that’s not—"

“That’s what you all think, isn’t it?!” Rainbow screamed. “You all think I’m just some total jerkwad! I’m trying to help you, but none of you ever listen! You all think you’re better than me! You all think I don’t know what I’m talking about, and that I don’t care! But it’s all of you who don’t seem to care!” She stomped her hooves on the ground; lightning tore through the air, ripping the nearby rock to shreds. “FINE! If that’s what you guys think, then buck all of you. I’ll make things right all by myself, because that’s what friends do!”

She took to the air and darted south. The take-off alone cratered the ground beneath her.

“Wait! Dashie!” Pinkie called.

Rainbow’s trail warped into lightning, and with a great burst of speed, she reached Rainboom speeds; a great ring of light spread across the sky, followed by a loud explosion. An incredible blast of wind and lightning, brought about by Rainbow’s intense anger, blasted through the air and tore apart rock in the valley below, driving the Gargantuans back for a moment.

“Dashie!” Pinkie rushed forward to the edge of the cliff, stopping just before falling off. She reached out a hoof after Rainbow, but the pegasus was well out of sight. “Dashie...”


	23. Isolation

As she flew over the southern coastline, Rainbow slowed to a glide, using the opportunity to take in the sights. The coast was wider than any beach she’d ever been to before, stretching a half-mile inland from the shore before meeting with the tall cliffs leading up into the Gargantuan breeding grounds. The ocean further south stretched to the horizon, its churning waters an ominous shade of dark, bluish-purple. Rainbow wondered if the entire ocean was called the “Sea of Endless Sorrow”, or if there was perhaps just a particular portion of it; either way, it seemed appropriate.

What Rainbow noticed most, though, was the sand. The color was bleached white, far different from any sand Rainbow had ever seen before. It certainly gave credence to the name “Bonesands”, of that much she was certain. She dove a little closer to get a better look, and noticed that the entire expanse of sand was damp, as though the tide was washing over it. A glance seaward told her that no, the tide did no such thing. She circled around a large, empty expanse of white sand, broken up only by a scattering of seaweed. Despite how bleak everything was, it was just as perfectly calm, drab, and dreary as the Wastelands. Only the sound of breaking waves disturbed the otherwise perfect silence; she was so far from the Gargantuan breeding grounds that she couldn’t even hear those vicious beasts anymore.

The entire place was strange, but there was one thing Rainbow knew for sure: Tick Tock’s warnings were a load of garbage

“Hmph, dangerous, my flank! Yeah, the coast sure looks dangerous, Tick Tock!” she shouted, wishing Tick Tock could somehow hear her. She swooped up and hovered in place a moment, crossing her hooves over her chest. “Bunch of scaredy-ponies, all of ‘em. We can handle whatever this world has to throw at us now.”

She snorted and resumed flying east. “Whatever. Who needs ‘em? If they’re gonna treat me like some sort of jerk for trying to help... hmph, let ‘em stew for a bit, see who the real jerks are.” She grit her teeth in anger, and beat her wings faster. “They’ll beg me to come back! They’ll thank me for everything I’ve done!”

Rainbow continued flying until she caught sight of something on the eastern horizon, something that didn’t look like part of the natural terrain. She took off towards the tiny, glowing point off in the distance. Hope’s Point’s name seemed appropriate now; just catching sight of the safe haven, even from this far away, filled her with hope and relief. Even at this speed, she’d arrive within the hour.

As she got closer, the city proper came into view; Rainbow was floored at the sight. A city, built onto a cliff miles high. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of buildings sat atop an expanse of perfectly flat ground, sprinkled with tiny lights. Large metal structures covered the cliff beneath the city, and they were embedded in such a way that they appeared to be built deep into the rock. A large dome of beautiful golden magic covered the entire city, cliff and all. A thin landing strip stretched from a small building just on the edge of the magical shield to an elevator leading down to the beach; only half the building was inside the shield.

Rainbow touched down on the landing strip. As soon as her hooves were on the ground, she could feel strange vibrations coming from beneath her. It reminded her of a similar feeling from around the checkpoint at Goldridge, and she remembered it being mentioned that the vibrations kept Gargantuans away. The vibrations here were stronger than at the checkpoint, which made sense, since Hope’s Point was keeping away bigger Gargantuans.

She approached the doorway of the building outside the shield, wondering how exactly she was supposed to get in. The door had no knobs or handles; was she just supposed to knock? With no other option, that was exactly what she did, four times in quick succession. Almost as soon as she did so, a small, rectangular panel opened up on a patch of the door just above her head. A screen appeared in the panel and flickered to life with a soft beeping sound.

The image of another pony appeared on the screen. His coat was a dull, brownish-orange, just a few shades paler than Applejack’s, and he wore a patched-together red and green vest. His pale green mane spread outwards in an awkward bowl cut, parted through the middle by his horn. Rainbow couldn’t shake the feeling he looked strangely familiar.

“Whoa, neat,” Rainbow said. “This is just like those teevees back in the city. Hmm... how do you change the channel?” She tapped a hoof on the screen in an attempt to elicit a reaction.

“Who goes there?” the lanky stallion asked.

Rainbow jumped. “Whoa!” After taking a second to compose herself, she cracked a small grin. “Heh, cool.”

“Answer the question, eh?” the stallion asked again.

Rainbow, confused, pointed at herself. “Are... are you talking to me?”

“Yes, you. Who did you think I was talking to?” He might have been intimidating if his voice didn’t make him sound a little dim-witted. Rainbow couldn’t shake the feeling that he even sounded familiar.

Rainbow realized she’d been standing quiet too long, and coughed. “Name’s Rainbow Dash.”

The stallion nodded. “Head on through to the second gate, just needed to check that you were an actual pony coming up. Those stupid robots are getting more advanced all the the time, eh?”

He pushed a button on the panel in front of him, and the screen shut off and retreated into the door. Rainbow stepped back in awe as the gateway opened up, shielding her ears from the grating screech of metal sliding against rock. She rushed in as soon as the opening was wide enough to accommodate her, and the door slid closed behind her with a snap.

Rainbow looked around the chamber she’d entered. The only other ponies here slept on chairs lined up against the walls. They all looked to be in bad shape, easily as bad or worse than she and her friends were. One, a pegasus stallion, nursed a leg covered in blood-stained bandages. A unicorn mare had dozens of scars strewn about her face and body, and was missing most of her mane and tail. Two earth ponies, one stallion and one mare, huddled together in the corner; the stallion covered in burns, but the mare, who was clearly in her first months of pregnancy, appeared healthy.

These ponies must’ve gone through all sorts of messed up junk to get here, so why are they just sitting out in the hall like this?

She walked across the chamber to the other side, through a small arch and into a small room that felt purposefully placed out of earshot of anypony in the hall. Another door here led further into the structure, and likely into the city itself; Rainbow could just see the faint glow of magic under the doorframe. A screen sat to the side of the door, though right now there was no image upon it. Beneath it was a large red button labeled Push to Talk. She pushed it. The screen flickered to life, and the unicorn from earlier appeared, this time holding a small metal pad with his magic.

“Okay, could you repeat your name for me again?” he asked.

Rainbow tilted her head. She hadn’t expected anything to stop her from getting into the city. “Rainbow Dash.”

The stallion scanned the metal pad for a good moment, flicking his hoof along it every few seconds. He shook his head. “Nope, not seeing it anywhere. Are you on the waiting list?”

“Uh... waiting list?”

The stallion raised an eyebrow. “When you left the city, you visited the airship port, didn’t you? We have a contact there that should have taken your citizenship fee and put your name on this here waiting list. It speeds up the entry process, eh?”

Rainbow’s frown was colossal. “No... I guess we didn’t do that.” She snorted and stomped a hoof on the floor. “Which one of them knew about that and didn’t say anything? I bet it was Lockwood. Figures,” she muttered to herself.

“Well, since you’re not on the waiting list, we’ll just go through the secondary steps, eh? Do you have a Voucher?”

“A... what?”

“A Voucher,” the stallion repeated. “Somepony on this side to vouch for you.”

Rainbow sighed. “No...” She wondered if Lockwood did, and that was why they didn’t bother with the waiting list. Not that she cared to ask him.

The stallion shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, then I can’t let you in just yet, eh? You’ll have to wait in line with the others while we do a complete background check. Take a seat in the lobby there for a little while, and we’ll get back to you, eh? You might want to go ahead and get some sleep. I’m sure you’ve had a rough journey.”

“What the hay do you need a background check for?” Rainbow spat, swooping up and grabbing the sides of the monitor. “Ponies come here practically dying, and you make them wait to get in?”

“Because you might be somepony we don’t want to let in,” the stallion said, not at all intimidated by Rainbow’s aggression. “Arguing about it isn’t going to make this go any faster, eh? Just get in the line, and be patient. It’s really your own fault that you didn’t register ahead of time, so don’t take it out on me. Or my monitoring station, thank you.”

“Ugh... fine,” Rainbow groaned, defeated. “How long will this take?”

“Well the first pony in line back there,” the stallion said, pointing off into the room behind Rainbow, “still has another two days left.”

“Two days?!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Why does it take so long to do a background check?!”

“I’d rather not say. Precautions are precautions for a reason, eh?”

Rainbow put a hoof to her face. “Look,” she said, “I need to get help for the rest of my friends. We’ve got injured, and we’re starving.”

The stallion raised an eyebrow. “You’re here with others? I don’t see anypony else with you.”

“I came here to get help,” Rainbow said. “They’re taking a longer route around because some of them are injured, so I flew ahead to see if I could get something for them.”

The stallion hummed and tapped his chin. “I’ll have to ask my supervisor. We don’t usually do this kind of thing, eh? Hang on a moment.” He turned in his chair and shouted off to the side, “Hey Cutlass! I’ve got a question for you!”

A few seconds later, Rainbow heard some grumbling from off-screen, then another unicorn stallion showed up. He was short and stout compared to the other stallion. His coat was grayish-green, and his orange mane was kept in a rather rugged style. His outfit was the same as the other stallion’s, so Rainbow figured it was a uniform. She was bothered by the fact that they both looked so familiar, especially in such close proximity.

“What seems to be the problem?” the short unicorn asked.

Rainbow stifled a laugh; the unicorn’s voice was much too nasally to be coming from a pony with that stature.

The lanky unicorn smiled. “Hey Cutlass, we’ve got a mare here, eh, and she’s telling me she’s got friends on their way here too. She came ahead to try and get help.”

“What kind of help?” Cutlass asked, giving Rainbow a once-over.

“Well, could we get them a ride?” Rainbow asked. “Some of them are injured, so carrying them wouldn’t be safe. You’ve got like, airships or whatever, right?”

Cutlass shook his head. “Not something we do. All our airships have to get clearance from the queen to take off, and there’s no way she’d clear a ship just to pick up some travelers. Not without some serious convincing, anyway.”

Rainbow groaned. “Look, guys, I’m in a bind here, and I really need to get help for my friends, so what do I have to do? Do I have to pay bits or—"

“Bits?!” Cutlass brightened and pushed his partner aside to get closer to the screen. “Well now, why didn’t you say so?”

“But she didn’t pay the entry fees back in Pandemonium,” the other stallion said. “Her Majesty would be mad at us if we broke protocol like that, eh?”

Cutlass narrowed his eyes in clear disappointment, and shifted his gaze back to his partner. “Barnacle, please, allow me to handle the business transactions. I’m your supervisor, remember? We can do a rush job if we need to.” He turned back to Rainbow. “Okay, so normal entrance fee is fifty bits per pony, but seeing as you’re making me jump through a few hoops... three hundred.”

“What?!” Rainbow blurted.

She knew she didn’t have any bits in the first place—it hadn’t even been a real suggestion—but that price sounded outrageous even if she did. She barely made that much in a single paycheck back home.

Cutlass frowned. “Too steep?”

Barnacle rolled his eyes. “Told you you can’t start that high. Try something lower.”

“Lower, huh?” Cutlass tapped his chin. “One hundred and fifty.”

Rainbow stared at the screen in disbelief. “Dude, c’mon, you can’t be serious right now. Are you nuts?”

Cutlass frowned, then shrugged. “Well, every bit counts, I guess. Fine, fine, one hundred and twenty-five. That’s as low as I’ll go!”

“We’ll go,” Barnacle corrected.

Rainbow sighed. “Sorry guys... I don’t have that much.”

Both stallions scowled. “Fine, how much do you have on you?” Cutlass asked.

“Uh... zero,” Rainbow admitted, scuffing a hoof along the floor in embarrassment.

Cutlass sneered and smacked his hoof on the screen in frustration. “Then why are you wasting our time?!”

“Look guys, I’ve got a bunch of friends out here that need help, and you’re my only chance,” Rainbow pleaded. “Please? One of them is dying, another is extremely sick, and we’re all exhausted and starving—"

“Save the sob story!” Cutlass snapped.

“What the hay is wrong with you?!” Rainbow snapped back. “For a place called ‘Hope’s Point’ they sure let some real jerks run the gate in!”

Barnacle grunted. “Look, we’re not trying to give you a hard time here, eh? If we just start letting ponies in without background checks, we may as well not even have a check-in station. We have to be sure we can trust you.”

“Yeah, for all we know, you work for the NPAF and are trying to get into the city so you can blow us all up,” Cutlass added. “Her Majesty would have my horn if I let something like that happen! If you don’t have the bits to pay for a rush job, then you’ll have to get in line like everypony else.”

Barnacle reached for a button to the side of his console.

“H-hey!” Rainbow interrupted.

“What now?” Cutlass groaned.

“Can I...” Rainbow gulped. “Can I at least get some food? Please? It’s been like a week since I ate anything.”

Cutlass sniffed, then nodded. “That we can do.”

Barnacle pushed a button in front of him. A metal box popped up beneath the monitor. It gave a quiet whir, then dropped a small plastic tube on the floor at Rainbow’s hooves. The tube was colored the nastiest shade of brown she’d ever seen.

“The hay is that?” Rainbow asked, picking the tube up in a hoof.

“Dolor Brown,” Barnacle said. “It’s all we’re allowed to give out for free, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Now, if we’re all done here, you can go on and get in line like the rest of these ponies,” Cutlass added, reaching for a button beside Barnacle’s hoof.

The monitor abruptly shut off.

Well, so much for that.

Rainbow sighed, and eyed the little tube in her hoof. More of Dolor product didn’t exactly excite her, but it was all she’d be able to get until she got into the city proper. She bit into the top of the tube and tore it off, then sniffed the brown goop inside. It didn’t smell poisonous, but it didn’t smell edible either, rather like soggy mushrooms and moldy bread. But, it was food, and that was what mattered. She lifted the tube to her mouth and slurped the unsavory jelly down in one go, then licked the leftover juices off her lips. It tasted absolutely terrible, exactly like Lockwood had described it: dirt smothered in dirt gravy. But, it was food, nutrition, sustenance. Not a lot, but enough to remind her what it was like to have something in her stomach again.

Her belly no longer empty, but her spirit dampened, Rainbow gave another long, hard look at the door that stood as the only thing between her and helping her friends. She grit her teeth and spat on the hard metal floor. “This wouldn’t be happening if one of them had volunteered to come with me.”

***

Time Turner ran a hoof through his mane to clear it of sweat, then wiped it on a nearby kerchief. He let out a drawn out sigh before grabbing another sheet of paper from the nearby pile on his desk and placing it next to a large book in front of him.

“Let’s see...” he murmured to himself, chewing on his pen and flipping through pages. “Maybe if... no, no, that’s not it.” His face fell, then brightened again. “Unless I... no, that’s too complicated, relies too much on too many coinciding parts.” He sighed. “Blast it all, another bloody idea down the drain. I’m running out of options here.”

He crumbled his paper and callously tossed it aside into the steadily growing pile that had long since buried a waste bin in the corner of his tiny study. The sun crept in through the window, shining light on the rest of the room which was littered in books upon books, most of them fairly new. A scant few of the texts were open, but the majority were closed and stacked in a pile in the opposite corner from the mountain of bad ideas. Beside his desk rested another, much smaller pile of books, though these were older.

He closed his current book and swept it aside towards the tower of its fellows, then grabbed the next one in the pile beside him. It was a dull brown book, ratty and torn, and the text on the cover was barely legible and written in an archaic style. He first blew the dust from it, coughing as the cloud flooded his nostrils, then wiped it with his kerchief to clean off as much as he could.

When he was satisfied that the text was visible enough, he read aloud, “The Elements of Harmony: A Theoretical Treatise, by Starswirl XVIII.” He smiled and patted the book’s cover. “Ah, always good to find a book by the Starswirl line. Starswirl XVIII, hmm? That would be... eight-hundred years ago or so, I believe. Good mare, sensible. Goodness, it’s amazing that this tome is still in decent condition.” He opened the book to the very first page. “Let’s see, table of contents... ah. Section One: What Makes Harmony? Good place to start, old boy.”

He turned to the appropriate page and read, pouring through pages with great speed. He did not skim in the slightest, but drank in every word as though it was sweet, sweet nourishment. This reminded him to take a drink of water from a nearby glass that was now nearly empty. He scribbled his pen across the sheet of paper before him, taking notes on his reading, and humming contentedly whenever he found something particularly interesting.

He continued to read until the sun had completely risen in the air, early morning long gone and mid morning now on the rise. His first sheet of paper was nearly full, and he’d flipped it over to continue writing. Then, he saw something on the next page that made him excited enough to drop his pen. He stared at the page for a long moment, his smile barely contained. Then, he quickly scribbled down another set of notes.

“Yes, finally, this is it!” he cheered. “I knew I’d find a solution eventually. Now then, I must—"

A knock at the door drew him from his focus.

“Oh bugger. Who could it be at this time of day, and on this day in particular?” he muttered as he got himself out of his chair. “Don’t they know I’m closed on Sundays?”

He slowly made his way downstairs to the sound of increasingly frantic knocking.

“Oy! Keep your socks on, I’m coming!” he shouted as he reached the door. He opened it and shoved his head out into the open air. “What do you... want? Oh no...”

A familiar gray pegasus with bright gold eyes stared back at him, a package tucked under her wing. She waved. “Hey Mister Turner! Good morning!”

Time Turner took a moment to register everything. This was the first time he’d gotten a good look at her, so it was his first time noticing she was wall-eyed. He shook his head, remembering he was supposed to be being cross with her.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” he said. “It’s not ‘Mister’ Turner. It’s never ‘Mister’ Turner. I did not spend all those years studying Chronomancy and earning a degree to be called ‘Mister’ Turner. It’s ‘Doctor’ Turner, alright? Doctor Turner! And at that, I’d prefer just ‘Doctor’; only close friends call me by my proper name.”

The pegasus grinned and nodded. “Well, okay then, Doc. Sorry about the mix-up.”

Time Turner sighed. “Now then, what, of any ideas that you might have, is the biggest one that has you trying to break down my door, hmm? Come on, out with it.”

The gray pegasus blinked her eyes, one at a time, before looking at the package, then back to him. “Oh, right, I have a package for you. It doesn’t say ‘Doctor’ on the package though. Are you sure you’re a doctor?”

“Oh for—" Time Turner stopped himself and took a deep breath. “Look here, my good mare, you’ve been sodding about here for—and of this I am certain—every sodding day this week trying to give me this rubbish. It is Sunday, and I happen to know for a fact that the Ponyville Post Office does not make Sunday deliveries.”

“I go above and beyond the call of duty, sir!” the pegasus said, proudly saluting. “No package goes undelivered as long as I’m around.”

Time Turner sighed. “I am getting tired of the bother, to be frank with you. I don’t want to confirm again that this month, nor any other month for that matter, is not one that I wish to be celebrating the common breakfast muffin!”

The postmare gave him the package. “Yup! It’s your latest package from the Muffin of the Month Club! Good guess!” she said, her tone cheerier than ever. “I’ve been trying to give it to you all week, but you have to sign for it, see?” she added, tapping a hoof on a clipboard she’d just pulled from her saddlebag.

“I am not. A member. Of the bloody Muffin of the Month Club!”

The pegasus looked at the package, then back to him. “But it’s got your address on it.”

“I don’t care! It’s not mine! Why do you—" Time Turner took a deep breath.  
“Blast it all, here, let me see that,” he said, reaching out to take the package. “I can’t take this anymore.”

He took the package and looked at it, then let out a groan and passed it back. “I told you it wasn’t mine, and now I have proof. That isn’t my address at all.”

“Huh?” she muttered, taking the package back from him. She glanced at it and shook her head. “Yeah it is. Sixty-one sixteen Horseshoe Drive, right?” She tilted her head to the side to look at his mailbox, which did, in fact, read 6116 Horseshoe Drive.

“That is my address, yes, but if you look at the packaging label, my good mare, you’ll see that’s not what it says,” Time Turner said, tapping the label. “It reads, ‘9119 Horseshoe Drive’. Sort of an ambigram, at least as far as the numbers are concerned.”

The mare glanced at the package. “Hmm...” She shook her head just slightly, causing her eyes to shift directions. “Ohh, I see it now! Heh, oh wow, that’s not good at all. This is my first mistake in years.”

“I somehow doubt that,” Time Turner muttered.

“Well if it’s not yours, the who does this package belong to?” The mailmare scratched her head. “It’s just not fair,” she continued, her tone becoming sad. “I just joined the Muffin of the Month Club myself, but still haven’t gotten my package. And now, there’s this one here without anypony to claim it.” She hugged the package tight. “This poor muffin... it’s probably all stale and stuff now...”

“Look, you’ve wasted enough of my time, and as much fun as I have had repeating myself around you, I really must get back to work. I have some important information I need to deliver—" He paused for a second, then brightened immensely as an idea struck. In an instant, all prior aggravation this mailmare had caused was forgiven. “Say, you’re a mailpony, aren’t you? You wouldn’t be able to deliver a message for me, would you?”

“That’s my job!” the pegasus said, saluting proudly again.

“I need transport to Canterlot, and it’s imperative I get there as soon as possible, preferably before sundown. Unfortunately, I still have a great deal of preparation to do, so I won’t have time to get word to the train station so that I can book a seat. Could you get word to All Aboard and ask him to hold my usual seat?”

“Sure I could!” the pegasus exclaimed. “But, uh, if you’re looking to get to Canterlot by sundown, I think you might be in a bit of trouble.”

“All the better for you to hurry along then,” he interjected. “If I can catch the next train, I should be just fine. There should be plenty of seats this time of day.”

“Uh, I don’t think getting a seat is going to be your problem” the pegasus said. “I delivered a package this morning with all sorts of tools and stuff, because they’ve been having all kinds of problems with the trains!”

Time Turner raised an eyebrow, not at all liking where this was going. “What... sort of problems?”

“Well, they said the biggest problems were train cars switching positions in line, and the track making loop-the-loops and barrel rolls, like a rollercoaster! Weird, huh?”

Time Turner sighed. “I regrettably understand,” he said. “It’s part of the urgency of my work. This has me in a bit of a spot, doesn’t it? Oh dear...”

“I... uh... I could always, y’know, give you a... ride,” she suggested, scuffing her feet through the dirt in front of his door.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, confused about the pink in her cheeks.

“W-well I mean, I’m done with deliveries for today,” she said nervously. “There hasn’t been a lot of mail lately, see, and I have some free time, so... I could take you. I’d get you there by early afternoon if I try my hardest! I promise!”

Time Turner considered this a moment. “This certainly does seem a perfectly practical solution, doesn’t it?” He hummed, then nodded. “Very well, I accept your offer Miss... oh, I don’t believe I got your name. Terribly sorry, that’s awfully rude of me. You are?”

“Oh! R-right,” she chuckled, her face red. “M-my name is Derpy Hooves.”

Her odd behavior still perplexed him, but he shook off the confusion; there was work to be done, after all. “At any rate,” he said, “it is time to bust a move on, as the teenagers are saying these days. I don’t remember if they do or not. I must get a few things prepared before I leave, but I may be some time. You needn’t stick around here.”

“Oh, well, okay!” Derpy said with a smile. “I’ll just head home and grab a quick bite to eat. Should I bring you a muffin too?”

“That sounds... lovely,” he replied, noting the hunger in his stomach after hours upon hours of sleepless work. “You don’t live far, do you?”

“Nope!” She pointed down the street to the south. “I live just down the way, ninety-one nineteen Horseshoe Drive!”

“Ninety-one nineteen?” Time Turner paused and raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the troublemaking package, then back to her. “Hold on a tick,” he said, tapping the package. “My dear, this package is yours.”

She looked at the package and tilted her head, then let out a tiny giggle. “Well now, isn’t that weird? Somepony at the post office made a boo-boo. I’m not supposed to be delivering my own mail! They must’ve accidentally put it in the mail bin instead of giving it to me. That’s why I didn’t think it was... mine.” She paused. “Oh... oh nooo!” she wailed. “My muffin!”

***

Rainbow looked out a nearby window towards the sea, and sighed. She was so close to getting into the city, yet it felt so far. All she had to do was wait. Would she get in before her friends arrived? It would certainly make her look bad if she didn’t, and she knew that unless she got in soon, her help wouldn’t be much help at all. After everything that had been said, she couldn’t afford to look bad. She said she would help, and by Celestia, she was going to help her way. And her way was fast.

As she looked out upon the endless expanse of ocean, an idea struck her. She remembered a little of Tick Tock’s map, and from what she could recall, the ocean wasn’t really all that wide. At the average speed of an average pegasus, it would take three days to fly across, likely why they needed ships in the first place. But Rainbow was no average pegasus, and to her, there was no such thing as average speed. At supersonic speed, she’d be across in maybe half a day if the wind was at her back which, of course, it would be. If she couldn’t get speedy help from the ponies here, then perhaps ponies in a port across the sea would be able to provide it? The only problem was, where was the closest port?

Rainbow walked across the waiting room and into the secluded room with the monitor station. She pushed the big red button, and the monitor came to life once more.

Barnacle appeared on the screen. “Yes?” he asked, pleasant at first. Then, his expression fell. “Oh. It’s you again. What is it now? Just be patient, eh? We’re moving as fast as we can. This is a first-come, first-served establishment. You’ve got to wait your turn just like everypony else, unless you’re able to pay.”

“I’m not here to bother you about that,” Rainbow replied calmly. “I just need to ask a simple question, then I’m out of your mane, okay?”

“A question? Sure... I guess. Okay, go ahead. But make it quick, eh? We’re wasting time talking when I could be getting these background checks done.”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “When airships leave here, where do they dock when they reach the other side of the ocean?”

“Why is that important?” Barnacle asked, eyebrow raised. “You’ll get there all the same, eh?”

“I’m just curious is all,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “If you don’t know, that’s fine. I’ll figure it out myself somehow.”

Barnacle tapped his chin. “Well, all of our ships dock at Newhaven.”

“Okay, good. So where is Newhaven exactly?”

“Huh?”

“If you were to go directly there from here, which way would you go?”

Barnacle scratched his head. “Uh... I’m not really sure, eh? I don’t usually leave the city. Hang on.” He turned and shouted off to the side, “Hey Cutlass! Which way would you go to get to Newhaven?!”

“Southwest!” Cutlass shouted from offscreen.

“Anything more detailed than that? Like a bearing I should take?” Rainbow asked.

“Anything more detailed than that, like a bearing?!” Barnacle shouted

Cutlass trotted into the frame. “Um... I’m not really sure. I think fifteen degrees south-by-southwest give or take, assuming you left from the hangar bay.” He shook his head in confusion. “Why are you asking me these weird—"

Barnacle pointed towards Rainbow on the other end of the screen.

Cutlass grunted. “Oh. What do you want? We’re busy here, and you’re eating into our time.”

“Well since I can’t get help here, I figure I’ll try and get help there,” Rainbow said. “It’s a shame too, since my friends are loaded.”

“Nice try, kiddo, but I’m not stupid,” Cutlass said.

“Yeah, if your friends had money, they’d have already been on the waiting list,” Barnacle added.

“So you want to know where Newhaven is, huh? Why? Planned on flying there yourself did you?”

“Well, duh,” Rainbow snorted.

“Wait... really?” Barnacle said, awed. He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re crazy, lady. You can’t—"

“No no, don’t try to stop her,” Cutlass interrupted, holding up a hoof. “She thinks she can get across the sea all by herself? Let her try. She’ll hit the equator and come crawling back in no time.”

“Pfh, that’s what you think, bucko,” Rainbow said.

“We can’t just let her go across like this, Cutlass,” Barnacle said. “The Tranquility Belt isn’t exactly safe, eh?”

“Oh no, it’s downright dangerous. But, if she’s that impatient, then maybe she should’ve brought some bits with her.” Cutlass smirked, and leered at Rainbow. “Of course, maybe she’ll consider an... alternate form of payment to get through? Money isn’t everything, you know?”

Rainbow’s eyebrow twitched. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve always wanted to try a pegasus,” Cutlass said, rubbing his hooves together and licking his lips, “but the pilots around here usually stick with their own. I’m not part of that little clique. Now, if you’d be willing to... entertain my interests, I might consider rushing your background check up a bit.”

Rainbow sneered, then stormed away from the monitor, ignoring catcalls from Cutlass until she couldn’t hear him anymore. The gateway open at her approach. She exited the building in a rage, lightning crackling through her feathers and sparking up under her hooves with every step.

“Why are so many stallions such perverted jerks?!” she shouted into the open air. “Only thing on that little twerp’s tiny brain is getting some action! I can’t believe I even let it come to that! All because he thinks I’m just a quitter! That I can’t make it across this stupid ocean!”

She took a deep breath, then flared her wings. Lightning burst from her wingtips and tore into the surrounding earth and concrete. “I’ll show them! I’m not gonna let whatever this ‘Tranquility Belt’ is stop me! I’m Rainbow Dash, best flier in all of Equestria!”

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and approached the end of the landing strip, taking a quick glance down the edge of the cliff.

“Let’s see, fifteen degrees south-by-southwest...”

She looked skyward and frowned, knowing there was no way she could possibly use the skyline to navigate by. She’d play it by ear, then, and fly as close to straight south as she could. With the distance she was traveling, just a slight variation in flight path would be enough to get her in the proper direction. She’d reach Newhaven and have help sent along by tomorrow morning. Her friends would still be in that stupid canyon, and when the cavalry arrived and took them all to safety and comfort, they’d see how much they should’ve listened to her.

Rainbow kicked off the edge of the cliff and barreled towards the sandy beach below. She pulled up just inches away and swept along the surface of the ocean, purple sea water thrashing about in her wake. She took a deep breath and kicked her hooves together, sending an explosion of lightning through her energy trail. With just a little push, she went supersonic, parting the sea with her Sonic Rainboom and blasting off southward.

***

Time Turner hated flying. He didn’t know why he had recollections of being a pegasus at some point in one of his past iterations, but if that had truly happened, he certainly never wanted to relive that experience. He fought the urge to kiss the cold cobblestone street as he and his “transportation” touched down in Canterlot, no more than a block from the road leading to the palace of Princesses Celestia and Luna.

“Here we are!” Derpy declared with an air of pride. “See? We made it in plenty of time! All that blubbering you were doing back there was completely unnecessary. Nopony gets a delivery done faster than Derpy Hooves, I’d bet my life on it!”

“You certainly are most efficient, my dear,” Time Turner breathed. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie in an attempt to maintain some appearance of professionalism and dignity. “Next time though, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t loop and twirl so much? You might just increase the odds of winning that little life bet.”

She gasped. “N-next time? Is this a date you’re setting up, Doc?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him, one at a time. “I’m free on Wednesdays.”

“I... what?” he sputtered. “No, I was just—"

Her face went so quickly from ecstatic to heartbroken that, for the first time in what had been many, many years, he actually felt as though he’d done something terribly, terribly wrong.

“Wednesdays, you say?” he said, his tone as apologetic as he could manage. “How does... next Wednesday sound? I take my tea at noon; perhaps you’d like to join me?”

Derpy’s smile reappeared. Dodged a bullet there, old chap.

“That sounds nice,” she said, her face flushed. “Next Wednesday at noon... it’s a date, Doc!”

“A date... yes, right.” He cleared his throat again. “Well, that aside, thank you for the ride, Miss Hooves. I am most grateful for it.”

“No trouble at all!” she boasted as she took back to the air. “I’ve got to get back to Ponyville though, so I can’t give you a ride back. Are you gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine, thanks,” he replied. “Oh, and I do apologize for my behavior these last few times we’ve met. I’ve been under a great deal of pressure and stress, you understand, and it’s made be all sorts of ornery.”

“It’s okay, Doc!” she said. “You’re cute, so you’re forgiven. Bye!”

She waved farewell and flew off, nearly crashing into a signpost and forcing several other flying pegasi to dodge out of her flightpath.

“I’m... cute?” He shook his head, absolutely perplexed as to what he’d just gotten himself into. “Oy... what silly young filly she is. Ah... nevermind, I have business to attend to! Allons-y!”

Time Turner cantered up the road towards the royal palace, glad that his new acquaintance had managed to bring him so close. He was at the palace gates within moments, and was surprised to find them wide open. He entered the palace grounds as he’d done many times in the past; while normally he would use this time to enjoy the sights, he did not have the time to do so today. The gleaming spires of gold, white, and purple, gorgeous gardens, and decorative fountains and sculptures, would just serve as a distraction from his mission.

Once he got further into the palace grounds, Time Turner saw a bothersome sight. The grounds were not quite as peaceful as he remembered them. Not since the Royal Wedding had they ever been so crowded and loud. Ponies from all walks of life, from hardened agricultural workers to well-to-do nobleponies, scientists to entrepreneurs, and everything in between, occupied the grounds. The crowd stretched in a queue from just near the entrance to the palace grounds, all the way up to the main entrance, and surely further beyond as well. It rather reminded him of a queue at an amusement park.

Time Turner strode alongside the crowd up to the palace entrance, the doors of which were wide open. As predicted, the queue continued inside the building through the main hall, then up the stairs towards the throne room. There must have been a thousand ponies here at least, and the vast size of the crowd called for additional Royal Guard presence. The stone-faced guards patrolled the halls in greater numbers than Time Turner had ever seen, likely making sure nopony cut into the queue or got ornery with one another.

He continued to trot alongside the queue, hoping nopony would call him out for cutting, until he reached the central hall leading to the throne room. A desk had been set up just outside the throne room doors. A blue unicorn mare sat there. Her orange mane was styled in a short bun, and she wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and a little green tie. She pored over paperwork, scribbling notes with her incredibly large, gaudy peacock feather quill. Ponies in another queue, one that seemed to be just for the desk, spoke with her; she jotted things down and sent them away without ever looking up from her desk. Time Turner entered this queue, as was proper courtesy, and watched with dismay as the ponies ahead of him walked away one after another, muttering to themselves and shaking their heads, disgruntled looks upon their faces.

Finally, it was his turn, so he stepped forth and made to speak.

She spoke first. “Name?”

He gave her his most professional smile and a quick bow. “Doctor Time Turner.”

The mare scanned the ledger next to her hoof, then shook her head. “Do you have an appointment, Doctor Turner?”

“Just ‘Doctor’ will do,” Time Turner said.

“Just ‘Doctor’?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “What, like you’re the only one?”

Time Turner had heard the line so many times that his response was practically memorized. “It’s the name I prefer to be addressed by, and as a mare of some profession I expect you to address me as such.”

The mare snorted. “Do you have an appointment or not, Doctor?”

“Well, no I suppose I don’t,” he admitted, taking a good look at the queue again. “I was unaware there was going to be all this much of a crowd so early in the day, to be honest. Her Highness doesn’t usually begin court duties until mid-afternoon, if I recall. It’s imperative that I see her,” he added.

The mare gave an aggravated sigh. “If you do not have an appointment, then please return to the back of the line.”

Time Turner was not about to be deterred, especially not by a clerk. However, he knew that even he was subject to rules and regulations; it would do no good to cause a scene and be ejected from the palace. Best to play it calm and curious-like, he thought. His curiosity would, of course, not be entirely genuine, but he would fake it well enough. Perhaps she’d drop some sort of clue as to how to bypass the crowd.

“What is all this?” he asked, gesturing to the queue. “I’ve no problem with a queue—frankly I’m used to them—but this is a little much. What’s going on?”

“A lot has been happening lately, all over the kingdom in fact,” the mare said, removing her glasses. “These ponies are from all over Equestria, asking for aid in dealing with all sorts of bizarre things that defy the basic understandings of logic and sense—" She leaned in, checking to make sure nopony could hear her but Time Turner. “If you catch my meaning? Strange happenings.”

Time Turner pursed his lips. “What sorts of things?”

The mare glanced at her stack of paperwork and rifled through a few pages. “A few specific instances were brought up while making appointments. As a matter of privacy, I can’t reveal any of them, except this one,” she said, grabbing one paper in particular. “It’s a government agency, so its record is made public. A representative from Cloudsdale’s Weather Factory was here last night, and he claimed that some of their clouds had started turning pink, and that they taste and smell sugary sweet. He went so far as to say the clouds were turning into cotton candy.”

“Cotton candy? Oh dear...” Time Turner shook his head and sighed. “If the magic has spread to Cloudsdale this soon... blast it all, this is happening quicker than I calculated.”

“Happening?” the mare asked. “What’s happening?”

Time Turner placed his hooves on the desk. “My dear mare,” he said, his tone stern but calm, “it is imperative that I speak with Princess Celestia immediately. It is a matter of grave importance.”

The mare chortled. “Oh, like I haven’t heard that one before. Look, you’re wasting your time here talking with me. Are you going to get to the back of the line or not?”

He shook his head. “If this were any other occasion, I would,” he insisted, “but this is a critical matter that requires Princess Celestia’s attention immediately. She knows me personally, so I’m sure—"

“If you’re not on my appointment ledger, than I’m afraid you’re just going to have to get in line then anyway,” the mare huffed. “Besides, Princess Celestia isn’t seeing anypony at the moment, as she is indisposed. You’re in line to see Princess Cadence.”

Time Turner balked. “Princess Cadence? She’s not in the Crystal Empire?”

“As these recent happenings have not yet affected the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor offered their assistance to Equestria as a whole.”

“Well that’s all well and good, but I am afraid my business must be brought to Princess Celestia immediately. Where is she, if she’s not attending to these matters?”

The mare snorted. “That’s really none of your business, but if you must know, Princess Celestia is dreadfully busy at the moment. She has left her daily bureaucratic duties to Princess Cadence and the royal court, who are all working day and night to get this line moving as quickly as possible. Speaking of the line,” she added with a sneer, “since you don’t have an appointment, get to the back of it.”

Time Turner hummed in thought. He knew Princess Celestia had to be aware of the recent happenings and their cause, and was likely doing everything in her power to put a stop to it. Princess Luna was likely assisting her, else she’d be the one dealing with the citizens’ troubles, not Princess Cadence. That was a good start; now, the matter was finding Princess Celestia and informing her of his new idea.

He returned his attention to the clerk. “Hold on, my good mare,” he said, keeping his tone cordial. “I’m not here to complain about my pears or what-have-you turning into butter, or anything ridiculous like that. I hate pears anyway; I’d think of it as an improvement,” he added with a chuckle. “I’m here to speak with Princess Celestia, and only Princess Celestia, regarding a matter that is precisely the same as that which is keeping her from handling her subjects’ troubles directly.”

The clerk scoffed. “Oh? And what exactly would that be?”

He leaned in and whispered, “I have information regarding Discord.”

The mare drew back in surprise, then cleared her throat and leaned back in. “Well why didn’t you say so?” she asked in a conspiratorial whisper. “Wait here. I’ll get somepony that can take you to the Princess immediately.”

“Thank you,” he said with a smile.

The clerk left the desk at a pace that could best be described as purposefully casual; she moved quickly because it was obviously important, but not such that she would attract attention from the crowd and cause a ruckus.

Time Turner was left alone with nothing but his thoughts and the opportunity to watch the queue procedure in action. The trio of guards stationed at the doors to the throne room opened them to let a pony out. The pony was a mint green unicorn mare with a two-color white and sea green mane. Time Turner recognized her from Ponyville—Lyra Heartstrings, if he was not mistaken—and gave her a little wave as she passed by. She seemed to be in too much of a hurry to notice.

The guards let the next pony in the queue—a gold earth pony stallion—through the doors, but before they closed the door behind him, Time Turner caught a glimpse of Princess Cadence. She was seated upon the throne with a collection of ponies surrounding her, obviously the royal court advisors. He wanted to wave at the young princess, but knew it was a useless gesture from this far away. Still, it was good to see her again, if only for a few seconds and from a great distance. She’d grown up so fast; he remembered a time when she was nothing more than an energetic teenager that foalsat for the mare that would grow up to be the Element of Magic, and just so happened to be one of Equestria’s few alicorns.

As the doors closed, he turned his attention back to the crowd. He was disturbed by not only the extent of which Discord’s magic had spread, but how it had managed to do so in the first place. Discord was still sealed, and yet his trademark chaotic magic was springing up everywhere and creating havoc. Some of the ponies in the queue had examples with them of the effects of Discord’s magic that had affected their lives in bizarre ways: meowing dogs and rabbits with iron tails; apples shaped like pineapples and blue oranges. Ominous signs indeed.

Time Turner’s curiosity was piqued when the crowd began to whisper excitedly and point off just behind him. He turned, and stifled a gasp of surprise; he certainly hadn’t expected the clerk to return with none other than Prince Shining Armor himself. The Prince was clad in a gleaming suit of golden armor trimmed with rubies and decorated with medals. Time Turner bowed, as was appropriate.

“There’s no need for any of that, Doctor,” Shining Armor said. “I’m not really fond of all this ‘royal treatment’.”

Time Turner rose from the bow. “Of course, Prince—"

“And no need for any of that either,” Shining Armor interrupted. “We’ve known each long enough that I think you can call me by name.”

“Of course, Shining Armor,” Time Turner said, smiling.

The two stallions stepped forward and shook hooves.

Time Turner chuckled and gave the Prince a quick once over. “I like the new look, old chap. Very... shining, dare I say?”

“Haven’t heard that before,” Shining Armor said with a laugh. “Cadence insists that I wear it. As Prince of the Crystal Empire, I am Equestria’s shield, so I need to look my best.” He leaned in and whispered, “Though to be honest, I think she just thinks I look better in uniform. I’m not objecting much, if you catch my drift.”

“Yes, well, royal affairs are royal affairs.” Time Turner shrugged. “How are you, lad? It’s been ages since we’ve had a good talk, you and I.”

“I’ve been better, what with all the work lately,” Shining Armor replied with a sigh. “Speaking of which, shall we move on to business then?”

Time Turner nodded in agreement.

Shining Armor gestured for Time Turner to follow him down a side corridor, away from the crowd, and Time Turner followed. Once they were a fair way down the corridor, Shining Armor briefly stopped Time Turner in his tracks and lit up his horn, checking around for anypony eavesdropping. Satisfied, he turned to Time Turner, his face now bearing a serious, dutiful expression, and continued leading him down the hall.

“Princess Celestia asked me to see to it that anypony with information regarding Discord was to be brought to her immediately. I understand you might just fulfil that criteria. Is this true?”

“As true as can be,” Time Turner replied. “Have others come offering information?”

“Yes, but regrettably, most of the information we get is from historians or theologists with nothing new or enlightening to report. We also get the occasional doomsday prophet, but the Princess just shoos them away. But you, my friend, are the reliable sort. I certainly hope you have some information that will be of use to us.”

Time Turner suppressed a chuckle, amused by the irony. “I assure you, I do,” he said. “Tell me what you know so far.”

Shining Armor walked in silence for a moment, then nodded. “The Princess says that Discord’s seal is breaking, and that it likely has something to do with the... disappearance... of the wielders the Elements of Harmony,” he said worriedly. He then sighed. “We were made aware of their disappearance several hours after Her Highness sent my sister a letter regarding some strange anomaly in the Everfree Forest.”

Time Turner clicked his tongue. “Blast it all. So that’s how it happened.”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “Beg pardon?”

“It is imperative that I speak with Her Highness immediately,” Time Turner said. “Your theory is absolutely correct; the disappearance of those who wield the Elements of Harmony is linked to Discord’s imminent release. I am here to offer a solution.”

“A solution? So you were aware of the cause?”

“Not just aware, my boy, but the first to notice it.”

“The first to notice it?” Shining Armor continued walking for a moment, taking in Time Turner’s words, before stopping and wheeling around on the other stallion. “Wait, do you... do you know where they are?”

Time Turner frowned and nodded. “I do.”

Shining Armor stomped his hoof in anger. “Why haven’t you come forward sooner?! Do you have any idea how worried we’ve all been?!”

Time Turner held up a hoof to calm the other stallion. “If I had come forward sooner, without a solution, it may have created more chaos for you. Please, Shining Armor, remain calm; I do have a solution that will be of great help. Now, if we can just—"

“Where is my sister?” Shining Armor demanded, towering over Time Turner with his broad frame. “Where is Twiley? Tell me!”

“I will tell you, Shining Armor, but it will save us time if I do so in the presence of Princess Celestia,” Time Turner said, keeping his composure. He was well aware that Shining Armor was strong enough to easily break him in half, but he’d known the colt so long that he was not afraid of that happening, no matter the circumstances.

Shining Armor sighed. “Right... right, forgive me,” he said, calming down almost instantly. “I’m just worried about her, that’s all. Her last known whereabouts were the Everfree Forest...”

Shining Armor continued onward down the corridor, leading Time Turner to a blank section of wall opposite a pedestal with a vase holding a single blue rose. He lit his horn, coating a section of the wall in his magic. Seconds later, the wall opened, revealing another corridor behind it.

Time Turner was impressed. “There’s a hidden chamber on this wall, too?” he said, tapping a hoof to his chin. “Fascinating. I never knew of this particular secret in this particular royal edifice.”

“Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?” Shining Armor chuckled. “Princess Celestia had Discord’s statue moved here after he was sealed away by my sister and her friends. The last time his seal weakened, it broke when exposed directly to even just a tiny bit of chaos. She decided to take preventive measures. Good thing too, given all that’s happening.” He shook his head. “Though, I doubt even the Princess could have anticipated all this.”

“The Princess was always one to take necessary precautions,” Time Turner said.

The opening disappeared behind them once they were a few paces in. They walked down the long, featureless hallway that stretched ahead of them. At the end of the corridor, they met another wall which Shining Armor opened in the same way as the first.

The chamber on the other side was small and round, and like the hall, was featureless, with one exception. Discord’s statue stood in the center of the room, looking every bit as solid as Time Turner remembered, minus a small abrasion around the draconequis’s heart which glowed a faint purple.

Princess Celestia was here as well, though she did not divert her attention away from what she was doing as Shining Armor and Time Turner entered the room. A burning white aura enshrouded her horn, and a matching aura covered Discord’s statue; together the auras were bright enough to light up the room like a sunny afternoon. Time Turner noticed her features were pale and weak, but she was otherwise focused on her task and seemed none the worse for wear.

Shining Armor bowed; Time Turner followed suit. “Your Highness, I’ve brought somepony with new information on Discord and the situation at hoof.”

“Hmm?” Celestia dimmed her horn, bringing the light down to a more bearable level. “Who is it?” she asked, her voice as weary as she looked.

“An old friend,” Time Turner replied.

Celestia turned and gave Time Turner a warm smile. “Doctor Turner! This is a surprise, and a most pleasant one at that. How are you?”

“At present, exhausted, though I can’t say I can hold a candle to you, Your Highness. You look proper knackered.”

“Spending all of my waking hours ensuring Discord’s seal does not falter does have that effect,” Celestia said. “But we are not here to share pleasantries and discuss who is most tired. Shining Armor says you have information for me?”

“I have something more than just information, Your Highness,” Time Turner said, adjusting his tie. “I am, however, afraid that a lot of what I have to say will not be pleasant in the least. You will likely have questions, but please, hold them till the end.” He glanced sideways at the stallion beside him. “And I assume Shining Armor will also be participating?”

“My sister is involved, so yes, I insist,” Shining Armor replied.

“Go on, Doctor,” Celestia said, seating herself upon the floor to listen.

Time Turner cleared his throat and pulled his Timekeeper from his coat. “You two, and everypony else for that matter, knows me simply as Doctor Time Turner, or just ‘Doctor’, as I make quite plain is my preferred appellation. I am afraid that that is only half true, for there is more to me than meets the eye.” He popped his stopwatch open and twisted a dial. “Tell me, what do either of you know about Chronomancy?”

***

Rainbow had been flying for several hours before she finally grew weary and had to slow down. She ceased flapping her wings, unfurling them and letting the wind carry her forward instead; it was easy enough to keep a strong tailwind going so that she still moved at a decent pace. The sea stretched on for miles ahead, but she knew she’d covered an impressive distance in the short amount of time she’d been flying, as she couldn’t see land behind her anymore. Less than an hour to go before she’d cross the equator and be halfway to Newhaven. From there, it’s be smooth flying.

Of course, even had she not been tired, she’d have slowed down. A strange sight loomed ahead. It could only be described as a massive storm cloud that covered the entire horizon, but there was more to it than that. The odd veil of dark black fog covered the entire sky in front of her, all the way up to the Beacon’s veil above her, and all the way down into the ocean itself. The fog wasn’t that thick; in fact, she could see clearly inside it. Lightning flashed about through the air in all directions, fire seethed along the ocean surface, and she could feel a fierce wind. It looked more like a wall than a cloud.

Whatever it was, it was in Rainbow’s way.

“No storm’s gonna scare me away, no matter how big it is,” she said. She straightened her goggles over her eyes and zipped up her jacket. “Let’s do this!”

She took a deep breath, then rocketed into the storm.

For the first few minutes, things were going well as far as Dash was concerned; there was nothing to worry about. She was the master of weather, so this was nothing for her. Lightning snaked towards her, but every bolt that got close was absorbed into her trail, harmless and weak. The winds that raged around her formed a tailwind at her command, bolstering her speed. Only the fires below, which lashed upwards in attempts to catch her, proved any sort of obstacle.

Rainbow let out a long, forced yawn. “Man, this is bogus. I thought this place was supposed to be dangerous and stuff. I’ll be through here in no time at this rate.”

Her boredom did not last much longer. Within seconds, things progressed from simple to challenging. Lightning came too close for comfort, and she was forced to roll to avoid the bolts that her trail did not catch. The winds grew more intense, and she could no longer control them to aid her flight. The flames lashed out more fiercely and rapidly. Rainbow’s confidence remained high despite the increase in difficulty. In fact, she relished it. This wasn’t boring anymore; it was fun.

She proceeded into the storm, and darkness overtook her. She could not see even an inch in front of her face. The only light came from the fires below and the cracks of lightning around her; even her trail’s light died out in her wake. The storm intensified. The lightning no longer seemed natural; Rainbow swore the lightning was trying to hit her now, not just snapping about at random. The winds were against her, shifting directions at random. Rainbow was terrified by the thought that the wind was working with the lightning to force her into the latter’s path, despite her attempts to avoid it. Then, there were the flames. Those were definitely going after her; she knew that fire did not slither and strike like a snake on its own.

Rainbow spun, looped, twisted, zigged, zagged, and darted every possible way she could to avoid being struck by the combined efforts of this bizarre storm. Slowly, but surely, she was moving forward. Forward, straight into the eye of the storm.

As the storm’s intensity flared up to levels she thought impossible, exactly the opposite of what she expected the eye of a storm to do, Rainbow went into a panic. Lightning followed her more closely now, pursuing her like a wolf chasing a deer. The winds almost completely stopped, then started again in random intervals with varying speeds, forcing Rainbow to rapidly adjust her movement to avoid being blown into something. Waves of fire attempted to bar her path, steering her towards bursts of lightning.

In the darkness, she didn’t know if she was even headed in the right direction anymore. She’d become disoriented by the constant wind changes, and could not tell which way was up or down. She needed something, anything, to guide her to where she needed to be. A sweeping burst of flame forced her to dive beneath it, and that’s when she saw something out of place: a glimmer of light in the distance.

Rainbow rushed towards the glimmer, just as a bolt of lightning streaked past her face. The bolt swerved around behind her and chased after her, a predator out on the hunt, with her as its prey. She kicked her hooves together, sending a streak of lightning of her own towards the pursuing bolt to absorb it.

The lightning dodged.

Rainbow’s eyes widened as that fact sank in: the bolt of lightning dodged. She panicked when the wind suddenly changed directions again, sending her flying right back at the hostile bolt. There was no time to react.

Her lightning trail operated on a subconscious level, so it absorbed a majority of the shock, but not all of it. She’d been struck by lightning before, sure; that was the danger of working as a weather pony. This was different. This lightning felt more real. The pain was unbearable, and every part of her body felt like it was shutting down at once. Her wings went numb, and she fell. She could barely breathe, and her other senses were blind, save for the ability to feel. The pain made sure of that. The last thing she felt was her body crashing into the ocean, then everything went numb.

***

“So, that is the plan, in a nutshell so to say,” Time Turner said, completing his spiel. “I know it’s not very encouraging, but it’s our best bet at stymying the release of Discord until I can get Twilight Sparkle and her friends home. It’ll only be a temporary solution, but that’s the best we can do. Unless, of course, you have a better plan in mind.” He took a deep breath. “Now then, are there any questions?”

Princess Celestia had not shifted from her seat once during Time Turner’s story, and her face had remained stoic the entire time. Even now, with his story concluded, she did not speak, move, nor show much of any reaction at all.

Shining Armor, in contrast, bore a look of terrible worry. “I don’t know whether to dismiss this whole thing as just the ramblings of a madpony, or if I should begin to scramble the Royal Guard. I just find it all very hard to believe.” He shook his head. “This Equestria isn’t the only Equestria, and my little sister has been magically transported to one of these other ones out there. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“That’s the rub, yes,” Time Turner replied.

“I don’t know which would be worse: that you’re right, and that that’s where she is; or, that you’re wrong, and we haven’t seen any sign of her in over a week.” Shining Armor clicked his tongue, and turned to Celetia. “Please, Your Majesty, tell me you can make some sense of all this.”

Celestia sighed, then nodded. “Chronomancers are a reality, but outside of myths and legends, nopony really knows much about them save for a very select few. Those that do know of them know of their duties as protectors of our world from forces beyond our understanding.” She turned to Time Turner and looked at the Chronomancer as though examining him. “I have known Doctor Turner here for a very long time indeed, but I was never aware of the full extent of his duties, nor that he had... coworkers. I assume that must be a closely-guarded secret.”

Time Turner adjusted his tie nervously. “Let me put it this way,” he said. “I am breaking protocol in about five different areas by informing you and Shining Armor of the situation. However, as we are in, to be blunt, a dire situation here, I am allowed to partake in a few rule violations here and there. My contact on the other side will have done the same for Twilight Sparkle and her friends when she made contact with them...” He sighed. “If she made contact.”

“I do wish I’d known a little more of the particulars of your line of work. Had I known that there was somepony whose job it was to seal that portal, I never would have sent my dear pupil that letter.”

Shining Armor snorted. “In a matter of speaking, Doctor, my sister and her friends are stuck in another world because you weren’t doing your job.”

Time Turner frowned. “I... suppose much of the blame could be placed at my hooves. I do not deny that my own lack of punctuality that fine morning caused more problems than I thought possible.”

Celestia put her hoof on Shining Armor’s shoulder. “Please, Shining Armor, do not be so quick to cast blame. I am the one who sent Twilight the letter. It is my fault she became involved.”

“I... I didn’t want to sound as if I were accusing anypony.” Shining Armor nodded at Time Turner. “I’m sorry, Doctor Turner. I know you’re trying your best to bring Twiley and her friends back, and to solve our... other problem,” he added, with a glance at Discord’s statue.

“I worry for my dearest pupil and her friends,” Celestia said, rising to her hooves at last, “but I have faith that they will overcome any dangers they may face. They are strong.” She turned to face Discord’s statue fully. “But you’re right, we must consider alternatives if we are to prevent a catastrophe.”

“I’m not really a catastrophe sort of guy.”

Time Turner and Shining Armor looked about the room in an attempt to find where the voice had come from; it sounded like it had come from everywhere at once.

The voice laughed at their search. “Ooh, where am I, little ponies? Am I over here?” it asked, its voice coming now from one side of the room. “Or am I over here?” it then asked from the other.

Celestia, however, had not once taken her eyes off of Discord’s statue. She flared her horn back to its brightest. “Enough, Discord,” she said, her voice tinged with distaste.

The voice—Discord’s—laughed again, but now was solely emanating from the statue; TIme Turner noticed the abrasion flickering with purple light in time with the laughter.

“You’re such a spoilsport, Celestia,” Discord said, disappointed. “I don’t know why you even bother to put a stop to my fun, anyway. Your little sealing spell won’t last forever. I will break free. You can’t stop me, and you know it. Tsk tsk.”

“Your magic may be leaking and causing chaos throughout my kingdom, but so long as you are in this room, that chaos will not speed you to freedom,” Celestia said. “I will do whatever it takes to, at the very least, slow your release.”

“Oooh, and now you have a plan to stop me. I am sooo scaaared. You keep giving me your passionate speeches about how you’ll stop me, but all I hear is ‘blah, blah, blah’.” Discord sighed. “It’s a shame that Twilight Sparkle and her friends aren’t going to be here when I get out. I really enjoyed having fun with those mares.”

“We have all the faith in the world that my sister and her friends will make it home in time to stop you!” Shining Armor shouted. “You will lose, Discord, just as you did before.”

“Faith, huh? That’s rich. See, if that were the case, you wouldn’t even be bothering with alternate solutions now, would you?” Discord taunted. “Some showing of loyalty. I guess we know which Element of Harmony you aren’t!

“Though I suppose you might still qualify if we consider focus on a single pony to be exemplary of loyalty. Ah, so loyal to your love that you were even loyal to somepony impersonating her. Enough to even cast out your loving sister. I may be a bad guy, Shining Armor, but that’s low, even for me.”

Shining Armor sneered. “I was under a—"

“Mind control spell, yes yes, everypony heard that excuse. I wonder how many of your actions were dictated by the spell, or dictated by your love for Princess Cadence,” Discord said, his tone cocky. He laughed. “Oh, that reminds me, I’m going to have to look this ‘Queen Chrysalis’ up when I break free. Even the all-powerful God of Chaos needs a little something on the side. That mare is hot... but I don’t need to tell you that, do I?”

Celestia put her hoof on Shining Armor’s shoulder to keep the fuming stallion from speaking again. “Ignore him, Shining Armor. Discord is attempting to goad you, nothing more. You have already apologized to your sister for what happened.”

“You’re one to talk, Celestia,” Discord chuckled. “You, too, turned on your faithful student the moment she attempted to expose Chrysalis for who she was, did you not? Funny... I don’t recall you being under a mind control spell. It must fill your heart with relief that Twilight Sparkle is so forgiving. That sort of wound cuts deep, Celestia... but you’re all about mending old wounds nowadays, aren’t you?

“As for your new friend,” Discord continued, turning his attention to Time Turner. He paused, then laughed again. “Well, I’m afraid I don’t know much more about him than you two do, now do I? All this other information is awfully interesting, though. Maybe when I’m bored with this world, I’ll move on to another.”

“You’ll have to escape first, Discord,” Time Turner replied, not dropping his professional, calm demeanor in the slightest. “My plan will put a stop to that.”

“Well, you’d better get started soon, old chum, because you’re running out of... time.” Discord cackled; the abrasion along his chest cracked open a little wider. “Ha! I know it’s cliché, but I couldn’t resist.”

“Frankly, I’m used to it.”

“Ohh, you’re no fun. All work and no play, Mister Turner. So, ten days is all you have left, hmm? Well, since you’re so confident in being able to meet that deadline... what say we make things interesting.”

Some of the stone tiles nearest to the statue bubbled and popped like eggs in a frying pan. Celestia funneled more magic into her spell; her horn’s light nearly blinded Time Turner and Shining Armor. Time Turner couldn’t help but notice that not all of the stones were turning back to normal.

Discord’s statue quivered with laughter. “Ha! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

***

Rainbow groaned and opened her eyes. Her ears were ringing, she couldn’t see, and her head was pounding. She had no idea how long she’d been out. Whatever she was laying on was soft and grainy. Sand? She put a hoof to her head and ran it through her mane; she couldn’t feel any bleeding, but her mane was slightly damp. So was her coat, she noticed. She remembered hitting the water, but didn’t remember anything after that.

She struggled to her hooves with a pained groan, and looked around. She couldn’t see anything, just darkness. Her other senses slowly started working again; she could hear flowing water and smell the saltwater of the ocean around her. Where was she? An island? Of all the lucky things to happen, had she really hit the water and been carried by the current to an island in the middle of this storm? Why couldn’t she feel the wind around her then, or see the flashes of lightning and torrents of fire?

Despite the pain in her head, Rainbow took a wobbly step forward, towards the sound of rushing water. She still couldn’t see anything, so she held one hoof in front of her as she walked. She only took a few steps before her hoof touched water; she jerked it back in surprise. She was shocked to find water directly in front of her like a wall. A waterfall, perhaps? She reached her hoof out again to feel her way through the water, and felt something else off about it: it was flowing upwards.

Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. She could see now, and confirmed what her hoof had already told her: there was a wall of water in front of her, flowing upwards. Not just in front of her, either, but all around her, creating a circle of sand. There was even a ceiling of water directly over her head. It was like being in one of Twilight’s protective shields, only the shield was made of the ocean.

Where in the hay am I?

Rainbow shifted her wings to check for injuries. Both were still functional; nothing was broken. She’d be able to take off and get out of here soon, as soon as she could find out where she was. She sighed and sat down, and put a hoof to her temple. Her head throbbed again as she tried to piece together what was going on.

“Great. Look at the mess I’m in now,” she muttered. “If they’d just listened to me, I wouldn’t have had to come out here to do all the work myself. Hmph... this is exactly what I figured would happen. I just knew I’d have to fix everything myself.”

Her eyes adjusted more, and soon she was able to see so well it was like being in a well-lit room. She didn’t question it, as she was too focused on her state of being. She looked into the wall of water, using it like a mirror, and groaned. Her jacket was torn and soaked, her goggles were still on her face but one of the lenses was cracked. There was some bruising here and there, likely from the impact, but there was no bleeding. She’d had worse crashes.

“Great. How am I supposed to help the others from here?” she asked nopony in particular.

“Maybe you should’ve stayed with the others in the first place,” replied her reflection.

Rainbow leapt back in surprise. “W-what the hay?!”

Her reflection did not do the same, but simply looked at her, her eyes half-lidded, her face baring a bored look. Her coat and mane colored had been saturated with gray; her clothes were unaffected.

After a second of thinking about it, Rainbow brushed off what she’d seen as nerves, because that was the only thing she could possibly think to explain what she was seeing. Her theory didn’t hold up very well when she waved a hoof in front of the wall of water and her reflection didn’t mirror it. How hard had she hit her head?

“Something the matter?” her reflection asked.

“Yes,” Rainbow said without thinking. She shook her head. “I mean, no. I mean... what’s going on?”

“You asked a question, I gave an answer. Are you gonna retort, or what?”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth. “Is that a challenge or something? I’m warning you, nopony beats me in a challenge.”

“Well, I’m you, aren’t I? I’m your reflection after all.”

“I... guess? No, hang on, if you were me, you’d think like me, and if you’re arguing with me you ain’t thinking like me. So, you ain’t me,” Rainbow said. She then tilted her head. “Uh... right?”

“Sure, whatever. Now are you gonna retort or what? I said you should’ve stuck with your friends.”

“What, and waste time taking a stupid detour?” Rainbow took a seat in the sand and crossed her hooves over her chest. “That’s what they’re doing. I hate wasting time.”

Her reflection shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. Where are you, anyway? Do you know? You’re not lost, are you? That’d be a major waste of time, wouldn’t it?”

“Does it matter where I am? I know where I’m going and how to get there.”

“What was it Tick Tock said about your plan again?”

Rainbow huffed. Her reflection was much quicker with responses than she would’ve liked. “Hey, it’s not my fault I didn’t know I needed to wait in a line and stuff. Nopony told me anything about that. Tick Tock’s the smart one, she should’ve told me! They were too busy thinking about their stupid plan to give me any of the info I needed. All Tick Tock ever mentioned was bits, and—"

“What were you planning to do anyway when they asked you for money?”

“Don’t rush me!” Rainbow snapped. Her reflection was already getting on her nerves; Rainbow had no time to think of a retort. “I figured a big city like that has gotta have some use for somepony good with manual labor,” she said, pounding her chest. “I’m no Applejack, but I can do perfectly fine physical work, and I’m the fastest flier in any Equestria ever. They’d find a use for me, I’m sure of it.”

“Fair enough. But what if that wasn’t good enough? What if they refused? What if they’d prefer that ‘alternate payment’? I’m sure that stallion—Cutlass, was it?—would ‘find a use’ for you.”

“Not an option,” Rainbow spat, rising back to her hooves.

“Even with your friends all starving to death? Couldn’t you swallow your pride and take one for the team, just for once? For them?”

“No! My friends would never ask me to do something like that!”

“And why wouldn’t they? It’s practical, you’ve got to admit.”

For just an instant, Rainbow considered what exactly had been presented to her. She stared into her reflection, which had taken on a new appearance. She had bags under her eyes. Her feathers were ruffled and dirty, her coat and mane caked with sweat. She was naked. She could feel something roving up her sides. Hooves. She glanced back at herself and saw nothing, but in the reflection she could. A chill went up her spine.

“What did you say to your friends when you left?” came her reflection’s voice, though its mouth did not move. “What did you say about helping them, no matter what?”

Rainbow whispered, “That’s what friends do.”

As her reflection’s image submitted itself to an unseen partner, she fought the urge to vomit. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying desperately to get the image out of her mind.

“No! Not an option!” she shouted.

Her reflection’s original image replaced the disturbing one. “Because they wouldn’t see you as triumphant, is that it? So, this is an ego issue.”

Rainbow shivered, still aghast as to what she’d just seen a reflection of herself do. “I can’t prove them wrong if I... if I just give in. None of them would consider the option either, so why should I? I’ve got to show them my way works.”

“Regardless of any of that, would they even take you back after what you said to them?”

“I said what needed to be said! They’ve been acting stupid lately, and somepony needed to point out the elephant in the room!” Rainbow shouted, taking deep breaths between words. “Maybe now, they’ll realize their mistakes and try to fix them!”

Her reflection shrugged. “Fair enough. You told them what was wrong with them, in hopes of making them face their problems head on?”

“Exactly,” Rainbow said. “When they’re ready to admit they have a problem, then they can work to fix that problem and improve their situation. Simple logic.”

“See a problem, fix a problem. Simple indeed. Your friends were a problem, so you ran away. Problem solved.”

“Excuse me?” Rainbow sputtered. She got right up next to her reflection, so close she could feel water splashing her face. “I did not run away! I am helping them!”

“Why not stay with them, then? Why not see to it that the help you wanted them to have was received?”

“They don’t want me around,” Rainbow said. “You heard them. You saw how they acted. I’m just a mean, arrogant jerk, and they have no faith in me whatsoever. I’m going to solve this problem myself, whether they think I can or not.”

“Good for you,” her reflection said, nodding in approval. “You’re going to prove your friends wrong so that they will give you their loyalty. Right?”

“Well it’s what happened, isn’t it? They pushed me away just because I said some things that made them think for a second. It’s not my fault they have all these problems, or that they don’t want to fix them.” Rainbow snorted and sat back down. “You know what my only problem is? That they have problems.”

Her reflection shrugged. “Fair enough. I think we can fix that.” Then, her reflection tapped her chin. “I wonder though... when did you even start to notice these problems in the first place?”

“When did I notice?” Rainbow tilted her head in confusion. “Well... right from the get go, I guess. They started acting weird when we first got here, and I didn’t like it one bit.”

“The only thing you complained about when you first got here was how you didn’t trust certain ponies. Just a little paranoia. An understandable worry when you find yourself in a scary new place. No reason to act the way you have been, though.”

“Fine. I also pointed out that everypony was listening to Tick Tock over me,” Rainbow said. “I’m supposed to be their friend. Why would they value her words more than mine?”

“That’s a good point. When did you start to notice that though? You didn’t seem too upset about it at first.”

Rainbow hummed in thought. “Around the time we got to the checkpoint, I suppose. After we ran into Starlight’s gang. I mean, I’d noticed my friends were acting funny before, but after I talked to Grayscale about it, it really started to bother me. Grayscale was the only pony that really understood.”

“Gray is pretty cool, isn’t she?”

Rainbow smirked. “Pretty much one of the coolest ponies I know, and that’s saying a lot coming from the coolest pony I know: yours truly.”

Her reflection tilted her head. “Why do you think she’s cool, though?”

“Well, for one, she’s totally metal. She’s rockin’ those headbanger locks, y’know? And those boots of hers just scream ‘tough’. Plus, she’s confident! She’s not afraid of anything this stupid world has to throw at her!”

Rainbow snorted and shook her head. “Everything about this world is dangerous, and my friends are so scared of everything that they’ve turned into wimps. They aren’t the same girls I remember, the girls that faced every challenge head-on. Grayscale isn’t fazed by anything.”

“So you feel you can relate to her. She’s just like you, with some differences, of course. She doesn’t seem as talkative or passionate as you do. Kind of... apathetic, actually.”

“Well, that’s just the way she talks. She knows she’s cool, so she doesn’t need to act cool. She just is cool.” Rainbow grit her teeth. “We could’ve been friends, if Twilight hadn’t gone and ruined everything by trying to split us all up.”

Her reflection nodded in understanding. “Ah, Twilight ruined everything, huh?”

“She made us their enemies. We never had to be.”

“Fair point. Still, you didn’t bring up your problems to your friends before the split, did you? You kept them to yourself.”

“Of course I didn’t bring them up. I didn’t need to,” Rainbow said. “Grayscale was there to listen to me, and she actually listened. Her sisters were doing a great job at getting us home, too, up until Twilight went and screwed things up. Just one of the many things she’s done wrong as our would-be leader.”

“I remember it as Red Velvet starting all the trouble. Why don’t you blame her, I wonder?” Her reflection tapped her chin. “Are you afraid of her?”

“Me? Afraid of her?” Rainbow laughed at the idea, amused by how ridiculous it was. “If Pinkie ain’t afraid of her, then neither am I! I know she played a prank on Fluttershy, but Twilight overreacted, fair and simple. I should have listened to Gray in the first place, and voiced my opinions sooner. Maybe the others would’ve come around and agreed with me when I said Twi was being an idiot.”

“Listening to Grayscale Force? The pony who allies herself with a psychopath, a hot-headed nutcase, an egotistical maniac, and a life-sucking vampire?”

“Hey, now, that’s not fair,” Rainbow said. “They’re not just friends, they’re family to her. You always stick by your family, no matter what.”

“And you and your friends are so close you may as well be family, right? Shouldn’t you be sticking by them now?”

“We’ve been over this before,” Rainbow snorted. “I’m out here trying to help them.”

Her reflection shrugged. “Fair enough. Still, you seem awfully trusting of a pony who actively tried to hurt your friends.”

Rainbow paused. It was true, after all; Grayscale had gone up against Applejack twice. Applejack had said that, if Grayscale weren’t pulling her punches, she probably could’ve been seriously injured, or worse.

“She... she was just following orders,” Rainbow said. “You saw what Starlight was capable of.”

“I thought she wasn’t afraid of anything?”

“There’s a difference between fearless and stupid,” Rainbow scoffed.

“So she’s fearless and smart, huh? You really are a lot alike.” Her reflection shook her head and sighed. “It’s no wonder you trust her, even after all that’s happened.”

Rainbow nodded, confident the argument was over. “So now you see why I listened to her, right? And she was right, wasn’t she? My friends stopped listening to my ideas—"

“What ideas have you brought to the table?”

Rainbow blinked. “What?”

“You say your friends don’t listen to you. What ideas haven’t they listened to?”

Rainbow clicked her tongue, and looked back through her memories for anything relevant.

“I don’t get why your friends don’t listen to you,” came a familiar voice in her head. Grayscale’s voice. “You’re smart. I mean, who goes through an active volcano, right?”

Rainbow remembered the discussion she and Grayscale had while at the checkpoint that night. Everypony else was asleep, and Grayscale had gone to use the restroom at the same time as Rainbow. They’d talked for a long time afterwards, mostly about Rainbow’s problems, and about Grayscale’s past.

“Well for starters, not going through the volcano,” Rainbow said to her reflection, coming out of her reverie. “That was a disaster just waiting to happen.”

“Funny, I only remember Applejack agreeing with Tick Tock completely.”

“Yeah, and she was wrong! She didn’t listen to me, or anypony else!”

“Yes, it seems that she was in the end. I don’t remember her not listening to you, though, or saying your idea was stupid. I remember her convincing everypony that there wasn’t another option. You certainly didn’t bring one to the table for her to disagree with.” Rainbow’s reflection absently twisted a hoof in her ear, bored. “Try again.”

Rainbow snorted. “Well, what about sticking around with Grayscale’s group? That was my idea! Up until Twilight started an argument, none of us had any beef with one another. If we were still traveling with them—"

“You would’ve eventually had to face them in battle anyway. Twilight’s decision did nothing more than give you early warning about their true intentions.”

Rainbow crossed her hooves over her chest. “Yeah, exactly. And you see the load of trouble that put us in?”

“Then again, if you hadn’t gone through the ruins of the gryphon city, you would’ve never been given the power to face them fairly. Seems to me that decision worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

Rainbow grunted. “I still say we could’ve done just fine if we were at the top of our game out in the open. Twilight’s decision cost us time, got some of us injured, and forced us to travel for days without food. It was a boneheaded decision, no matter how you slice it.”

“Is it now? Hmm... how did you reprimand her for her decision again? Did you tell her you thought she’d made a bad choice?”

“Well, yeah, of course I did,” Rainbow chuckled. “We all sort of agreed to let it go, and Twilight said she’d be make better decisions in the future.”

“Yes, you voiced your disapproval and came to an agreement to improve the situation.” Her reflection shook her head. “But that wasn’t what you did first. What happened before that?”

Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. “Before that? I don’t remember anything before that.”

“Oh? Allow me to refresh your memory.”

Rainbow jerked her head to the side as a sharp pain impacted her jaw. It was as if she’d just been punched in the face. She brought her hoof to her lip, and drew away blood. She glanced up at her reflection, but it was was no longer there. Twilight’s reflection was in her place, an expression of shock upon her face. Her jaw was bruised, and there was blood on her lip.

“I... hit her...” Rainbow muttered, remembering exactly how the argument had started.

“That’s one way to put it I guess.” Twilight’s reflection disappeared and was replaced by Rainbow’s again; there was no bruising or blood upon her face. “I’d call it more of a suckerpunch to the face. It certainly got your point across in a hurry.”

“I didn’t attack her!” Rainbow snarled.

“I wonder what might have happened had Applejack not stopped you. Who gave you the idea that hitting your friends like that was okay?”

Rainbow paused and drew a step back. Grayscale’s voice rang through her head again, and she remembered a conversation from Goldridge Pass. Grayscale had been showing her around the mountains, teaching her the lay of the land so that she could try and be more informed.

“Sometimes, Dash, push comes to shove. Nopony’s gonna listen if you don’t back up your opinions. Maybe a show of force would do the trick.”

“I was just... looking out for my friends,” Rainbow said, though she found it hard to believe her own words. “Twilight made a choice that put them in danger, and I had to show her she was wrong.”

“Oh, is that what you were doing? Striking your friend when she was vulnerable. You lured her aside in a false showing of trust and you assaulted her.”

“I... I...”

Rainbow could find no argument. She had brought Twilight aside just to talk, but she’d been so angry that she let her hoof do the talking instead. That wasn’t how friends treated friends.

“I... made a bad decision. Twilight didn’t deserve that at all,” Rainbow admitted. She slumped back on her rear. “I was a jerk, and I overreacted because I thought she wasn’t listening to me. But she was. They all were. I was just too focused on myself that I didn’t see it...”

“They say that the first step to fixing a problem is noticing that you have one.”

Rainbow frowned, then shook her head. “I apologized for what I did. Twilight forgave me.”

“Sounds to me like she’s a bigger mare than you are,” her reflection said, a cocky grin on her face. “She forgives her friends for their problems and mistakes.”

Rainbow snorted. “What does it matter anyway? I’m still out here trying to help them, while they’re back there lollygagging in a canyon. Any one of them could have offered to come with me, but no, they didn’t want anything to do with me! They abandoned me, not the other way around!”

“How did they abandon you? Did they tell you to leave?”

“No. Not out loud. But I could see it in the way they were acting. They didn’t want me around. They didn’t want to deal with their problems.”

Rainbow recalled another conversation with Grayscale, this time shortly before they entered the caverns. She’d asked Grayscale what she would do if she were in her horseshoes.

“Sometimes, Dash, you’re met with a hard choice, between sticking by friends that couldn’t care less, or doing things your own way. You know what they say: ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’?”

“So you flew away because they wouldn’t let you stay and be mean,” Rainbow’s reflection said. “You made the hard choice to abandon your friends when they needed you the most.”

“They abandoned me!” Rainbow sneered. “None of them cared that I was leaving! Did any of them try to stop me?”

“Really? None of them tried to stop you?”

Rainbow paused. “W-well... Pinkie did...” She shook her head. “N-no, she turned on me! She called me a meanie, when all I was doing was trying to help! She’s just like the rest of them!”

“Is that how you remember it?”

Rainbow paused again, and this time shook her head. “She... she wanted me to stay. She was worried about me, not about what I said. And I... I left anyway...” She sighed. “I didn’t mean to get angry at everypony. I... I was just... I was so mad that nothing was going right. I said a lot of things that didn’t need to be said. Hurtful things...”

Her reflection shrugged. “You just picked up and left because you thought you were right, and they were wrong. Some Element of Loyalty you turned out to be.”

Rainbow’s heart sunk like a great weight in her chest. She remembered her words to Applejack, about her not living up to the expectations of the Element of Honesty.

“Oh Celestia... what have I done?” Rainbow said, putting her hooves to her head. Tears formed in her eyes; she didn’t bother to stop them. “I abandoned them...”

The sand and water surrounding her darkened, until she was once again in total darkness. The only thing that did not fade was her own reflection, which remained as clear as ever. She looked upon herself sitting there alone in the darkness, and she wept.

“I left them out there all alone...”

Now, even her reflection faded slowly into the darkness. Rainbow felt the cold darkness grip her like ice. She watched in horror as her reflection faded away completely, and reached out a hoof to stop it. Her hoof met nothing but air; the water was no longer there. A wave of remorse and regret, washed over her, sweeping through her veins like poison. What had she become?

“They’re starving to death...” she murmured, sinking to the ground. “Those nutjobs are still after them, too... and I’m not there to help...

Her reflection spoke again, though she could not see it. “When did you start to think these things about your friends? Why did you think this was the right thing to do?”

Rainbow looked up at where her reflection should have been, but it wasn’t there. Instead, the reflection of another pony stood before her.

“Grayscale Force...”

Rainbow remembered the last time she’d spoken with Grayscale one-on-one. They were deep in the caverns of Goldridge, and it had been a private discussion despite the others being nearby. She’d found it odd that Grayscale had said it to her out of the blue.

Grayscale’s voice spoke directly from her reflection. “The thing about loyalty, Dash, it’s a two-way street. Why should you be loyal to anypony that isn’t loyal in return?”

Now, Rainbow saw what Grayscale’s intention had been right from the start.

“I listened to her over my friends,” Rainbow admitted with a shake of her head. “I got suckered in by her coolness. She was so much like me, that I thought she got me, but all she was doing was using me!”

Grayscale’s image melted away and was replaced by Rainbow’s own again. The light returned, and Rainbow could see the sand and water around herself again.

Rainbow began to speak rapidly as the epiphany came to her. “It all makes sense now. Grayscale Force is a total square!” She paused, then sighed. “And I... I was being pretty uncool too. No, not just uncool. I was worse than uncool. It would be nice if I could just blame it all on her, but I can’t. I messed up. I made my own mistakes. I have my own problems. And,” she added, stomping a hoof in the sand, “when somepony has a problem, it’s their job to fix it!”

She stood tall and proud, and her reflection did the same. A sparkling aura of red magic appeared around her reflection’s neck, and in its wake it left a familiar necklace. The Element of Loyalty now stared her in the face; Rainbow put a hoof to her own neck, but the necklace wasn’t there.

Her reflection spoke, clearer than ever. “Do you see it now? Loyalty doesn’t always mean that your friends listen to you unquestioningly.”

“It means that they can disagree with you, and you can disagree with them,” Rainbow added, “but you always stick together through it. It means standing by your friends through thick and thin, whether you agree with them or not. It means being by their side through the worst of storms!” She frowned, and sighed. “It means not abandoning them to go off on your own, just because you think you’re better than them.”

Her reflection smiled and nodded. “Do you know what else Loyalty means? It means forgiveness. It means love. Your friends still love you, they always will, so long as you return their love. They will forgive you, but you must give them that chance.”

Rainbow stood proud, and her body glowed with the same light as her reflection. While she was not actually wearing the Element, she knew she didn’t need it to prove who she was or what she represented. She felt in her heart an energy that inspired her to new heights to do anything for her friends, even if it meant swallowing her pride and asking for their forgiveness.

“You’re right!” she shouted. “It’s never too late to fix things between friends!” She spread her wings to their fullest. “And, it’s never too late to stop being crazy and talking to myself!”

“Well spoken,” her reflection chuckled.

Rainbow rolled her shoulders and stretched her legs. She felt as good as new. “My friends need me! I need to get to them, and I need to get to them now. There’s only way to do that.” She adjusted her goggles back over her eyes. “Gotta dash!”

Rainbow took to the air. The bubble of water around her exploded, creating a great column of open air for her to fly in. She soared up, up, up through the darkness, until she could see lightning above her. She felt the faintest traces of wind in her mane. She knew it was dangerous up there in the storm, and she knew the lightning would pursue her again.

But it would have to catch her first.

Rainbow took a deep breath, and kicked her hooves together. A lightning trail formed behind her and scattered about with an intensity greater than ever. She kicked again, and the lightning wrapped around her like a shield. She kicked once more, thinking only of getting back to her friends and making sure they were okay. The lightning shell exploded outwards, and Rainbow rocketed up with a burst of furious speed; her body felt like it was on fire. She couldn’t see anything but a blur of white and blue. She fired out of the clearing in the water, out into the storm with all the speed of a bullet.

The lightning reacted to her presence, and streaked through the air towards her. She did not divert her course, or increase her speed, or even bother to look. She knew it was coming for her. She smiled, knowing she would come out victorious.

It struck her. She exploded in a flash of blue and purple, then streaked through the sky, unharmed and unhindered. She wasn’t like lightning now, no.

She was lightning.

***

Far, far below, deep within the ocean, Rainbow’s reflection remained where it had been. It watched Rainbow’s trail fade off into the distance, and smiled at the sight. Then, it vanished in a flash of white light.


	24. Insurrection

“Five days...” Applejack groaned as she tried to ignore her stomach doing the same, “Five whole doggone days...”

“Bringing it to our attention again isn’t helping matters any, darling,” Rarity complained, competing with her stomach for who could complain the loudest, and losing.

“Yeah, everypony got mad at me for bringing up food before,” Pinkie said with an accusing point of her hoof, “No fair for you to get to do the same.”

“Sorry... I jus’.... I can’t help it...” Applejack gulped, “I ain’t never gone this long without eatin’ before. It’s downright unbearable, is what it is.”

“I think we can all agree with you there, Applejack. Heh... imagine that, something we can all agree on for once...” Tick Tock noted with a sad smile. She shook her head, “Come on everypony, focus. We’ve got another day plus some before we get to Hope’s Point, and then we’ll have all the food we can eat. We can make it... we just need to hang on and push ourselves as hard as we can.”

“I don’t know how you can be so energetic, Tick Tock,” Rarity frowned, “Or you either, my dear Flathoof. Neither of you seem to be much the worse for wear, if you don’t mind my sounding a mite... jealous?”

Tick Tock sighed, “Believe me Rarity, it’s not easy. Just a little bit of mental focus is all, nothing a little experience can’t teach.”

“Experience?” Applejack asked.

“Well, I’ve had stints out here before without food, mostly due to accidents like we’ve had, maybe worse here and there,” Tick Tock explained, trying not to sound like she was bragging that she’d been starving before, “But, I’ll admit this is the longest I’ve ever gone...”

“This ain’t my first rodeo either,” Flathoof added, “Lockwood and I grew up in poverty, so we’ve seen almost as bad as this on a pretty regular basis. But yeah, this is probably the longest either of us has ever gone, and that was a long time ago. Brings back memories...”

“Are you holding up alright, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked behind her. The yellow pegasus, busy making sure Lockwood was still steady on Flathoof’s back as he slept, could only shake her head weakly. It only made Rarity frown more deeply. “Oh dear...” she sighed, “I really wish there was something we could do. Anything would be better than this...”

Applejack nodded in agreement and held her hat tentatively in her hooves, looking at it with depressed and desperate hunger in her eyes. She licked her lips in anticipation and opened her mouth to take a bite, and was barely shaken out of her sudden stupor when Rarity prodded her in the side.

“Darling, really, that’s the third time this evening,” she hummed, replacing the hat on Applejack’s head, “You know very well how much that hat means to you, and besides which I doubt it would be much for nourishment. I may as well eat my dress!”

“R-right, yeah...” Applejack flustered, “Sorry. Though... now that ya’ll mention it...” she added, eyes drifting down Rarity’s side to her torn clothing.

“Oh no, no no no, don’t even think about it,” Rarity hastily sputtered, “It was a joke, darling. My dress wouldn’t do much for nourishment either. Really now, Apple-”

“I was jokin’ too, Rarity,” Applejack chuckled, “I ain’t gonna eat yer dress, jus’ take it easy. If Lockwood woke up he’d be in fer a mighty interestin’ sight though, that’s fer sure. Ta be honest, I could really go fer some apples right about now...”

“Mmmm... apples...” Pinkie started, licking her lips and looking longingly at Applejack’s flank, “Ooh! There a few nice, juicy ones right here!”

Applejack gave a shout as Pinkie suddenly grabbed her and tried to bite down on her side. “Pinkie! Get off!” she yelped as she kicked Pinkie away, “The hay is wrong with you?”

“Eh?” Pinkie mumbled as she rubbed her eyes, “Oh... shoot. Sorry, Applejack, got carried away again.”

“Ah, finally, there it is!” Tick Tock beamed as she pointed ahead, stopping only for a moment to make sure Twilight was still keeping steady beside her, “Do you all see it?”

Pinkie squinted and looked off into the distance through the pair of binoculars she reproduced from out of her mane. “Yep! There it is alright! Thank goodness!” she happily pointed, gesturing towards the rock formation in the distance.

“Whew... if we’re nearly at the canyon entrance, that means we’re ‘bout halfway ta Hope’s Point,” Applejack eagerly said as she unfurled the map again, “Not much further now, y’all. If’n we keep this here pace up, we’ll be at th’ other side ‘fore mornin’.”

They increased their pace a little so that they could get to the canyon proper, and arrived there in mere minutes. When they arrived, they took a moment to rest and breathe as they looked into the next obstacle that blocked their path. The canyon path appeared to slope downwards through the rocky cliff and led off towards the sea, twisting and turning and winding through solid stone and seeming to go on for miles before it finally got anywhere near the end. While they couldn’t see most of the canyon path ahead as the walls were jagged and formed ceiling-like formations in several areas, they could clearly see the ocean off in the distance still, closer than ever. It wasn’t so much a straight gorge or anything of the sort, it just dipped smoothly downwards towards the ocean in a manner more applicable to a mountain pass, easy enough to traverse. Or so they hoped, at any rate. They weren’t exactly looking forward to going through it, as it was rather dark inside what with the canyon walls and ceiling-like rock formations casting deep shadows throughout, not at all helped by the nature of the rest of the region.

“It doesn’t look as pleasant as I’d have hoped...” Rarity said dejectedly, “I’d have liked to think a path like this leading down to our final stretch would be a little more... ah... inspiring.”

“Right,” Applejack agreed, “Only thing this here canyon is inspirin’ is the heebie-jeebies. It ain’t as dark as them caverns back in Goldridge, at least. We ain’t gonna need no unicorn flashlights or what not.”

Tick Tock looked bewildered. “Hello? Was anypony listening when we went over this earlier? The name of the place is the World’s Wound. What did you expect? Sunshine and flowers and fields of green?”

“That would be... nice, for a change,” Fluttershy peeped.

Tick Tock shook her head and sighed, “Come on everypony, the canyon isn’t too long, we’ll be through it in roughly six-to-seven hours. We can make camp on the other side before we hit the coast, take a much-needed breather and see if we can’t find anything around to eat. We’re going to want all the rest we can get before we try to cross the Bonesands, because in our weakened state and with us missing an ally, we’ll be bloody well hard-pressed to get across safely.”

Pinkie frowned deeply and sniffed, “Dashie... said she’ll be bringing help. You’ll see, guys...”

“Just forget it, Pinkie,” Applejack snorted, “If she was gettin’ things done like she thought she was, she’d be back by now.”

“Oh no! D-do you think something’s wrong? What if something happened?” Pinkie panicked.

“Relax, Pinkie Pie, darling,” Rarity soothed, “I’m sure Rainbow Dash is fine. Though... that she hasn’t come back yet leads me to think that perhaps something has perhaps delayed her? I’m sure it’ll be alright...”

“I’ll be honest here, and say that if she managed to get into the city already, then she’s lucky,” Tick Tock said with a roll of her eyes, “Oh I’m sure she’ll try bringing help, but at the rate we’re moving, we’ll reach Hope’s Point before she even gets in. Maybe we’ll get lucky and be able to use her as a voucher.”

“A what?” Applejack asked.

“Long story, short version is it’s not helping matters any thinking on what Rainbow Dash might be doing,” Tick Tock answered.

The party entered the canyon and began the slow, steady descent down the gentle rolling slopes, glad at last to have solid comfortable ground beneath their hooves again, not the hot, barren sands of the Wastelands, or the burning rock of Redblade, or the cracking, crumbling rocks of the cliffs, or worse, the living, gooey sheen of red that coated the Blood Mire. It was almost like being back in Goldridge again, and reminded them all of the only highlight of this entire journey, before things had taken a sharp downward spiral. The ground was the only thing the canyon had to offer that was pleasant, much to their disappointment. The walls were curved and slanted and cast shadows through the path. The rocks overhead that formed natural bridges and ceilings all seemed unstable. What was worse, there seemed to be a great cloud of grays and blacks forming in the sky ahead, in the direction of the coast, churning and rolling towards them slowly like a wave.

Minutes turned to hours, and before long they reached the halfway mark: a wide clearing within the center of the canyon with a deep scar in the eastern side of the canyon wall that created a sort of cavern, wide enough that they had plenty of room to make camp in and take a brief rest before they trekked the other half. Every moment they had a chance to rest, they’d done so. Twilight was still barely able to walk and needed every moment she could get.

The party moved into the crevice and began to take up positions to rest, though Applejack warily decided it better to stand guard at the entrance to their makeshift camp, noting that with only one entrance, they were essentially trapped if anything should happen. Tick Tock agreed and offered to help scout around nearby, first helping Twilight to a comfortable resting position deeper into the crevice, and the two were soon joined by Flathoof. Tick Tock looked up in dismay as the cloud of darkness loomed overhead, noting that by now it had covered almost all of the canyon, bringing with it a gray mist that blanketed the canyon interior.

“That there cloud sure is gettin’ thick...” Applejack observed, “I can’t even see the Beacon sky thing through it.”

A sudden, loud boom of thunder drew a look from all the others as well.

“Bugger all...” Tick Tock sighed, “Just what we needed, a storm. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to deal with anything of the sort, but it would appear my shoddy luck rears its ugly head yet again.”

“A storm? Out here?” Applejack scratched her head, looking at Tick Tock, “What in the hay’s up with that? I thought y’all said there ain’t no weather out here?”

“In the Wastelands, no, you’re right,” Tick Tock shook her head, “But we’re not in the Wastelands anymore. We’re close enough to the coast that natural weather can form again, and we’re in a particular hotspot. How else do you think canyons like this would even form?”

“Well, I s’pose,” Applejack hummed. 

Flathoof pointed, “Well, if anything this is a good thing though, isn’t it? We can refill our canteens.”

“I wouldn’t call a storm over the canyon a ‘good’ thing, certainly, but you make a valid point,” Tick Tock agreed, “We should still get ready to take shelter soon after it starts raining, and have Applejack get a barricade of some kind formed out of the rock here. We’re on a slope, so all that rainwater is going to come flowing down, and we don’t need to be getting swept up in it. Flash floods and all. Terrible business.”

“Sure thing,” Applejack nodded as the three of them headed back into the crevice, glad that the ceiling above was pretty solid. “What’s takin’ it so long, though? All this here mist should’ve cleared out by now.”

“Well, all things considered this will give us more time to rest. I suppose until the storm’s over, we may as well just count this as our official camp for the night,” Flathoof said with a nod.

“I wish it wasn’t,” Tick Tock grumbled, “As much as it’s helping in the short term, I’m afraid of long-term consequences to resting here and now, since we don’t know how long. If we had Rainbow Dash with us, she might be able to clear a path...”

“Please, don’t remind us,” Applejack snorted angrily.

Tick Tock continued, “Twilight’s getting better, but Lockwood’s getting worse. I think the only thing keeping him from worsening any faster is that he’s asleep, if that makes any sense. Whatever that curse is, it seems to rely a lot on the subject’s fear of its effect to affect them considering how quickly he started getting worse after his little ‘outburst’. It hasn’t been doing much but just fester since then, so I figure as long as he’s out, the process is slow. It’s just a theory, but it’s all I’ve got. I may not have Twilight’s Restomancy, but at least I can help someway.”

“And I thank you immensely for that, Tick Tock,” Flathoof smiled lightly as he looked over his shoulder at the sleeping pegasus over on the ground by Twilight.

“Don’t mention it,” Tick Tock smiled in return, “To be fair, I have Fluttershy to thank for getting that ball rolling in the first place. Sedation spells are hard to work properly, not like proper medical anesthetic. I’m sure Twilight would’ve been able to do it by herself if she could, but I’m all we’ve got as far as real unicorn magic anymo- er, no offense, Rarity...”

Rarity flicked her mane, “Hmph. I know I need to brush up a little on these more... ‘advanced’ spells, but at least I’m confident that I can claim to be a master in my own field. So sorry I’m not a magical prodigy like yourself and Twilight.”

Tick Tock coughed, and continued, “Well, as I was saying, Fluttershy being able to keep him calm makes it easier for me to keep him down. The other alternative would be to severely weaken him through pain of some kind, so that he’d pass out before I sedated him. I doubt that’s a route we all want to travel though, so thank goodness we don’t need to consider that.”

“Oh... I just hope we get to Hope’s Point soon...” Fluttershy sniffed, “I’ll never be able to forgive myself if something happens to him...”

Rarity frowned as she squinted through the steadily thickening storm mist, slowly losing the ability to see further than a few feet. “This storm sure has brought an awful lot of fog with it...”

“Well, storms do that,” Tick Tock pointed, “Just a little ocean fog, nothing to worry about.”

“‘Little’ fog?” Flathoof balked.

“The rain should be coming sometime after. Applejack’s right though, this is taking a while. There must be a lot of precipitation up there.”

They all watched as the fog rolled in, thicker and thicker, until it was so thick they could barely even see one another anymore.

“Well okay, this isn’t normal,” Tick Tock said, scratching her head in confusion, “No really, where the bloody hell is the rain?”

“I can barely see a thing,” Applejack grumbled as she reached about, “Y’all still there? I can’t see ya.”

“Of course we’re still here, we’re talking, aren’t we?” Rarity noted as she let her horn glow a little to light up their surroundings. “Fluttershy, you’re still there, right darling?”

“Oh... um, yes,” the pegasus gulped as she crept closer to Rarity’s light, “I’m... not really fond of fog like this... I don’t like not being able to see...”

“It’s awful quiet fer a storm, too...” Applejack said nervously, “Where’d all the thunder go? I know I done heard thunder earlier... now I ain’t hearin’ anythin’...”

“Quiet...” Tick Tock hummed. She suddenly leapt up in worry, “Too quiet! Pinkie? Pinkie!” She lit up her horn and walked several paces away in search.

“Pinkie? Pinkie?!” Rarity asked as she looked around. When Pinkie didn’t respond she spun around in a panic and flared her horn to match Tick Tock’s light, “Oh! Oh g-goodness, you’re right, where’s-”

“Blimey!” Tick Tock suddenly yelped as she was jerked through the fog by an unseen force.

“Tick Tock?” Flathoof exclaimed as he stepped forward, “Tick Tock?! Where are you?! Say something!”

Tick Tock’s voice came loud and clear, and they could see her horn flash brilliantly in the fog. “AhhhhhHHHHH!”

Rarity narrowed her eyes and flared up her horn even brighter, shrouding Applejack and Flathoof in a dull blue glow. “Go!” she commanded, “Follow Tick Tock, quickly! It’s them! Another ambush!”

Applejack’s eyes widened and she rushed through the fog at Rarity’s command. It didn’t take long before she caught sight of Tick Tock’s green coat and sweater vest. The unicorn was yowling in pain and groping at something at her neck, though there was nothing there to be seen. Applejack leapt forward and rushed Tick Tock to get whatever was there off of her, bouncing awkwardly away as she struck something at an odd angle that had been behind her. She got to her hooves in time to see the distortion in the fog shimmer and fade away, and rushed at it again.

“Like, hey hey whoa!” Insipid suddenly squealed as she dodged aside, “Watch it, Jackalope!”

“Insipid?” Applejack balked, “Wow... okay. I weren’t expecting y’all ta be th’ one doin’ this here sneaky stuff. Where’s the rest o’ yer lil’ gang?”

Insipid looked offended, genuinely. “Okay, that’s like, so totally rude? Not even a hello? Major. Un-fresh. Psh, Curie said at least you and Rarity had some, y’know, manners? Guess we can, like, cross you off the list, cha.”

“I don’t really think showin’ any manners to a mare known fer hurtin’ mah friends sounds wrong at all,” Applejack sneered.

The unicorn shrugged, then flexed a foreleg. “Like, oh man, this is so totally cool! Knick Knack here has some pretty buff magic! I mean, like, I’m totally surprised and junk? I mean, I know she’s not, like, as strong as the boss, for. Sure. But what-ever, it’s still a big boost! Every little bit helps, y’know?”

“Tick Tock!” Flathoof yelled as he came over and started to help her up, “Are you alright? What did that creep do to you?”

“Ugh... did anypony catch the license plate on that bus?” Tick Tock mumbled as she staggered to her hooves.

The trio was soon joined by Fluttershy and Rarity.

“Insipid,” Rarity huffed, then suddenly rapidly blinked in surprise, “Oh my, what did you do to yourself? You look... look...”

“Nice?” Fluttershy suggested.

Insipid giggled happily, pawing a hoof at her very sleek and sparkling clean blonde mane, twirling around and gazing at her coat’s lustrous black sheen. “Oh I know, right? Curie let me, like, borrow her powers for a little bit so I could pull this little trick off on all of you, and so, like, I thought I’d try giving myself a totally. Major. Fresh. Makeover! Eeee, Curie said she liked it! She might let me keep it! Oooh, I love being her cherry now!”

Rarity grit her teeth, “Speaking of Curaçao, where are your other sisters? And what have you all done with our dear Pinkie Pie?! We know you’re all responsible for that too! So where is she?!”

Insipid grinned widely and barely resisted the urge to bounce in place. “Oh wow, like, she’s dealing with somepony who is just gonna totally thrash her! Like, the boss says that Velvet isn’t doing so well against her as she thought she would? Or something? I don’t know what that means so-” She stopped a second and took a step back when Applejack and Rarity each took a step towards her. “Um... okay, so like, you’re all kinda giving me these angry looks and junk?” she nervously chuckled, “Uh-oh... y-y-you’re not all gonna try and like, gang-up on me, are you? Oh man, you guys, that is so mean! Totally. Not. Cool.”

“Seems like a good idea ta me, thanks fer suggestin’ it,” Applejack snorted, taking another step forward, “And when we’re done with ya’ll, we’ll move onta the next one o’ ya, on down the line. We done chased y’all off once, we can do it again.”

Insipid grinned again, wider than before. “Okay so like, then that means you’re all here, right? ‘cause, like, who’s gonna guard your other friend and make sure the boss doesn’t do something to her? What’s-her-face... oh, you know! Um... Flashlight? Lightbulb?”

“Twilight!” Rarity cried in a panic, “What have you done with her?!”

Insipid pointed her hoof thankfully at Rarity. “Yeah! That’s it, thanks Rar-”

“Applejack, Flathoof, get back to Twilight and guard her and dear Lockwood from those other ruffians,” Rarity commanded, “And take Tick Tock with you. Fluttershy and I will handle this uncouth creature.”

The three of them looked at one another, then instantly turned back and ran in the direction they’d left Twilight and Lockwood in.

“Okay, so like, I guess this is like a... um... double rematch?” Insipid scratched her head, “I mean, I’ve taken each of you on before, y’know, so like... I dunno? What-ever, this won’t last long anyway. Cha.”

“Keep quiet!” Rarity snapped, “Applejack is right, when the two of us are through with you, we can go back there and help them. Last time you tried to divide and conquer, but together we stand strong!”

“Whoa, like, hey now, take a chill pill, Rarity,” Insipid grunted, “When did you start getting all, like, barky and stuff? I thought the barky one was Bust-A-Rhyme over-”

“Fluttershy!” Fluttershy shouted as Ophanim sprung out of her bracelet. The wolf growled at Insipid, gazing upon her with fierce intensity. “I told you not to try and hurt my friends anymore! I also told you I wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you if you tried again!”

“Oooh, I’m, like, so scared and junk?” Insipid chuckled, “Curie told me I have nothing to be afraid of from you two wimps, see, ‘cause, well, you’re, like, y’know, wimps?”

Rarity huffed and scuffed a hoof through the dirt. “You’ve threatened me and my friends long enough, Insipid. I’d have thought that after our last encounter, you and your sisters would realize that you’re not a match for us anymore! Come, Fluttershy, let’s take care of this filth and return to the others.”

Fluttershy took a step forward and grunted in agreement, then unleashed Ophanim on the black unicorn. Insipid panicked only briefly to duck away from him, turning into a tiger and bounding away to buy herself some distance.

She growled, “Okay, like, time to see if that lame-o Slim Jim pony has some real power!” She leapt at Ophanim in turn, claws and teeth bared.

“Same old trick. I’ve got a bigger cat though,” Fluttershy noted with a grin, watching in anticipation as Ophanim turned into a lion and prepared to catch Insipid as she flew at him. 

She was astounded to watch Insipid suddenly throw a shield up and deflect Ophanim’s large claws away. She landed on the ground in front of him and leapt at him again, swiftly clamoring over him in the much smaller shape of a weasel. Ophanim tried to catch her, but she was moving too fast to do much. Fluttershy willed for him to turn into another animal, a smaller one, a fox, but Insipid just as quickly changed her own form into a tiny hummingbird, circling around his head as he tried to bat her away.

“Oh... Ophanim, be careful!” Fluttershy panicked as the little hummingbird hovered just over Ophanim’s head and turned into a bear, landing right on top of him. His light flickered as the great weight pushed on top of him, and he tried to transform but couldn’t.

Rarity grit her teeth and fired her magic at Ophanim, filling him with a pink glow instead of white. He very suddenly began to grow, almost doubling in size, changing into a bear himself as he did so.

“Like, what the-” Insipid growled as she saw a larger bear’s paw come sweeping at her. She transformed into a mouse to slip between the gap in his claws, then into a hawk to swoop around and avoid him some more as he frantically swatted around himself, unaffected in agility despite his size due to his magical nature.

“Come on, Fluttershy, time to counter her!” Rarity bellowed, “This is your chance!”

Fluttershy grit her teeth and consciously willed Ophanim to turn into an eagle that was easily more than twice Insipid’s size. He crashed into the smaller bird with astounding force before turning into a gorilla and slamming Insipid into the ground in the palm of his hand.

“Ugh... like, ow...” Insipid groaned as Ophanim lifted his hand off of her and balled it into a fist. She panicked. “Okay boss! I don’t wanna be a distraction anymore!”

“What did she- wah!” Rarity yelped as she found her suddenly whisked away.

Fluttershy stepped forward in a panic as Rarity disappeared. “Rarity! Eep!” She cried as she too was whisked away. Ophanim leapt towards its master to defend her from the unseen force. Without her in his proximity to command him or to defend, he suddenly flickered away and vanished in a haze as he became too far out of range of the connection to her for him to function. Insipid smirked with pride, and pranced merrily off into the fog.

~~~~~

Pinkie struggled to get out of the grip of something invisible as she was dragged away from her friends, watching them run off into the fog when she heard Tick Tock scream, but whatever was keeping her fore legs pinned behind her back had a very firm hold. Her hind legs were scuffing the ground in an attempt to slow whatever was dragging her away, and though they were doing fairly, it just wasn’t enough. She tried to scream out to get their attention, but whatever was dragging her had something over her mouth that kept her from making sound too. Normally, she’d be able to get out of something like this, but she couldn’t even see what was happening to try and make sense of it, so that she could make nonsense of it. It wasn’t until she was dragged out of earshot of them all that she began to see the flashes of magic through the thick fog. Her friends were in trouble, and they needed her help. And she knew only one pony that would try to keep her from her friends.

She took a deep breath and tilted her head slightly forward, then bashed it backwards as hard as she could. The thunking sound meant she’d hit something, whatever it was that was dragging her away, causing it to stagger back and lose its grip temporarily, enough for Pinkie to slip out of the hold and bounce away. She chanced a glance back to her friends, but knew that if she tried to get to them and help, then Red Velvet would just give chase anyway and join the fray as well, where she really was a threat. She couldn’t risk that, not when keeping the temperamental psychopath occupied was a much better use of her talents. She was confused why Red wasn’t casting darkness about, trying to frighten her, even if the other earth pony did think it wouldn’t work. She was more frightened than ever before, not because of Red of course, but because her friends were in danger again, and worse, she had no idea where Rainbow Dash was. She shook her head of those thoughts, knowing she needed to focus on keeping her fears buried to keep Red from feeding on them and becoming stronger.

“Show yourself, Red! There’s no point in hiding from me, I know you’re there!” Pinkie challenged, “Come on, bring it! We can start again at Round One! I’ll kick your butt all over this canyon just I did back in the field!”

A laugh from the fog made her raise an eyebrow, unable to understand why it sounded like it did.

That wasn’t Red Velvet’s typical chuckle.

“Ooh là là, you zink zat I would assign ‘er to try and ‘andle you again, Mademoiselle Pie? C’est drôle...” Pinkie frantically looked around her to find the source of the laugh, knowing now that it definitely wasn’t Red Velvet. She remembered Rarity saying that Curaçao could change her coat colors to blend into her surroundings. She could be hiding anywhere. “Oh, tsk tsk, mon amie. You want to oppose moi? You cannot ‘it what you cannot see, n’est-ce pas?”

“Stop messing around!” Pinkie demanded still frantically looking about and shuffling around to avoid being snuck up on, “That’s my job! You wanna tussle with the Pink, you’d better think! ...again! Man I keep messing that up...”

“You are trying to find me, oui? Am I over ‘ere?” 

Curaçao’s voice laughed from somewhere to Pinkie’s left. Pinkie swivelled around and let loose a rough roundhouse kick in that direction, but struck nothing but air and nearly tripped over herself. 

“Or am I over ‘ere?” 

This time, the voice came from right behind Pinkie. She deftly leapt into a backflip and spun around with another kick. Nothing. This time, she did trip and frantically tried to keep her balance.

“Grrr... quit hiding! If you’re gonna fight me, do it like a mare!” Pinkie called out, still looking around herself. Rarity had said with a keen eye, she could spot Curaçao’s outline and find her, so she tried to calm down and look more slowly, using the taunts to try and buy some time or goad the other pony into revealing herself.

Curaçao voiced sighed with disappointment. “Tsk tsk. If you zink I’m going to fall for zee same tricks zat ‘avocwing does, you are sadly mistaken, vois-tu? Are you trying to emulate your dear chérie? Oh, zat reminds me... where is Mademoiselle Dash anyway? Did she... abandon you? Très triste... pour toi, at least.”

Pinkie glared in the last direction she’d heard the voice from, then removed her helmet and reached into her poofy hair and pulled out a set of goggles. Curaçao remained silent and watched in bizarre awe as she watched Pinkie put them on and click a switch on the side that made the lenses glow a bright green before Pinkie began to look around herself.

“Ah... and zee toys come out. Tell me zen... what are zose supposed to be?” Curaçao’s voice asked with genuine curiosity.

Pinkie smirked and turned, then confidently pointed in Curaçao’s direction. “Aha! Gotcha!”

Curaçao panicked and leapt aside to avoid Pinkie rushing at her with a flurry of punches and kicks. “What zee- merde!” 

She began to dodge and bob and weave to avoid Pinkie’s rapid-fire assault, then grit her teeth and went to sweep Pinkie’s legs. Pinkie deftly flipped again and ended up behind Curaçao’s planned escape route. Curaçao was astounded that somehow, during the mid-air flip, Pinkie had once again changed her outfit, now dressed in a sleek black, lightly-armored suit that covered her entire body and even her face, minus her eyes and the goggles over them, equipped with all assortments of pouches of various sizes. The goggles had changed too, now sporting a third eye in the center. Pinkie now was pointing what looked like some sort of tube-shaped, shoulder-mounted weapon pointed directly at Curaçao.

“You think you’re sneaky, you haven’t met sneaky!” Pinkie declared brightly, “Agent Pink is on the case!”

“Where did you get all zat merveilleux equipment?” Curaçao’s voice cooed as she uncloaked herself, “Zough zat suit does not go well wiz a pony of your figure, of course. If I may be blunt, it makes... ah, ‘ow would ma chérie say it? Ah - it makes your butt look big? Did I get zat right?”

Pinkie waggled her head. “Oh no you di-n’t. Girl, you best check yo’self, fo’ you wreck yo’self, gettin’ up all in my bidnez!” she snorted, waving a hoof back and forth in front of her face with inexplicable snaps. “So, we’re back to the taunting game, huh? Well just so you know, I learned from the best.”

“Oh, I am eager wiz attente,” Curaçao chuckled.

“You think I’ve got a big butt? Well... your butt is... all... fancy! And wimpy! You’re a fancy-schmancy, limpy-wimpy, butt-face!”

Curaçao remained silent and mouthed the words back to herself. She shook her head in disbelief. “I... ouah. Zat... zat was terrible.”

“Your face is terrible,” Pinkie scoffed.

Curaçao waved a hoof dismissively. “Clearly a master of zee art of... ‘ow would you put it? Zee Dozens, oui? But, ah, pardonne-moi, I was asking you where you got tes jouets? I ‘ave un ‘obby, vois-tu? I like to know ‘ow everypony’s powers work, so zat when zee time comes... je pourrai t’écraser sous mon sabot. Yours, ‘owever, is strange to me. ‘ow do you ‘ave such wonderful abilities?”

Pinkie continued to pace around Curaçao, keeping her guard up despite seeing the other earth pony just standing calmly there, glowing a bright green in the center of her vision. It was strange that this pony was so calm despite everything. Rarity had said that even in the heat of fighting against her, Curaçao continued to maintain the same awkwardly calm, professional attitude whilst in the middle of a brawl. Only when she was angry did she seem to drop it, but Pinkie was at a loss for how to make her angry, not that she wanted to, really. Rarity had said that the blue earth pony was, when angered, genuinely scary.

What struck Pinkie the most was that Curaçao was actually a legitimate threat. In this fog, she could move around unseen. All things considered, the other earth pony was dangerous if she were to be allowed near her friends, so when it came down to it, Pinkie knew that by keeping her occupied here, she was harmless. If that meant leaving her friends to deal with Curaçao’s allies in order to prevent Curaçao herself from joining in and distracting them, so be it.

So, she humored her.

“Well okay... um, but it’s hard to explain, really. Let’s just keep it simple, so I can get back to kicking your butt and then get back to helping my friends. Sound good?”

“C’est acceptable,” Curaçao nodded.

Pinkie then stated, matter-of-factly, unabashedly, completely genuinely and seriously and without even the slightest hint of attempting to joke around, “I can do whatever I want. There, happy?”

“Whatever you want?” Curaçao asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Whatever I want.” Still no trace of a giggle or a laugh, no smile, no grin, just a stone look.

“So you can pull zese... zese toys out of nowhere?”

“Yup.” Unfathomably serious.

Curaçao shook her head in utter disbelief. “Zis must be une farce. Zat kind of magic, c’est difficile even pour ta capitaine... even pour ma capitaine. You cannot make somezing from nozing, not wizout une incroyable habileté... and une corne- a, ‘ow would you say, ‘orn on your ‘ead, voyez-vous?”

“What?” Pinkie said somewhat nervously, tilting her head, “But I do it all the time. You’ve seen it, Red’s seen it, everypony’s seen it.”

Curaçao let out a groan and shook her head. “No wonder Velvet ‘as such trouble wiz you - you are breaking zee rules of magic! C’est impossible, zis ‘magic’ of yours!”

“Oh yeah?” Pinkie chortled, “Watch this!” She braced herself and aimed her weapon directly at Curaçao, and squeezed the trigger.

*click*

Curaçao watched in suspense, as nothing even remotely interesting happened. “Watch what? Is zat zing supposed to do somezing?”

*click* *click* *click* *click*

Pinkie looked at her weapon nervously, clicking the trigger incessantly even as she looked down the barrel. 

*click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click*

Nothing. Even though she had purposefully aimed it at herself and fired, a classic joke, it still wasn’t working.

“What the hay... oh come on! There was suppose to be a ‘BANG!’ and then a ‘BOOM!’ and then you were supposed to get knocked around and stuff! This isn’t supposed to happen...” She was doing her best not to let anything slip. Curaçao had accidentally said exactly the wrong thing, but so long as she didn’t know why her shoulder-mounted, heat-seeking, BFRL-3000 wasn’t working, then she could still have an advantage.

Curaçao’s laugh was loud and boastful, “My my my, are you ‘aving trouble, Mademoiselle Pie? Per’aps it broke when you sat on it?”

Pinkie glared and chucked the useless equipment aside. “Okay fine, no rocket launcher, no problem. I’m still a master of CQC! Prepare to be thrashed, fancy pants!”

“Oh, you are zee master of zee mêlée? I take it zat Rarity did not give you any details on what I did to ‘er?”

“Oh she told me plenty,” Pinkie grinned, getting into a fighting stance, “But that’s Rarity, not me. No offense to her, but she’s not exactly what I’d call a ‘combat master’... well except that one time she knew karate, but I think that was a ‘one episode only’ gag? Whatever - time to get to business. Let’s get some tunes rolling, and we can get started.”

Pinkie Pie reached into one of the many pouches on her suit and pulled out her little music player, and began busily fumbling with it. She brightened when she found just what she was looking for, pressed a button, then eagerly bounced in place as the music started to play.

“Perfect,” Pinkie smiled, “Okay, fancy pants - it’s show-”

“Berk...” Curaçao snorted, turning her nose up, “Tes goûts musicaux, ils sont affreuse!”

“You... you don’t like it?” Pinkie pouted.

“Non! C’est trop... ah... trop grossier. Don’t you ‘ave somezing more... de grande classe? Euh... classy?”

“Classy?” Pinkie blinked, “Why would you want something classy? This is a straight up brawl, missy, we don’t-”

“Zere is such a zing a classy ‘fight music’, n’est-ce pas?” Curaçao said pointedly, “But I guess if you do not ‘ave any, zen I will just... mon dieu... ‘make do’ wiz... ça.”

“What? Psh, I have classy fight music,” Pinkie snorted, “Hmph, check this out!” And Pinkie pushed a button on the little gadget, and suddenly, different music started playing from nowhere yet again. “Oh, huh. Eh... well, let me try again, that’s not-”

“Attends!” Curaçao held up a hoof, and briefly considered, “Ah! It is good! Zat is, ‘ow would you say, more like it!”

Pinkie Pie made a face. “Oh Celestia you can’t be serious. Really? This isn’t fighting music!”

“Non? Oh, but je l’aime!” Curaçao pouted.

“Fine... I guess grand orchestral fits.” Pinkie rolled her eyes and got back into a fighting stance again. “Well whatever, long story short, I warn you now,” and she stared straight ahead as her voice dropped two whole octaves, “I know kung-fu.”

Curaçao smirked and settled in to her own combat stance. “Montrez-moi.”

Pinkie lunged forward, hind legs first, rapidly kicking her legs in a bicycle kick. Curaçao ducked beneath Pinkie and grabbed her legs as she whizzed by her head, shifting her weight and flinging Pinkie over her and slamming her into the ground. As the blue pony moved to pin her, Pinkie kicked her legs, sending Curaçao flying over her. The blue earth pony landed perfectly on all fours, and snickered again as Pinkie worked her way back to her hooves.

“Ouah, kung-fu? Where did you learn your technique? A cereal box?”

“Oog... h-hey! It was an excellent source of fifteen vitamins and minerals...” Pinkie complained as she rubbed her head, “Ow... you’re stronger than you look.”

“You’re too easy to read,” Curaçao laughed, “Zose moves of yours, zey are too flashy, too predictable. You are, ‘ow you say, zee power player? Zat may work against Red Velvet, as she plays zee same. Me zough... I ‘ave, ‘ow would you say, finesse. Technique, s'il te plaît?” Curaçao smiled as she shifted back into her shroud of invisibility. “Come on zen, let us continue zee game, oui?”

~~~~~

Applejack and Flathoof, with an exhausted and limping Tick Tock behind them, came running towards Twilight and Lockwood’s previous location, where the fog was rapidly dispersing and making it significantly easier to see. To their dismay, Twilight was not there.

“No...” Applejack panicked as she frantically looked around the crevice, “No... where is she?! Twilight?! Twilight?! I can’t feel her anywhere nearby!”

“Lockwood? Hey bud, are you alright?” Flathoof stammered as he approached the pegasus, who was thankfully still fast asleep. “Whew. Blast it... where did they-”

“Look out!” Tick Tock called from just outside the crevice, raising a Barrier around herself as fast as she could.

Flathoof barely reacted in time to avoid a fireball as it exploded near him and Lockwood, pulling the pegasus with him and rolling together some ways away and hitting the canyon wall.

“Ahhhhhh!” Lockwood winced as he startled awake, “Geez, can’t you ever wake me up peacefully?!”

“Dammit!” Flathoof yelled as he got to his hooves and stood defensively near Lockwood, “Stay down buddy, we’ve got company.”

“Oh... wonderful...” Lockwood grumbled. He suddenly perked up in a panic. “Fluttershy? Where’s Fluttershy?!”

“She’s with Rarity, now stay down,” Flathoof hissed, “Just keep behind me, okay?”

“Man, can’t believe I missed! Guess I’m off my game,” Havocwing snickered as she circled around up above them and charged up another fireball, “Oh well, I won’t miss this time! Eat it, losers!”

The blast screeched towards the two, and Flathoof prepared to shield Lockwood from the burst with his body. It exploded several feet before it got to them, deflected by a well-aimed boulder that had been chucked into the line of fire. The fire and rock sprayed about, so Flathoof still had to shield Lockwood from most of it.

“Oh for buck’s sakes, come on!” Havoc angrily yelled, charging up another set of fireballs, “I’m getting tired of this crap!”

“Hey featherbrain, heads up!” Applejack called as she kicked another rock in the pegasus’s direction.

Havocwing lazily swerved to avoid it, and grinned wide as she looked back down at ground level. “Oh, look who thinks she’s a big mare now! Pretty brave of you to be kicking rocks around like some sort of big-shot, ground-pounder.”

Applejack called back, “Pretty brave of y’all ta be shootin’ fireballs ‘round like some sorta hot-shot, cloud-fluffer.”

Havocwing sneered, “You wanna play, huh? Fine, the boss wants me to deal with you, guess you get to be dealt with!”

“Bring it on!” Applejack turned quickly to Flathoof and Lockwood, “You two keep safe, y’hear? Tick Tock! Over here, no tellin’ where th’ others o’ their group are!”

Applejack galloped off and left the three of them alone, thankfully drawing Havocwing’s fire away from them. Tick Tock breathed a sigh of modest relief. “We need to get to cover, boys. Flathoof, take Lockwood and- oh bugger, down!”

Flathoof chanced a glance sideways and narrowly reacted in time to duck under a swinging red blade that slashed into the wall of rock behind them, dribbling debris and splashing blood down on them.

“Tch, no fair,” Red Velvet complained as she stepped out of the fog, “I almost got myself a three-for-one special on pony heads. One of every variety even! A total bargain, all wasted. Oh well... guess I’ll just have to do this the old-fashioned way, which is fine really, I like old-fashioned,” she added with a wicked chuckle.

“This... is bad...” Tick Tock gulped, letting her horn glow. The glow was horribly dim, and she was visibly strained even attempting this, “This is really, really bad...”

“I’ll handle this,” Flathoof said firmly, stepping forward and cracking his neck.

Tick Tock and Lockwood watched him in disbelief, jaws agape. She spoke first. “You’re... joking? Right? Please tell me you’re joking, because then I can tell you you’re not bloody funny.”

“Ooh, well now, this looks fun!” Velvet said with a wide, fanged grin, “Finally, a target I’m allowed to use lethal force against! It’s been ages since I’ve had another pony, so you have no idea how much I’m going to enjoy this, big guy. Let’s see if you can last longer than the last stallion I enjoyed. I’ll play nice, I swear! Hee hee! Oh, I suppose it’s only fair I let you have some last words with your friends. That just makes it all the more sad for them when you die, and I drink that stuff up.”

“Are you crazy, Flathoof?!” Lockwood exclaimed, “She’ll kill you!”

“She’s not getting past me,” Flathoof snorted as he stepped forward again, pride and confidence in his stride, “Rarity’s boost magic flows through me, and I’m going to use it to do what I should’ve been doing since this whole damn journey started. I’m going to keep you all safe. I’m going to protect you.”

“I appreciate the bravado, Flathoof,” Tick Tock hastily interjected, “If you’re trying to impress all the mares here or trying to make amends for anything you may or may not have done, this is not the best way to do it. There is a difference, a huge difference, between brave and bleedin’ daft.”

“You’ll see, Tick Tock,” Flathoof smiled, “I’ll be okay. You just stick with Lockwood, make sure nothing happens to him, alright?”

“All done?” Velvet smiled eagerly, “Good, that means we can get to it then. Say... has anypony ever told you you are just a gorgeous hunk of meat? You’re so thick... so juicy. Huh, beefcake? I mean, I know you all are starving out here and stuff, so it’s kind of lucky I guess that you’re still so damn buff.”

“If we’re done with all this, let’s just start, shall we?” Flathoof said bravely, planting his hooves and standing tall and firm, “We’ll see what my power looks like when it’s been given a little ‘oomph’. I’m looking forward to it.”

Velvet clicked her tongue, shrugged, and lashed out at him with a tendril of blood that moved faster than he could see. It wrapped around his neck and dragged him towards her at a purposefully slow pace. He struggled to get out of the grip for a few moments, before grinning and planting his hooves firmly in the ground; he stopped moving, no matter how hard she tugged.

“One of the first things I learned when it came to protecting those important to me is to stand your ground,” he explained.

“Aww, that’s cute. So you think you’re tough, then?” Velvet grinned, “Allie-oop!”

Flathoof yelped as he was tugged upwards and then sharply slammed back down, then yanked over to her with a jerking motion. She stopped him in mid-air and tenderly ran her hooves along his chest.

“Ooh, tender...” she breathed, “You’ve got a lot of meat on you, beefcake. I can’t wait.” She brought him down to her level and whispered in his ear, “I want you... inside me...”

“If you’re trying to creep me out,” Flathoof shivered, “It’s working...”

Velvet pouted, “Awww, not even in bite-sized little bits? What did you think I meant? Mmm... you’re dirty. I like that.” 

She shrugged, then lashed the tendril out again, moving it like a whip and flinging Flathoof into the nearest wall. He crashed into it hard, sending debris falling about. Velvet let her tendril slink away as Flathoof fell to the ground and was covered by rocks that continued to fall from the canyon wall.

“Tsk, not quite the stamina I would have liked,” Velvet said with a dejected sigh, “Good stallions are so hard to find these days, right guys?” she added, leering at Tick Tock and Lockwood. “Okay then, which one of you is next? The other stallion? Lockwood, was it? Hmm... I dunno, a bit stringy...”

“Oh geez she’s looking right at me isn’t she?” Lockwood shivered.

Her nose twitched. “Now that I think about it... by the stars, what is that smell? Is that coming from you? It’s like blood... mixed with fear. Normally that would be downright delectable, but I dunno... something seems off. The blood is all rotten or something, eww. The fear’s alright though... just strange. Tainted. Whatever it is, it’s got some decent kick to it... and you know what?” She paused, legitimately thoughtful, “Once you get used to it, it’s kinda nice. Spicy! Piquant, maybe! Maybe I’ll keep you around as like... seasoning! Grind up a bit of you at a time for the extra zest,” and she held out both hooves, presenting the idea, “Like ‘Fear-Lite: half the calories, all the taste’! If I weren’t the only member of my target demographic, I’d be a marketing genius! I daresay I’d make a... killing! Ha ha haaa, whew. I’m gonna write that down, that’s a keeper.” She wiped a black tear from her eye.

“I don’t know if any of what she just said is something I should be scared of... or really scared of...” Lockwood nervously admitted.

Red Velvet started at his voice, and looked at Tick Tock hungrily, “And please say you’re the main course, Tick Tock. I mean, I prefer stallions, but I’m not picky - I get my fill either way! Oooh, and I’ll earn so many brownie points with daddy if I bring him your head. That’s the only part I’ll save, of course. Well, unless I get full, then I guess I’ll take a doggy bag.”

Tick Tock gulped and stepped forward, still limping. “Right. Well... wish me good luck?” she chuckled nervously, looking at Lockwood.

“Luck. Good. Right,” Lockwood frowned, “Yes, that’s served you well over the last two weeks.”

Red leapt forward, blades spinning and twirling about. Tick Tock prepared to place up a Barrier to defend herself. She was surprised when Red was sent flying as Flathoof rammed into her from the side. She was sent rolling, rolling, until she hit the canyon wall.

“I’m not done yet, Miss Velvet,” Flathoof snorted, scraping a hoof roughly through dirt, “I said I’d protect my friends, and I meant that from the bottom of my heart. Round two, let’s go. I’m just getting started.”

“Oooh, I like you, big boy,” Velvet snickered as she shook dirt and dust off of herself, “You’ve got spunk! You’ve got life! I’m going to enjoy breaking you in half!”

She charged at him again, lashing a blade forward. He rolled to avoid it and rushed at her, bashing her in the face with his shoulder and knocking her back a little. She was unfazed and latched onto his torso again with her tendrils, lifting him into the air and slamming him down again as hard as she could. She grinned widely as the dust cleared, then watched in curiosity and anger as he started to stand again.

“What gives?” she scratched her head, “That should have broken your spine! Where’s the delicious snap?!”

Flathoof smiled as he stood upright, a dim blue glow in his eyes. “Like I told Lockwood - super strength includes increased endurance and toughness. Heh heh... you can’t break me. I am a shield. That hurt like hell though...” he winced.

“So you can at least still feel pain,” Velvet grinned widely, “That’s good enough for me! I could use a new boy toy!”

Velvet tightened her grip on his torso and flung him at the nearest wall, chasing in after him with more tendrils flailing about. Tick Tock watched in morbid fascination as Flathoof took the brunt of the assault and screamed in pain, but was not physically taking much damage at all.

“He can’t handle her by himself...” she grimaced, “She’s just playing with him. She’s getting a kick of seeing how much he can take...”

“You... need to help him,” Lockwood suggested weakly.

“I’m still too drained from that bloody moronic blonde,” Tick Tock frowned, “I’d be more harm than help if I tried to get in there now.”

“Let’s see if... there’s something we can’t do... about that...” Lockwood smiled.

He touched a hoof to the nearest part of her he could reach, and she shot an angry look back at him. “Oy! Watch the hooves there-” She suddenly brightened as the feeling of weakness she was feeling ebbed away. “Oh... w-wait! You shouldn’t be doing this in your condition!” she pointed, attempting to jerk away.

Lockwood gave her a grim smile. “I... I can take it...” he breathed, “Besides... I might pass out from... all the pain... eventually, then... I can get back... to sleep...”

Tick Tock continued to try and stop him from doing what he was doing, but her own exhaustion was keeping her from moving, and his grip felt like a magnet. The pain in her leg and the weakness in her body began to melt away slowly, but her anguish was now emotional as she watched Lockwood’s face contort to match the new sensations he was feeling. After a moment or two, Lockwood’s eyes glazed over and Tick Tock frantically channeled a Sedation spell to get him back to sleep painlessly.

“Sleep well, you nutter...” Tick Tock sighed, “Right! Here goes!”

She galloped over to the site of Flathoof and Velvet’s battle, where the mare was literally swinging Flathoof around like a yo-yo and slamming him into the ground, the canyon walls, and anything else she could find. Tick Tock fired a bolt of magic at her which exploded in a shower of sparks against the back of her head, causing her to lose her focus, stumble, and drop Flathoof, who fell somewhat nearby; Tick Tock ran to him and crouched at his side. He was still surprisingly intact despite everything, but his magic seemed to be wearing thin, as bruises and scrapes and cuts were beginning to show.

“You alright there, Flathoof?” Tick Tock asked.

He weakly nodded and stood upright. “I’ve had worse. Where’s Lockwood?”

“Sleeping. Let’s just keep it simple and leave it at that, eh?”

“Psh, can’t I ever enjoy a little fun without getting interrupted by somepony trying to be a hero?” Velvet sneered as she turned to face them, “Really? I mean really? I was willing to save you for later, Tick Tock, but I guess if you’re so eager to enter the fray, I’ll accommodate you!”

“Two against one now, psycho,” Tick Tock snorted, “Odds are improved, and that’s enough to hold you off until somepony else finishes up your sisters and comes to our aid.”

“Aww... you’re so cute when you’re brave,” Velvet snickered as she approached them, blades twirling about. “So, you two think you’re some sorts of tough cookies, huh? I’ll admit, that infuriating Pinkie Pie may have gotten on my nerves with all her bizarro antics, but at least she put up a good fight. What do you two think you’re going to do? Beefcake here looks like he’s losing his touch, and you, Tick Tock, are very unfortunately-” She lashed out a tendril at her, “Not invincible!”

Tick Tock panicked and placed up a Barrier, which deflected the tendril just barely. She fought to keep it up around her and Flathoof as Velvet continued to pound away at it with all assortments of bloody weaponry. Velvet’s grin widened more and more as Tick Tock’s shield seemed to be wearing thinner and thinner, forcing Flathoof to rush out of it in an attempt to distract her. She laughed, and swatted him aside.

“Oops! Nice try!” Velvet grinned at Tick Tock again, her smile massive and fanged. Her eyes were beginning to turn red again. “You really should be glad I’ve held back this long. There’s a lot of fear in the air around here, Tick Tock. I can smell it. I can taste it. Do you want to know... what you’re all the most afraid of?”

Tick Tock’s eyes widened in shock as Velvet’s tendrils actually grabbed her Barrier and threw it, with her inside, at the nearest wall. She bounced around inside and lost her focus, dropping the shield and shuffling away in a panic.

“I’m gonna just drink this all in before I kill you,” Velvet chortled, “You have no idea how long it’s been since I’ve able to feel this good. I can put off the murdering and the blood and the death and all that fun stuff until later, at least until I can get off on all this.”

Flathoof charged in and attempted to knock her aside. She caught him inches away and threw him over her head, sending him flying right at Tick Tock; the two of them tumbled and rolled and hit the canyon wall again.

“Now then, where was I? Oh yes! Your darkest fears. I can see them, you know. I can hear them, buzzing around in my head like little voices, whispering in my ear, telling me what to do. I don’t even really need their help either, but it’s fun to listen to their anguish,” she paused for a moment, closing her eyes, apparently listening intently, “You’re all desperate right now... you’re weak from hunger and exhaustion and lack of morale; your hearts aching from the abandonment of a friend; your minds tired from lack of sleep; your souls drained and your spirits broken. It makes it so easy to pry into the deepest little recesses of your existence, to see what you fear the most. Do you want to hear what they are?”

She lashed out a tendril and grabbed onto Flathoof first, pulling him to her and looking him in the eyes. Her own eyes began to turn red, her pupils black, and she eagerly licked off the blood that was running across his face from his forehead. “Mmm... you do taste good, big guy. A nice little sample for now... I’ll save the rest of you for later.” She stroked his face with her tendril, and smiled wickedly. “You’re most afraid for your friends, of course. Afraid that you can’t protect them, that your very existence and everything that makes you you is just a lie. That you’ll fail, and another one will die, and another... and another....” Her tendrils tightened around his neck and pulled him closer, and with a massive grin she whispered in his ear. “Let me assure you... they’ll all die. They’ll all die... and it will all be your fault...”

He winced through the most intense pain he’d ever known as visions flooded his mind, vivid and real. The sight of Lockwood, moving about against his will as one of those monstrous things, in pain, filled with remorse; Tick Tock and Twilight and Fluttershy and all the others, mutilated and tossed carelessly in a pile by long, flowing streams of red, sickening liquid. Applejack, the last of them, fighting off an unseen foe and very suddenly losing as a great blade of red and black sliced through her solid rock body, cracking it apart and grinding her into dust.

“It’s all your fault...” she breathed again. She then lashed another tendril out and grabbed Tick Tock, pulling her to her without even tilting her head. She rotated the unicorn to be in front of her, and grinned widely, her eyes growing redder by the second. “You... you’re afraid of something... no, somepony. Oooh... curious. It’s not me! I’m almost disappointed, in myself really more than you. Let’s see who this creature is then...”

Tick Tock screamed in agony as the visions flooded her, making her see her nightmares come to life in front of her eyes as Velvet’s face began to melt and warp into something different. Pink was slowly replaced by black, and only the eyes remained changed, red as before. The face barred its teeth, rotten and yellow and green, dripping with a black bile. The rest of her body began to warp too, turning all to black, large sections of flesh suddenly bursting outwards and leaking blood and guts without the face reacting at all. Great wings spread from its back; silver, metal wings. A pegasus, a stallion judging from the build. He smiled at her and leaned in. Tick Tock squirmed and tried to get away as his teeth grazed her ear.

“Hello again... Chronomancer... and goodbye...”

She screamed in pain again as it brought one of the silver wings around and sliced it through her. Reality melted back into view, and Velvet bared the same sinister, gleeful grin. “Ooh... he’s cute,” she cooed, her eyes now filled with red and black and beginning to seep a black ooze again, “My kind of guy. Got that sleek body tone... a gorgeous smile... dreamy eyes... oh, and there’s the whole ‘likes to murder’ thing. We’d be perfect for each other! An old boyfriend, Tick Tock? He looked so happy to see you die. Mmmm...” she moaned, licking her lips, “All this terror is delicious, and it’s so easy to see, so easy to manipulate. I wonder what the others are all afraid of... who wants to find out?!”

~~~~~

Pinkie snorted and continued to follow Curaçao with her goggles after getting back to her hooves again. “You might be sorta... well no, really tough, but I’m still standing and I’ve still got fight in me. And if you’re going to try and hide from me, fancy pants, you’ve got another thing coming, so stop trying!” she laughed, tapping her goggles.

Curaçao chuckled, “So, you can still see me? Ah zat’s zee trick... zose goggles zen, zey are zee key?”

“Only the best in modern technology,” Pinkie proudly pointed.

“Anozer toy you pulled from your bag of tricks, zen? I said already zat-”

“It's right here! You can see it!” Pinkie yelled, exasperated, “Seeing is believing, y’know? Just drop it and let me thrash you, okay? You are really throwing off my groove here.”

“You are awfully... defensive, about your toys...” She let her mouth curl up in a sly grin, “Tell me zough... if you can do anyzing, zen what is stopping you from taking your friends ‘ome right now?”

“That’s none of your beeswax there, frou-frou,” Pinkie said aggressively.

Curaçao tutted, “Oh, such a shame zis is. You say you can do anyzing, and yet you cannot do zis? Was zat a lie, zen?”

“I ain’t lyin’,” Pinkie said, shaking her hoof, “I may not be honest Applejack, but I’m no dirty liar!”

“I zink you are lying, mon amie,” Curaçao smirked, “After all, if you can do anyzing, zen zere must be a reason why you can’t just solve all zeir problems right. Zis. Second. I wonder why it is zat you can’t? Hmmm... well, Velvet said zat your power relies on your mood, non? Maybe zat ‘as somezing to do wiz it?”

Pinkie cracked her neck and got back into a fighting stance. “That’s right. Like I told that weirdo, if it makes me happy, I can do anything. And you know what? Right now, kick-”

“Oui, ‘kicking my butt’, as you say, would make you ‘appy. Zat is zee problem I ‘ave, mon amie - wouldn’t getting across zee sea and to your ‘ome make you ‘appy? I mean, it’s only logical, and as much as I know what you do defies all logic, it still makes no sense zat you would willingly stay ‘ere, right now, wiz tes copines in danger.”

Pinkie remained resolute, “I said, it’s none of your beeswax. If you can’t accept that, then you’d better quit yappin’ and get ready to throw down.”

Curaçao tapped a hoof to her chin in thought. “I wonder if zere is more to your magic zan just being ‘appy zen. And you are so defensive of me... questioning your ‘magic’...” Her mouth suddenly curled up in another smug grin. “Ahhh... oui, zat is it. Zat is it! Ooh là là... c’est magnifique...”

Pinkie got aggravated with Curaçao’s stalling. “Enough chit-chat, let’s get this show back to moving!”

Curaçao shook her head and gave Pinkie a look of sincere seriousness. “You can still see me zen?” she asked.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Heck yeah, and I’m-”

Curaçao grinned wide. “I don’t believe you.”

Pinkie stopped and blinked in confusion. “What?”

“I said, ‘I don’t believe you’,” Curaçao repeated very simply, “I don’t zink you can really see me. C’est impossible - I am invisible, and you cannot see what is invisible. Zerefore, you cannot see me, and zerefore, you are lying.”

“Whoa, hey, rough accusation there, missy,” Pinkie said in disbelief, “I just told you I’m no liar. I mean, really, I already went over it - it’s the goggles that let me-”

“Zose goggles do nozing. You can’t see me. C’est simple.”

Pinkie grit her teeth and started to step forward again, when suddenly her vision became all staticy and the goggles began to spark and sizzle. She frantically took them off and dropped them as they somehow caught fire. She looked at them in a panic, then back to where she’d last seen Curaçao, then back to the goggles, then back up knowing full well she couldn’t see her anymore.

“Uh-oh... oof!”

She was suddenly tackled from the side and slammed into the ground. She got up and got ready for more, only to be greeted with a very surprisingly strong hoof right to the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Curaçao swept Pinkie’s legs and dropped down to land on Pinkie’s stomach again. She gripped at where she felt her opponent and threw Curaçao aside before scrambling away.

She felt a great weight pin her to the ground, and despite attempts to swing her hooves around to knock Curaçao off, put each flail was blocked and subdued until Pinkie was totally pinned on her stomach, hooves held behind her back.

Curaçao laughed and pushed a hoof to Pinkie’s throat, “So zat is zee secret. You can’t do just anyzing. You can do what you want, so long as zere is a... suspension of disbelief, but if zat suspension were to disparaître...” She laughed again, “C’est terrible, zat if only Velvet was able to focus, she’d ‘ave beaten you long ago. Ah... zee weakness of anger and temper. Zat is why I am calm. Professionnelle.”

Pinkie pushed Curaçao off her and tried to crawl away, only to have the invisible pony leap onto her back and lock her in another stranglehold, one hoof around her throat and the other tugging her hair.

“Now, what was zat about you being zee master of zee mêlée?”

“Get off of me!” Pinkie choked as she struggled to release herself.

“It would seem zat wizout your toys, you are... ‘ow you say, ‘worzless’?” Curaçao chortled.

“I’ll show you- whoa!” Pinkie cried as a red tendril reached out through the fog and grabbed her by the tail.

“What zee-” Curaçao started. Her statement was interrupted and she was knocked aside as the tendril yanked Pinkie out of her own grip and dragged her screaming into the fog. Curaçao shook her head and got to her hooves. “Ah... zut, Red Velvet, what are you up to?”

~~~~~

“Come on, hillbilly, is this all you’ve got?! My grandmother could do better, and I don’t even know my grandmother!” Havocwing snickered as she twirled and dodged rocks that were flying at her, “This is a breeze compared to dodging lightning! Yawn...”

“Yeah well, if’n I’m borin’ ya, maybe y’all should come down here an’ see how y’all’d fare against me mare-ta-mare!” Applejack called as she kicked rock after rock upwards at her target, disappointed that she couldn’t even get a bead on the much smaller, much faster, much more agile pegasus. She actually found herself wishing she was fighting Grayscale Force again. Where was she, anyway?

“Nope, not falling for that stuff this time,” Havocwing shook her head, “Gray told me you’re a tough customer in hoof-to-hoof, and I’m not dumb enough to give up my only advantage. Try harder, farmgirl! I can keep this up all night!”

“So y’all’re just a big ol’ chicken, is that what y’all’re sayin’?!” Applejack taunted, “‘cause sure as shootin’ that’s what I’m hearin’ outta that big ol’ mouth o’ yers!”

Havocwing stopped in mid-air and angrily spat down at Applejack, “If you want to keep your head down there, hick, you’d better keep your damn mouth shut. I’m no chicken and you know it. Just ask your friend Rainb- oh wait! You can’t!”

“All I’m hearin’ up there is ‘bwack bwack bwack’, chicken,” Applejack catcalled as she shook her rear at Havocwing.

Havocwing sneered and charged up a fireball. “That’s it! You are just begging for trouble, aren’t you, ground-pounder? I was going to be nice and let you just waste your time down there trying to hit me, but if you really want a piece of the action, then be my guest! Lesson thirty: If somepony thinks they’re tough, then get a little rough!”

She launched a volley of blasts downwards in Applejack’s direction, making the earth pony abandon her attempts at kicking rocks and hastily moving to avoid getting hit. The volley chased her around in circles, and Applejack silently thanked the earth for being kind enough to her to allow her to move without much friction, giving her a much-needed speed boost. She could tell Havoc was aiming directly at her, not leading her shots, and chalked it up again to the fact that they were supposed to be using non-lethal tactics. She’d heard Rainbow’s recollection of the other pegasus’s accuracy with those blasts.

“Run run run, little earthworm! That’s all you can do is run! Who’s laughing now, Crapplejack?!” Havoc mocked as she aimed her volley to force Applejack to change directions, “Check it out, you can’t even touch me while I’ve got you running around! Guess having to stay still for your little rock-kicking trick sucks, huh? Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you tussled with the best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium!”

Applejack grit her teeth and dodged another volley of leading shots by opting to stop moving completely, taking the split second opportunity to summon up another large chunk of rock, which she spun and kicked in Havoc’s direction. Havoc yelped and swerved out of the way, giving Applejack enough time to summon up several smaller ones that she started kicking her way again. Havoc dodged these easily too, letting them smash against the canyon wall just behind her.

“Like I said-” Havoc laughed as she charged up another volley, “Sucks that you have to stay- oof!”

Applejack smirked as one of the rocks she’d kicked came flying back towards her and locked itself in place around her alongside several others, having struck Havocwing in the back of the head as it whizzed by. Havoc panicked and swerved to avoid the rest of the rocks coming back from the other direction, then watched in surprise as Applejack started kicking another volley at her.

“What the- hey! That’s a load of horseapples! I call cheating!” Havocwing yelled as she frantically started dodging rocks from both directions, moving slowly towards the center of the canyon to give herself some distance.

“Cheatin’, huh? Fair’s fair, featherbrain,” Applejack mocked back, “If’n y’all don’t wanna come down here an’ fight me like a mare, I guess I’m just gonna hafta teach y’all a lesson - don’t underestimate Applejack! Or...” She thought for a second, then brightened and finished, “Y’all ’ll get smacked! See, t’aint so hard, this here rhymin’ business.”

The barrage was coming too fast now for Havocwing to avoid just with dexterity alone, even her dexterity. She angrily growled as she was forced to use her fireballs to deflect rocks away, explosions surrounding her in the air as she moved to and fro, firing bursts of flame this way and that. Applejack chuckled from underneath her, as now the rocks were all flying back and forth almost entirely of their own accord.

“Well now, how d’ya like them apples? Y’all really are a piece o’ cake ta handle, just like Dash said ya were,” Applejack laughed, “Guess maybe next time, y’all won’t be such a dang chicken.”

Havocwing suddenly exploded in a fierce blast of fire that spread outwards like a bomb, enough force in the blast that Applejack was knocked off-balance and had to shield her ears. A screaming ball of fire rocketed upwards out of the explosion, twirled around and dove towards the ground, white-hot and moving like lightning.

“I! AM NOT! A CHICKEN!”

Applejack panicked; Havoc was coming in too fast for her to dodge. She attempted to move anyway but was fiercely tackled and swept up into the air, knocking her hat clean off. She hissed in pain as Havoc’s body seemed to be generating intense heat all by itself, her body beginning to glow white as she streaked through the canyon, her eyes red with rage and mane and tail ablaze. Havocwing let loose a fierce blast of explosive force, sending Applejack careening towards the ground and herself spinning backwards from the force of the explosion. 

Applejack slammed into the earth with all the force of a bullet, and rolled for several yards before slamming into the canyon wall. The only thing that had kept her from cracking apart was that she’d called to the earth to cushion her fall, but that didn’t stop it from hurting like hell.

She shook off her delirium and burst out of the rock that had crashed on top of her, then kicked it all as quickly as she could with all her might at a rapidly approaching Havocwing. Havoc twirled and dodged the rock volley and fired her own volley of explosives at Applejack, and the blasts moved much too fast for her to dodge. Applejack screamed out in pain as the explosions burst against her rock hide and slowly cracked it apart, knocking her back into the wall again.

Havocwing swept around for another pass, her face alight with intense rage. She fired another volley of fire, and Applejack hastily channeled all of her strength to raise a wall of rock in front of her to protect her from the incoming assault. The wall shattered and exploded under the intense force of the blasts, letting Havoc easily sweep through and grab her again. 

She slammed her into another wall, and stayed perfectly well within close range in order to deliver a ferocious flurry of literally explosive punches to Applejack’s face.

“Would a chicken do this?! HUH?! WOULD A CHICKEN DO THIS?!” Havocwing screeched, “ANSWER ME YOU BUCKING BITCH!”

Applejack focused all her might on pushing herself forcefully out of the rock, knocking herself and Havocwing popping out of the wall. Applejack attempted to defend herself, but before she could even move, Havocwing was angrily on her again and grabbed her by the tail. She twirled up and up, higher and higher, out of the canyon and into the stormy sky above.

“You listen good, you piece of trash!” Havocwing spat with all the fire and bile that was possible, “I am not a chicken! You remember that when your friends have to pick you up, piece by bucking piece, after I’m through with you, you illiterate, inbred hick! Lesson zero! You wanna mess with Havocwing, you’d better get ready to feel the sting!”

She twirled up and released another burst of fire, firing Applejack like a missile towards the ground. Applejack panicked again, but could barely think through the pain of the burning sensations searing across her body through her rocky hide. She could see the ground rapidly approaching, and wondered if even the earth’s love for her would be able to cushion the fall. 

But before Applejack could even hit the ground, Havoc swooped in and caught her, flew in a loop and fired her into a canyon wall from point-blank range, embedding Applejack painfully in the wall. Havocwing grabbed Applejack’s tail that was poking out, yanked her from the wall, and blasted her off at the wall opposite. Applejack groaned through the pain and barely registered being grabbed by the tail again and swung towards the opposite wall and fired at it.

Applejack crumbled to the ground after the fourth repeat, and struggled to her hooves with great difficulty, barely being able to stand for half a second before one of her legs gave way to the pain. Her rock armor was cracking all over, and she was finding it hard to focus herself on keeping it stable, keeping it solid, keeping her safe. Hunger, pain, exhaustion, they all came crashing down on her as Havocwing fluttered over and remained hovering just a few feet away, her white-hot body slowing simmering back down to a moderate blue.

“Come on, dirtsucker, did you think you had a chance? I’m better than you!” she seethed, her hooves causing the dirt to sizzle and blacken beneath her hooves, “That you even tried is insulting enough, but then you had to go and say something stupid. Get up.” Applejack struggled to her hooves again then crumbled once more. Havoc was not amused, and floated forward, her hooves igniting with pure heat. “I said GET UP! Get up so I can kick your ass some more, punk!”

Applejack struggled to her hooves and focused all her might on staying steady, then looked in Havoc’s direction and took a single, defiant step forward. “Heh... y’all think... y’all can finish me off? Well if... ya think y’all’re so tough... then let’s have at- whoa nelly!” She yelled as she was suddenly snapped around her throat by a thick red tendril, and yanked through the fog.

Havocwing dove forward to try and catch her, and missed terribly. She glared in the direction Applejack had been taken, and spat liquid fire on the ground. “Dammit dammit dammit! Red, that one’s mine! I’m tellin’ the boss!”

~~~~~

Fluttershy and Rarity felt themselves suddenly pop back into existence in mid-air high above the canyon, and they immediately began to fall, and grabbed onto one another in a panic. This lasted for all of about two seconds before they very suddenly slowed, kept aloft by a dull silver glow that separated them and forced them into form-fitting bubbles of magic.

“W-w-we’re flying!” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Don’t panic, Fluttershy,” Rarity said calmly, “Besides, you’re a pegasus. You can already fly, darling.”

“Oh... b-b-but I don’t like flying when I’m not doing the flying,” the pegasus nervously reminded Rarity as she frantically looked about for whatever was keeping them up, “I d-don’t even like flying when I am the one doing the flying!”

A familiar smug laugh drew their attention and they tried to see where it was coming from, but they were forced to turn in its direction anyway.

“I will concede the point, Grayscale. This strategy is certainly a major improvement upon our previous attempt. I should assume father would be quite impressed with Curaçao’s and your aptitude for tactics. A subtle change in precise locations, and we have gained an incredible advantage.”

“Starlight Shadow...” Rarity glared, her voice icy.

The purple unicorn fluttered down from the storm clouds above until she was just in front of them, kept aloft by a pair of wings glowing a dim, sinister purple, bat-like in appearance. By her side was Grayscale Force, of course, given the conversation they’d just heard. The pegasus bore a stern look on her face, eyes darting every which way as she rapidly scanned around below and around them, evidently looking for something in all the chaos below.

“Oh ho ho, what seems to have you all in a fluster, Rarity?” Starlight said with a wide, smug grin, “Is it not unbecoming of a lady such as yourself to use such a bitter intonation when addressing fellow ladies?”

“If you must know, I’ve simply grown tired of seeing you all, especially after what you did to Twilight, you walking thesaurus,” Rarity spat.

“Thesaurus? Ah! Ha ha ha!” Starlight gave a loud, drawn-out laugh. “Oh... a walking thesaurus, am I? Aforesaid frivolous ignominies emanating from a nugatory dotard congruent with yourself are infinitesimally picayune, analogous to an iota of terra firma malingering amidst the amaranthine macrocosm.”

Rarity blinked several times, then shook her head. “Enough! Now then, release-”

“Ah ah ah, perhaps it would be prudent for you not to elaborate further along your current train of thought?” Starlight said, pointing downwards, “I may just become overcome with a flight of fancy, and accommodate your demands.”

Rarity was undeterred. “This whole storm is your doing, isn’t it? Just like the rock field before?”

“Brilliant deduction,” Starlight grinned, “It is now clear to me why a mare as powerful as Sparkle would humor a pathetic weakling like yourself in allowing you to even be allowed to bask in her presence. Perhaps you are not as incompetent as I originally believed. No doubt this is why Curaçao requested a change in strategy regarding you.”

The mocking was obvious, but Rarity would have no part of it, and turned it right back around. “Hmph, so your ‘tactical advisor’ is afraid to face me, is she?” she smiled confidently.

Starlight laughed extremely loudly, and even Grayscale barely was able to keep herself from cracking a smile. “Oh... my. No... just, no. Curaçao merely is of the opinion that her unique talents are more efficiently put to use elsewhere. Frankly, I too am of the opinion that my power and talent is squandered on such simpletons as you and the terrified little mouse beside you,” she added with a smug grin in Fluttershy’s direction, causing Fluttershy to squeak and try to shy away fruitlessly.

“You leave her alone!” Rarity shouted, “If your business is with me, then release her!”

Starlight ignored Rarity and continued. “Still, it would behoove me to, as I was explaining to Grayscale prior to your arrival, acknowledge their excellent display of tactical prowess. Just a single instance of a mare with only half of my illustrious endowment would prove overkill were she entrusted with such a base task as dominating you, the terribly ineffective benefactor,” she smiled as she shook Rarity around in the air like a doll, “The beastmaster whose beast is incapable of acting whilst imprisoned within even the most insubstantial and rudimentary of magical barriers,” this time, shaking Fluttershy and laughing gleefully as Ophanim angrily tried to bash his way out of the shield, “And of course-” she smirked wide as she floated around another glowing figure, unconscious and trapped inside a third glowing sphere of magic.

“Twilight!” Rarity and Fluttershy exclaimed.

“A languid mage, her magic depleted and her resolve weakened. I daresay she would not be foolhardy enough to attempt any manner of circumvention of my spells, lest she repeat the ordeal of that dreadful feedback incident. Only in this particular scenario, she is a mile up, and while I have my beloved sister here at my side, she only possesses a weakling and pony who could not fly if her life depended on it, and they would all soon find their bodies dashed upon the sediment below. I’ll let you decide upon which of you is which.”

“Speaking of dashing,” Grayscale spoke at last, “Boss... I noticed something.”

“Yes, Gray, what is it?” Starlight asked, half-concerned and not really diverting her focus from the three mares she was busy juggling.

“Rainbow Dash. I don’t see her anywhere. If she were scouting around, she’d be back by now to help.”

“Truly?” Starlight asked, actually interested now and temporarily turning her attention to Grayscale, “Curious. Where could that expeditious pegasus be hiding? And to think, dear sister, that we went through this entire exercise with the intent of pitting you against her. You must be terribly disappointed.”

Grayscale smiled lightly, “Not at all, in fact. If she’s not here, and hasn’t returned yet...” She looked over at Rarity and Fluttershy, her smile widening, “She left. Didn’t she?”

“That’s none of your-” Rarity started.

“That’s a ‘yes’,” Grayscale interrupted, “Well... how about that? Rainbow Dash.. abandoning her friends. Perhaps they should have listened to her more.” Rarity and Fluttershy’s expressions both lit up in shock. Grayscale’s smile widened. “But I suppose it would have happened eventually. After all, it was only a matter of time before all your infighting caused you to kick her out yourselves.”

“That’s not true!” Fluttershy blurted. “We... we would never-”

“Even after she insults your good friend Lockwood? I mean, there’s only so much you can listen to her berate him for.”

Fluttershy’s shocked expression returned. “H-how would you... k-know about that?”

Starlight felt Grayscale shift, a small change in the magical spectrum that she doubted anyone but herself and Twilight Sparkle could feel. She conceded, curious, and Fluttershy and Rarity both accelerated suddenly and violently, stopping inches from Grayscale’s eyes, suddenly wide, and triumphant.

“How would I know? How would the lazy monster of the ‘bad guys’ understand the subtle intricacies of your pony politics?”

In a move clearly done with magic to even the shivering yellow pegasus, Grayscale changed position imperceptibly. The result was immediate. Without a visible sign of movement, she’d shot out with her hoof, gripping Rarity’s dress at the neck. Starlight herself could not be sure if there were visible signs of the movement without evoking more magic than she wanted, already using a considerable amount of her not-inexhaustible if deep attention to maintain her wings despite the wind of the storm, her greatest exertion, and holding a thick Barrier around Twilight and the others.

“You, fashionista, attempting to meddle and malign while your friends needed to be pulled together. You care about form over function to try and present an aura of remaining above the indignities and problems, and thus isolate yourself from the solution. When things got bad, you kept to yourself, kept to your frivolities, so your friends would have a stable base as their world began to crack around them, and their stomachs grew empty. When you realized you had to intervene, it was too late, and no one wanted your opinion anymore. Least of all your best friend.” Grayscale’s eyes flashed. “Say I’m wrong.” She waited. “Nothing? Shocking, considering what I’m about to do to...

“You,” she said next, again shifting her magic imperceptibly, and gripping Fluttershy on the chin, now slowly squeezing with her magic on Fluttershy’s cheeks, pouting her face for her, “You got angry when your best friend confronted you with the truth in the most insufferable but polite way: that the pony you’ve only just met and grown to care for will likely die, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Your response? How could it be anything but anger from someone as repressed and bottled as a wallflower who believes in good things above all else? Tell me I’m wrong, Fluttershy,” Grayscale’s upper lip curled, spinning her hoof away, making both Fluttershy and Rarity cry out from the maneuver from the way it snapped the pegasus’ head back violently.

“Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me, just like you told Rainbow Dash.”

Grayscale flicked her wings, and they felt pressure in the air. The intense gravity radiating from around Grayscale’s body began to draw the graupel in the air towards her slightly, forcing the arcs of lightning up in the storm to screech dangerously close to the five ponies up in the sky. Starlight had to focus herself more on the storm than before to ensure that the lightning generated was kept to a minimum, and kept away from them all more out of worry for herself than anypony else.

“You... h-how could you... know any of this?” Rarity gulped, “You weren’t there when-”

Grayscale laughed, and interrupted. “Simple as putting two-and-two together. Your group has always been easy to follow. Why else would I sleep so much? Would you believe that Rainbow Dash already knew about your betrayal the moment you started arguing with her in the murder-site apartment? That you harbored thoughts in the night that might even make me sick? All of you, forgetting yourselves, forgetting how you impacted one another, except on the superficial level that you are ‘friends’, that your ‘friendship’ is the source of your unity, the beginning of magic and victory? Forgetting yourselves to fear and doubt, the very things that eat away at any and all relationships unless you use the connection itself to strengthen one another? She isn’t here, so that didn’t happen, did it?” They remained silent. “Just as I thought.” 

“Grayscale,” Starlight Shadow said quietly, cutting through the magical storm. The spine-crawling aura the large pegasus had been emitting began to recede, and her expression returned to her usual half-lidded dismissal. “Well done, sister. I’m... impressed, to say the least.” Her voice tried to hide the tinge of disappointment in herself. “Well done indeed.”

“Havoc owes me fifty bits,” Grayscale said with a slow, rolling chuckle, “And, well, if Rainbow isn’t here to keep me company, I guess I can lend a hoof in dealing with these three. I can take the boredom for a little bit - I’m in a damn good mood right now.”

“Y-you think we’re going to just let you toy around with us?” Rarity asked, visibly trying to shake herself from the shock.

Starlight chuckled, “Well, naturally. You’re powerless, suspended in mid-air miles above the ground, and your only hope for salvation - the incredible amateur that she is - floats unconscious still beside you. What action could you possibly take?”

Rarity looked at Fluttershy and Fluttershy looked right back, an unspoken agreement between them. “This!”

Rarity flared her horn and gripped onto Grayscale Force with all her might and slammed her into Starlight. It had been totally unexpected and therefore had actually worked, causing Starlight to lose her focus and drop Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight instantly as she spun to regain control of her flight. Fluttershy raced to grab Rarity, who was closest, while Ophanim flashed outwards as an eagle once again and grabbed hold of the barrier that surrounded Twilight. 

They only managed to drop a few dozen feet before Starlight grabbed onto them again with her magic.

“Tsk tsk,” Starlight tutted, “What a shamefully wasted attempt. Was that display of fortitude supposed to accomplish anything? Besides make me laugh, of course.”

Rarity looked rather sheepish. “Well... you weren’t supposed to regain control so quickly...”

Starlight looked at them with disbelief, “You... you’re serious? Did you forget who I am? Starlight Shadow, all-powerful unicorn? Unsurpassed in might and unmatched in talent and drive? Goddess amongst mares? Ringing any bells?”

“You are supposed to be weakened!” Rarity responded, “Twilight is, why aren’t you? How are you still able to wield your magic so fully?”

“Ha! Ha ha ha! You still compare me to that pathetic novice?” Starlight chortled, “She may have been able to surprise me with that feedback spell, and she may be exceedingly powerful, but she is nothing next to my magnificence. But you want to know why I’m still in such fantastic condition? I suppose it’s because, unlike all of you simpletons, I’m not starving to death, so my energy recharges significantly faster. I can feel your weakness, and I speak of the weakness beyond your natural ineptitude. Your magic still wanes even as we speak. You’re all pathetic, weak little-” Grayscale suddenly nudged Starlight to get her attention. “What?!”

The pegasus pointed downwards, towards the canyon. “Boss... you... might want to take a look at what’s going on down there.”

Starlight looked down below, to where she saw a darkness beginning to spread outwards from where just earlier she’d seen explosions from Havocwing’s fireballs flying every which way. She couldn’t even see those anymore, almost as if they’d stopped entirely.

“What in Equestria...?” Starlight started. She suddenly narrowed her eyes, “I recognize that magic signature. Red Velvet. Come along Grayscale, it seems our older sister is getting carried away again.”

~~~~~

Velvet lashed a tendril out into the fog with a snap. Flathoof and Tick Tock heard a loud yell actually reverberate through the tendril, and were surprised to see the tendril whip back only seconds later, like a rope on a pulley, dragging along a pony in its grip that tried as she might to get away. The tendril snapped again and whipped her over to Velvet, who swung her around and knocked her into her earlier captives.

Applejack.

“What in tarnation-” she started, then looked to see the other two ponies sharing her predicament. Her eyes widened in fear. “Flathoof? Tick Tock? Aww, dagnabit, she got you two? Shoot...”

“Oh, dear Applejack...” Velvet cooed, running her tendrils along Applejack’s cracked stone body with disappointed curiosity, “Aww... now this is a crying shame. If there was one mare around here with the body tone to really get me going, it was you. But all this rock seals off that tender flesh. Well, maybe it’s not so bad? I know! I’ll crack you open like an egg, and just slurp up all the juicy insides!”

“Let go o’ me, ya psycho!” Applejack snapped, wriggling in Velvet’s grip, placing her hooves at her throat to try and yank off the tendril wrapped around her, “Y’all can’t get ta none o’ that nasty business with me anyway, even if’n y’all were allowed ta. I’m rock solid through ‘n’ through.”

“Awww, you’re no fun,” Velvet said with a mocking pout, “I guess I’ll have to make my own fun with you then. Let’s peer into your heart... see what your darkest fears are...” She looked into Applejack’s eyes, and laughed coldly. “You’re like your friend Flathoof here, so much more alike than I think you even know. So afraid of losing your friends that you’d do anything to keep them safe. Defend them from harm, even sacrificing your own safety to do so, no matter the cost. How very... sickeningly noble of you. But what else I can see in here... mmmm... taints that nobility. I can see that you’re keeping secrets...” Applejack’s eyes widened, and Velvet snickered again.

Applejack began to shake in fear at what she saw. Her friends, all disgusted and ashamed, shunning her, abandoning her.

“You’re disgusting...“ came Rarity’s voice, “And after all I told you? Simply deplorable...”

“Oh man, AJ, that’s just sick, and wrong.” Rainbow Dash this time.

“I can’t say I’m surprised, to be honest,” Twilight’s voice, calm and practical, which made it worse, “I’ve been doing some reading and I’ve found it used to be perfectly common practice in our ancient history. Not nowadays though, of course, but Applejack’s always going on about being ‘old-fashioned’...”

She turned her head to look for support from Flathoof, and felt the pain seethe through her again. Him, and Tick Tock, wrapped together in an intimate embrace. They looked at her when they felt her watching, and Flathoof gave her a totally nonchalant look.

“Well what did you expect? Rarity told you that I prefer unicorns, and smart mares too.”

“Exactly, as if you’d stoop so low as to taint yourself by being with an inbred hick like yourself,” Tick Tock’s image scoffed, “You thought you had a chance with him? You are bleedin’ daft, I knew it!”

“Such dirty little secrets they are too, Applejack...” Velvet breathed, “I see why you like him though, he is just a gorgeous hunk of meat, isn’t he? I suppose we like him for different reasons, but-”

“Y’all... just keep her mouth shut,” Applejack spat.

Velvet chortled, “Oh, don’t worry, Applejack. Simple mathematics tell me that I’ll do more damage to you when I kill these two without them ever knowing why you hate them so... mmmm... I can feel their hate flowing back. It’s not quite as tasty as fear, but it’s a nice supplement. Like vitamins! Vitamin Hate! Ha ha ha! Now, let’s see... I know there’s another one of you around here... ah! Here we go. Let’s see what’s behind door number two!”

She lashed another tendril out with a snap and snagged onto something off in the fog. She tugged, and tugged, and strained herself a little as she still tugged, until finally she got sick of tugging and let whatever was on the other end tug away, trailing her tendril back around in a loop and connecting it back to herself. A simple smirk, and she lifted whatever was in her grip. It rubber-banded towards them like a missile, and she caught it just before it flew over head, swinging it around and bringing it face to face.

Pinkie Pie.

“Oooh hoo hoo hoo! Well now, if it isn’t my favorite pony ever!” Velvet cooed with a malicious smile, “Hiya Pinkie! Long time no see! Did you miss me? I missed you!”

“Red! I was wondering where you were hiding! Let go of me!” Pinkie squealed, “Let go of me so I can wallop you! Grrrr!”

“Ahhh, it’s cute that you’re still so brave in light of everything.”

Pinkie swung her legs up and kicked Velvet right in the chin; the other earth pony lost her focus for half a second before snarling and reasserting her grip, tighter this time. She took a deep breath and calmly laughed.

“Ah ah ah, no goading me into a bout of anger this time, Pinkie. Curaçao told me I need to just take a deeeeep breath, and relax. I’ve got plans for you tonight, Pinkie dear, plans for you and all your precious friends. We don’t have time for games, so let’s cut to the chase and peer into that precious soul of yours! Let’s see what you fear most!” 

Red looked Pinkie in the eyes, and her own began to ooze black more fluidly now, spreading it across her face and dripping to the ground. Pinkie’s eyes flashed as the visions flooded her head again. Pinkie fought as hard as she could to resist, but all it amounted to was her witnessing the same old things - visions of her friends being completely destroyed, slaughtered by an unseen monster.

Velvet visibly frowned as she pulled away. “Hmm... bor-ing. Same old, same old, huh Pinkie? You’re not as fun as you used to be...”

“Red Velvet,” a voice from behind her called. 

Velvet tilted her head and watched as Grayscale and Starlight Shadow landed, with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight in tow. Rarity and Fluttershy were both very visibly shocked when they caught sight of their friends caught in Velvet’s grasp.

“What exactly is it that you think you are accomplishing down here, besides inciting disappointment from me?” Starlight demanded.

“Oh, boss!” Velvet smiled genuinely, “You brought me some more firewood! Thanks for that!”

Ignoring the look on Starlight’s face, Velvet lashed out again and grabbed Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight all together and pulled them over to her, completely bypassing Starlight’s magic much to the unicorn’s surprise.

Starlight stepped forward and stamped a hoof. “Red Velvet! I do believe we engaged in previous discussions regarding this sort of thing, yes? You are treading on thin ice, sister.”

“Boss, relax, I’m just having a little fun,” Velvet chuckled, “I’ve got them all right where we want them, ready for phase two. They’re all weak and helpless and desperate, and I just have to enjoy this for a little bit. You know how often I ever get to really enjoy myself? Never! Please boss? Let me have this?”

Starlight narrowed her eyes, then turned up her nose. “I suppose I can allow it... for the time being. I remind you, though, that if you overstep-”

“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever,” Velvet said, dismissively waving her hoof. “Let’s see now... oh, you three will be easy! Fluttershy-” she chortled as she swept the frantically squirming pegasus in front of her, “You are afraid of everything. Havoc’s little confidence lessons may be making you less afraid to speak your mind, and stand up for yourself or your friends, but no matter how confident you are, you’re still just a scared little mouse in a room full of cats. You’re just like Havoc is... but at least she puts on a better brave face about it. Hmmm... but right now, there’s a little twinge of darkness in there. Ah!” she grinned as she ran her tongue along her lips, “There it is. So there is something you fear more than anything... well, at least for the moment.”

She looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, and the pegasus’s vision filled with darkness, until at last Velvet’s figure melted away, piece by piece, until it was replaced with Lockwood’s. He was laying there, crumbled in a bloody heap on the ground. She tried to move to him, but couldn’t. He wasn’t moving; wasn’t breathing. The image of Flathoof trotted over to him and cradled him in his hooves, his face overcome with tears. He snapped his head up to glare at Fluttershy.

“This is all your fault...“ he sneered, “He’s dead because of you!”

Velvet cackled as Fluttershy shivered and began to tear up. “Ha! Ha ha ha! Oh... that’s gold right there. Dread really is amongst the best kinds of fear there is. Ahhh... well, let’s keep this train a-rollin’. Rarity,” she smiled as she rotated the unicorn to the front, “Your anguish seeps out of your heart... the fear you have of losing your closest friend, of seeing her heart break. Your fear for Lockwood is compounded because of your fear for her well-being, and... mmm... ooh, this is good...”

Rarity cried out in pain as the voices stung through her head as well.

“It’s your fault he did what he did!” Fluttershy’s voice was angry, filled with never before seen bile and hatred, “If you hadn’t pushed us together, he would’ve never been forced into all of this! It’s your fault he’s dead! It’s your fault I-”

“Enough!” Rarity pleaded, “Enough... n-no more...”

Velvet snickered and twirled Twilight around to the front, who was now only just barely conscious. “And the great Twilight Sparkle. Oh, you’re easy. I don’t even need to look that hard into your heart to see what you fear the most. Failure. Disappointment. Loneliness. The darkness in your heart stems from a fear that you’ll fail to get your friends to their destination, that something terrible will happen to them, that those that are left will abandon you, just as Rainbow Dash did. And... there’s something more here... visions of friends on the other side of the ocean, maybe? Friends and family, that you’ll never see again. I assure you, Twilight... you may as well forget about them...”

“We... won’t let you... win...” Twilight breathed.

“Ah ha ha! Oh, is that it then? You all still think you have the gumption to resist us? No... to resist me? Hilarious! That’s the best joke I’ve heard in... well, ever! I believe this calls for a little music. I’ve had this little song in my head for days now, and I’ve just got to sing it. I know you’re all dying to know what it is! Come on then, everypony, take a seat!” She slammed the whole lot of them fiercely into the nearest wall of rock, releasing them from her grip at last. “I’ll even let you all try and take me on! If you’re all as brave and good as you say you are, then you’ll be fine. If not, well... anyway! Are you guys ready? Come then, let’s see what you’ve all got!”

Applejack, Flathoof, and Pinkie were the first to their hooves and took forward positions.

“She ain’t serious, is she?” Applejack coughed, “She’s gonna try an’ take us all on?”

“I wouldn’t be so dismissive,” Flathoof added as he rubbed his neck, “My head’s still ringing from the pounding she gave me earlier. She’s stronger than she looks...”

“I’ve seen how strong she is, and I don’t care how strong she is,” Pinkie proudly stated, getting back into a fighting stance and strapping a brand new, shoulder-mounted, heat-seeking BFRL-3000 across her back, “Together, guys, we can do anything! We’ve taken down tougher cookies than her when we work as a team!”

“Agreed,” Rarity said as she took position behind the trio and coated them with a blue glow, “As long as we stick together, we can handle anything. When we’ve finished with her, we can move on to the others and get out of this dreadful canyon, then get back on our path for home!”

Fluttershy stepped in to Rarity’s side and prodded Ophanim, in the form of a wolf, to send him forward as well, though he seemed to be a little wary of approaching and leaving Fluttershy behind him where he couldn’t directly protect her.

“If you all don’t mind, I think it might be best if I make sure Twilight is kept out of this. She’s in no condition to fight,” Tick Tock noted, backing away and standing defensively near the other unicorn, who was panting heavily and trying to get to her hooves. 

“Tick Tock... I... have to help them. They’re... my...” She was finding it harder and harder to speak and stay upright at the same time, wobbling uncontrollably as if she were learning to walk for the first time.

“Come now, Twilight, this is no time to try and act the hero. If you overexert yourself, you may never recover. Just stay calm, I’ll keep us covered, alright? You’ll be with them in spirit.”

“Oh boy oh boy! This is gonna be fun!” Velvet bounced, licking her lips, “Okay then, cue the music, in G Major if you please! Ahem...”

Applejack and Flathoof charged in first, Pinkie Pie and Ophanim right behind them. Velvet smiled wide and let her blood flare about her in a furious display of tendrils and blades and spikes, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

“♫ My name is Red Velvet,”

Velvet grabbed Flathoof’s face with a tendril, then snapped him straight at the nearest wall. (Nice Tr̨y!̶) He fell to the ground in a heap with a groan as rocky debris tumbled about on top of him.

“♫ And I am here to say,”

Applejack leapt in, one hoof drawn back in an attempt to strike, but was caught by another tendril without Velvet even turning her head, which brought her down to Velvet’s eye level. Velvet snapped her head over and grinned wide. (Go̢tcha!̡) Then, she smashed Applejack into the ground in front of herself, before flicking her away like a piece of litter.

“♫ I'm gonna make you scream, and you'll never see another day-ayayay!”

Ophanim leapt in next, jaws open and aimed at Velvet’s neck, but was fiercely grabbed by the tail by another tendril and swung around in a wide circle before being slammed into Pinkie Pie before the latter could get close enough to strike.

“♫ It doesn't matter now,”

Pinkie rolled and bounced and quickly recovered, then brandished her shoulder-mounted, heat-seaking, BFRL-3000 whilst still in mid-air, aiming it at Velvet’s head with precise accuracy and squeezing the trigger with a confident grin. (Wha̕t was thaţ?̵)

“♫ If you are fast and true,”

Velvet flicked her blood in a spiral in Pinkie’s direction without looking, catching the rocket just as it was fired from her bazooka, turning it around, and shoving it back into the tube; Pinkie’s eyes widened in a panic. (Oh̡, just f̨ailure!) The rocket exploded, blowing apart the weapon and sending Pinkie flying backwards into the nearest wall.

“♫ 'cause killing all your friends is just what Velvet's here to do,”

Ophanim shook off the pain and regained his luster, then leapt at her again, this time from behind. Velvet’s grin widened and she didn’t even bother turning to face him either; he was rewarded for the attempted sneak attack as a bloody spike snapped around and impaled him through the face. Ophanim’s light flickered rapidly and died out in a fierce shower of sparks and mist. His orb form flashed instantly back over to Fluttershy, who cradled the slowly flickering light in her hooves in a panic and pushed him back into his bracelet.

“♫ ‘cause I love to hear you sc͘rea̴m,̡ ̧sc̡ream,̨ scre͘am̛,  
Yes I do,  
It fills my heart with bloodlust to the extreme,  
Yes it does,  
'cause all I really need's a scre̷a̕m̷,͘ scr̷e̢a̴m, scr̡ea̢m,  
And then you'll see me in your dreams,”

Velvet laughed maniacally as the ponies around her all stumbled back to their hooves, taking delight at the tearful look on Fluttershy’s face and the terrified one on Rarity’s. She went on the offensive now, charging first at Applejack and Flathoof, who were recovering nearby one another and helping each other stand upright. She lashed out at them with a flurry of blood and darkness; they stood firm and prepared themselves to move, before Velvet suddenly disappeared into black. They wildly looked about them to catch sight of her, not noticing her melting through the wall right behind them.

“♫ I like to hear you shrie̴k̶,”

Applejack snapped her head to look at the voice, then yelled loudly in a panic as Velvet’s tendrils grabbed her face, whirled her up into the air, then swung her around and used her as a weapon to smack Flathoof aside, sending him flying several dozen yards away. (҉Rock on!̨)

“♫ I love to see you run,”

Velvet pursued him with an eager hunger in her eyes. Flathoof panicked rolled to avoid having Applejack slammed on top of him, and began to flee as the other earth pony continued to be smashed against the ground just behind him, desperately scrambling to get herself out of Velvet’s grip. (͡Aweso̕m̶e!̵)

“♫ Inspiring terror in your he̷̕a̧͘r̡͢ts,  
Is what Velvet does for fun,”

Flathoof continued to run from the Applejack battering ram, and didn’t see one of Velvet’s tendrils snake around in front of him, and tripped over it. (͢Oop̡s̶ie̡!̢)This made him a ridiculously easy target, and Applejack was crushed on top of him. The lay together in a heap as Velvet released her living weapon and laughed again, turning back towards where she’d seen Pinkie beginning to slowly get to her hooves.

“♫ But if you're kind of happy,”

Velvet fired a tendril at Pinkie with astounding speed and snagged the other earth pony around the neck, drawing her close with a snap. Pinkie sneered as Velvet looked her in the eyes again, laughing and grinning that same wild, fanged smile.

“♫ And your heart thinks that you're b̨rav҉e͘,”

Pinkie reared back and headbutt Velvet as hard as she could in the face, knocking Velvet staggering back a step and rubbing her nose, dropping Pinkie in the sudden stupor. Pinkie reared back again and went to deliver a punch.

“♫ I'll work real hard and do ̡my̧ ̷be̷s͢t,”̵

Velvet caught Pinkie’s hoof with another tendril, and flung her upwards before slamming her into the ground again behind her, then swung back around to crash into the ground in front.

“♫ To send you to an early grave,”

Pinkie struggled to her hooves, and her eyes widened in surprise as Velvet brought down another set of tendrils upon her. She rolled aside and avoided the entire barrage, save for one, which grabbed her by the leg flicked her away. She landed and rolled and crumbled in a heap near Flathoof and Applejack, who started to help her up the second she stopped moving.

“♫ 'cause I love to make you b̵le͘e̛d,̧ ̶b̡l̸eeḑ, ̸b̛le̴ed,  
Yes I do,  
Spread it all about, oh yes indeed,  
Just let me see you b͘l̵ęed b̡lȩe̸d,͝ ̶bl̷eed,̧  
And when you're done you'll just be d͏e̡a̧d̴,”̕

Velvet approached the trio with a menacing gait, only to have Rarity rush over and stand at their side, her horn glowing white and shrouding them with the same glow, Fluttershy just behind her and rushing to help Pinkie Pie the rest of the way up. The five of them all stood firm and glared in Velvet’s direction. She just laughed, and laughed, and let her blood flare out again. The blood was barely even red anymore, more black than anything else, and Velvet’s face seemed to be covered with the same black ooze that leaked now from her eyes, ears, mouth, and every gaping wound she had.

“♫ It's true, sometimes you'll show a ̴bi̴̶t of̧͘ ̧b̡a̡c͘k̶bo̢n̵̸e,̴͡”

The five of them started to move, and in an instant she attacked before they could get into position again. She lashed out and grabbed Applejack first, swinging her about to knock the others aside before throwing her at Tick Tock, who hastily raised a Barrier to avoid being slammed into by her ally.

“♫ And maybe you feel st̛r̡o҉n̶g̛,”

Flathoof and Pinkie Pie charged together, dodging aside to avoid more tendrils that lashed out in their direction and burst into the ground just in their wake with enough force to shatter rock.

“♫ But Ve̵͡l͠v͞et̡҉ will be there to show you that y̴o͘u͘'̨re̷ o҉h sơ very̷ ͜wro̸ng,”̵

Once in melee range, they both went to attack at once. Velvet’s mouth opened hungrily and she grabbed them both by the throats with tendrils that sprung suddenly from her hoof, twirling them around and bashing them into one another.

“♫ The̴re̴'s one th̴i̷n̛g ̨t̢ha҉t ma̷kes me ̶h͢ap̧py,”̵

She discarded Pinkie first, throwing her in Tick Tock’s direction like a missile, making the unicorn put up another Barrier to protect herself from the impact. Pinkie slammed into the shield and rolled off of it and landed on Applejack, who was still barely getting to her hooves.

“♫ And fill̵s̨ my whol̸e l̷if͏e ̵wit͏h pr̷ide͘,”̵

Then, she brought Flathoof to her face and hungrily licked her lips.

“̸♫ And͟ ҉tha̴t'̧s̡ ͠when̶ ͢I̢ s̸laug̵h̕ter yo҉u͜r fŗi͟ends fro҉m ͟t̴h͘e ̢i̶n͘s͝i̸i͘ii̸de,”

She latched her mouth onto his and wrapped her hooves around his neck Flathoof howled in severe pain through the unholy gesture, as the feeling of having his very life sucked right out of him ripped through his body. It took Rarity grabbing hold of Velvet’s hooves with her magic and tripping her to break her focus and release him. Flathoof hastily scrambled away, frantically brushing black blood off of his mouth as Rarity rushed to his side. Velvet shook her head as she got back to her hooves, and grinned maniacally in their direction.

“̷♫͢҉ I̕ r̡eą͜l̕͠l͝y ̛͝a̵͜m ̕s̡͡o̵ ̛͝h͟͝a̕pp͏y,̧̛”

She lashed out another tendril right past Flathoof’s head, wrapping it around and grabbing Rarity by the horn and blocking her magic. Rarity yelped as she was lifted into the air and slammed into the ground once, just once, with the same force she’d been using on Flathoof and Applejack. Rarity didn’t get back up quite as quickly.

“♫͢ You̢̨r f͞ȩ͟͢a͟͡r̢̧͝ ̛̛f̧͡i̶ll̶s͢ m̛e̕ ͡͏w̨͠i̴t͝h͜͟͠ g͘͡l̴͢ee̴͠,̛͘͠”̛͝

Fluttershy panicked and ran to Rarity’s aid. Flathoof yelled for her to stop, but it was too late; the pegasus gave a terrified scream as the tendril released Rarity and snaked its way towards her, grabbing her around the middle and locking her wings in place, then snapping her over to Velvet. Flathoof ran at them to try and separate them, but was tripped again by another tendril.

“♫̨ ̶͘I̢ giv̨e͡ ҉a̧͝ ̢̛s͠c̵r͜ea̶̴͘m̶̴, I ̵͡͏gȩ͝t͢͝ ̛a ͢s̡c̡r̶͘͟e҉̧a͞m̢,̶̴”

Velvet smiled her menacing grin as she drew the trembling, squirming Fluttershy eye-to-eye with her, then screamed, letting loose a blood-curdling roar that shook the very earth around them. Fluttershy shook violently and fainted, and was tossed aside like a used toy, landing haphazardly near Rarity, who still remained motionless.

“♫̶͘ ̛A̧͘nd̕ t̷͝h̡͘a̷̡t'҉͏̶ş s̨̕͘o̸ ͠s̷pe̷͝c̴̨i̛̕͠a҉l͟ to̷͡ m̨e̡,”̸

Velvet laughed and turned her attention to Tick Tock at last, then began heading towards her with the same slow, purposefully, menacing gait. Flathoof attempted to stand in her way and was batted aside almost as soon as he’d barred her path. Tick Tock, the only one amongst the four ponies in her vicinity who was even able to reliably stand, gulped loudly and flared up her horn in preparation of self-defense.

“̕♫ '̶C̡a͘use̴ I̛ l͡ov͢e̷ t͏o ͢s͠ee ͡y̢ou s̴q̢u̶ir̢̛͟m,҉ ̨s̨͡q̕u̴̴ir̨m̷͞,͠ sq̸̧ui͝͠r̡m̡͏,  
Y̨̢̛e̵͟͟s̷͟ I͠ ͜ do͝͝,̢  
̷̧Ţ҉̕e̴ll̵ ̸me wh̷̷͞a͞t ̶mo̕͟re ̨can̢͢ ̶͢I҉ d̶o̶͡͡,, you͠ ̨̕ļ̢̛i̷̧͜ttle͢ ̵w̶orm̴̸,̴̷  
W̵h͟a̧t̶͝ ̸҉ to̴ ̧d̛͢o̴͡?͜  
I̵͘t͞ ̢͞m̢a̡͝k̨e̵̕s̷̶̨ ͟me͘ ̶̨h̵͡app̶̨y w͠h̢e̕n̡ ͟y̸ou̵͞ squi̵̛r̷͝m̴͟͢,̶ ̧̛s̵͞q̕͡u͜͜i͟r͜͞m҉,҉ ̡̨s҉̸q͠ui̛͘r͘͢͟m͝,  
Y̨es̨,͟ If̧͝ al̴w̴͠͞a̵̷͟y͡҉s̷̢ m̡͘a͜k͟͠͡e̢͟s̡ ̸̕m̴y d̷̛ay-͜a̛͢͞a̢͢͠a͠a҉y͜͠!̛̕”͘

Velvet lashed all of her tendrils outwards, grabbing onto everypony by the throat and drawing them to her again. Applejack and Flathoof groaned in pain, the former’s stoneskin cracked and barely maintaining any integrity at all, the latter bleeding and bruised as his toughness and endurance finally began to wane; Pinkie Pie continued to struggle to get out of the grip, desperate to keep herself going and inspire her friends to do the same despite the pain she was feeling; Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight remained silent and still, unconscious, with only the latter lucky enough not to have experienced any of all of this; Tick Tock was also silent and still, though she was in a visible panic as she was placed in the center of Velvet’s now encircling tendrils that lifted her and her friends to orbit around her. Velvet laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

“♫̸̸̢ ̸C̶ơ̵̶m̡̛͝e̢͝͞ ͠o̸͠n ͠e̵̕͡v̷e̡r͟yp͘͟͜o̵̵͘ņy̷͡ scr̸e̕a̛m̸͝,͏ ̶s̢c̷̛͢ŗ̴e̶am͡,͟͠ ͞s҉c̨rea̴͝m͢  
Fill҉ ̵̴you͞r̵̢ ҉hea͡͏rts͞ ͘͞u͜p͞ ͝w͢it̴͝h̡ ni̵͡g̴̨htm̡a̷̛͢ŗ̷e̛͜s͢͠, ni̧gh̨t͠m̸a͞re̕s͏  
A̢̛l̶l I ̴r͏҉e̛a̵͘l̨͢l͞y̶̨͘ ͜n͞e̛͟e̕͡d̴'s͟͜͞ ̸a̡͡ ş̷͟c̷r͡e͠a͢m̷, ͏sc̴͜r̢̛e̡͡a̧̛͡m̶͜͠,͠ s͠͝c͢͞r̨ea̷m̡͞  
C̵om̡͘͡e on̶̨ ̴s̢͢h̡o͘͘w̧ ̛͜͞m̡e̢ ͏̶̕t͡͝h̷a̸͡t y̛o҉̷u͏̶'̢re̢ ͘s͢ca͜a̡͘a-̴ar̶̛e̷̡d̛!͟͟͏”̨

Those of the group who were still alert and awake began to look around them in a panic as Velvet’s voice echoed from all directions, until it sounded like there were hundreds upon hundreds of her, all singing in unison, forming an unholy chorus that echoed throughout the broken canyon.

“͠♫͟͟͡ ̡̨C̕om̷͟e̢͜ ̡on̢͘͝ ͟͠͞e͟v̡e̵̶rypo̢̕n͏̷y̕ ̷̕͢s̵͡cr̷̕͞ę̷̛a̕m̵̡̡,͠ ͟s̸͠cr̴ę͞a̸͞m, ş̵͞c͏rea̡̡m̧  
̵̧̡F̷͝i͜l͜͜l̨ ͜y̵̧o̢̕u̧̧r̸͞ ҉he͢a̶̢r͟͠t̛s͞ ͢ư͝p̕ ͠w͘it̛h̸ ̵n͘͢͠i͠ght̵̶m̡̕a͠r̶̕͠e̷s̕,͜ ͢n͟͝i͟g̵͞h̵t͡m̨ąr̨̨e̵͞s͠͠  
͞A̧͜l͝҉l͘͠ ͟I ͜͝͏re͞a͝l͞ly̶͠ ̢n̷e̛ę̵d͏̢'s̴̕ a̶ s̡c͘rea̷m̷,̧͢ sc̵re͘am̡͢,̸ ͞s͏c̴͢r̨̢ȩ̴ą̕͟m̛҉̧  
̷Ço̧͝m̵e͏͠ ̨o҉͝n ̶̡s͜͞ho̢͡͡w̡͡ me҉̛ ͜t̴͟h͢͞a͢t͏̨͡ ͟҉̸y̕o҉u̸'re ̶͞͝s͠c̸a̛҉̨a͟͟͡a̷̵-҉a͜red!̴҉”̴̸

The chorus of Velvet’s other voices continued, some high-pitched and others low, as Velvet herself brought Tick Tock eye-to-eye with her. (̵C͞o̵͢m̸͞e̡̕ ̸̡ơn͘ ̸͘e͘ver͟y̵p҉͟o̴͜n͜͢y̨͝ s͡c͟͡r̛͏e͝ąm̡͘͝,̴͟ s͘͝c͝r̢̨e͢a͡m̴, ҉̷sc͜re҉am̵) The others were all slowly being coated in her blood and even those who’d been unconscious before weren’t now, and they all screamed in severe pain as the blackened, sickly ooze tightened around them. (̶̢F̕͝i͏l̡̨l҉͏ ̨҉y̛o҉͞ur̢͡ ̶hea̡rt̨s ̛͞ưp ̡͞w̷i̕͢͠th̷͜ n͝i͘g̨̕͢ht̷m҉͝a̛r҉e͢s̸, ͟͡ni̛g̸͠͡ḩt͏̴m͜͝a͞r҉e͢҉s̨)͘ Only Tick Tock was spared this treatment, instead being forced to look into the darkness of Velvet’s eyes, watching as her eyes now turned totally black save for a tiny red dot in the center, matching the sick ooze that flowed forth from everywhere on her body like a plague. (̸A̢҉ļ͡l͟ ̨̨͟I̕ r̛͟eally ̨͏n̵̡̛e͠͏e͟d̴̢͘'҉̕s͞ ̷̷͟a sc̛r̷e̶a̵҉m̢,̷͠͝ ̶͝s̨͜͟cr̶͢e̛a̢m, sc̸r͝e͟͢a͢͝m)̨ ̕The black ooze began to creep up through the bloody tendril that held Tick Tock’s throat, inching its way up towards her mouth and sending searing pain ripping through the unicorn’s body. (̨̕C̡͘o̡m҉̷e͞ ̸o̵̢̧n̛͠ ̷͘͢s͞h̡̕͡ow̵͠ ͢m̸̢͜ę̶̧ ̸t̛̛hat͜ ̷͝͝y̵̕o͜͏u̡҉'̵͟r̷ę ͘sc̶̢aa̢̛a̴͟-ar͘͜e̴͠͡d̴̡!̡͡)͝ ̶Red Velvet smiled that same wild, fanged grin, and sang to Tick Tock directly now, her voice reverberating with a horrible, unworldly sound straight from the worst, deepest pits of darkness and horror that Tick Tock had ever known.

“͟͠♫̶ ̛͟Y͝e̷̶͘s ̴a̷ ͏p͟e̶͝r͢f̢ec͢t͘ ͜g͢҉͏if̡̢̨t͟ f̴ơr̷͜ ̛͘͟m͘e̢̛͡-͜eee͠,  
͟Is̸͡ ͘͟a͟͝ ͝s̷̨ç͢re̴͠a̛͜͠m̕ ̢͝fr̕om͘ y͝ǫ̸̴u̶̧͞r̛҉ ͜͞d̴͟a̴͝r̨͟k̶ęs̴̡ţ͘ ̨̕d͉̘̯̳̫̟͇r̴̙̝̦̫̮e̫̹͡a͖m̷̩̫s҉̯͙͖̰͕,̵̤  
̕T̨̕o̸ ma̷̶͜k̢͜͡e͏ ̢me̛ ͜͢h̡ap̸py̴ ̸̡͝as̸͘ ͜c̡a͡n͏͝ ̶͞b̷̶͞e,̨ ̴ ̷  
Sc͟͝r̶̷e̷̴a̕-̡e̶̛͠am̵͘͜,҉͟ ̶͡͞s͞cr͜e͠a̵̵̢-҉̷͟e̸͟a̢m̕͠,̴ s̸c̢͟re̡̕a͠-e̡a̷̢m͟,̕ s̛̮͎̫̯c͖r̲e̬̤̲͕̠a-̩͕̞̼͘e̸̯a̫̲̪͓̖̺̱m̶̳̙,̥̭̖ ͔̣͎̩͍̝s̮̩c̰͚͔r̦̗͙̝̣͇e̜͙̬̳̘a̩̤̕-͙͢e̵a͙͓͚̜̥͠m̞̜̳̳͎̗͇,,̴̦̘̺͕  
C͞om҉e͜͝ o͞n ̧an͡d̨ ͜͝sç͟r̢e͢eȩe͏a̷̶̴m͘,̧  
C̬͉̪̩o̪͔̖̣ͅme̘͓ ̙̺o̱̼͕n̨ ̞̮̺a̲͎͓̤ṇ̖̗͓͚̻d̷̦̖̜͓͎ ͇̤̝͎̖̻s͖̭͙̦̠͓͜c҉̞͎̠͕̻̖ͅŗ̳̠e̜͚̪̘̣̕a̷͚͎̗m!̦͓̱͎̰͟ ̟͓͖̖͓♫̭̞̰”̹

Tick Tock tried to scream as hard as she could, but the horrible liquid had by now covered her mouth and drowned it out, bubbling and churning at the attempt and getting past her lips, making her choke and retch. Velvet’s sickening grin widened until it looked like her face would split in half; the grin suddenly turned to a disappointed frown as a light source shined from behind her, breaking apart the shroud of black that had surrounded her and her prey.

“Red Velvet,” Starlight Shadow spoke clearly, disdainfully, “You have violated the stipulations of this ordeal; you are overstepping your boundaries, sister. Stand down, now.”

“Boss... you are really cutting into my groove right now,” Velvet hissed angrily, “I am this close to reaching the epitome of ecstasy... I can more than just taste it now. Their fears and screams and pain fill my very soul. You know what it feels like, to have immeasurable power flowing through you. That’s what this is like...”

“Charming. You are of the opinion that this feeble demonstration is worthy of comparing to me?” Starlight laughed coyly, “Enough, Velvet. Your unspeakably homicidal mannerisms are threatening the health and livelihood of the mares we do not wish injury upon as well.” She pointed upwards to where everypony else besides Tick Tock was writhing in agony. “One false step along this course of action, and you’ll risk everything.”

“Boss... you’re making me mad...” Velvet seethed, “I am in complete control. Let me handle this.”

“You do not appear to be anywhere within the vicinity of ‘in control’, sister,” Starlight huffed in annoyance, “I can see that familiar visage sprawled across your features - you are too far gone to be allowed further transgressions. Stand down, now.”

Velvet looked sharply at Starlight. “What? I’m trying to kill the Chronomancer here, as we were told! I am in control!”

Starlight glared, “You forget your place, sister! The right to the Chronomancer’s head still remains in my sole possession, as your leader. Release them - all of them - now. Do not force me to repeat myself.”

“Why should I?” Velvet snapped, rolling her gaze back to her quarry.

“Because if you choose not to release them, then you will be disobeying my authority again,” Starlight sneered, flaring up her own horn, “Need I prompt your memory of what occurred during this same scenario in a previous encounter? Father has entrusted me to punishing further insubordination, and I will not tolerate any further disappointment from him.”

Velvet suddenly stopped, and appeared totally calm. Starlight smirked and let her horn dim slowly.

“Now, wasn’t that a simpler course of action? Alright, you can release-”

“That’s it... isn’t it?” Velvet said with eerie calm.

“‘It’? What’s ‘it’?” Starlight hummed.

“I’ve been trying to figure it out, you know? Ever since daddy gave me these powers, I’ve been trying to figure it all out,” Velvet said, still calm, as she slowly turned her head back towards Starlight. “I’ve figured out all the others. Only Curaçao and Grayscale were hard to read, apart from you, litt͞le s̛is̶t̢er̵̡..”

“What are you blathering on about?” Starlight snorted angrily, “I can’t help but notice you still haven’t released-”

“I figured out what you’re afraid of...” Velvet said, her smile back to a sickening width as her head literally turned all the way around to look at Starlight.

Starlight took only the slightest of steps backwards. “Me? Afraid? I have no fear of anything, dear sister. You’d best watch your tone!”

“I͞ c̷an s̡m̶e͞ll it on͞ yo͏u..̕.”̧ Velvet smiled as the rest of her body twisted around to match her head, so that she was walking towards Starlight now. “̡I c҉a̛n̸ taste it̛ in the̴ a̛ir̷.҉ T͢h̷e ̴o͠n̡e ţhing y͟o҉ų’̸re afr̵a͝i͜d o̵f̴ mo̵s̷t ͟of̵ ̡all͡..҉. ͝i̧s n͡o͞t̡ ͠li̴v҉i͠ng̢ up͟ ̵to daddy͏’s ̡expe͠ctati̵ons̡.̡.̧.͡”

Starlight spat, “That is simply ridiculous! Velvet, I warn you, I-”

“Y̷̶͝o͢u̡’̨ļ̵l̛͞ w̵h̨a͞͝t,̷ li̷t̕͞t͟l͘͏e҉ ͝s͘i͞s̷͞t͘͏er̛͡?̸ ̧͟͡Į’̵v̢͢e ̕͝g͟r͢o̢wn̴ ͢i̷̷͡n͡͏ ͡p͘o̵͟͟w̢̛e͞r̷҉,̷͠ ̢s̸̕o ̷͡m̢͟u҉҉c҉h͞ ͜m͞o̡r̕e̶ ̧t̡͘͞h̡an e҉v̧͘͞e͞͝r ̧͏b͏e̶͝f̕o̶͝͝r͜͝͞ę̵!̷ ͏Y̴̡o̡̧͟u̸̡͘ ͏t̶h̢҉į̢n̷̵̡k ͜y͏̶ou͜’̛͢r͠҉̢e͘͝ ą̨l̛͠l͞-̨po̧̕w̷e͏̴rfu̷̶l̢҉̷?̢ ̢͞Ha̡!͘ ̷҉D̕͝a̧̢d̷͞d͡y͠ ̵̨͝kno҉͞w̵̡͟s̵͜ ͝t̛͢h͞a̢t͡ I h͢a͠v̶͠ȩ ̡t̨͠h̸̢e͏ ͟͜m̧̨͟o͏s̶̴t̕͜͢ ͘͠p̶o͞ţ͢͢en҉t͡i͘͢a̷̧͟l̴̷!͜͢ ̴D̡ad͠͏̷d̵y͝ ͟͝k͡n͏o̷̡ws͞ t͔̟̰h̥͚̠̥̹͞at ̵I̘͖ a̠̱̲͍̫̭͠ͅm̥͕͍̞ t̬͙h̪͘e̬͔̙̜͡ ̶̱̻̣s̨̜t̬͙͎͢ro̬̖̰̭n̘g̨͈̝̰̰e̟s͎͍͘t̫̫̤͇͙̠!̴̦̹̜̠͓ ̞͘Y̡̱̼̤̼̪̻o͉̹̗ư̝͙̗̮ ̭͙̗͕̞a͏r̖̻e n̴̯̲͇̬̳ͅo̗̹͎̝͜t͙̯hͅi̜̹̥͔̙n̜g̥̟̬͕̗̞͠ ͏̙̟̰͔b͕̺̝̼͢e̞͓͍̮̱f̙o̫͙̣ͅr̙̣̤̠e͠ ̧̤̠̭̫̜m̼̘̲͈y͇̙͕̰͉͔ ͖̭̫̥̜͙͘m̨̟͇̜̹i̲̥̙̥͔ght̴͖!̶͖̗̞”̤͕͕

“How dare you!” Starlight snapped, flaring up her horn. She sheathed Velvet in shining light, but all the earth pony did was laugh. And laugh, and laugh, and laugh. “Stop laughing you imbecile!”

“͡W̸͋̔̊hͭ̀ͦ̌aͯ͢t̸͗ ̏̌҉w̆ȉ̷l̈́̓̔̋ͤl̽̓̽́͞ ̒͗͞d͢a̴̐̓̓ͪ͊d̔ͬ̕d̿y͊ͦ̾̈̃͋̆ ̋̄̐͌̌̋̇s̶aͥ̄ͧy̔̒̚͠,͐̈́̆̐ ̵͂ͨ͊̔͂ͥͫh̡͋ͩ̊ͩ̓ͤm҉?̽̈̅ͨͧ̕”̐͗͂ Velvet chortled as she walked straight through the light, unaffected in the least. Starlight took another step back just at the shock of seeing it happen. “̴̸W̧̨͝h̨̛at̨͜ w̢͘͜i̶̡ll̶̶̶ ͞h͢͟e҉ ͢d̷̵͞o̧ ̵̸w͢͝҉h̡͠e͘n̶͡ ͟h̛͜e͏ ̡fi̷͢͞n̕͢d̴̷s̸҉ ̶̶o҉u̷̵͝t̨̢ y̷̷o̶u f̸̡a̷͝͞i̶l̡͘e̷d t̷̶o̕͜ k̸̵̢e̡͠e̢p̴ ̡͡m̢e̵͟ i̵n͏̵ ͘l̡i̷̴n̛e͝? ̴҉W̷͠ill̡ ҉h̸̛͘e̷͠ ҉p̷̧̢u͟͠n̸̴i̢s͞͡h y̢̕o̷u͏̶͡?͘ N̴̷͞o̧̨͟.̷͡.̧.͟ ̸̵̵y͘o̵͡u̧͘’̶҉r͘͝e̸̕ ͢n͏͏ot͏ ̛a͞f̵͜͢r͠a̵͏i҉҉d̨ ͏͘o̧͢f̡ ̕͏p̶̧͟un̡i̴̶̡s̶̡h͏̕me̢͘n͘҉t.̛͞ ͢Y͞o̷ų̸’̡re ̷͢͠a͠f̴͡͠r̵̵͢a̵i̢͜d̷̨͝ ̸̕͘h̷͡e̵’ļ̶͢l̷̸ sh̶̷͝un̛͢ y҉ou̴̸. Y̩o҉u͍̻̟̙̖͜’͙̩͉̙̜ͅre͎ ̸͈̙̪̫a͙̜̬̬̤̮f̙r̴͍̺a̤i̷̦d͖̰̖̘ͅ ̢̗h̯̙͝e͙̜̤̦͓̙͡’̢̖̹͚l͈̜̳̞ͅl t̻̟͎̹͔ṵ̯͕ͅr͓̖̙̙̼n̵̠̦ ̶̰͈̝̙yo̟͎̭̗͎̱͘u҉ ͙̯̼͙a͓͇̙̤̬͞w͓̠̗͍͚͖ͅḁ͢y̱̥̣̜!̛̺̬̬ ̦̻̥̖̙͟Y͔̙̘͟o͙̱͔u̥̻͈̱͔̰’r̯̦̘̫ͅe̖̲ ̫̹̰̙͇͚͖a͈̼͙̫̘̫f̰r͎͖̺̦̲͕̤͠ą̗͖͖̝͚̤i̥̭͔̰̻̗d̳̪̻͙ ͍̫̞͙̖̼͎t̹̬͈̮̥h̙͙ͅa̤͓͎t̴̪͓̮̠ ̖̠͈̞̝h̢̥e̙͚̺̥̤͉ͅ’̹̭̞̼͕̤̻l̯̝̼̻̪̲͔l̺͓̥͎̹͜ ҉̟̫ͅn̡̮̬̞̟͎ev̭̥̘̖͝e̦̰͉͡r͉͚̕ ̤͓̫̦͈ͅs̖̭̞̳̣͢ͅp̵̙e̞̗̱̺̝̟̠ạ̧̺̖͙̼̗k̤̮ ̡͓͙̺w̻̤͔̘̙̜̠͡i̶̘̜͎̞t̷̯͕̘h͈̩͍͇ ̜̠̱͈̝͓y̠͙̼͇̪̠o̙̦u҉͙̟̦̮̼̥̦ ̖̤͇̘a͍̻̻g̪̻͓̜͝ą̲̳̲̭̜ị̳͚͎n̷̜!̩̫̞̮͖̰̯”̩̜̱̖̖̜̠

Starlight snapped and grabbed Velvet with all her might by the throat with her magic, and shook her frantically. “SHUT UP!” Her voice was hysterical. Angry. Scared.

“̪͛̆ͦ̽͗ͫ̒Y̗͇̙̪̱̪̌ͫ͑o̗̳͕̼̻͛̄ͫ̈͝ͅu͏̼͎͚̲’͑ͥr̶̦̫͚͔̱̲͈̄̓̓̚ẹ̇ ̎a͗ͥ̆͐͛̚f̸̫̪ͦ̌̾ͪ̿r̲͖̫̩ã̫̓͝i̯̍̓ͬ̒ͦd̝͙̲̅ͨͤ͒ ͚͉̅̏͛ͩ̇̄͝h̜͖̣͓̬̠̦͡e͔̒ͣ̇̈́̏̄̚̕ ̭͚̺͈͇̫̗͆͊̈̅̅͌̅w̨͎̠͕͍͙̾̅̂̽͂̋o̢̳ͯ̾ͣn͉͖̞͔̟’̷̙͓ͩͧͬ̈̈t̜̱͓͔̱̲̟̋͛̃ ͍̥̩̼̘̒͆̇ͯl͎͍̲͓̘͖͐̓͌ͣͯ͒͊o̟̲ͣ̏ͩ̽v̡̥͔̩̘͇̩̭̑ͦé͉ ̬̩ͥ͐ͥ̕ẏ̜͚̦̞͉͙ȍ̊̿̂ű̱̞̏̂̽ͮͪͪ͟.̮͖̫͙͕̇͋ͧ̌̓ͮ̋͜.̶͎̯̗͕̘͆̅̀̈ͅ.̦͓̺́ͪ̿”̲̬ͬͩͩ̚

Starlight panicked as a voice in her head came ringing, loud and true as if it was coming from right beside her. She looked in the voice’s direction and saw the great looming figure of Silvertongue standing over her, a great frown upon his face, his golden eye dimmed with disappointment.

“Starlight Shadow... my formerly dearest daughter. You are a failure. You are undeserving of your position, and of my praise. Your weakness is a tarnish upon my otherwise spotless record of judging character and worth, and I cannot allow that spot to remain. Get out of my sight, you worthless piece of trash, before you track more of your filth through my good name.”

“Stop it!” Starlight yelled as she shook Velvet harder, “Stop it this instant!”

Velvet smiled wider than ever, and the voice fired through Starlight’s head again. 

“Did you really think that after your showing of weakness I would forgive you? That I would still allow you into my heart? Your failure has thrown all my plans to the wind, and I am ashamed to even know you. You are nothing to me anymore.”

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” Starlight screamed, “Get out... get out...” Starlight backed away in a stupor, and crumbled to the ground, holding her ears in her hooves. “S-stop the voices... father d-doesn’t hate me, he doesn’t! H-h-he loves me!”

Velvet laughed loudly,“̽ͦ̂̃ͨḢ̒õͭw̑́̂̓ ͫ̑ͭd̍ͬ̈̈ͣo͒ͭ͑͏es͒͒̒ͦͦ ̂ȉ̷̐t ̂̃f̐͌ͪ̈́e͏e̿̔l̓̀̆ͮ,l̑̒ǐ͂ͮttͧ͐̄̆̑ļề̕ ̊ͮ̓̈́͑̎s̒i͗͠s̽̂̍̾̚t̓eͪ̆̿ͯ̉r̡̂̈ͨͤ̚?̓̌̓ͥ H̛͆̂̐ͫͩ͑ͬo͠w͛ͯͬͬ̀͛̚ ̨͆ͥ͊̑̽̓ͦd͒̅̒̎o̴͋̑͂̓̀̄ͥeͮͮ̌̽̑͆͌s̵̋̔̅ ̇̇ͩ̔̽͑ͯi̷̾̃́ͫͦͯt͊͗͑ ͥf̉̾ͮ̈́ͬ͞e̐ë̵́l̈́̃̍͋̚ ţ͏̧o̡ ͢͜k͞n͡o͜͠͠w ̶y̨̢o̵͘͠u’r͝e ͘wȩ̵͡a͜k̶͏͘ ͟͢͡a҉̧͜n̶̕d̡͢ p̧o͏͟͡w͏̸e͡r͠l̴̕e͝͞ss b̨͜e͜͡f̷o̴͘r̴͢͝e̸͜͠ ̡t͠h̸̨e̢ ҉̴͏t͏rų̴̶e̶͟ ̛͜g͠҉reat̵̡e̶̴͝s͟͟͝ţ̷̴ ̴̢f͝orc̴͘e ͏̛i̷n t̵̨h̶e͢ ư̕n͢i͏v͢҉e̕͡r͜͡͡se̷͜?̶͝ ͟F͠e͜a̴̛ŗ̛͢!”̧͠ She turned sharply and smiled, parting the darkness that was in her vision until other ponies were clearly visible. “̨̢͡A̴s̨ ̡f̴o̢͠r̵̶ y̨̫̬̗̘̥͇̮͘o̵͍̺͇̦̖͜u̫̞̥̤, s̩̖͓̯̫͙̟̱ͅi̵͙̝̼̝̘̠̥ͅs̛̱͖̹͈t͍̞̰̭̝ͅe̺̩̩̱̪̻ͅr̴̴͉̹̤͓s҉̻. ̸̢̖̬̟͉̖͢ͅ ͙̹͙̫̞͇̹̠w̶̪̣͈͔͕̖̪ͅh̨̪̯̩͍̩͎a҉͔̖ṱ͔̖̹̤̦̯̮͝ ̡̥̜͇̰͙̪͠͠s̞̪̳̻͉̙̝̤͕̕a̡̛̦͎̣̹̳͘y̺͚̠̥̤̖ ̴̡̱̰̞̟̺̘͘y̷̛̪̝̜̖ͅͅo̡͚u̼̱̙̕?̖͘ ̶̖̱̣̻̥A̵̵̢̹̻m̢̬̼̺̯̠͚̱ ̷̢̤̩̥͖I̧̛̬̖̙̣̦ ̖̝̤̤̺̜͞n̮͎̫̻̻͍̹̕ọ̦͟t̡͉͈̮͞ ̰̥̯͍̞̺̕͠d̛̜̤͡ȩ̶̳̣̺̥s̶͉̥e̵̖͓̫̣̩̕r̵̷̺̥v҉̫̝i͙͉̳̖̹͞n̰̬g̢̛̞̻͇̼̪ ̵͙̜̳̘͙͡o̲͕f̡̗͓͕ ̸̙͉̞̯d̳͉̙͚̗̲͙̘͝a͙̪̼̘͈d̦̣͓͈̹̙̞̕d͠ͅͅỵ̶̜̜̞͓’̲̟̪̫s̤̟͎̣͈ͅ ̸͍̺͘p̸҉̪̮͕̘̞r̦̘̺͉͙̼͟a̧͏̣͓̪i̷̘̦͚̟̣͘s̷̵̜̗̝̼ę̛̜͔͔̲͡?̥̫̝̙̣̲͔̖͘”̧̰͎̱͉̬̪͇

Curaçao spoke first, and shook the least. “W-w-whatever you want, ma sœur. We await your command. Whatever you would ‘ave me say, I’ll say it.”

Havocwing didn’t speak at all, and visibly trembled and looked around herself in a panic.

Grayscale maintained her stoic position, the tips of her wings flicking regularly to negate her own shaking. Her voice was even, but her eyes were dilated. “You’re the boss, Velvet.”

Insipid spoke last, her voice a pleading wail, “Just don’t hurt me-he-heee! Or Curie, especially Curie, don’t hurt her either!”

Velvet let out a calm sigh. “̰̲͈̭̦̱͕͚ͪ̈̽͘͝Ạ̸͉̮ͦ͂̏̆ͬ̈ḩ̓̃ͧ̓ḩ̷̡̗͚̫̆̌͊̍.̸͖̺͈̱͈̤͉̅̿͊.̷̫̘̲͍̺͈̟̮͌ͣ̔̓ͧ.̢͕̪̬̗̝͖ͭ̓̃ͪͭ͡ ̗ͦ̑ğ̷͚̹̎͞l͚̖̋̇͊ͪ̐̕͝ạ̩̮ͭ̅̉͆̊͡d̸͓̦̥̱̖͖͕̓͌̕͘ ̧͓̰̳̭̹͕̫̈́̈́͐ͫ̀ͫͤͅt̳̳̪͕͈͙̔͆͆͂̾̍͌ŏ̵̬̭̹͕̭̣̮̓̋ ̻̥̗̫͉̲͖͐ͥͤͅs̛ͩͯͯeͪͥ̓͛ͤ͒͟͏̵͚͎͕ȩ̨̨͎̫̩͚̰͇͙͎̍̒ ̸̝̗͉͍̙̘͓͙̰̌s̥̃̌̾o̶̫̪̱̟͙̦͗m̛̻͔̰͎̺͙̠ͣ̏ͨ̏͟ȩ̻̪̙͓̠̠̥̑͌̈́ ̤̲̱̱̪̳̘͐ͥ͋̌̎̐̋ͤp̭̲̟̭͋͟o̲̮̟͕̮̝͔͉̎͑n͔̬͕͓͚̩͈͙ͩͮ̓̈̎̚͘͞i̡͓͖̥̩̹ͪ͌̓̽ͣ̋͑ë̛̳̼́̉͑̈́̚͜s͚̯̳̲͙̯̒̅̉̏͆͞ ̸̡̭ͮ͋̌̌̉́͒͝h̢̩̜̘̹̺͍̊͌̃͒ȁ̗͂̓̐̃̌̉͒͘v̬͉̗͊ͩ̽̚͟e͈̰̗̖͆̇̀̒͒͊͆ ͌͑̊ͥ̏ͮ͏̼͝ä͔͇̦̰̩́ͧ̍̉̉ͥͩ͐ ̦̮̲̭̤̠͆̈́̒͐̾ͣͦͧ͢͠l̮̩̪̜̬͜͜i̪̜̰̦̳̬̦t҉̳̱̖͈t̙͙̘̖̣̜͘͝l̡̤̣͠e̳͖̝̺̘͎̥̘̼͘ c̶̥̤͈o̡͈͕͇͓̝͇͇͍̠͞m̸̸͈̖̘̫m̡͉̩̪̟̬o̥̹̣̯n̗͔̺̘̯̮̰͡ͅ ̶̢͎͔͙̞̮̣͠s̘͓e̳͖̥n҉͖̪s̸̝̘͎̩̠̘̭͜͡ẹ̣̦̰.̢҉͚”̩̯̰͟

Curaçao coughed, “Ah... ma... capitaine? Per’aps it would be best if you liquidiez zee Chronomancer now, non? While zee opportunity is ‘ere?”

Velvet snapped her gaze over to Curaçao. “Ỏ̷̃̀̍ͥ͋ͬ͡ḩͭ̆̂ͮ͆ͨ̇͡?̂ͪͥͬ̉͌ ͬͯͦͬ̾Áͪ͂ͭ́͘͡r̴ͬͩͩͣ͂ͨe͗ͯ͏ ̢̾̎̿y̧̓̊̎̓͒͐͌̈ǫ̒ͯ̄ͪ͗̉̾̚ūͤ̍͗̐̐̍͋͛ ̨̿̓ͭ̉̆̔͜t̓̄͜͢ę̵ͭ͝l̓ͣͥ͝l̉͊͂ͭ̄̿̚͘į͂͐̃͢͝n̉͂͑ͣͭ͘͢͢g̶̔ͯ̃̀ͪ̓͢͡ ̶̌ͧ̑̐̆̄ͬ̐͌͏̴m̡̛̀̂̎͌̎͐ͦ̉ȇ̆ͯ̾ͦͯ̓͏ ͮ̓͊̉̏͊̿͞͞w͌͛̉ͪͥͦ̔͘͡h̓ͭ̄̉̅̾҉̕͢ą̛͊̈͠t̨ͫ ̴̷ͩ͛̋̈͋ͧ̚͟tͫ̃̊o͐͆̄͟͝ do҉̴̶,͢҉ ̵̨Cu͟͝r͠a̕ç͞͞a̴҉o?͢ ͜St͡ą͘͢rlig̢͡͝h̕͟͜t̡͜ ͢͡͏ma̧̛y̛͜ ̛ha͘͠҉v҉͏ȩ͠ ͞n̛͝ȩe̢de͢͠d͠ y͏̴͢o͠u̶̶͜r̴̡ ̢a̡͟dv͘͞i̕c̷e͟, I͜ ͟don̴͢’̴t̨͜. ̸̛҉B̕ut͠,̛͟ ͘͢i̡҉̣̞̠̱̜͓f y̖͔͈͈͠o̝͓̰̦̗̰̩͈u̴̗̮̩̹͎’͏̮̜͚͇͈̲̮̫͟r̴̵̤̼̰͖̭̜ę̴̤͈͠ ̥̙͍̗̺̺s̟͞͝o̝̩͕͢ ̸̻ͅd̘͕̟̖͇̗͟e̗͙̘̕t̷͖̰̮͘͜e͇̱͎̩͇͚̹r̜̩̭͚̩͓͎͘͘͢m̧̮̝̹͢i̷҉҉̻̩n̦̞̘͝ͅe͕̼͕̮̝̱̠͢͠ḍ̴̮̠͔̱̼ ͜͏̛̜̰͙̲̠t̙͕̩̰̪̗o̶̡̰͚͈͠ͅ ̫͙͢͢t̡͎͓̻̞ͅr̲̗͔̫̤̘̦͠y̢̼̥̱͚͚ ̶̛̠̗̪̱̩͇̭͝a͜͏̢͙ͅn̻͙̜̺͓̦͙̝d or̷̠̙͉̱̮̳̹̕d̸̡͈͍̺͢e̛̻̗̘͙̩͓̭r͙̝̗̙̫͈̝ ̰͇̳͉͖͈m̸͔̕e͏̵̩̘ ̵̨͚̜̤̟̮a̵̢̞̟̻͇͕͈̰r͏̸͕̫̬̦̗o̮͝u̷̱̫̜ͅn͏̥̦̹̼̩̦̙͜d̫̯͉̮̼̘̯̭͘...͔̬̪̺”͟͞҉̲̞

Insipid panicked and scrambled over and defensively grabbed the earth pony, “Oooh! Curie, shh! Don’t make her mad! Well, madder! Shhsh!”

“Ah... oui, but-”

Grayscale interjected, “She’s merely saying that you’re putting it off too long, boss. Dad wants her dead, so just... do what he wants, yeah?”

Velvet chortled, “̵̅ͤ͂͂͡Ṏ́̒̐̌h̑̒̾͏,̊ d̡ͦͫ͜ã̸̡ͩ͝d̔d͗̆͐͗͟͢yͦ̄’̸̡͗̽͌ͭs̶̏ͮ̓́̄͐ ̨̒͋̈̔̀̆o̾ͯ́̚̕r̢̃͗̐͗̈̑̕͟d̵̃ͪ̓͟é̔̒ͬ̍̽̎͢͠ṙ͛s̴̛ͫͭ̌̚͠ ͛͛̌ç̊́ą̆ͩ̓n̴͊̃͌̓͜͞ ͐̒̆͑ͬ̊w̴̧ͦͥͤͭ̀̐a̔ͩ͒̃̕i̴͋̐̓̓͗̅ͬ̕tͣͤͩ͊̎ ̡̐͛̚҉̡ą̡̉ͭͫ͂̔ͥ̈́ ̡͆̇ͧ͆͒̏̍ͥl̇ͯ̓̎ͤͧi̓t̶ͮͩͩ̋ͩ͠t̡ͨ̄̓͝l̛̔̒ͨͪ̀́͂͘eͥ̓͊͒̇͗͌ lõ͌͋ͨ̿̃ͥ̓҉n̤̘̪̤ͧ̍̍͠g̨͇̭̗̝̥̞ͥ̍̈̐̋ͧ͂ȩ̨͚ͧ̄̄̓r̭̜̗͑̏ͮͫͫ.̵̘͉ͩͯ͐̍͋ͣ͘ ̼̠̟͉̼ͦ̆̈́ͭ̎ͩͅI̭̰͓͈̥͚̝̖͂̾ͥ̓̽̓͂̾’̛̤͕̻̪͎̍̏̇̓͌ͨm̥͎͇̯̩͕̜͕̜͂͂̿̄̔͆͘ ȩ҉̹͕̖̝͇̦͈͠n̪̭͙̬̘͇̫j͙̱̫̰̪̲̯͠ǫ̨̜̤͍̫̜̝͉͜y̡̭̟̗͎͚͓͖i̝̟̞̞̙̙n͏̙̟̩̖̘͇g̲̩̼̪͟ ̺̻͈̠͎͈̜͘t͇͎̭͎͎̥̳͎h̶̢̡͇͙͖͇̯̹i̶̷̲̼ͅs̼̺̜̘͠ ̸̛̰̹ṯ̵͍̹̞͙̖̕o̷̢̭̟͉̱̰̝͎ͅo̪̲̱̤̤̮͞ ̣͍͕̹̼͇m͜͏̳̕u҉̯̜͎͇̙͙͖͚͞c̸̵͓̪h̥̯̱͈̣͖͔͎͠.̴͏̥̪̥̟̭̥̹̙ ̨̤̣̘̟̜̘̥A͓̫͟h̛͕͇͘ḩ҉͙̟͎̝̣̦͙.͏̼̤͈̠̻̫.̡͙̮͞.̛̹͎̳͍͈͖̜̫ ͖͍̤̥̫̦̼̖͡ţ̸̫̫͘h̸͚̗̮i̧҉̝͚̱̳͇̫͇͉͢s̵̙̺̗̝ͅ ̱͚̩̘̱͈̗͍f̗̥͕̰̩͓̫̯ḙ̘̳͚̠̥ͅę̴̞̻͖͓͚l̦̘̗͈͇͟͡͞s̳̠ ̷̘̝̺͈̭͘s̯̭͡o̵͈̮̻̞̟ͅ ̡̘̮̳̦ g̹̳͔͙o̟̯̥̮̼̮̤̯o̗̰̝̜̕d̘͇̘.̰̠̦̫̙̬̕͢”̷̡̗̭̝̺̮̹͞ͅ

Curaçao and Grayscale exchanged knowing glances at one another, and both sighed as covertly as possible.

“̸̓ͦ͋̈̅͋͠N̔̔͐̄ͥ̾́̎̒ȯ̡͒̍̑̏ͨ̐ͬ̆͡w̛͒ͦ͒ͣ͏̢ ̵̢̃̓ͩ̕t̷̨̄h͌̓͐͏e̷͊n̵͛̍̾ͬͭͫ.ͫ̑̎͋̎ͭ̚.̸̧̌̆̐ͨͪ.ͦ͐̏ͪ̓̈́ͤͭͯ ̄̊ͨͯͭ̿̑wͥͫͦ͑̄̌ͭ͝hͧͪͮ͊ͭ̐ͪ́͡e̶ͦͭͫ͗̔̂̚r̈̋͟͠ȩ̷͊͌̆ͤ̋̔̚͜ ̉͌͑͠wͨ͠aͯͥ̊ͯ̍͌͌̋͘s̸̷̛͑̈̊̔ ̶̒͒ͭͫI̴ͯ̐̂?̎ͫ҉ ̛͌̿́O̾̅̆̉ͥ̓͠h̢͒͂͊ͭͯ͋ͣ͗̚ ̢̀ͮ̊̈̕͡yͯ̄̉͋̃͜e͆͒͊̈́͂̆͡s̿̇ͥ̒̊̑ͣ͞͝!̧̨̊̒̽͆͑͌ͧͯ ̵̔̎̔̓͠͝I͛̔ͩ̐ͧ̀̈̚ ̶̔̄b̨͂͐ͪ̋͝e̸̢̢̓ͫ̓lͫi̸͒̋ͬ͡ě̡̢̓̏̆ͯ̽v̢ͫͤ̈̎̔͠e̢͛ͦͧ͊ͪ͊̅ ̛ͫ̔̋͋ͨ͡t̾ͫ̋̎̅̎̀͋͞hͨ̄̌͌͋eͩ̅͆͒̚͘͜ ͩͣ͐ͪ̔͢͝l̶ͥ̆̎̚e͆̈́͑̔͊̌͌̐͜͡āͮd̸ͮͧ͗ͩ͊̃̚͞e̡͐̊r̛̿ͦ̔̚ ͭ͑́̕̕g̐́ͤ̉e̷̅ͮ̚͢ẗ́͐҉͝s̨̄ͣ d̷̕͜i̷̧b̡͠s̸̛ on̢ ̛͢t̨͞he ̕C̶͞͠h̸r̵̡o̕no҉̸͠m̢a͏̧n̛̕ç̛̛e͞r̸͢͞’s̵͘ ̶͠he̶͟a͞͏d?”̶͝ She chuckled and drew Tick Tock back over to her. “S͠o,͢ b̡̡a̵c͏k̸͢ ̨͢t͡o̕͞ ͡͝b҉u̶̕͢s̶͠i͜n̡e͢s̡s,̧ ̧̨t̴̷͜hen̶͟͢.҉ ͞Le͟͞͝t̶҉͜’̕s̴͘͘ s̵e̴̕͘e̵̢.͜.͟͢. ̵̨I̷͝ ̕wa͝͏n̨͢t̕͡ ͘͜t̸̛h͡i̷̛͘s ͠t̢҉o ̢b̡e͘ ̛͞ą̸͢s̵ ̢҉pa͠i̸̶n͏҉f̢҉ư̷͞l̨͝͏ ̶a̵̛s͘ ͏p͏͞oss̶̕ib͞le̕, an͜d ̡͠I҉͟ ̨w̧͏a̧͟n̸t͠ ͘y̡͠͏ou̢r͡ ͡f͜r҉i̧en̶̕҉d͏s̕ ̷̧t̢o w͟͡͡a̷͜͜t̵̛c̡͘h̢̡.̵҉ ͞T̢̧͠h̛͏ei̛͞r̴̛ ̷͝͠t͞e̛͟rr̸͜o̵͘r͠҉͘.̶̡.̛.̢͞ ̨t͢͞h̡͟e͘͜i͠͝r̷ ̢so̶r̷̨ŗ̨ơ̵w̷̢ ̸͠a̴҉͜n͟d҉̸ ̧͢r̛e̛m͡o̸̢r҉̡s̵e͝.͘.͝͡.̛ ̧t͝h̸͝ę͘ir ͏pa̡i̧͏n͘... i̴̢t͡ ̶w̴̡i͜l̷͟l ͢͡͠g͞i̷v̵̢e̵ ̢͜m̕͘e ̴̛s̢us̵t̷en͟an̸̢͞c̨͟ȩ͢͡.̕ ̴I̕ ̸͟t͙h͚̭i͉͓̝̱̻͉n̻̫̼k̥̪̻ ͖̼̳͞a͎̟̰̯ͅ ̗̲s̞̟͔͉̳͈̳i̼̜͔̰̙̮m͞p̟̼̟̼̭͚l̺̞̜͞e͍̣ͅ ̼̰̥͔be̗̦̩̝h̛̯̥̼͎e̪̠͈̜̙̠ͅa͓͓͍̹̬d̴͓̤͓̺̝i̦͈͚͖n̨͙̪͓̝͕̖g ̩͓̲̺̮w͓͈̳̼į̣̟͎͖̳̩l̯͔̗̻̱͇̺͟l̫͚̩̥ ̮̬̙͎͝d͏o͔͇̟̯͎ ̢̯͖t̻h̩̝͓͍̥̟̙ę͇̫̯͔͓ ̢̘͎͕t̠̜̤̳̕r͕̼̟͔̠i̤̱̣̲c̗͙̣̭k̯̹.̡͕͉͙”̪͍̯̪͍̲

“You... let her go!” Pinkie yelled as she struggled.

Velvet groaned. “̓̐ͨ̕͝F̴̨͛͋́͐ͭ͑̅ͭͬo͐̏͜͟͞r̒͌͐ͦͮ ̡̏͛̿̅̆͝t́́̋̂͝h́̆̆̚͠͞e͋̌̾̔̆͊ ̴ͥlͩ͛ơ̅v̵̀ͨ̑͋̾̚ėͣ͐̐̂ ̡ͦͯ͋͟oͫ͑̈́ͯ҉f̊́... ̢̐͛aͫͣ̂̾̋̓͒͟r̸͑̉̐̇̃̓ͯ̋͜ȅ̸̢̍̍̓͐̿ͬ ̵̀̇̇͆͟ỳ̵͋ͨ̌̂̊͑͘ó̎҉u̴̡͐̀ͥ̃̃͆ ͭ̇͒s̵͒̇t̃͑̈͗ͣi̴ͧͤ͊̿͆͊̉̂͞͏l̡ͬ͆͐̓l̍̾̓ͮ̌̔̾̕҉ ͂́ͣ́r̨̧̛̃̏ẽ̇̋̐ͧ̊͛̎sͩͨ́́̊ͩ͘̕ī̴͂ŝ̍̆ͣ͋͢͞t̊̿͝҉ĩͦ͐̑́̂͟͏n̶̈́ͭͧg̀ͫ̐̈̿͂́͋?͛̆͢͠ ̶ͬ͑̽̏̐̂̄͌̕͢Î̐̈́̓̓҉̡ ̢̌̏̃ͩͥ͛̃ͬ͢͠d̸́ͯ̍͆̚͞ŏ̊ͫ͋̊͠҉n̴̈̂̎̅̓̀̊’ͩ͛̑̏͝tͪͤͮ̒҉̛ ̛̎̍̒͂ͤͯ̈s̴̓̐ͧ̔ͥ̀eͭ̎̍ͪ̋̅͒͏e̷͊͆͂̄̚͢ ͩ̓͒̌̓͘h̵̷̢̑̿̉̋ȏẃ҉ tḩi̷̴s̶̨͞ ̴i̶̧s̸̵̷ p̡͕̖̤̻̦̽ͮ̄̔͠ȯ͓͓̗͓ͭͪ͌s̤̟̟͓̿͊̾̌s̷̹͈̗͉͇̠͙̜̽ͪ̇͛͑͗͠ib̵̪̻̻l̗̯͞e҉̼̟͚̺̞̗̙̹.̩̼̩͎̩ͅ ̢̭̭̺̭͍̝͢Y̴̺̥ǫ̱ư͡ͅ ̴̧̞̺̳̼̙̥͍̕s̪̠͝͝h͚̹̜͝o̭͉̹̫̜̞͞u̩͈̫̗͈̙l̨̙͕̝͚͡d̘̹͡ ̩b̸̬̭͢e̟͚͇̝ ̛͚͔̻a s̭͙̩̪̪͔̩n̟̱̣̩̟͍̩͞͝i̵̶̷͖͉v̨̫͎͈̯e̹̖͔̫͘l̢͓̦͍̻̬͕͎i̵͏͍̹̦͚̣n̸͇̲̩͇͘͞g̨͍͎̼͓͜ͅ ̫̥͙̲m̷͉̖̲͉͔̫̯̕e̼̪̜̗͈͡ͅs̶̰̤̠͔͇͙s̸̜ l̨͔̞̫̤̮̳i̢̞̪̺̳͚̻̠̰͠k̩͝e͏̦͕̟͠ ̪͈̱͈̟̫̩ͅt͏̗͠h̗̬͢e͈̻͎͡͡ͅ ̛̫̮͚̝͡r͉͔͉͔ę͚̗̯͓s҉͔̭̭͢t̘͇̣̠̗̰͞ ̴̮̹̹͓̰͔̟̤̕ͅo̴͙̠̗͇̝f҉̴̼̘̙ ̷̬͕͈̝̼̼̭͘͜y͈̤̖͍̘̳͖̰͘o̧̻̖̱̮̘͙͓̟͈u̜͜r p̤̥͇̣̫̺͠a̴̪͔̤͓̳͈͠t̛͠҉͚̞̤h̴̝̩̞͢e̟͍̫̻̙t̙̹i̷̻̥̤̪͚c̯̞͘ f̵͘͏̮͔̦̣̮̰r̷̡̨͉̻̣̭͈͚i҉̗̘̝̫̘̩͜ͅe̴̢̡̯̝̦̱̟̫n̵̵̙̼̩d̸͚̝͇̳̭̠̰̻̠s̵͈̤̗̻̖.̙̕͟͡”̡͇̠͞

“As long as I’m around, there will always be a light to resist you!” Pinkie challenged, “You don’t scare me, Red! I told you, I never will be scared of you ever again!”

Velvet sneered and drew Pinkie close. “̢̾͂͂ͣͪ̐́̈ͨY͋́͒҉o̶̿͑̂̓̑̈͂͢ũ̶̋ ̓̃̔̍͏͢c͗ͯo͗̽͐ͫ͌ͥ̄̎̓n͊̌̽tͥͬ͋ͩ̅ͥ̒̚i̶̸̎͋n̴̎͌u̸ͥ̎̀̕e̢ͤͪ͑ͦ͆ ̆͌ͩ̍̆ͣ̕t̍͂̇̚̕o̿҉̸͡ ̄ͬ̃̏͝a͗ͫ̚͏g̿ͨ̄ͬ͠͠g̅͊̋̇ͦ̒̔̔͞r̢̧ͦả̵̶vͫ̌̉̇͐͡ą̛͆́̀̂̃ͬ̍t̡͗̈́ͪ̽ͯ̋ͣ̓ͫ͘҉e̿̾ͥ͋̈́҉ ̓ͯ́͊͘m̅̋̐̒͌͘ėͨͮ̌̀̔,̇͒͂̐ Pi͞ņ̶͢kį̵e҉,̡̨̢ ̵͟a̷̷n͢d̕͟҉ ̵t̵o͢͞͠ ̷̕n͏o͡ ̨e̵̡n̨͠d͞ a̡t͜ ̵̵̡t̷ha͟t̶̵. ̷҉H̨o̵̢w͏ i̡̕s̨ ͜͞i̢t͢ ̸͜͞y҉͡o͡u͘ ̷s̸̡͡t̡i̕l̸͏̛l̛͡ ͡h̴͠o҉l̢̧͜d͝ ̷o̕n̸t̸o̶͟ t͠͏hi̕̕͜ş͞ ̷l̶̨i̶͠t͢t̶͘l̡e̛͏ ̷̕be͞a̵͡c͏o͡͞n̴̨͜ ̶͟͡o͡f̷ ̷͢͢ho̧p̢͠ę?̛̕” Sh̶e͜ ͡s̕udde͜nļy go̴t a͠ ̷sly ͢g̵r̡i̡n̷, an͏d chuckle͏d҉,̡ “͎̼̻̕I̛̤̝̥̫ ̧͔̦͙͓̮k͖̣̬͖̼̬ṉ͇̟o̦̙̟͓̣w̠.͍̥͓̕.̰. ̠̙̯l̶͉̞̻͖̙e̛̬̯̻͉͈̞̞t’̙̲̳̘͕s̯̤͉ ̴̦̟͙̰̝s̳̮̠̬̱͚e̴̺̲̙̯̞ḙ̶̻̝̙͚͔ͅ ҉͎͎̥̺͇̰ͅw̥̯̜͇͇͞h͕̩ere ͘ṯ͢h͔͍̤̗̻ͅa̸͇͈͔̙̗t̼̱ ̯̤̪̟̼f͏̭̞̙͖̲̠i̸r͖̱̥̭̕e͔̟̺ͅ ̷̦̬̳͉ḭ̹n̠͢ y̻̯̹̘̞̣͟ͅo̰͚u̹͙͚͕̺̦͓͞r͎͍̫̤̱͠ ͓̲̦h̠̣̟̲̗e҉̼̤̦͎̗a͓̝̥̖̕rt̶̲̣̠̺̻̳ ̬̰̬c̪̼̫͓͘om̼̙͉̖͖̝̙e̱̮͇͎̙̭̮s̞̰ ̡͚̻f̡̰̱̫r̮̹͓̱o̧m̱̗͍̞̠͚.̙̭͇̫͢ ̮̖͈͝L̺̺̦̙̺͔ͅet̳̞͍̬̗’s̢͔̤͙̹ ͕̮̖ͅs͕͓͍͠e̡͖͔̰͖̫͙e̲̳̖ͅ ̯͇̦̮͕if̡̫̮̗ ̧̯̺̼̘͙̼̜we̙̩͟ ̧̭͉̦͕͈̟͖c̦̙̣̳̗ą̹̫̻̩͙̪̪n̥̭͎’̮̟̙͙͍̪͘ͅt͚̰̥̱̤͓͟ ͓̭̩ͅş̗͓̖͍̦̰͉̪̘͖͙̳̩̲͟n̢҉̸̢̡̦̱̬̘̮̲̝̞̹͍̲̦̥̘̲̰̱ͅͅu̶̵̼̤̫̯͈͎͍̙̳̩̟̟͘͝ͅf̡̧͙͍̤̯̻͔̮f̨̡͍̙̬̘̣̗̣͍̝̞̣̺̗̙̝͜ ̵̢̛̣̰̳̘̜̰͈͔̗̥̣͈͓͉̕͞ḭ̸̢̧̭͈̳̕ͅt̶̷̻̤̲̹̟͠ ̧̡̥̖͈͓͖̗̘̘o̷̲͙͕̱̩͇͕̠̲̮̥͢ụ̸̡̡͕̪͓͜ţ̶̱̙͙̣̗̱͓̜̯̺̦̠̖͢͟͝!̶̛͇͚̹̤̠͖͉̻͉̮͘”̷̜̜͍̘̭̯̫͎̫͚̬̻̗͚̫̰͢͡

Pinkie ̵scr̡eam͡ed ͘i҉n p̕ain a̛s͡ V͘e͢lv͜et̕’s ͠t̛en̶dr̨ils ͟p͟ierced ͘her c͘he҉st҉ ͠a͘n̸d̶ flooded ̢h̨er ̕with ҉diff̸e̵r͘ent ͢vi̷si̡on͟s ̧t͠han ̷Velv̶e̷t reme҉mbe̕r̶e̴d͟ fr͘om͜ ̕last̕ ti̶me̵: Pinkie ̕a̷ll a̕l̛one̴ i̛n end̴l̛e̢s͢s d̶a͘r͡k̛ne̵s̡s͘.̕ A̴l҉l ̨al̛on͝e...͠ ca̸l͡lin͢g o͠ut ̕f͜o̡r so̸m̴epon̨y͜ ͟that̛ ̶w͘a͏s͘n’̢t̵ t͡here. All al͢on҉e. ̵F͠or͏evęr͏.

Ve̾̓̈ͦ̽͑lv̂̔ͦ̆̂̓̂͜e͌t̸ͤͫ̔̆ͯͫ̆ ̈́cͣ͂a̐ͨ̐ͮ̆c̓͐ͪ̂ͦ͆͊̕k̋͋̀ͨͬ̚͞lͭͧe͐̀̓d̾ͫͫ҉ ͥa̔ͧͨnͩ̓̊͋̔͒d̨͊̆̑ ̑̓ͪ̀̄l̏ͨ͑͝i̡ͮ̓̿ͦ́͛̈c̃̏̎k̅ͧe̢̔̐͑̇ͣ̋d̏̽̌̔̄ ̛ͦͣ͑h͑͋ͫeͪ͞r͐͠ ̨l̆͆̂i͡p͠ś͂.ͤ̑̈̊̉ “ͥ̆͌̒ͤ̀H̡̒ả̋ͣ̔͒̚̚͝.̸͋̉.̧ͥ͂̂.̸̄ͬ̑̉͐̐̍ ̏ͥ̀ͩ̈̚h͋ͨ̉̑͊͝a͋̆͡ ḩ̎a̓́̿ͧ ̊ͣ͛ͪͭͯ̈́h͊͋͛̽a̶͌̒̈ͥ̒,̌̐ͧͫ ̴̒ͤ̌s̅͛̓ͭo̍ ̂̓ͪ͌͆t͛͒ͦ̋h̀̄͌̍̓aͪ̈̒ͣ̋t’̢̓ͤ͊ś͑̈ͭ ̀͢i̅̈́̚t.̑̎ Y̡oͫ͊ú,͊͆̈́̆̈ ̋́l̡ͪ̐̍̅ͭi̓̋͒̌ͥ̚k̨̈̊ͩeͩ ̈̎̋̇t̷͟͠h̴̢͘e̡ ̢͏o͞t͘̕͡h̛͡e̷r̨s̡̧͠, ͟f̕͘ea̴̴r ͞f͞͠o̡r̸̴ ͘͘͡y̧o҉u͢r͟ ̴̛f͝r͏͟͠i҉̧e̢͟nd̕s͢.̴҉ ҉O̵f̸̶̷ ̴̧͘c͢o̡͞u̧rse͜ ̡̛y̸̨o̴͘u ͢d̵̕͏o̧, ̸̧Į’v̸̧ȩ͟ ͟s҉ee̢̕n͜͠ ҉i҉͞t̶̷̢.̶ ͟B̴̢̧u̶t͠ ̵w͏͢h͟͡e͏n̴͘ ̧̡I͟ ̨̛l̡͢a͡s̷͏t̶̨ sa̕w ͞i̛t̴̢, ̡͞I̧ t̸̕h̸ou̵̢͡g҉h͞t̢͏ ̵͝it̷̕͢ ̴̷͞a҉̸͟pp̧̛͟l҉i҉̕͜e̕d̡͞ p͜͠r͜et̶t͏̷̵y ̶e̶̛͡q̧̕̕u̧͘al͝l҉͟y͏ ̛ţ̸o̡ ̕͢͟a̢ļl ͝y͠o̵̶u͜r͜ ̵̢͢f̸͘ri͘͜eņ͞d̴̕͢s̢̡͠.͠͝ I͘ ̢͞d͝҉i͟͡͝d̴̸n’̴͜t ̛sȩe̷͞ ̷̧͟it҉̵ ̸t̴h̡͝͝ȩ̸n, ͘b̷̧ut ͘͟I͞ ̛s͢͡e̸̕̕e̴͟ ̨͟i̡t͢ n͡o̢͢w.҉ ̴I͘ ̴c̢҉̡a͜͟n͝ ̸̢sȩe͘ ̡s̵o͏me͠p͝ơn͏̶y ̕t͘ḩ̕e͜͞r͟e̢,̶ ̸̨s̸̡͢o̵me̷̛pǫ̴n̨̢y̶̡͞ ͝͏t̵҉ḩ҉at̴ y̕ǫu’͝r͜͝e҉ ̕a̢f̸r̕͢a̷̕i̷d̶ ͢͝f҉͠o̵̕r͢ ̕͠t̵͞h̴e͢͝ m̢͠͝os͜͡t̷.͢͢”̷͡͝ H͏e̸r̷ ͠mouth ͝cu͠r͡l̴e͝d͞ ̧up i͠n a w͞ic̢ked, f̶an̷ged҉ ͠sm̨il̡ȩ.̸ “̧A̧w̛ww̵̢.̕.̢.̛ ͏̴͜d̡͞e̸a̴r ͝lit̢tl̵e̶̢̢ ̢͡D̢͢͞a҉҉̡s̕͠h̷̸͝i҉̧͢e̛͏.̧ ̡͢S͘h͝e a̛b͡a̡͏nd̷ơ҉̢n͞͞͡e̢d ̶y̡o͡u ̢a͜͠l̛l,̢͘͠ ҉̸̨d҉id̨ ͠s͘͜he̡?̛ ͟No̷͏̴.͏.͞҉.͘ ̸͝t̡͡h̡͜at’s̷͠ not̷̡ ̧͡w̸ha̴҉t̵̛ you’̷r̶҉e̷̡͢ ̛͝w̴o͠r̸r͝i͝e̡҉d ̡̢͞ab͟ǫ͝u̡̢͢t̢.͏ ͢͠Y̴̡̕o͘ư̶’re ̶͡͞w̴͝o̶r͘r̵͡͠i͜͞e̸̡d̨̕͠ ̛t͜h̴a͏t̨ ҉şh̴̸e͢͟ ̢a͝b͟ąn̢͢͠d̕ơ͢͝n͏͢e̢͏d ͘͠͡y̴ou̧.̧̢͞ ̕F̶͠ea̧͜r̨͞ o͘͝f͟ a͏̶b̵a̴͟͠n̨̢͝do̢̡n͝me҉n̢t̕,̨̡̕ ̧͡fe̛͏aŗ ̵̡̨o̴f ͡l̡͎̙̞̟̙̝̝o̸̶̧̫̱͍s̢̮̰͙̣̼̘̣ͅi̶̟̯̤̩͎̼͇̮͟͜n̩̝̝̫͔͕̬g̬̼͢͡ ̴͖͖̲a̳̹̖͙̺ ̧̙̻̯̭̺̱̟̼̼l̶̠͡o҉̼͕̩̼͖̠v̡̧̠̠̜̩̗ͅe̼̞̼̞͎̞̱̦̣d͏̱̦̝̥̱͢ͅ ̡̣̻̗̼̭͓o̶͠͏̙̣͎̹̜̟n̶͖̗̦͇̗̹̲̗e̤̫̼̫͈̝̭̦.̠͡͡ ̘̹̫̘̝̟͍T̵͉̥̞̗ḥ̵͇̖ị̗s҉͙͙͟ ͍̠̮͇̰i̶̦̥̻̗̰̭ͅs͎̗̫͙̥̱͠n̬̤̤’͓̩̻͜͡t̬͖̱ ̴̘̳͚̼̹̗̣̜͘͜t̠ę̜r͇͙͈r̡̮̲̲ͅo̹̜̣͇͚̜͢r̠,̙̻̙͓̳͇͈͡ ̶̘̕o̵͓̯͔̖̭͎ŗ̸͇ ̷͓̝͚̠h̘̭̠̘̞̝o̼̭͠r̮̤̣͓̙r͏̷̘͇͙̪̗̱͍o͎͖͚̮r̴̤̘.̳̺̤͓̞̫͚.͏҉͈̮̥͈̥̦̖̗.̝̹ ͇̪͙̟̕͡t̖̙͢ḩ̻̙͚i̖̼̻͉͉͙̻͘͠s̷̙͚͟ ̸̖̟͔̕̕ͅi̴͇͖̼͚̹̟̬s̼̥̪͍̭͜͢͢͠ dȩ̨͎̦̫̜̩͖͢s̱̗̩̝̭̝̳͠p̗͜͞͠a͇̙̫͚̠͘i͙͈͔r̜͔̬̥̗̯͢.̷͙̝”̧҉̬͓̗̹̖͎̺͚ ̧̘̹̲̹̤

Her ̸eye̴s͠ rol҉l̶ed͝ ͘ba̢c͡k ̧a̛ l̷ittl̵e̛ an͢d͘ ̡s̴he͜ licke̷d ̛he̷r ̕ļips ͠a̕gai͞n, ̨l͝et̶t҉in̸g he҉r͞ ̛blo͡od f҉l̨ow̡ l̸ikeͭ wa̡ţe̶r̴ f͏rom̡ ouţ of̴ h̡e̷r, ҉so mưch͘ that҉ i͏t se͢emed impo͏şsibl̢e̡ that͡ ͞h͢e͏r bod̨y ̢ev̕en ̛c͜ou̧ld̵ ̷s͡till̛ c͘o̢nta͞in̷ a d̠̺͈̮̺͈r̵̻̥̘̤͓̥o̤̝͖̲͖̲p̩͉͚͉.͓ ̺T͈͈͙̯̟h̬e ̴̪̹̠b̳̰͡lo͔̞͈̺̕o͡d̹ ̬̱̣̤w͚a̬̗̭͕͉͔͝s ͓̟͈̟̯u̡̯̝͇͉̦̱̞n̷͉̺͇̤͎̦̻n͇̼̪̣͖͕̜a̭̘͇̝͓̬t̛̥̲͙̗͉͓u͍͈̣̭r̰aļ̯̙̩͍̺̭,̸ ̴̤̲s̴̠̬̹m͚͔͔͖̰̱e̬̗̣̘l͍͓̘̼̪̗͕͢l̠͓i̛͇ṉ̸̤͈̰͎͎̤g͘ l̸̖̹i͉̗̻͝k̥̞̪͎͢ͅe s̟o̰̭̘̟̘ͅm̥e̴̻ ͉̳͖̩u͈͈̩̫̙̯͙ṇ̞͇ḥ͈o̰͡l̻̮͇̜y̢ ̰̹͙͓̣̲c̦̩o̞̻̦̰͎̫̲m̧̬̦̠͓̫̞b̴̹̟͕̯̞͚͕i̶͍̹̥n̺͇̜̘̼̥a̻̫̜̗͙t͔̜i̪̘̰̭̳̕o͘n͉͞ ̨͕̝͙̲͍̲̰o̘͎͖̦̼f̩̜̲͉̝̳̺ ̭̮͠b̛̭̠̠̝̝l̞̗̩͉o̴̙͙̯ͅo̶̘̦͔d̛͖̪͓̬̺̩ ̙a҉̜n̺͓͔̦̖͞d̨̲̹͖͖̞ ̜͉̜͝d̟̝̦̗̥e̗͘a̭̺t̶͚h̹̰͙͎.͈̟͔̭͕͙

“M̧̋̉́͟͝m̏̉̇͆̊̓͏m̶ͧ̿͒ͨͣmͫ̀̌.ͨ̅͛.̉̚.̵̑̂͊̆͂͝ ̨͗̂͢t̾̒͌͑h̶̓͊̅̍͝a̿̆̎͜t͆ͤ͜ ̴̢̛̆̽ͥdͤͤ͜͟ȩ̛̀̇ͬ͑lͭ̐̏į̛̾̈ͦ̅̊̑͛͒̍̕ç̴ͭ͐ͣͧiͯͤ̑ͨ̋ͧ̿ͩ͏̷ơ͆͒ͨ̋̋̂ͪ̊̚u̶̷ͨ̉͐ͫ̾͐͘s̾̌̐̈́͗ ̍d͑̓͂̚͝͝e͆̽ͬͭ҉͝s̵̨̈ͭͯͩ̾͑̕p̸ͦͫ͌͠a̎̉̉̒̉̃̿̓͛̕͝҉ir I̎̄̃̋ͪt̶ͩͣͦ̒͒’̆̽̆̆͟s̶̢̒̃͊̂̚͝ ͯ̈́͛͜m̶ͦ̂͆̏̂͋̆͌͟y̑ͥ͗ͮ̓ͮ ̷̐̅͊͏f̷̂͆ͦ̕ȃ̋̂҉̶̧v̧͑̓̋ȯ̸̸ͦ̓ͧ̌̆̍ŗ̒͌͆͗͛ͧ͛i̎ͭ́ͭͬt̷̑ͣ̋̍̍͊̐̚eͣ̄̃͐͛́̄,̆͂̾ͧ̕͡ ͨ̉̎ͧͩ̌ȳ̷̛̇ͥ̍̂͘o̡͆ͧ͝u̷ͮ̑͂̉ͤ̈̚ ͫ̂kͦͥ̑ͧͦ̐ņ́ͣ̾̏ͧoͩͮͨ̐̋͗wͧ̌̚?̀̽ Iţ’s҉ ̶͘so͢ ҉͞r̢͠a͡rę̨̕ f͝o͘ŗ͟͝ m͘̕͟e̢͞͞ t̡҉o̕͡ ͏͏t̴͞a͠s̸̢͠t̢͞͏e͏,̢͝ ̨n͜o̡͟͝t̸ whe̷̢ņ̕ e̴͠͝v̡͝e͏r̡y̨͠po͏n̢͏y̡ i͞s̶ ͘͢mor͝e̡ ̸a̸f̛͡r͢͟a̕͠i̛d̢ ̶̧͞f̢or͞ ͘t͟h̴͢e̴͜ir͝͝ p̨̕̕hy̡sic̸̨͜a̧͞l͏͘ ͘͘͞wę͢͜l̶l̨-b̧͏e̡̢͡iņg҉̷. ̵F͟͞il͘͝l̕ m͞͝e w̸įt͏͏h ̨̛͠y͜͝ǫu͢r de͢s̶͞pa̵͢͞ir, P̶̸i̶n̷kie͘͡.҉.̡. ̢̕y҉̶̵o̷u̸̵̡ o͜n̛ļ̵y̨͟ ̧͢ha͟͝v͟͠e ̡̛͡yo͘u̸r͞se͜͡l̡̨f̵̧ to̕ ̡͟͡bl̛͟a͜m̶͞͝e̶.̢͠͝.̢͠.”̵̡͜ Velv͝e͝t͡ ̨g͞rinn͏ed͡ ̸w͠id̶e͢ a͟n̛d͠ ̧w̧hi͠sp̷ȩre̵d ͝in͞ ̴Pin͡ki̸e’s̛ ear. ͘“̵̢D̡a̷̶͘sh͝i̢͟e ͟look̵̶ed̶̢ ҉͘t̸o y͠o҉u̴ ̢̛f҉͜or͢ ͏s̛͟u̡p̛͠p̵͞o͝r̵̛͠t͢..̴.̷ ̨̕͜a̴n̴͠ḑ ̨͠y̛͝o̶̶u̧ ̧̕͡tu̸r̴͢ne͞d͢ yo͏̛ur̕͞ ͘͡b̷̧a͜c̴͘k͟ ̶̸̕ǫ͞n̷ ҉he͏r̷,̧͝ ͝sh͞u̡͡n̸͠n̛ȩ͟d ̨͟҉h̴̛͢e̡͘ŗ̴͝ ̛aw҉̷͝a̶y̵͠.̴͠ ̵̡I̧͘ ̷̛c͘͜͏a̛̕҉n̡͘͝ ş̢̛e̶ȩ ̨i͠n̡t̵͠͏o̢ ̸̢your͞ he͠ar̷t͞͝ ̸a̸n̷ḑ͡ ̸̴̕so̢u͝l̡.͏̕.͢.͞ I̵̕ ̧͞ç͢ąn ̸se̴͡e̵͘ ̨h̵e͢r̨͜ ̷̢f̷̛a̡͟t̶̡e e̵v͡e̛͡n ̢n͝o͠w̛͘.̢ ̨̛S̨͞h̷͟e’̢͢s̡̨ g̵o͝ne̢, g̷̛o͠nę ̵͞f̴͞o̢͞re̪ͅve͔̠̭r, ̧n̩̬̣̟̗̞̤ḛ̙v̯̬͚̩̥ę̩̰̪̪ͅr̝͕̳̩͍̺͞ ̧̤̠̞̩to̶̺̠̠̗ͅ ̭r̗͈̥e̮̟̙̦̪̞ͅt̸̘u̱͎͙͔̲͉r̹̠̙͎n̻.̡̠̻̱͖̩̠ͅ ̯ ̻̣̪̦͍̩̦͝W͏͈̫̝͡h͙̖͖̬͚͜͟ỵ̧̡̘͙̱̣ ̴̧͍͍w̜̤̭̜̩͕o̸̵̼͔͝u̵͕̟̟̝͕̰̻͞ͅl̴̞͇̰͇͔̪̱ͅd̶̨͕͎͚̪̹ ̧͘͠ͅs͖̟h̜̥e̷̼?̻̖͙̯̝͇͝ ̵̢̘̬̫̜̪̻̬̳̦͝Y̧͍̼̳̱̳͈͠o̡̙̰̬͙͡͞ṳ͙̦̦̝,҉͖̙̱ ̘̯̥͙̱̙̮a̮̰̥ņ̵͚͖͖̰͡d҉̣̘̬̹͚̯͢ ̵̳͈̹͔̜̤̦̞ͅa̛͚̣̦̬͚̞͔͔͜l̢̦͎̺͇̼̳͓l̨̡̛̘̙͚̹̮̬̭͕ ̶̮̱̟͘y̙̼̖̠̳͍̰͙͔o̵̡̢̟͇u͏̺̤̙͔̦̮̫͖͍r̵̼̦̣͜͜ ̡̼̰l̘̜̭͘i̷͙̣͇͉̪͈̦̯t̵̵̠̪̘̱̘͠t͍͔̬͖͇͎̤̟͜l̢͕̤̩̤̬͇̲̞ę̵̴̰͎̳̝͔ ̸̫̯͓͢f̡͕̤̘̩̣̠̞̬͟ṟ̴̶̢̺̮͍̘̼̼̼ị̵̱̺̝͍̫͈ę͓̼̝̤n̢͔̩̟̞̹̖̪̺͎d͈s̡̟̫̪͎ͅͅ,̡͖ ͎̮̩̟͟͝͞d̸̷͕̜r̪̥͓̻͟͜͠o̭̺̟̬̙̥̻̤̕v̖͎̝̹͟͝͞ȩ҉̙̤ ̶͈͓̺̝̝̱̬h̵͎͘e̶̬̲̫̯r̡͍̙̺̭͔̙͙ ̨͏͕͙̩̘̲̱͕̺a̴̯̗w̸̹͕̭̲͎̬a҉͔̗͔̝y̦̠̰̣͎̭̙̙̥.̭̭̳͚̥͓̝.͉̤̲̦̫̦̰̘̰͘͟.͉̗̖̘̝̜͉͕͝”̵̡̠̺

“She’s coming back!” Pinkie sp͘at.

V̛e̷lv͘et̕ ҉s͞n̛ic͜kered,̶ “Yǒu̎̎̐rͪ͆ ̆ͯli̴͋ͬ͜t̢ͣͤ͞tͨ̀le̋̔̓҉̡ ͨͮ̄̃ͣ͆̕ḧ̷̴́͊̂ͤ̃̽͛o̵͗̂̋͛ͤͦͩ͘p̷̓̆̓̽e̛͐͊̌ͮ҉s͋̿͘͝ ̵̧ͤ̍̔̄͐̊͝a̴̡͆̈̒͆͐n̵͑̐̕dͪ̈́͘͠ ̴ͮ̇d̷̋̂̓ͣ̇ͫ̋͞r̴͗e̡ͧ̿̎̚å͋̓ͤm̐͛ͧ̈sͭ̀͛ͬ͒͏,̵̐͐ͧͥ̕͡ ̸̨̈́̎̃̿ͧ͘ŷ̵̢ͯ͐̓̃͛͐̚ö͗ͩ̆͘͞u͌ͨ̈́̑͐̑̌ͬr̸̷̴͂̋̈́̿̆ͮ̔ ̴̨͊̂͛͌̊wͥ̀ͣ̏̋̇a̴̡̓nͫͬ̌ͪ̄̀͐t̨̽͆͊̊ͩͯs̡ͫ̈ͣ̋̆ ͥ̽̈́̀͐͑̐̈́̐ą̶͛͒̉ͪ̂̍ͣͦ̄͞n̷̶ͧͦ̏d̈͒̍̎̏ͩͧͥͧ͟͏ n͞ȩ̢͟ȩd̨̡s,̴͘ t̡͢͟h҉̴̴e ͟l̶it̸̢t̢͏l͏̵e̶҉ t̵w͠i̕ng̵̕ęs̵ ̕of̧͟ l̶ig͟͝h͝҉͠t̸̢͡ ̶t̛h̡҉at ͡y͠o͏͢u̴̶͝ ̸cl̢͝i̸̴̢n̷̷͟g̡͠ ̨t̵̡o̕ ̵͏i̸n̡ ҉̢a҉̷n͟ ̵a̵̛t҉̕t͞ȩ͢mpt͝͠ t̢o̴ ḑ͍̖̠͝͝ͅr͎̞̟̬̮͈i̘͕͇͉v̴̛̠͔̬̞̙͖͔̳e͏͇͉̣̖͠ ̸̨̡̬a̦̮w̮̩̣̱̰̙̕͢a̼͓͔̯͓͉̹̟y̪͓̳ ̛͉͕͎̭̩͚̞̜͢t̡͉̠̼͕̜̤̟͔͘ḩ̦̲͔̭e̛͏҉̲͈͉̤̲͉͓̣͕ ̴̶͚͇̞d̡͕̯̘̲̻̣͔͙ą҉̷̪̝͈͙̞r̻̼̙͙̭̥k̩̮̖̺̫̰̹n͇̗̪̲͚͇̪͞e̹͔̠͔̜̙͚͡ş̧͍͓̬ͅs͘͢҉̖̥̞̹͖̬̖̙̙.̛̛͉̗.҉̺͖.̗͝ ̴̸̟͇̥ͅt͇̻̼͠h̛͓̦͔̺̤͎e̸̞̜y͖͔̣̺͉͇̘͞’̨҉͕̤̭r̢͕̤͈̬̱̺̫͟e̛͙͖͉ ͕͈̫̘̖̗̺͝a̶̘̜̗̦̺̻͈̥͘l̳͕̠͙͈l̲̟͎͖̜͘ ̩͉̠s̸̴͖̰̳̬͔̟͔o̶̦̲̜̕ ͏̵̟̦͇͝a͏̥̺͈̲̮̭m̧̫̼̹̭̦͘͟u͏̛͏͉̹̠͍s͏̡̘̟̦̲i̛͍̙̙̩͖̻̺͝n̦̥̹̣͟g̖̙͉̙͕̰ ͖̙̯̳t͏̡̪͔͙o̸̩͎̟ ̨̪͚͘m͏̨̱̝̭̗e̦̕.̱̟̫͚̮͎̯͘͝͠ ͏̪̙H̺̭̻̲̘o̥̞̺͚͟͢w̶̧̥̦̩̘ ҉͓̩̤͓̝͇̻y͕̹̗͙̹̙o̶̻͈̹̪̻͝u͉͎͔̥̮͚͟͠ ̸̡̧͔̱̮ͅc̵̢l̷͜i̴͢n͢g ̨͡͠o͞n҉̸͝t̴o ̨t̴͠h̡͠is̵ n͞ơtio͏n̢̢ ̴͢t̴h҉a̶͜t̡̕ ̷̢s͡h̨͠e̢͜͜ ͝r̴̴e͟a͏l͏͡͏ļ̴̧y̵̧҉ ̡c҉ar͢e͡s͟͠ ab̶ou̵͟t̡͞ ͞y͢͏o͞u͢͝͠?̧ ͟Y͞ou͏ ҉s͞͠a̵̕͜w h̵e̵̶r, ̶̨h̨̢͠o͢w͘ s͡h҉҉e̶̢ ̷͞͝rea̷c̵̡̕te͟͡d̷.͟ ̵̸S̨͞h͡e͟ ̵ha̢̛te̴͞s̢̛ ͡yo͢͠҉u,̕ ̢̛P̛̛i̧͏͡n̡͢k̶͏i̷̶e.̕ ͟No͘͞ţ̷͞ ͞j̶̷͡uşţ̶̷ ̵all͢ ̴͢͝y̨͞ou̵r҉͜ ͝f͜r͘ie͡n̵̨̡d̛̛s̢,̶͢ ̸̡̛o̕r̴͟ ҉y͘o̴̵u̷͡r̵ ̡o̸͠th̛e̕r̸̨ ҉̶҉t̡̢r̷a̡v̸͢ę҉̛l̨͝i̧̕n̵̨̡g̵̨ ҉̨c͟o҉͘mp̶̛͠an̶į̷̸on̸̕s͟͝.̨͜ S̴h̶͘e̛ h̡̛a̡̧t͡e͝͏͢s̸͝ ҉y͟o̧͜u! The̶̕ ͡b̵͘͝e̸̵şt̴̕͝ ͝pa̸r̛t̴ ̡̛i̛҉s̨.̶.̵͠.̷͘ t̕he̕ ͡҉de͜l̢̡҉i̧̛c̢i҉ǫ͟u̸s҉ ̸͜k̵n̡͢ơw̨le̸d͏g̷̵̨e t̨h̷͜ą̸̧t ͘͡҉d̛eep҉ ͘͜d̶͡o̡w̴͞n,̡ ̢͘i̴n̵ t̸͜h̴e ͏b̵͘l͝ą͞cke̶s͜t͠ ̷͠re҉ac̶͞h͠e҉s o̵̶͠f̵ y͡o҉̵ų͠r ̕he̴a͏̴r҉͏͘t̡,҉ ͜whe̸r̶͢e̕ ̵y̴͝o̷͘ų̕r̕ d͏͝re̕am̡̨̯̻͕̖̮̤̰̫̩̳̯̠̳̥̭͍̥̱̱s̶̢̞͖̦͖̙͖̻̣͉̯̥̟͔̥̳̠̗͞ g͍̯̲̲̦̮͎̹o̺̰̰̱̥͓͘ ̴̠t̟̻͈̺̣͓̝̘o̧͕̗͉̤̣͚͙͍͜ ̛̰̜͔̯d͕͍͙̖̯͔͍̙i̢̱̙̻e, y̪̝̠̝͕̺͘o͏̠͖͠u̷̡͔͍̯͖͇̬̩͎ ͖̙̜̫̙̹͘͝ͅd҉̨͈̹͇̺͎̟͕̦o҉̢͙n̨̗̖͘’̩̼͠͝t̴̖̣͕͕̟͟ ̷̞̘̳̲͇͇̗͠b̸͏̦̜̱̩ͅe҉̹̣̫͚̝̳̫̬l̲͉͡ͅi҉͉̥̪̰̠̮̫e͓̱̬͚͈͟͟v̨̱̟̻̲̝̱e̝̣̟̺̠̞̬͎ ̟̮̰̟̹̗̖t̴͔͖h̬̳̣̙̖͉ͅa̴̫̹̣̭̱̱͘t̸͎͎̻͉̬̻̘͔͠ ̥̻̤̘ͅͅṣ̶̮̺̭̟̝͈h̡̦̜̮͍̖̻͠e̯͔̫̣̼̮͍̪͘͘’̢͇̼̠̰̩̪͘l̬͎͙͇̭̰̦̥̣͝l̵͔͎̠͎̞̦ ̛̙̻̬̟̹̬͈̱e̜͎ṿ̹̤̠͇̜̼͡e͚̝̹̯̩̭͙̞r̴͏̪͇̭͈ ̶͈̙̳̞̺̮͟c͏̤̭̘͚o̴̸̳͙͎͇̭̩m̯̤͎̗̪ę̖̭͉ ̴̜͞b̘̮̼͉̜͝a̢͙̯̟̤̣͖̯͇̻͜c̲̤̺͚̩k͇̟͙̝͞.̺̫̖.̷͕͙͓.̴͖̬͍̖͙̝̣̘”̧̲̣̝̯̠̠̝͔̕

Pinkie y͡elle͠d̸ at͜ the t̵op͏ ̶of her ͘lun̕gs a͢n̕d̕ k͘i̢cke̕d a͡nd ̶s͠qųi͏rmed ͡wit̶h͘ a̡ll̶ ͏her ͘might͡,̧ “That’s not true! She’ll come back to us! She’ll come back to me!”

“ͣ͒̓ͤ̈ͫO̵̧͋ͥ͗͗̃̉͆ͩ͝hͭ͗̋͘ ̨̑̏͢iͦ̉̔ͣ̉͘t̅ͥ̄ͧ̈̌͆̄’̢̚͘s͑ͩ̿͐ ͆̑ͮ̂ͥ̂͆͏t̨̿̎̍̽̃rͯ͟͢u̒ͬ̔ͩ̃ͭ͜͏e̴̢ͭ͂̏͛!̡̄̊ͭ͟ ̧̽ͩ̄ͭ̔͗͐͛Ī̷t͋̌͗ͬ̈͛̌̔͂’̵̋̉̂̂ͪ̏͝s͛̀͐͊̔̓͐ ţ̛̑r̄̀́̈́ͪ͗҉͜͢uͬ̂̈̊̈́̓e̴ͯ͒̏ͮ̅ͣ̏!̆ͣ͌̓”̷͊͒ͦ̓͐͆͘ V̶e͢lvet͠ laugh̷e̕d man͝iaca̕l̕ly̷,̵ p̛rod͏d̕in͞g Pinkie͢’s ͟f̷o͢reh̢e̢a͘d with̷ ͘h̨er t͜e̸nd̸rils a̢g̛a̛in.“Shḙ̵̡’̵͙̥ͅs̪͎͈̻̜̖̫͠ ̰̦͠l̙͓̣̮̤̩̺̥͜ḙ̱̰̳̯ͅf̠̣͉̥͉ͅt̫̻͠ ҉̦̞y̪̠̺̭̮̙̜̲͠o̲̣̻̱̗̥͝u̼̦̻̮͓̺ ̨̧̭̦̼̺̳̳̰̣̟ą̷͈̯̹̳̕l͏̢͍͈̗͍͚̰̺l̳͉̮ ͇͉̠̺̠̘͡ḩ̝͢ȩ̵̰̘͔̜̞̤͇̭̭r̸͍̰͔͍̳͓̫̥̖e̛̼̭̳̙ ͕̩̙͈̻̞t̶͕̳͚̬̖̗̥̘̥͘̕o ̢̹͙̖̜͍͖̞͖̠͡d̜̱̬͟͟͡ͅi͍̹̬e an͕̪̞̞͉̹̮d̶̶̡̩̳̙͉ ̸̠͇̺̰͚y̶̨̱̱ơ̺̥̫͎̙̠u̫̦͎̝̠̥̞̦̯̕ ̟̗̞͍̱͙̭̘͡h̨̼̱̬͍̤͝a̻͎͚̰̻͟v̸̨̩̯̖̬̝̙ͅe̷̴̞̰͎̲̩̰͎͢ ̥̯̻̹̪ṇ̴͔͎̯͘͡ͅo̙̩̹͔͓͍p̦͘͡o͈̦͖̰͇̝͡n̨̻̻̤̲͎͚̩̹͘y̴̨͈͉̣̬ ̨̰̦b̢͏̛͉͍͚̼̜̖u̻͔͖̠͞ṯ̶͎̕͟ ҉͕̦̹̜̭͎y̳̯̺͖͍̠̫o҉̸͈̯̹͍̦ų̷̷̣͔͔̼̯͚̺͙̦r҉̤s͏̗̪͉̙̫̦ͅę̮͎̤͇l̲̝ͅv̶̧͈̜̩̦̫̣̤e҉̶̺̟̰̥͎͜s̬̥͉ ̴̨̜̳̰͖̻͓̱̭̰t̴͇̗o̞͇̩̭̙͇͚̣ ̲̠̹̫͇̩ͅb̟͙̤͔̘̰͡l҉̙̜̞̮͙̻̭͟a̛̤͢͢m̴̳͍e͡҉̝̠͈͓!̖͖̮̝͕͓͙̱͠͝ͅ”̸͏͎̦̗͇

“She’s... she’s coming...” Pinkie tra͜ile̸d o̶ff̧. Very͠ s̛u̡dd̛en͢ly͡,̷ he͠r ̛ma͘ne a̷nd ̷t̡ai̡l ̧de̢f̸l̴a̸te҉d ͜a͠nd d͞r̴o̷op͏e̛d ͜to̷ ne͢w ̷lo͢w̴s,̕ ̢ąn̴d͞ her e͘n͘t̢ir̨e ̷b̢o̢d̡y beg̶an ͘to҉ los̸e̕ i͞ts lust͢er ̛a̴nd͘ ͞h̴u̷e̵. “She’s not coming back. I chased her away... when she needed me the most...”

H͈̐͊ͨ͞A̵͙̞̱̤̖̤͎̭͛͒̑͛̓͑̉͡ͅ!̳̥̩͇̩͖͉ͪ͋ͤ͒͑ͯ̔͠͠ ̰̗̻̀͆ͩ͗̊͂ͮͪ͜͡ͅH̷̫̟̭̞͉̗͓͋́͆͑͌͐͊̄̊͞ạ̣̟̐ͧ̉ͧ̂ͩ̋͠͞!͖̘̱̳̗͐̑ͭ̈́ͨ̔ ̛̟̟̰̾͌͛̐̈́̌̐͠H̱̥̻̠͚̬̥ͧ̋͆ͯ̐ͧ̌͝A̢̙̱͖̳ͥͩ͊͑ͪ͊!̯͓ͤ̌ ̷̘̘ͩͨ̾hͨ̊͠͞͏̩̪̻̤͓ͅA̠̟̖͍͔͌̌ͬ̌̃ͫ̐̋̓!̟̖̫̼̟̖̜̂͐ͤ͢͞ ̧̲͖̐̃̈̂͒̚ͅẖ̪̰̳͙̱̈͑́̂̃ͩ̽̚a͍͙͍̫͚͉̘ͩ̊̆̍ͩ̊͘͝ͅ!̸͔̞̙̖͖͈̤͋̋̌̈̇ͧ̇̚͝ ̶̨̠̺̮̰̼̦͐͟H͊̋̃̾͏̴̡̳̭͖̥̘̞̼A̵̲͚̮̝̔̈͌ͦͮͩ!̳ͤ̋̂ͭ͗̐̈͒͋ ̘͎̪̺͆ͫ̂̐̓h͙̝̝͉̤͇̥̲͙̑ͧA̩̺̭͖͚̦͈̙ͨͮ͌̀̔ͯ̓̔!̨͔̮̬ͦ̊̔ ̴̸͉̳͕̜͋̊͋ͥͥͥ H͈̐͊ͨ͞A̵͙̞̱̤̖̤͎̭͛͒̑͛̓͑̉͡ͅ!̳̥̩͇̩͖͉ͪ͋ͤ͒͑ͯ̔͠͠ ̰̗̻̀͆ͩ͗̊͂ͮͪ͜͡ͅH̷̫̟̭̞͉̗͓͋́͆͑͌͐͊̄̊͞ạ̣̟̐ͧ̉ͧ̂ͩ̋͠͞!͖̘̱̳̗͐̑ͭ̈́ͨ̔ ̛̟̟̰̾͌͛̐̈́̌̐͠H̱̥̻̠͚̬̥ͧ̋͆ͯ̐ͧ̌͝A̢̙̱͖̳ͥͩ͊͑ͪ͊!̯͓ͤ̌ ̷̘̘ͩͨ̾hͨ̊͠͞͏̩̪̻̤͓ͅA̠̟̖͍͔͌̌ͬ̌̃ͫ̐̋̓!̟̖̫̼̟̖̜̂͐ͤ͢͞ ̧̲͖̐̃̈̂͒̚ͅẖ̪̰̳͙̱̈͑́̂̃ͩ̽̚a͍͙͍̫͚͉̘ͩ̊̆̍ͩ̊͘͝ͅ!̸͔̞̙̖͖͈̤͋̋̌̈̇ͧ̇̚͝ ̶̨̠̺̮̰̼̦͐͟H͊̋̃̾͏̴̡̳̭͖̥̘̞̼A̵̲͚̮̝̔̈͌ͦͮͩ!̳ͤ̋̂ͭ͗̐̈͒͋ ̘͎̪̺͆ͫ̂̐̓h͙̝̝͉̤͇̥̲͙̑ͧA̩̺̭͖͚̦͈̙ͨͮ͌̀̔ͯ̓̔!̨͔̮̬ͦ̊̔ ̴̸͉̳͕̜͋̊͋ͥͥͥ

V͏e̡lve҉t̡ l̢a͜ugh̡e̛d͝, ͏and͏ h͟er ̛l͢au̕ghter͠ w͡a͡s̶ loņg a͝nd ͢t͡ru҉i͏mph͟ant͝, ͢a͘n̕d̛ fl̵i͜c̵ke̛d ͏a ̧hǫo͝f͡ ̢in th̕e҉ d͢i̕rection҉ of ҉Pin̷kie’͏s g͡ro͝up̧,̶ tea̶ri͜ņg op̢en a͠ hơle ̧in̷ ̶tḩe d͘ark̵ne͟ss̶ th̛at en̨cr͠o̢ached u͟p̵on͘ them a͞ll. ҉P̕inkie̕ di̵d not f̵i̕g͞ht̴ as t̸he̴ da̸r̛k̷nes̕s҉ dro̧wn͘e͜d her ̵a̕nd h͢e̛r fri̧e͞nd̕s,͠ ͞unti͏l thȩy ͠we̛re̸ ̕all s͠wall̸owed u͏p. O҉nly Ti͝ck ̧Tơck rema̷i͡ned n͏ow, ̨l̨ocked͘ tigh̕t͡ in ̶Vel͢vet’̸s ̵g̨rip̷.̛ S͡he͞ ͡wa̡t̨c̵hed ͞in h̴orro҉r͠ a͞s ̧he̵r fri̧e̶nds ̡a͠l̸l҉ v̧a͜nish͞ed ̷int͟o t̕he bl̕a͘ck̛ au͏ra̵ ҉su͜r͠r͘ound̢in͠g the̸m͏,͠ sc͘r̕eami̢ng̸ de҉sperate͞ly fo͢r ̶th͡e̴m̕ ͡t͞o wa͘k͡e u̴p͠, b͢eg̶gi̡n͜g th̷em f҉o͜r̛ h̷elp.

͈̐͊ͨ͞A̵͙̞̱̤̖̤͎̭͛͒̑͛̓͑̉͡ͅ!̳̥̩͇̩͖͉ͪ͋ͤ͒͑ͯ̔͠͠ ̰̗̻̀͆ͩ͗̊͂ͮͪ͜͡ͅH̷̫̟̭̞͉̗͓͋́͆͑͌͐͊̄̊͞ạ̣̟̐ͧ̉ͧ̂ͩ̋͠͞!͖̘̱̳̗͐̑ͭ̈́ͨ̔ ̛̟̟̰̾͌͛̐̈́̌̐͠H̱̥̻̠͚̬̥ͧ̋͆ͯ̐ͧ̌͝A̢̙̱͖̳ͥͩ͊͑ͪ͊!̯͓ͤ̌ ̷̘̘ͩͨ̾hͨ̊͠͞͏̩̪̻̤͓ͅA̠̟̖͍͔͌̌ͬ̌̃ͫ̐̋̓!̟̖̫̼̟̖̜̂͐ͤ͢͞ ̧̲͖̐̃̈̂͒̚ͅẖ̪̰̳͙̱̈͑́̂̃ͩ̽̚a͍͙͍̫͚͉̘ͩ̊̆̍ͩ̊͘͝ͅ!̸͔̞̙̖͖͈̤͋̋̌̈̇ͧ̇̚͝ ̶̨̠̺̮̰̼̦͐͟H͊̋̃̾͏̴̡̳̭͖̥̘̞̼A̵̲͚̮̝̔̈͌ͦͮͩ!̳ͤ̋̂ͭ͗̐̈͒͋ ̘͎̪̺͆ͫ̂̐̓h͙̝̝͉̤͇̥̲͙̑ͧA̩̺̭͖͚̦͈̙ͨͮ͌̀̔ͯ̓̔!̨͔̮̬ͦ̊̔ ̴̸͉̳͕̜͋̊͋ͥͥͥ H͈̐͊ͨ͞A̵͙̞̱̤̖̤͎̭͛͒̑͛̓͑̉͡ͅ!̳̥̩͇̩͖͉ͪ͋ͤ͒͑ͯ̔͠͠ ̰̗̻̀͆ͩ͗̊͂ͮͪ͜͡ͅH̷̫̟̭̞͉̗͓͋́͆͑͌͐͊̄̊͞ạ̣̟̐ͧ̉ͧ̂ͩ̋͠͞!͖̘̱̳̗͐̑ͭ̈́ͨ̔ ̛̟̟̰̾͌͛̐̈́̌̐͠H̱̥̻̠͚̬̥ͧ̋͆ͯ̐ͧ̌͝A̢̙̱͖̳ͥͩ͊͑ͪ͊!̯͓ͤ̌ ̷̘̘ͩͨ̾hͨ̊͠͞͏̩̪̻̤͓ͅA̠̟̖͍͔͌̌ͬ̌̃ͫ̐̋̓!̟̖̫̼̟̖̜̂͐ͤ͢͞ ̧̲͖̐̃̈̂͒̚ͅẖ̪̰̳͙̱̈͑́̂̃ͩ̽̚a͍͙͍̫͚͉̘ͩ̊̆̍ͩ̊͘͝ͅ!̸͔̞̙̖͖͈̤͋̋̌̈̇ͧ̇̚͝ ̶̨̠̺̮̰̼̦͐͟H͊̋̃̾͏̴̡̳̭͖̥̘̞̼A̵̲͚̮̝̔̈͌ͦͮͩ!̳ͤ̋̂ͭ͗̐̈͒͋ ̘͎̪̺͆ͫ̂̐̓h͙̝̝͉̤͇̥̲͙̑ͧA̩̺̭͖͚̦͈̙ͨͮ͌̀̔ͯ̓̔!̨͔̮̬ͦ̊̔ ̴̸͉̳͕̜͋̊͋ͥͥͥ 

“͐̊͆͌̅ͧ͜.͑͗̏͑̐ͮ̚.̇ͧͩ̾̇҉.O̊̈́̒͊h̅ͫ͟ȟ͛͊hͮͣ̒̆ͫ̚.̢.̄͆ͩͧ̒.ͮ̄̌̽̍ ͯ͋̒t̛̄͛ͮ̊h͛͜i͂ͣ̓ͮ͛͏s̃ͦ̚ ̎iṡ̇ͣͫ ͨͦ̋s̛̽͑oͣ̊ͩ ̈͒g͂͂ͥ͐oͦ̃̓̀o̾̔ͣͧ͒͝d̛ͭ̿̉ͥͩ. ͑̓Nͭ͋̍ͫͯ͛̀o̵wͮ̋̿͆ͩ͋̚ ̛ͦ̈́ͯ͋ͬ̎̏t̽ͧͩͦͨh͌́ͫ͝e͊̄͠n͑̈͜,̡̇̏̾͆́̀ ͗͑͂҉w͒ͣ̆̔͆ͭh̉̎̈҉e͐̅̂r̈́ë̓ͦ̅ ẁ͐̅̓ͣa͗̓̐s͐ ͮ͋̒ͨI͑̿͏?͑̊̉̄̔̉̚ ͑ͧ͂̎O̢ͦh̐̑͑ͨ y̒̾̈ͨ̋ͥe͌̏s̷̄!̇ͦ”ͭ̔ͦͧ́̓̉ ̵̌̅̃̿͊s̕he c̴ackle͘d̡ ͡a̷s͞ she d̶re͢w ̢Ti͢c̕k T̵ock b̡a̡c̷k.“The̡ ͝Chronom̶ance͞r. I ҉was, I ̢believ͟e, ̸t̸r͞yin͞g t̛o thi̧nk̴ of̢ w̶ay͞s t̶o̴ kill y̷o͡u̢,҉ r̛i͡ght͢?̶ ̴I’̡d̷ ͝l͟ik̷e ͘to̴ get ̶y͠ou͜r o̴pi̡n̨io͟n o̕n̢ th̢e ̕mat̢t҉er,̵ T̕ick T̶o̷ck̷.͝ Aft͘e̵r ͢a͘ll͘,̶ ̷it҉’̸s ͟y̴o͞u̕r̡ deat̕h -͡ ͞you ͝şhould̷ go̶ ̧out͢ ţh̸e way y̢ou want̕ ͏to͡.̷ W͏ithin r̴ea͢sǫn, ҉of̧ cou̸rse̸! Ha ̛ha̶!̸ I̧ ca̴n’͢t͏ ͞hav͢e y̷o̷u ask͟ing͟ ͠t̵o ̴be̴ ki̧l͝l͝ȩd ̡b͘y̧ ̢be͠i̧ng͟ ̴t̡hrow̧n in̵to a͞ ̨vol̡c͠an̡o -͠ ̨no bo͠dy!͝ H҉ơw͡ w̢ould͠ I prove-” S̨h͏e su҉d͝denly ̴stop̵pe̢ḑ,̛ and t̶ilte͘d he̷r͞ ͜he̶ad ͘s̕li͡ghtl͞y͜.̛ “̧̻̟͈ͅH̺͕m͎̜m̡͚͕m̭̝͉̲.̴͇̝̰.̹͟ͅ.͙̠̪͔͝ ͓̼̗h̢̳̥͎̮̱o̶̭͙̟̲͚l̢͎̜̬̞̤̣d̞ ̡̳̦̺͔̤o̳̤̝̮̟̺̥n̻̹͖̩͚̲̭͞ ̞͎a̟͎͕͕̭̗͚ s͈̫͚̤ȩ͓c̡̱̙̼͇͚̬̜o̮̣n͉̗̳͔͠d̡̻̪͉̬͇.̭̰̲ ̢̟̠A̪a̛̘͎̳̯͕̭aa͖̠̦̱͓̬ͅn̝̠d̪͖̰͚̤̹͓-̶͔”̡̰̩̼̙̫ͅ

She l̕a͡sh͠e͝d a ͡te̸nd͡ri͢l o̧u̧t ̛i̷n ̨fr̶ont ͟of h͞er ͡f̶ac̵e̸, just ҉i̶n t̡im̨e͡ ͜t͞o sm͘ąck ̕a ͡l͏ight̕ning͡ b͞ol͞t̴ th͡a̕t͝ had ͟a̷ppar͡e̢ņtl͜y ap͜pe͢ar̨ed ơut ̨ǫf n̕ow͜h̛ere̴, b͏a͡ttin̡g i̧t ̡a̴sid̛e͟. I͡t ҉ex͠p̢lo͘de̴d agains͡t̴ th͠ȩ ̧n͏ear͢est ̨wa͟ll,͟ ͞a̴nd t͜um͘bli͏n͟g͢ ͠fr̷o͝m̨ ̸it c͏am͜e a̶ p̛ony͏, wh҉o r͠o͢l̛le͢d ͞s͝ev̸er͠al f̛e͢et̡ into͠ t͝he ̵ca̵ny̧o̧n b͢efor̸e f̵i͢n͢alļy ͏com͜in̕g̛ to a r҉oug͠h͜ st̴op. V̧e͟lvet͠ s͘ni͝c͢ker̸ȩd ̧and ͢gr̵a͜bbed̡ o̸nt̶o͢ t̨h̡e peg̛a̛sus a͝s ̴she͟ attempted ͜t͠o͠ ҉l̕ift ͢o҉ff ̛a͟ga̕in̷,̢ li͢ftin͟g̨ ͝he̷r ҉up and ͞br̨i̢n҉g͜in̛g͜ h̸e͡r҉ ͜over̴ ̛tǫ ͟h̢e͡r f͏ące͟;͡ ͝h̡e͘r prey̕ sţrug͝g͘l͘e̶d t̛o ge͏t̨ o̧ut ͘o̧f҉ ҉t̡h͟e g̸r͞ip̕,͞ ͟mu̷ch ̕to Velve҉t̵’͠s de͟lįgh̕t̕.

“ͫ͒̿ͯͥ̿̒Wͦ̅͛e̛ͯͫ̃l̷̚lͯ̾̍̓͊̄͞ ẁ̅̐͛e̸lͫ̓̒l̂̾͜ ̶̅͒̎ͧwͬͨ̀̆eͨ͊̇̆̑ͩͣlͨ̔ͮ͐̓̃l͂͒͞,̷̽͌́̌̑̅ͭ ̓̿̀͑̚͟lͥ̏̆ͥ̔͠oͬ͂͡o͛͌̂͡ķ ̵́ͨ̓̆ͮ͋̚w̽҉h̉̇̾̋̈͟ôͩ͐ͫ ͞w̽ͬ͛̑̊̚҉e ̢̐̐͐̇̑hͭ͆͂͐a̸̍̃ͫ̏v̽̋͑e̓̚ ̒hͥͦ͐̾̍͛͌eͣͤͣ̈҉r̎͊͘e͐̅̑̈,͛̉͂́̌̚”̌ͦ͆̌̇̌ Ve͡l҉v͞et̶ ̴wh͝i͝st͝l͡e͠d, “͒ͮ̈́҉̖̟͉S̴̀͋͌̍̏̐ͨŏ̸̭͗̓͑̀̋̀r̳̺̣̙͢rͫ̽͏̙ỷ̳̫͈̮͙,ͫ҉ ̜̙͖͉̯̀D̲̲͓͈̳̳̭͘a̢͖̭̘s͎ḩ̲͕͇̬̳̫ị͎͍͔͇̕e̪̫,̴̹̻ ̹̪͙n͞o̸̯̟͉͔̬̟ g̩l͇̬̘̩̤o̶̤̭r͓i̛ou̻̪̻̞̳ͅs̲̮̼ ̙h͍̪͍͓͙͉̗e҉̗͔͎r̝̘̮o̴͇͕i͈c̫͔̱̥̝̤ͅ ̫͖̱̯͓͢ṃ̖͚̫͚͖o͎̫m͙̩͇̪̠̝e͎̦̙͠n̝͉̫̩̳̯t̯͇̯̤ ̦͚f̵o̡̘̲̠̲ͅr̺̕ ͏͓͙y҉̤̭͖̼̯̫̰o̹̣̯̝͖̤̯ụ̧̹̦̼ ̸͎̱͉t̢̼͕̦͚o̞͍̘̼̙̕d͢aͅy.̦̝”̶͉

Curaçao and Grayscale both exchanged brief nervous glances at one another. Curaçao hastily whispered, “Well... it seems zat we ‘ave yet anozer problème.”

“Yeah... yeah I can see that,” Grayscale sneered, “This is unexpected. All of this is... unexpected. I hate surprises...”

“What should we do?” Curaçao asked.

“We wait. Let her collapse on herself?” Grayscale murmured.

“D’accord,” Curaçao nodded slowly, nervously, “Watch and wait... as usual...”

“Let go of me!” Rainbow snapped, “You think you’re tough, I’ll take you on, punk! I’m not afraid of you! Put ‘em up, let’s go! You ain’t hurting my friends anymore, not on my watch! What’s the matter, afraid I’ll kick your butt?!”

Ve͝l̷vet͢ ̵clic̴ke͠d ̨h̷er tongu̷e ̧in ann͏oya̵n̛c̴e,̨ th̵e̕n ̶s͝hr̨u͡gge̸d̨.͢ “͠Aw҉̶w͟͞,̨͞ ͞th̡͢a̧t̴͝’̨s҉̛͢ ̴̶cut̡e͏̴.͡ ͘͜N͢o҉̡t̡ ̡͏a͏f͜r̶͘͘a͢͟͝i͞d̴̕ ͢o҉̶f̴̢ ̧͢m͜e͏̷? ͏̶͜Y̧͢o̵̷u̴̡̢ w͡il͟͝l̴ ̴͞҉b̧e҉҉,͜͠ b̷͠u̴͞͠t͏̢͞ ̵t̵ha̵̸͡t’͠s̴̢͜ ̧n͠o͘͘͝t̷͟ ̶im̸͘p̵orta̛҉n̶͝͠t ̸͡ri͠gh̷҉ţ ̶͢ņ͡ow͟͢͡. ̧͜͠I҉̨’̕҉l̷͘͢l̴ ͘be ͜w҉͝i͏t͏̴h̵͏ yo̸͝u̷̴͟ ̵̶i̷ņ ̷͝a ̨͝m҉̕o͟m̧en͟t̢͟,̨҉ ͝I͝ h̕͞a̧v͠e͡ b҉u͝s̴͟i̵͝n̕̕̕eş͘͞s͞ ̢t̶͜o ͜a̶t̵͟t̴͢e͜҉ņd ͢͝t͢͟o.͜ ͜͡H̴̴e̵r͢e̵͠.̶͜͏.̧҉.͏̛͘ ͏g͘͡o̧͜͡ ̶͟p̨l͏a̶͠y̢ ͝i̸͡n͘ ̵ą m̨͟a͘z̕͝ȩ͘ ̸͘ma͟d͏͏e̕͏ ̸͡o͏f̛͟ ͢y̧̕͝o҉̷u͞҉r̛͜ ̵̡͘o͘wn̴̡ ͢t͡err̸o̢̧r͟ or̢ ͘͢s̨͞ome͢t̸͜hi̶̧n̢͘g͞.”͟ She͜ f̶licked ͏a҉ ho̕of i̕n R̢a̷in̷bo͟w’s͜ ͡d͟i҉r͠e̵cţion̛,҉ ͘wher̶e t̛h̡e ͡dar̵k͘ne̢s͜s̵ ̸ơp҉ened̵ u̶p a̧n̷d͜ ̴mad̕e to s̵wal̛low ҉th̵e ̨p̸eg͠as͡us.

Rainbow started as she looked at the enveloping darkness. “A wh-”

~~~~~  
“-at?”

Rainbow suddenly found herself in a field of complete darkness.   
She was airborne still, somehow no longer  
trapped in Velvet’s grip, and took a moment  
to hover and look around in the vast abyss of black and red.

H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌̚͘̕͜͟͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟H̶̵͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔ͭ̊͌̒̈́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐͘̚̕͠͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̴̷̡̛͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ̚͜͟͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟  
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ . ̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡aA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞H̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅ

She scratched her head. “Ooookay, this is- whoa!”

Rainbow swerved to avoid a tendril of red snapping out at her from nothingness.   
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .  
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .  
“Screw this!” she exclaimed, “I’m outta here!”

h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .  
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ . h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟  
She dodged and weaved to avoid A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜  
more tendrils that wormed and writhed about,  
creating a maze of visceral, living shadows

HA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟ Desperate to find her friends in the A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞H̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͢͟͞  
“ darkness, she called out for them. , h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓! ̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟! ̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔̈́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟ “Applejack?! Twilight?!” No response.  
“Rarity?! Fluttershy?! Flathoof?!” Still, nothing.  
“Lockwood...?” Not even him. “Pinkie?!” ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟Aä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟

The voice was faint, but ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟ Rainbow could hear it, clear as day ͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ 

H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟Ȧ̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟HA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟ She focused all her energy, and fired forward in a  
burst of blue and white, screeching towards where   
she’d heard the voice. “PInkie?!” she screamed,  
“Answer me! Where are you?!”  
“Dashie?” Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯

“Pinkie?!”  
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .

H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜ “Pinkie?!”  
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA

Rainbow frantically looked about herself,  
trying desperately to find the source of h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA “Dashie? Is that you?”  
the voice. It was growing louder. “Pinkie?!”

Rainbow fired off again into the black, desperately  
ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦͭ̊͌̒̕͘͢͡͠ͅA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠ trying to swerve out of the way of flailing tentacles  
A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟HḤ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ that snapped outwards at her.  
ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟

“Pinkie?!

̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅḤ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H̶̵͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔ͭ̊͌̒̈́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐͘̚̕͠͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟HA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̴̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̚̕͜͟͢͡ͅ  
“Pinkie, where are you?!

h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ . ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h  
She could see a light. ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h “Dashie?! Help me!”  
h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ . “Pinkie! Hang on! I’m ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h  
gonna get you out ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h  
of there!” ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜hh̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .

A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h  
Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H  
͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙̪̬ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .  
A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͭ̊͌̒ͭ̊͌̒͘͘͢͞͠͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌͘̕͞͝ ̠͈͈̠͇̗͍̜̰̼̣̦̙ͧ̍̌ͩ͆ͨ͌ͧ̓ͧͣ͐͑̂̄ͫ͘͟H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌ͭ̊͌̒͘̕͘͞͝͠  
H͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠AA̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͕̫̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜  
Rainbow focused all the energy she could, and slammed  
as hard as possible straight into the wall of darkness.  
There she was.

h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ .h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓ 

Ḥ̵̶̗̣̰̹̮̥͙̖̣͎̟̾ͩ̈̂͡ä̶̵͎͇̪͕̣̤̲͖̝̥͚̳̦͖̪̟̳͔́ͥ͑̿͒͋ͪ̄́̇̑̓̋ͤ͐̚̕͡!̴̷̛̳͔̤̤͕͖͈̠̙̦̣̳̱̝͉̗̝̤̇ͯ̒ͫ͐͑ͫ̆̓͗̿ͬͫ̎ͭ͟͜h̴̟̘̻̦̖̦̰̜̹̲̮̬̝̝͉ͨͦ͗͐̂ͬ̆̄ͫͦ̋̆ͦ̕͢͡ͅA̵̳̰̙̲̰̻͙͙͈͇̫͛ͬͯ̊̊̊͌̇͛̍̿͂ͭ́̓!̖̰̯͕̮̳̺̦̯͉͈͙̯̫͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̏ͭͮ͑ͮͫͯ̎͐̑ͭ̄̌ͭ̊͌̒͘̕͘͞͝͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏͢͞AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͭ̊͌̒ͭ̊͌̒͘͘͢͞͠͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͭ̊͌̒ͭ̊͌̒͘͘͢͞͠͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͭ̊͌̒ͭ̊͌̒͘͘͢͞͠͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͭ̊͌̒ͭ̊͌̒͘͘͢͞͠͠AH͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙ͭ̊͌̒͘͠A̡͓̫̥͍̬̤̗̬͕̟̜͍̙̲ͥ̀ͮͭͯ̌ͭ͑̉͗͌̐̈̓̅̍̚͜͟!̢͒ͧ̎̆҉̮͕͎͈͔̦̬̯̺̯ ̡̩̟̰͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙͙̭̱͎̼̻̳͈̜̙̂̇ͥͩͪ̒͋̔ͭͬͨ̄ͩ̏ͭ̊͌̒ͭ̊͌̒͘͘͢͞͠͠A 

“Hang on, Pinkie, I’ve got you!” Rainbow declared as she fired off with the earth pony wrapped in her hooves.

“Dashie?” Pinkie blinked. She hastily rubbed her eyes, and then in a fit of disbelief, reached a hoof out and poked Rainbow Dash in the face.

“Ow! Hey!” Rainbow blurted, “C’mon, Pinks, watch it, I’m trying to fly, here.”

“You... you’re here...” Pinke breathed, a smile rapidly spreading across her features, and her hair poofing outwards again, “You’re really here!”

“Of course I am, Pinks,” Rainbow smiled, “C’mon, let’s get-”

~~~~~

V̸elv̸et ͘sņi̸ck̡ȩr͘ed ͘and c̛h͡oked͢ Ti͞ck̶ Toc͞k’s ͠t̢hro̴at ro͜ughly. “̢Ǫh.͝..͞ I͠ ̢h̕av̕e̡ s͏o ͜ma͠ny opt̡ions͠ h̸ere,͞ ̛I ̧ca̕n’̧t ̵j̨ust̵ pic͝k ͢o̴ne! ̕D̨is͡e͏mb͘owelin͡g?̛ ͟Hmm͞... m͏essy,͏ I ̵li̴ke it. Oo̶h,͟ but then ͏t͡he͡re’͝s j̨u͜st a stŗaig̛h̡t ҉up ͏be̢heading͢.̨ ͝D͟ad̛d̵y͞ wo̴u̡ld͢ appr҉e͞c̨ia͡te̡ me ̕t̴ak͏iņg҉ ̛h̛is ord̕ers҉ ̛l͡ite͝ra͢ll̴y͞,̢ I̵ th̨i̸n͟k.͝ ̷M̛ąy͟be̢ b̡ot̛h? Y҉es͘,̕ t͢hat şo҉un͡d̕s-”҉

I̠̙͕ͮͤ̇ ̙͔̻̱͎͎̻͆̇͠c̱͔͔̻̠͆ͥ͊ͦ͗̏ͪ̕a̧̖ͨͫͦ̍ṅ̤̣̳̪̣̄ͪ ̣͖̄͂̚̚ͅd̩̫̠̜͆ͩ͝o̜̞͇͙̬͓͗̑ͬ̆̊̆ ̸͖̜̲͖̯̺̾̄̎̇́͊̋t͚̦͉̘̱h̟͎̯̞̳̆ͨͨ̈́̑ͬ̀i̯͎̠͉͉̗͗̋ͭ̒̍͝s̱̱͖̠̲̫͙̿ ̖͙͖ͬͅt̪̭̭̼͕̰ͪ̅̏̿͛̕o͌̑̅҉̱õ͕͈̭̙̘͍̭?ͣͬ̽! ̳̟͙͉͓͔̝͌ͩ́͆͛̾͒Ā͖W̷̳̠͓̞̟̃̾̍̓̒͟E̱͖͖̻̰͔̒ͥͯ̐̄̚̕͟Ş̢̬̘̜͒̐̆ͯ͗ͬͩ͞O̮̭͂̅ͫ̽ͧ͋̅̚Ḿ̈͑̂҉̞̱̰̖͔̮E̵̸̻̫̰̘̍̐̽͑̎!̲̠̹̗̫̞̬́ͯ̂ͪ̇ͥ̓ͪ͜͝ 

W̤̯̬͖̘̄ͦ̎̍̑̏̚͞h̢͔̪̙͗͐̔ͧ͂̽ͮą̪͈͙̊ͦͬ̅͂̈̈́ͤ͊t͎̥̲͔̞̳̬̊ͫ̽͂ͥ̇̾͟?̢̛̹̼̭ͯ̂̇̒

_______ ____- .   
/)^3^(\ YATTA!!  
_______ _ ___- .

Velvet was knocked aside by a furious flash of light and color, completely losing her concentration and dropping all the ponies she had in her grip and releasing them from their shroud of darkness. As she recovered, her eyes widened in shock and she narrowly avoiding getting blasted in the face by a firework that went screeching at her. The firework kept going and smacked straight into the wall of black Velvet had been creating and ripped it apart, exposing the reality of the canyon behind it. She looked up into the air where the light source was coming from, and her eyes widened and jaw dropped in anger and shock.

Pinkie Pie wasn’t even actively trying to do anything herself, but was a flurry of activity. Her body and mind, her heart and soul, were all reacting entirely of their own accord. She was spewing out colored sparks and lights from her body, firing fireworks off in all directions, blowing apart the bleak, hopeless destitute that had been brought to bear upon them all. The light flowing from her began to cover her friends in a brilliant pink glow, stripping the black blood from them and shaking them from their own pained stupors. 

They began to stand, feeling energized and losing all semblance of fear and weakness; even Twilight was able to get to her hooves, and though she still appeared weak, she was able to stand all on her own. Applejack’s rocky hide was repaired and gained a lustrous shine, and Flathoof’s wounds and bruises healed. Fluttershy’s Bonding Bracelet glowed bright, and a light burst out of it as Ophanim circled around her again as a shining silver orb. Rainbow stood, front and center, a confident grin plastered on her face as Applejack and Flathoof took up positions at her side.

Most of the fireworks seemed to gravitate towards Red Velvet, who tried to avoid and swat them away, but found that there were too many of them and became overwhelmed by furious blast of light and color. One screeched right at her and exploded in her face with a resounding KABLAM-O! and knocked her flying into Starlight Shadow. The two of them tumbled and rolled until they came to a stop near the others.

Starlight shook her head of her delirium and looked around in a panic. “W-what’s going on? What happened? Where am I?”

Curaçao quickly moved over to Starlight’s side. “Ma capitaine, it might be best if we battre en retraite while we still ‘ave a chance. Zey look refreshed, and zey ‘ave, ah... regained une alliée. Our advantage is lost.”

Starlight grit her teeth and glared at Red Velvet, who was slowly losing her black aura and whose eyes were gradually returning to normal. She shook her head dejectedly. “Very well,” she agreed, “Perhaps it would be best if we regroup and plan for our next assault. Stay close, sisters. We’re leaving.”

Starlight began to charge up a spell with a bright white glow from her horn. Rainbow Dash saw it and rocketed towards them as fast as she could, her body exploding into a bolt of lightning.

“Oh no you- oof!”

She was suddenly interrupted when a great weight landed on top of her, and watched in disappointment as Starlight’s group all warped away in a flash of silver light. With a grumble, she rolled over to face who was responsible for stopping her.

“Dangit Pinks, you let them get- mnph!”

Pinkie’s tail began twirling around rapidly and firing multi-colored sparks about like a sparkler, making all the others in the group avert their eyes considering what they knew that Pinkie Sense meant; even Flathoof followed suit, despite not knowing about the Pinkie Sense, since it was clear enough to see what it meant without it.

Rainbow nervously chuckled and tried to fold her wings back in as Pinkie pulled away, then frowned when she saw Pinkie crying. “Hey... hey c’mon Pinks, you don’t need to cry. I’m back, okay?”

“I know you are Dashie. That’s why I’m crying,” Pinkie smiled with a sniff, “They’re happy tears...”

“Heh... right...” Dash smiled back, “Um... mind getting off me though? I... kind of need to say something to everypony...” Pinkie nodded and helped Rainbow Dash up, who nervously walked over to the others. She scuffed a hoof through the dirt, unsure where to start. “Um... h-hey guys...”

They all looked at her with varying degrees of hurt, and disbelief, and relief. Applejack took the first step forward, moving her hoof to take off her hat before realizing it wasn’t on her head. She sighed, shook her head, and looked back at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah... hey there, AJ. Um... look, let me just right to the point and say... I... I’m sorry for what I said, and-” 

Applejack held up a hoof to stop her, then took another big step forward. She lifted a hoof to her mouth and spit on it, then held it out, offering it to Rainbow. Rainbow looked at it a moment, then spit on her own hoof and took Applejack’s with hers, and gingerly shook it. She smiled, relieved.

“So... you guys aren’t mad?”

Applejack chuckled, “Shucks, sugarcube, sure we’re mad. Y’all said some things that hurt, and I mean hurt. I ain’t never been madder at anypony in mah entire life.”

“I... I’m sorry...” Rainbow said, her smile melting away into a disappointed frown, “I didn’t mean to blow up like that. I really didn’t. I’m sorry. Can... can you guys forgive me?”

“Ya know what, Rainbow? Forgiveness is what friends’re for,” Applejack smiled, “‘sides which, this is y’all we’re talkin’ ‘bout. I know it takes a lot ta make y’all admit ya made a mistake and ta ask fer forgiveness. I’ve known ya too long ta think that y’all ain’t really sorry fer what ya said ‘n’ did. So while I can’t speak fer everypony, I’ll say as much fer mahself: I forgive ya. And with seein’ how Pinkie reacted, I’d say she forgives ya too.”

“That’s right!” Pinkie bounced as she wrapped Rainbow up in a bone-crushing hug, “My Dashie’s back, and that makes me happier than anything in the whole wide world! Well... not anything...” she added with a sad smile as she looked at everypony else, “It’d make me even happier if everypony else was happy to see you too...”

Rarity stepped forward with a bright smile on her face too. “Oh of course we’re happy to see Rainbow again, Pinkie dear. Rainbow, darling, I know you said a lot of things that you didn’t mean. We’re all a little on edge, what with the hunger, and being ambushed, and having our friends hurt, and-”

Flathoof perked up suddenly in a panic. “Oh! Lockwood! Lockwood?! Where are you buddy?!” he shouted as he began looking about the canyon. Fluttershy was right behind him, but stopped a second to smile and nod at Rainbow Dash.

Tick Tock helped Twilight over, as the purple unicorn had lost the burst of strength that allowed her to help her friends put on the intimidation show earlier. The two of them also smiled at Rainbow Dash, Tick Tock’s smile being especially surprising and genuine to the pegasus, who never expected to see Tick Tock glad to see her. 

Twilight spoke first, “I’m... glad you’re back, Rainbow...”

“We all are,” Tick Tock agreed, “Forgive me if I don’t get all sappy and instead get straight to the point, but since you’re back I assume this means more help is on the way? I’m glad to see you got through-”

Rainbow held up a hoof to interrupt. “Sorry to disappoint everypony... but I didn’t get in...”

“Oh...” Tick Tock frowned, “Well that’s a shame. Why not?”

“Long story short, It was going to take too long to get in, or I’d have to... ah... pay,” she added nervously, “Right, yeah. Pay. And I don’t have any bits, just like you said. You were right...”

Tick Tock pat Rainbow on the shoulder, “It’s alright, Rainbow. I’ll be honest, I was actually hoping I’d be wrong. Well, no matter, it would seem we’d best get back on our original plan, then.”

Rainbow’s face turned serious a moment. “Actually... I wanted to ask you, considering I wasn’t able to get in easily at all - how were you planning on getting in? They said I had to wait at least two days just to be let in the door while they did a... a background check? We were supposed to sign-in way back in Pandemonium, I guess?”

“Ah... right,” Tick Tock sighed, “Sad to say we couldn’t exactly stop by the airship landing to see their representative, what with being on the run and all. Did you try anything else?”

“Well, they said something about a password. That ring any bells?”

“Password? I don’t know anything about any sort of password,” Tick Tock blinked.

“Also something about somepony to vouch for you, to let you in?”

Tick Tock brightened at that mention. “Ah! Good good, then it would seem Lockwood’s insistence wasn’t all for naught. He said he knows somepony within the city that can help us get in even without meeting with a representative beforehand. I’ve been meaning to ask him about it, but... well, now that you say we have to... oh dear...”

Rainbow frowned, “Shoot... that means... we need to hurry! If Lockwood’s our only chance into the city, then... then...”

Applejack agreed, her face firm. “Then let’s quit yappin’ our gums talkin’ ‘bout it. Everypony get ready ta move out. And Dash?”

“Yeah, AJ?”

“Good ta have ya back.”


	25. Inauguration

Shroud’s hoof meticulously zipped across the screen of the two hundred and ninety third datapad that evening. Her blue eyes drooped, her hot pink coat itched, and her fiery red mane fell in her face, frazzled and sweaty and let free to relieve tension from hours upon hours of scrolling and browsing through document after document back to back. Three days of this at just over three hundred each day, and she still hadn’t managed to find what her employer was so voraciously searching for. But she was diligent, and she would do whatever it took to assist him in his task. She only took breaks to eat and use facilities and even spaced those out as much as she could, and gladly worked double overtime thus getting only a few hours of sleep a day for these past few nights. Whatever had started the fire in Lord Silvertongue’s head that made him so insistent as to ask that Shroud help him find whatever it was he was looking for, it gave her a reason to work harder than she’d ever worked before, her mind locked on task and ignoring all distractions that dared attempt to divert her attention. She was glad just to be allowed in the loop to some degree as to what he was doing, even if all it involved was just more documentation that she was used to going over in a week, let alone a day. 

“Ugg...” she murmured as she threw another datapad aside, “Now, I understand why the boss has been looking in such shoddy condition all this time.” She was looking very much the same and feeling just as frazzled by her own lack of progress as she was certain he was. She shook her head, “Great, and now I’m talking to myself...”

At his request, he was not to be disturbed until the document itself was found, as he too was still very much seeking it out and doing so with even more rapidity and scrutiny than she was. Shroud was to ignore all other duties normally assigned to her, hence why she knew this was so serious a matter. It actually felt strange, for once, to not know anything that was going on outside her tiny office. Working for him was an enormous task, but she knew that refusal was not an option, and that laziness would be met with due punishment. So she tirelessly read through line after line after line of document after document after document, all of it in a language she couldn’t even read and had never seen before and would likely never seen again. But, he assured her, that was irrelevant. She was to scan through every single document until she could find one single symbol he was looking for, the image of which she had on a tiny pad of paper beside her. It was a curious symbol, this. It looked like a pony, but not one she’d ever seen before, tall and lithe, feminine despite the size. Unicorns had horns, certainly, though typically not of this length; even Silvertongue’s horn, large as it was, was not quite that big. Pegasi had wings, of course, but they too did not have such a great wingspan. What kind of pony had both?

“Two hundred and ninety nine...” she muttered, tossing another document aside. “Three hundred and six...” There went another. “Three hundred and twelve...”

It was nearing the last hours she could even remain awake. Then, something caught her eye. This was strange, relatively speaking compared to the rest of the strangeness that had suddenly entered her life. On this document here, number three hundred and thirteen, there was a symbol that looked like just a unicorn’s horn, only longer, and it was not properly centered in the usual radius she’d seen the symbol for horn in, only just slightly off, something that an average reader would have missed but that she noticed immediately. 

“A typo?” she hummed.

That seemed unlikely, even if she knew what any of this stuff actually said and could tell. How did one make a typo like that with pictogram-style writing? It was near the top of the document too, so clearly it should have been noticed by whoever had made the document in the first place and edited at some point.

Putting the distracting thought aside for now, she scrolled down and reached the bottom of the first page, then pushed a button to turn to the second one. Partway between her first scroll down, she saw it again. Well, not the same symbol, but definitely a symbol, curiously in the same position as the last one had been. This time, a wing. Now, the symbol she’d seen before that looked like a wing was grand and feathery, not at all like a pegasus wing but much more grandiose than this, certainly. This wing was only slightly smaller than that, and slightly off-center as well, and not fully open either but folded as if in mid-flight, but it definitely wasn’t a pegasus wing if it was supposed to be put on the symbol of a pony. This one might have been noticeable enough for an average reader to see, but likely for them to skip. 

“Another typo perhaps? Two of them in the same document, when all the others don’t have anything of the sort. Hmm...”

Putting that thought aside as well, she scrolled down and flipped to the third and final page in the document. Tapping a hoof to her chin, she scrolled down again to where the other two symbols had been, just curious to see if her train of thought was progressing properly, to see if she was just connecting dots that weren’t there or was legitimately onto something. Part of her duties included paying incredible attention to details, no matter how small or how frivolous, because Silvertongue had assured her that if one paid very, very close attention to even the smallest smidgen of detail, they could often find out more information about a subject from a single sentence on a single line than from page upon page of endless exposition and purple prose. Sure enough, here there was the image of a pony, completely normal except for its particularly well-built body stature and pose, something that wouldn’t be necessarily noticed at all if she hadn’t seen the same pony symbol used in many of the other documents. 

“Great... there goes that idea...” she sighed to herself, disappointed. 

There was otherwise nothing different about this symbol, unlike the other two which were at the very least placed oddly. She thought a moment, unable to shake the feeling she was missing something important. It was too coincidental that there had been two symbols in this exact spot on previous pages, both of which were unlike the others of their type. A horn, a wing, and a pony... aha! Shroud hurriedly lit up her horn and hovered the pad of paper over to her to observe the symbol she’d been given. Her note was certainly not perfect; Silvertongue had even admitted that he’d only seen the symbol once, long, long ago in a very brief frame of reference, and was slightly hazy on its accuracy. But it was good enough that she could see that the horn and wing were nearly in the same positions and of the same appearance and proportions. Shroud tapped her hoof to her chin in thought again. How did this mean anything, if they were separate symbols? Then, she remembered something that helped her put the pieces together, literally. 

“Hmmm... layered encryption? Interesting...”

When there were documents that she needed to relay between Lord SIlvertongue’s employees working secretly for him in the various levels of government, military, and private sectors, she’d needed to encrypt them in such a way that the average pony accidentally getting their hooves on them would not recognize anything suspicious. It was simply a matter of chopping the document into pieces and putting each piece on a separate page, doing it so that, when viewed normally, the document was perfectly legible and looked like something dull and boring but important enough to be delivered, like a tax form being returned or a court summons or something in that vein; when viewed through the encryption, however, the document suddenly looked completely different and made perfect sense to whoever was intended to be reading it. None of the other documents she’d seen these few days had been encrypted at all as far as she could tell - years of performing the task had clued her in to tell-tale signs of document altering even if these documents were in another language. Could this one be encrypted? She decided to experiment with her theory, and flipped the datapad around. Cracking open the device’s back carefully, she looked around inside and scratched her head. Most of the datapads she’d been looking through were fairly old, easily a few hundred years but still in perfect working condition due to the ingenuity of techno-magic of this caliber, but judging from the inside of this one it was particularly old. The buttons and switches and wires she was used to seeing were in slightly different configurations, but with a breath of relief, they were at least still recognizable.

She lit up her horn dimly and latched her magic onto each individual component she would need to fiddle with, then turned the datapad back around so that she could watch the document as she adjusted it. Tweaking wires here and there caused the symbols to distort slightly, fiddling with tiny levers caused them to alter positions, and pushing buttons caused them to change in size. Minutes of messing with the components seemed to lead to nothing, but there was one thing giving her hope - the three symbols she’d before were still in the same place and remained mostly unchanged as she went through the motions, and they seemed to be combining together. At last, they formed the symbol she had for reference: a pony, with a horn, and a wing. The rest of the document’s symbols all fell into place, and everything in it looked completely different right from the title on down, all of it still unreadable to her but clear enough that perhaps somepony else could. 

“Yes, this was definitely what I’m looking for,” she grinned to herself.

She opened the document’s editing feature and marked the symbol for easy locating, then saved her changes. She reached for the intercom button to buzz Lord Silvertongue and deliver the news, then hesitated for a second and pulled her hoof away. No, she thought. No, with how important this was to him, she knew that it would be better to deliver it personally. Something in her mind told her that was the best course of action, so that was what she would do.

Taking out a pocket mirror, Shroud shook her mane and hastily ran her hooves through it to at least lend some sense of decency to her otherwise ragged and tired appearance, but her mane was so frazzled that she found it hard to keep decent, so she took a moment to tie it up into a bun; there, she thought, neat and tidy. She’d seen Silvertongue himself exactly twice in the past eight days or however long now it had been since Starlight Shadow and her comrades first arrived, and while he certainly looked surprisingly more ragged in his second appearance than his first and logically would look even more so in his third, she felt that he would appreciate the gesture. If there was one thing Shroud had learned while working as Lord Silvertongue’s personal secretary, it was that hard work and diligence paid off, and that complaining did not. But if there was another thing she’d learned, it was that Silvertongue always valued careful thought, and it was a very careful thought to think that he would prefer she looked like she’d at least tried to tidy up a bit when coming to see him personally. Grabbing the datapad and securing it at her side, straightening her office uniform as she went, Shroud made sure she had everything gathered together before channeling up her magic and casting a Teleport spell, warping some thirty floors down from her office near his study, to the hallway near his private chambers. She double-checked to make certain everything was in order, straightened her mane again, made sure her uniform was tidy, checked to make sure her Cutie Mark - an inkwell - wasn’t showing, and readjusted her small glasses, took a deep breath, then with a surge of confidence stepped forward and knocked gingerly on the door, five times in quick succession, followed by a pause, then twice more in quick succession. Her boss had taught her the little tune to use as a knock reserved just for her, long ago when she’d first been employed, so he’d know it was important.

She heard hoofsteps on the other side come to the door with a slightly quickened pace, knowing full well what his normal gait sounded like and knowing that that wasn’t it. He opened the door briskly and looked out into the hall, and down at her with the same intense gaze she’d always known, but there was something different about it. She fought the urge to let her jaw drop at the sight of him. If he’d looked a mess three days ago, now he looked... substantially worse, and that was the most polite thing Shroud could think to describe him. 

His mane was ragged and matted all over his face, oily and filthy, his coat just as filthy and stained with sweat and smelling absolutely horrible from days without bathing. He thankfully wasn’t wearing his uniform still, as that had been especially filthy and even stained with blood that when asked if he was alright, as Shroud had assumed it was his, he’d merely responded that it was nothing, putting particularly disdainful emphasis on that word as he said it. Instead, he wore a casual dress outfit, certainly not his finest and especially not in its current condition, stained with sweat just like his coat and mane and clinging to his sweat-dampened body. His good - well, natural eye, as he’d insisted his new eye was better than the old one - was bloodshot and puffy from a lengthy period without sleep. Even his normally imposing figure had slightly waned, thin from lack of food. The only thing about him in good condition at all was that damned golden eye, and even it was slightly dimmed as well, reflecting his previous mood perfectly as a tiny golden speck in a void of darkness. But it had begun to brighten the second Shroud appeared at his door, and even his mouth began to curve in a smile, his spirits lifting instantly.

“Shroud,” he hoarsely greeted.

“Milord,” she curtsied. 

She didn’t waste his time, and especially didn’t dare bring attention to his state of being; she’d done that last time they’d spoken, and he’d very brusquely dismissed it and ordered her not to concern herself with his appearance, as that wasn’t her job, that it was merely distracting her from her duties. Unlatching the datapad from her uniform, she presented it to him, floating it over to him with her magic. 

With a hopeful smile on her face, she said, “Sir, I found it. I... I hope.”

Silvertongue took it from her weakly and hovered it in front of his face, gazed at it sternly and began to scrutinize it. He scrolled down on the document slowly at first, his face slight with curiosity as he read through it; Shroud was not surprised that he could read whatever bizarre language the document was in. This continued for only a matter of seconds until he reached the point she’d marked, and instantly, his magic seemed rejuvenated, his face brightening as much as his horn and his golden eye beginning to regain its luster and fill the black vacuum with gold once again. His smile was contagious, and she smiled as well, knowing she’d done her job well.

“It is it, isn’t it?” she asked excitedly.

“It most certainly is, Shroud,” he nodded, “At long last... after all these great many years, I finally get a chance to read that which I went to such great lengths to acquire. I have waited ages to have this opportunity... and now that it’s here, I can hardly believe it.” He noticed her looking eagerly at him, not expecting praise but genuinely glad his mood was improving. He smiled. “Shroud, please, come inside. We have important matters to discuss.”

“Oh, yes, of course milord,” she hastily nodded, following behind him into his chambers.

She’d been inside exactly three times before today, and it was always impressive to see, but this time, it was impressive because of how unlike it was to how she remembered it last. The window was broken and hadn’t been fixed, his desk was missing and hadn’t been replaced, and the room was in disarray in general; this was not at all as she remembered it, and she was confused as to why he hadn’t contacted her with the desire to fix any of it up. It was depressing to her, to see her employer’s normally diligent tidiness thrown to the wind in his mad search for whatever this document was. Maybe now that he had it, she thought, things could finally return to normal around here. She stifled a laugh. Normal around here was hardly normal at all anyway. Perhaps, then, it would return to as normal as normal ever got around here, which was certainly much less exciting but just normal.

She watched as Lord Silvertongue took another hasty look through the document, his smile growing ever wider as he mouthed certain words to himself in an almost single-minded curiosity.

“Milord?” she hesitated, not sure if she should interrupt. 

But he did bring her in to discuss things. Even shut the door behind her as she entered, a polite gesture she hadn’t expected, since normally she would have been the one to close the door behind him, as was what she was used to. Whatever the document was, it was making him act suddenly very bright, almost cheery. It was beginning to confuse her, seeing him like this. She’d seen him glad once or twice, seen him pleased with the actions of his subordinates and heaping praise upon those that deserved it. But she’d never seen him with this kind of pep.

Silvertongue was shaken from his dedicated stupor. “Ah, forgive me, Shroud, I’m afraid I was distracted. I did say I had matters to discuss with you, did I not?” His smile was genuine as he turned to her. “Shroud, have you any idea what this document is?”

“No sir,” Shroud shook her head, “I can’t read whatever that language is. But it must be important to you, milord. You look that happiest I’ve seen you in... well, ever, if you don’t mind my speaking candidly.”

“I always appreciate a bit of candor now and again, Shroud,” Silvertongue chuckled, “It’s true, your discovery has certainly raised my spirits a great, great deal. I was afraid that all these years of waiting had been for naught, that this document had been lost to the ages without my knowledge and that all my plans had gone to waste. This single piece of literature you’ve brought to me changes everything. I have been awaiting this moment for longer than you could possibly imagine. With this... the war is finally over...”

“War, sir?” she asked tentatively.

“No matter, it is beyond your understanding, and I wish not to go over a lengthy explanation that you wouldn’t believe even if I told you,” he said, shaking his head, “Shroud... with this, you have proven to me that you are most dedicated to my service, far beyond what I’d expected of anypony. There is only one pony I think more loyal to me than you, though pitting his loyalty against yours would be a rather unfair comparison - he is, after all, bound to my service by rather... unorthodox means.”

“R-right,” Shroud nodded, unsure what any of that meant but appreciating the compliment, “It is always an honor to serve, sir.”

“I have always expressed that diligence and hard work is key, have I not?” he smiled, “And, I reward dedication, as much as I punish failure, Shroud; I know such a thing seems impossible, but it is so rare to get a chance to do so, you understand. Your years of service have been long, faithful, and fruitful. And for that, I must commend you, with all due sincerity, for your dedication to me. So it is with a heavy heart and with deep regret that I inform you that... I no longer have need of your services...”

Shroud blinked, nervous and taking half a step back. She’d heard those words before, said to ponies much more robust than she and never seeing said ponies ever again. She’d often had to seek out replacements for them. “I... oh... y-yes, milord, um... r-right, and... yes... t-t-thank you.”

His horn shined a brilliant red and fired a blast straight at her. She yelled as it struck her dead center in the forehead, expecting to feel intense pain and to be turned to ash right then and there, but that didn’t happen. She hesitantly opened one eye half way and noticed that she was floating. She struggled futilely as she was lifted through the air and drawn over to him at a slow, solemn pace. Silvertongue’s face was an incredibly odd sight indeed, in her opinion. She’d never seen such a sad smile before, not from him, not ever. But her mind was filled with panic more than curiosity, as she was helplessly carried through the air. What had she done wrong? Hadn’t he just praised her? Thanked her for her dedication? Why was he doing this?

“Ah... Shroud, my most dedicated secretary,” he sighed, “I will miss you terribly, more than you could know now, or will be able to know shortly. As I said though, I no longer have need of a secretary. Loathe as I am to see you go, I’m afraid I can’t just let you up and leave. You... know too much.”

“B-but milord, I-” she pleaded, knowing it was futile but desperate enough to try.

“Calm yourself, my dear,” he tutted with a shake of his head and a click of his tongue, “This fidgety nature isn’t you. What happened to the mare that was always willing and able to speak candidly with me? Don’t tell me... are you... afraid of me, Shroud?” She gulped and nodded with hesitation. He sighed dejectedly, “As you should be, all things considered. Ah... I do wish I hadn’t needed to maintain such a reputation at times. In another time, another place, you and I could have been close friends. But that is not the way of things, regretfully yet rightfully so. Do not fear, Shroud. I am merely releasing you from my services.”

She gulped again and nervously answered, “B-but... milord... p-please. W-what have I d-done?”

Silvertongue smiled lightly, “What have you done? Why, my dear, you’ve done me a great service, one far greater than anything I could ever have hoped for, and for that I shall grant you one in turn. As I said, I am releasing you from my service... but not in the, ah... usual way. I regret that I could not do the same for dear Doctor Blutsauger, rest his soul, but circumstances were unfortunate and I did what needed to be done. Here, though, I may act freely.”

She hesitated, “I... d-don’t understand.”

He sighed again, “Of course you don’t, and how could you? My reputation is all you know, though you know not what inspires it. But enough idle chatter and long goodbyes, I have business to attend to and can’t be spending time saying farewells.”

“Please... sir, I-” Shroud pleaded again.

“Shroud...” Silvertongue sighed, “Really, enough of the pleading and begging. It’s not befitting to a mare of your caliber. I understand your fear, Shroud... but I’m not going to kill you.”

Shroud blinked rapidly. “You’re... you’re not?” Her frown did not disappear. “That’s... what you told me about Shadowstep.”

“Ah, but there’s the rub. Shadowstep is still alive... ah... in a manner of speaking. Fear not, Shroud, that fate will not befall you either. You’ve earned a reprieve. I am going to cast a spell upon you, Shroud, that will influence your mind. You will follow the commands I give you, as if they were your own thoughts. And after that, you and I will never see one another again.”

Shroud’s eyes widened. “You’re... going to-”

“Wipe your memory, yes,” Silvertongue nodded, “You know far too much to be allowed to keep any of it, but you’ve done nothing and have no means to do anything to be an obstacle in the future. A tragic waste of life.” His horn glowed a dim dim. “Do you feel my magic in your head, Shroud?”

She nodded warily. “I... feel cold, sir...”

“Then the spell is working,” he smiled. “When this spell wears off, you will have no memory of this conversation,” he said firmly, his gaze unwavering from hers, his own natural eye glowing a dim blue like his horn, whilst his golden one still shone gold, “The rest of your memory will fade soon after that. You will not remember the datapad you found for me, you will not remember events from today, from this week or from the last. You will not remember ever working under my employ, nor will you remember any of the others who you have interacted with in that period. You will instead remember that you worked in a nameless, unimportant office somewhere in the Inner District, nothing more than a pencil-pushing clerk who happened to have some friends in high places by pure happenstance, whose names you cannot reveal in order to keep them out of trouble, whose names are so unimportant that you do not even accurately recall them. You will not remember anything about the Pandora building other than you had a loft there, as many well-to-do ponies are rumored to, and your identification has more than enough proof of that. You will especially not remember me, Shroud, and will remember instead your employer as a horrible lech with no respect for his office workers and who often made passes at you, hence the next set of instructions. Are we clear so far?”

Shroud nodded, her mind absorbing his hypnotic commands like a sponge and her eyes glowing the same dull blue that pulsed in Silvertongue’s own.

“I am going to teleport you to your private chambers now, Shroud, and the moment you arrive there you will suddenly be filled with the incredible urge to move to Utopia, and you will not question why you feel it nor what you’re leaving behind, but if asked you will say that you needed a change in scenery and to get into a new line of work. You will search your room and find your Passport, then you will collect your ample savings, and you will find the list of contacts that you have built up in your desk at my behest over the years, but will think you formed it entirely of your own accord. You will pack your things, and you will pack light with the intent to buy a whole new wardrobe - no, a new life, in Utopia. You will then leave immediately for the Gate when you are finished, and you will take the next luxury airliner to Utopia, disembark, and make a new life there, and will never think back on your life in Pandemonium ever again, blocking it from your memory because you know it is not worth remembering. Understood?”

She nodded again, her eyes now filling with even more blue light.

He frowned and gave a sad sigh as he slowly set her on the ground again; her eyes dimmed and slowly returned to normal. “Then... farewell, Shroud. Your reward for your service to me is to live the rest of your life in peace, though I regret that it may yet still be short.” 

“Goodbye... Lord Silvertongue,” she said with a deep bow.

His horn flashed bright silver, and then, she was gone. He stood there a moment in silence, before hovering the new datapad back over to him and regaining most of his pep instantly. “Now then... to business.” He closed his eyes, his horn glowing a dull black, and he spoke out with his mind. “Shadowstep.”

The voice on the other end came instantly. “Milord.”

“Well done on your observations earlier, my boy. I am glad to see that even with all the chaos of their most recent encounter, you still remained hidden. It was... intriguing, getting to watch the Elements of Harmony in action again, though I am disappointed that their dire straits is making them so ineffective. A more engaging battle would have been entertaining to watch, a welcome distraction indeed. Still, they are very much able to defend themselves, tapping into their deepest reserves like that. I suppose you and I are still of the opinion that a direct confrontation would not be the best course of action then?”

“Aye, milord. Even while starving, they put up a rather decent show,” Shadowstep’s voice said warily, “But that is irrelevant, is it not? I thought I was to simply kill the Chronomancer if given the opportunity.”

Silvertongue laughed, “Not for long, dear boy. You see... I have a new assignment for you...”

***** ***** *****

A flash and a pop, and suddenly six mares flashed into existence just inside the northern entrance of a canyon, where a massive storm cloud was rapidly dissipating overhead. It did not take long for the dark purple unicorn in the group’s horn to starting glowing again, grabbing hold very suddenly of the pink earth’s pony’s neck and whipping her through the other four to make eye-to-eye contact.

“Red Velvet,” Starlight Shadow sneered, “You... you imbecile! How dare you utilize your fear-mongering illusions against me!”

Velvet smiled dumbly, her voice slightly slurred. “I don’t...” She stopped a second as her stomach rumbled uncomfortably. She let out a dull belch that made Starlight’s eyebrow twitch and the others to make faces of disgust. “Heh... excuse me. Um... I don’t know what came over me, boss. I might have gotten a... little out of control. Heh... ow... my head hurts...”

“A little out of control?!” Havocwing blurted from nearby, “Red, you practically ate everypony, you bucking nutcase!”

“Aww, were you scaaaaared, Havoc?” Velvet giggled, “Mmm... I haven’t tasted you in, wow... like, forever? Heh heh... tasted...”

Insipid stifled a giggle. “Like, wow. Red’s totally wasted. Hey Curie, isn’t Red, like, totally wasted?”

Curaçao smiled lightly. “Ah... oui. She seems... euh... ivre. Vraiment ivre.”

“No I... isn’t!” Velvet shouted back. “Ohhhh... wooow...” she laughed dumbly as she held her head and wobbled a bit, “I have no idea where I am right now. Whoooa... what’s the deal? Why’s it so dark?. Heyyy, and where did those other weirdos get to?”

Starlight shook Velvet a little, bring the earth pony’s attention back to herself, “You have overstepped your bounds for the last time, Velvet! I grow tired of forcing myself to monitor your activities. The others are able to carry out their assignments without any involvement or intercession on my part, why can’t you follow their example?”

“Um... because... I’m better? Maaan can’t this wait ‘til morning? My head hurts...” Velvet answered half-heartedly. Without warning she let out another belch in Starlight’s face. Starlight barely flinched, and immediately slammed Velvet’s face into the dirt. “OW! Owww... heyyy, watch iiit...”

“And your impudence vexes me so,” Starlight sighed with great annoyance, “I suppose I had a foolishly optimistic dream, that were you to display how powerful you truly were, you’d desire to work with us to further father’s designs, not become suddenly avaricious and attempt to administer our solution to everything yourself! You believe that you are powerful, Velvet? You only are at the pinnacle of potential when ponies are petrified in your presence. Without that, you are nothing, you hear me? Insignificant.”

Velvet laughed lazily at Starlight. “Ohhh... man, whaaat? You’re mad at me... or something? Whaaaaaat? It this because I kiiinda got carried away and found out your fear or something? Because oh wooow, that stuff was gooood... hee hee.”

“That is a quandry I mean to quash!” Starlight snapped, her horn glowing brighter than ever, “You dare to insinuate that I am terrified of anything? I may dread losing our father’s praise and love for me, but you are afraid of that all the same! Father would not wish that I stand idly by whilst you undermine my authority again! Time for your punishment... sister.”

Starlight’s magic surrounded Velvet and with all her might, she slammed her into the nearest wall of rock. She then whipped her around and slammed her into the opposite side, back and forth multiple times. Insipid, Curaçao, and even Havocwing all visibly winced with each crash, as the impacts were breaking apart the rock like it was nothing. Starlight drew Velvet over after several minutes of this treatment; the earth pony’s broken body floated heavily in the air, limp and bloody.

Starlight sneered when Velvet’s voice came, a dumb laugh. “Wooo... oh... yeah wow. Um... were you trying to do something? If you’re trying to hurt me... uh... maybe you’d better ask daddy for help? He did a better job...”

Starlight’s eyebrow angrily twitched, and in her anger she forgot she even had magic to use and physically tackled her sister and roughly pushed her into the dirt, throttling her with her bare hooves.

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!” Starlight shouted, “You stupid, insubordinate cow!”

“Ow- ow- hey- ow- whoa-” Velvet tried to say as her head was smacked into the ground.

“I said shut up! Why won’t you listen?!”

Starlight was about to slam Velvet back into the ground again when her attention was drawn by a cough from somewhere nearby. She and all the others snapped their heads over to face that direction and began frantically looking for the source. Somepony had snuck up on them? Impossible.

Starlight narrowed her eyes and scrambled forward, accidentally dropping Red Velvet sloppily to the ground in her haste. “Who’s there? Reveal yourself! I will not hesitate to vaporize this entire stretch of wasteland, and you along with it!”

The inexplicable shadows of the nearby rock formation actually laughed, then suddenly melted away and merged into a single form, which slowly began to walk towards the six mares with a calm stride, undeterred by Starlight’s threat. It gradually solidified into the form of a pegasus stallion, with grand wings of silvery metal that shined with reflection from the light given off by Starlight’s horn. The mares were all off-put not just by his outlandish, nightmarish appearance, but also-

“Oh man... what is that smell?” Havocwing blurted as she shielded her nose and frantically waved a hoof in front of her face, “Who bucking let one go?! Insipid! Geez! Lay off the daisy burritos, sis. You could peel paint with that.”

Insipid balked and looked actually genuinely offended, “Hey, whoa, like, not cool, Havoc! I totally wouldn’t do something like that in front of Curie! Maybe it was you?! You ate all your hay tacos with that, like, hot sauce and junk?”

Starlight stepped forward, ignoring the smell and the petty squabbles of her sisters, and faced the intruder, who, much to her surprise, suddenly bowed in her presence. He addressed her, his tone polite but his voice deep with a hint of reverberation in it, and strangely dark, for lack of a better word. 

“Starlight Shadow,” he greeted.

Starlight blinked, unsure what to make of this. “You... are acquainted with me?”

“I know plenty more than just your name and who you are, my dear,” he smiled, his pointed black and yellow teeth not at all inviting, “You’ve all been very busy mares.”

Velvet slowly got to her hooves and looked over at the intruder last, and her eyes instantly widened, her breath catching in her throat. “Oh... ohhh man! It’s... it’s the pegasus from the Chronomancer’s fear visions!” She hastily ran a bloody tendril through her mane, getting more blood all over herself and slicking it back. She turned hurriedly to Curaçao. “Oh, Curaçao, you’ve gotta help! Is my hair straight? How do I look? Do I look good? Is my breath okay?”

Curaçao blinked in confusion and disgust. “Ah... oui? Um... you... look like un meurtrier sanglant? Euh... a bloody murderer? You smell like one too... berk...” 

Velvet was visibly pleased and trotted over just to Starlight’s side with a very visible limp, ignoring the looks her sisters were all giving her, especially Starlight’s, as she strut around near her youngest sister in her best attempts to look sexy for the newcomer, batting her eyelashes and flaunting her assets as best she could with little flicks of her tail and mane and shakes of her rear.

“Like what you see, stud?” she cooed, completely oblivious to his uninterested expression.

“Only if he likes junk in the trunk,” Havocwing chortled.

Velvet growled and began to walk menacingly towards Havocwing, who stifled a laugh because Velvet certainly didn’t look menacing with a limp. Starlight sneered and, very suddenly, latched on to Velvet’s limping leg as the earth pony took another step and-

*SNAP*

Velvet tripped and fell straight on her leg, then yowled in severe pain as bone very violently tore through flesh and muscle.

“Well would you look at that?” Starlight snickered, “Somepony’s gone and broken her funny bone. I must say, I find that... humerus?” She laughed very suddenly and rustled Velvet’s blood-drenched mane, smirking over at Havocwing who was snickering as well. “Oh dear, big sister, you really must watch your step.”

Velvet breathed raggedly and frantically focused all of her blood to move to the site of injury, painfully snapping the bone back in to begin repairing the damage. Her face only bore the tiniest of smiles as she laughed off her apparent accident in an attempt to seem more enduring to the new object of her affections. 

“Ah... ah... bucking hell that stings... oooh...”

Starlight clicked her tongue in disappointment. “Oh no no no, what exactly do you believe you are doing? Regenerating yourself? I am afraid that that sort of behavior just will not stand,” she said, latching onto the bone with her magic and violently snapping it back out.

“AaaahhhHHHH!” Velvet screamed. 

She made to lash out at Starlight for a second, but was slapped in the side of the head with her own bone, very hard, enough to knock her to the ground. Starlight brandished it at her like a newspaper warding off a misbehaving puppy.

“Now, I will only say this once: you are never to utilize your fear-mongering abilities on myself, or your sisters, ever again. Is that clear?” Velvet remained silent, and gave a very small nod. “Good. Go on then,” Starlight said flatly, flicking the bone over her shoulder, “Fetch.”

Velvet’s breaths were frantic, erratic, and she looked up at Starlight with a fierce glare. Starlight merely stared right back, a cold calm on her face without any trace of a smile or frown. Velvet’s angry sneer grew, and her blood desperately tried to stop itself from flowing uncontrollably out of the wound. Her tears weren’t black or red, but perfectly normal.

Starlight was unamused at Velvet’s continued stare, and her lack of movement. “I believe I issued you an order, Velvet. Say... here’s a conundrum for you to ponder whilst you pathetically waddle over to salvage your bone: what manner of fear is it, when you’re afraid your baby sister is going to extract more bones from your frail little body if you do not accede to her instructions? Would that be... terror? Dread? Anguish? I am afraid that I am not the expert on the subject here, sister. All fear, to me, is simply convenient. A mere byproduct, a nice little side-effect of my power. I certainly don’t require it to function. Perhaps you will have a response when you have returned? Now. Fetch.”

Velvet angrily stumbled to her hooves and awkwardly began walking her way towards where Starlight had thrown the piece of her.

Starlight turned back to face the newcomer, who whistled coyly. “Impressive. I see why you are the leader of this little band.”

“Who are you?” she demanded, “How do you know who we are?”

The pegasus smirked, the corner of his mouth rotting away at the gesture much to Starlight’s disgust. “Who I am is not important. Who I work for, however, is. I come bearing a message from your father.”

The four mares still standing behind Starlight Shadow all looked aghast. Starlight herself took half a step back. “From... from father?” She shook her head and took a full step forward again. “Well what seems to be keeping you? You have a message for me? Deliver it!”

The pegasus smiled, “You father requests your presence immediately back in Pandora Tower. He has a new assignment for you.”

Starlight Shadow’s eyes narrowed in bewilderment, her mouth hanging open in surprise. “I... beg your pardon? Did I hear that right? New assignment?”

“Yeah, what about our current assignment?” Havocwing asked worriedly, throwing her hooves into the air, “We’re getting damn close to-”

“Lord Silvertongue does not share your misguided optimism,” the pegasus brusquely interrupted, “He’s seen you battle directly against your assigned targets twice now, and he thinks that perhaps you are... unsuited to carry out the task he has graced you with.”

Starlight’s eyebrow twitched, “Ex... excuse me? What did you just say?”

He repeated himself, his tone becoming bored. “You’re being reassigned, plain and simple. Your father has reissued your assignment to me.”

“To you?” Starlight scoffed in disbelief, “And who are you that makes you so important?”

“That knowledge isn’t relevant to you, Starlight Shadow,” the pegasus smiled, “You’ve got your own... issues, to worry about?” he added, pointing over at the slowly limping Red Velvet. 

Starlight sneered at the earth pony for just a moment, then turned back to the pegasus. “For that matter, how would father even know about our recent... issues... should we have had any in the first place?” she hastily added.

The pegasus smirked again, “If I may paraphrase my master here, my eyes and ears belong to him - what I see and hear, so too does he. I have been watching you all very carefully, and your father is most displeased with your lack of progress. He has a new assignment for you, so you are to return to Pandora immediately.”

“That’s preposterous!” Starlight spat, getting into the pegasus’s face, resisting the urge to curl her nose from his stench, “You are lying!”

“Am I now?” he said calmly.

Velvet sat and watched miserably, trying her best not to look at Starlight as she and the pegasus talked. Her body was still in intense pain, and even her ever-flowing blood wasn’t enough to dull the fiery agony in her right foreleg. She knew she needed a little bit of a power boost to really nullify it, and in desperation let her mind wander and her eyes drift towards her other sisters. She could still see the tinges of fear on them, all of them, even Starlight just ever so slightly; but she’d just sworn not to use any of her powers on them anymore, and this seemed a bad time to try and get cocky. So she switched her attention to the other pegasus instead. To her curiosity and worry, she couldn’t feel anything over the newcomer at all. She focused her energy some more. Still, nothing. 

Velvet squealed in surprise and pain as a magical chain lashed around her neck and dragged her roughly towards Starlight. “Velvet! Are you sincerely attempting to empower yourself? Now?”

“Y-you could feel it?” Velvet gulped.

“There was suddenly a chill in the surrounding air,” Starlight sneered, “This is not the ideal time to test my steadily-thinning patience.”

“I... s-sorry, boss,” Velvet nervously smiled, “I uh... I just need a little juice, is all... b-but I can’t feel anything on the hunky new guy, so-”

Starlight’s eyebrow twitched, “This is father’s emissary! I will not have father blame us for some grave misfortune befalling-”

The pegasus laughed, “There’s no need to worry, Starlight Shadow. The poor dear is merely confused, is all.” 

He took a brisk step forward and fluttered over to the pair. Starlight stepped aside a moment in curiosity, as the pegasus seemed to be looking to say something to Velvet in particular. He leaned in to Velvet’s ear, and she smiled up at him in a dreamy stupor.

“Um... hi...” she chuckled, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Red Velvet... you put on a good show, I’ll give you that,” he breathed, “You and I are much alike. Fear is... a powerful tool in my arsenal. You can’t smell it on me, though, can you?” She nervously shook her head. “That’s because unlike all of you, I can’t feel fear. I fear nothing. So I regret to say that I’m... not your type. A week and some days ago, you and I may have been able to share an... interesting relationship. Pity.”

He stood tall and proud as Velvet looked at him with disdain. He smirked and turned his gaze to Starlight. “That’s the secret to fear, you know? Everypony feels it. Those who say they don’t are either liars or fools. The trick to fear though, is that it requires one to have the capability of ending in a worse situation than one is currently in. Death. Poverty. Sickness. Loss. I am unique, because unlike the rest of you, I fear not these things. I have shaken hooves with death, greeted him as an old friend, as an ally. I have no attachments, I feel no pain, I feel no hunger or desire, I feel nothing. Nothing but anger, and hate. The only thing left in my existence is endless torment... or the return of the curse of mortality. I can’t honestly say either is better or worse than the other...”

The pegasus smiled again, “If you have issue with the change in assignment, take it up with your father. In the meanwhile, I have mares to murder. Farewell, ladies.”

“Attends!” Curaçao blurted, “What was zat? Meurtre?”

The pegasus snickered as she took to the air. “Oh, I forgot to mention that part, didn’t I? Your assignment has also been upgraded to encourage lethal tactics, as of this conversation. Of course, it’s my assignment now, so...”

“No fair!” Havocwing cried, igniting her hooves in anger, “Horseapples you get to finish them off! Those mares should be ours to kill! We earned it!”

“Afraid not, ladies. That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” the pegasus laughed, “Now then, I must be off if I’m to catch up to those foals before they get across the sea. You all should stop standing around and gawking and get back to Pandora, yourselves. Lord Silvertongue didn’t sound too pleased that he had to reassign you...”

And with that, he was off. Velvet watched in disappointment and ran a little ways to try and catch him. “No! Wait! Come back! I didn’t get your number! Aww... shoot...”

Starlight snapped her head around and shouted at her sisters, “We depart immediately! Something is amiss, and I intend to ascertain as to what.”

*****

The six mares warped into Pandora in Silvertongue’s private chambers with a loud pop and a bright flash. Apart from the one unicorn that strode out of the teleportation matrix with a brisk trot and began to frantically search about, the mares all stumbled slightly after warping in.

“Ah... geez,” Havocwing muttered as she shook her head, “Remind me never to teleport with the boss again when she’s in a hurry. I think she might have messed up my brain. Everything tastes blue.”

“I don’t know, it tastes more purple to me. I like purple,” Grayscale added, smacking her lips. Havocwing did not appreciate the sarcasm and glared over at the other pegasus.

Starlight was quick to call out after searching around the immediate area and finding nothing. “Father?! You summoned us?! Where are you, father?!”

Curaçao held her face in her hoof. “Ah... ma capitaine, per’aps it would be best if we do not teleport directly into papa’s bedroom, non? Zis is... très peu professionnel.”

“Yeah... uh... what if he was like, getting dressed or something?” Havocwing added with a look of disgust, “Invasion of privacy much? Eww, no thanks, I’d rather not see my dad’s-”

“Father would not mind!” Starlight snapped a little too quickly, “I mean... he would not be surprised. He requested our presence immediately, so he would be expecting us. Father?!”

“He’s not here,” Grayscale shrugged observantly, “If he were, he’d have said something by now.”

Starlight grit her teeth and stamped a hoof. “Where could he be? And what has become of his chambers? Everything is all in disarray... I do not like this. This is most unlike him...” she said with a frown. “I do hope everything is okay. What if he summoned us because some horrid fate has befallen him?”

Insipid called from over near his bed, frantically flailing a hoof in the air. “Ooh ooh! Pick me! Pick me!”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Yes, Insipid?”

“Maybe this note tells us where he is?” she smiled, hovering the tiny scrap of paper over to Starlight.

Starlight hastily yanked it out of Insipid’s grip, causing the other unicorn to trip. She frantically read over it, then tucked it inside her jumpsuit’s pocket. “Come sisters. He is on the roof.”

“Zee roof?” Curaçao blinked, “Near zee Fanal... euh, zee Beacon?”

“Yes, that would be correct,” Starlight nodded, “Come sisters, we must go to him.”

The six of them gathered together, and teleported away in a flash of light and smoke once more.

***** *****

Silvertongue stood on a raised section of the roof of Pandora, miles above the city, so far above that he could see the smog cover that coated the air like a blanket, the only clearing being around Pandora itself just over his head in the central area where the light of the Beacon shone its brightest. The pillar of pure, orange light fired straight up through the entire building, which through the intricate mechanisms of gryphon techno-magic and delicate application of runic symbols, was itself a massive magical power source for the field of magic that coated the sky of the entire northern hemisphere.

He examined the datapad once again and ensured his preparations were complete, but after going over it again and again, he knew that the only thing that required his most diligent attention was his own body. So apart from bathing and grooming himself back to his most pristine appearance, he’d replaced his casual dress clothes with his fanciest, most elaborate military armor. The black metal and leather armor gleamed in the magical light of the Beacon, with thick spikes adorning the shoulders and the joints at all four legs. The trim was a red as ever, clean and shiny and looking more like fresh-spilt blood than fresh-spilt blood itself, and the chest was emblazoned with the symbol of Pandemonium, a flaming sword made of the purest fire ruby thrusting straight through a solid gold disk. He’d only worn this armor once before, on the day Nihila made him her Warden. He felt it would be ironically fitting.

His golden eye pulsed again at the sudden influx of magic sparkling behind him. His mouth curled in a grin, and he watched as the six mares he was so eagerly expecting warped into existence before him. Starlight Shadow wasted no time in stepping forward, almost running in fact, to stand before him and bowing deeply. The others behind her stumbled slightly again as they were warped rather unexpectedly and haphazardly due to her rush.

“Father, we departed as soon as you called,” she said eagerly.

“Starlight Shadow, my dearest daughter,” he said, motioning for her to rise, “You have certainly outdone yourself with your punctuality; I was not expecting you all so soon. I instructed my messenger to give me two hours and it has been...” Silvertongue trailed off as he pulled a tiny pocket watch out of his armor’s chest pocket; Starlight’s eyes widened at the sight for only a brief second. “Ah... just over two hours. I take it he found you without hassle, then?”

She stood warily, her face mixed with hurt and pride, unsure what to feel about their meeting here and remembering well what his ‘message’ had been. “Yes, father,” she nodded, “Your emissary relayed your... alteration of our assignment. If... if I may be bold enough to inquire... why? Were we not faring adequately?”

Silvertongue smiled. “How you were faring is... irrelevant. The assignment I have here for you now is merely more important. I reassigned your task with those ridiculous mares and the infernal Chronomancer to somepony more fitting, as I require your aid with a task that I can only rely upon you all to assist me with.”

“So you’re... not mad at me?” she asked hopefully, “I mean... at us?”

“Oh... my dear, certainly I am upset that you could not complete your assignment,” he frowned, making her wince slightly, “But it is no matter, not now. As I said, this task is more important and requires your unique talents to bring to fruition. Now then, let’s get to it, shall we?”

“Hey... um... pops?” Havocwing asked as she stepped forward, “You look... well, good. Badass, even - that armor is boss, pops. You’re feeling better, yeah? You look like you’re feeling better.”

He smiled again, and pat Havocwing on the head. “Yes, my dear Havocwing, I am feeling much better. I am glad you noticed, and I welcome your opinion of my appearance. Your kindness is appreciated.” Havocwing visibly beamed at the praise.

Curaçao stepped forward next, her chin in her hoof as she examined him more closely, her voice alight with curiosity. “Ooh là là... papa, what are zose... marques?”

Silvertongue lifted a hoof to the neck of his armor to tug it down slightly, giving them all a better look at the strange blue paint that seemed have been tattooed all over his coat. It was not randomly strewn about him, but looked painstakingly applied in just the right positions and patterns. The light of the Beacon made the paint look like it was actually glowing.

“Oh, these?” he asked, “Simply precautionary measures. I have no desire to see this task brought to ruin, and seeing as I’m still standing here right now, alive and well and with all my power still at my disposal, I can assume they are working perfectly. That fills me with nothing but confidence.” He turned to the datapad again. “If these work, then that would also make me assume the rest of these instructions will work as well. Absolutely marvelous...”

“Zey are... très jolies, papa,” Curaçao smiled, “Comment se fait-il que la peinture brille?”

Silvertongue smiled, “Peinture magique, bien sûr. C'est compliqué. Cela dit, c’est magnifique, n'est-ce pas?”

“Oui, vraiment magnifique,” Curaçao happily smiled, “Ooh là là, papa, je ne savais pas que vous parliez romantique.”

“Ha ha! Oui, je parler de nombreuses langues, ma fille. Il n’y a pas d’ironie dans mon nom. J'ai appris celle-ci il y a longtemps, pour élargir mes horizons. C’est une langue magique - littéralement, une langue de la magie. Et puisque vous la parlez si bien également, je suis persuadé que ce soir se déroulera sans incident.”

Curaçao bowed, “J'ai hâte de voir cela, papa.”

Starlight Shadow’s eyebrow twitched and she coughed to interrupt. “Father... what task would you lay before us?” she asked seriously, shooting a mildly annoyed glance at Curaçao, “You claim that it is of utmost importance, and that only we can be of assistance to you? Then please... explain it to us. What are we going to do?”

Silvertongue’s smile was wide. Smug. Happy. “Why... tonight, my dearest daughter... we are going to kill a goddess.”

The six mares all took a half step back just in surprise at what had been said, looking at each other in confusion and hoping one of the others knew what the hell just had been said. 

Starlight spoke first. “I... I beg your pardon, father?”

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough, my dear Starlight Shadow. That I still stand after that little comment lends me to believe my precautions were indeed successful. Brilliant! Ha ha! Oh... I have waited a long time for this. Ah, but we must work quickly, before our opportunity eludes us. Starlight Shadow. Red Velvet. Step forward, if you would.”

The two of them gave wary glances at one another and followed his command as asked. He passed Starlight Shadow a small device with his magic that had upon it displayed a single image of a circle, a circle decorated with bizarre markings that looked similar to the ones etched across his face and neck and presumably the rest of his figure. Starlight took it from him and studied it for a moment, curious as to what it was.

He seemed to pick up on her curiosity and explained. “A runic circle, one of the many wondrous fields of study that the gryphons perfected. The patterns of runes in this circle are very, very precise, and your power and control with magic makes you the ideal artist for it. I would do it myself, but the runes need to be enchanted as you go and your... unique magic signature makes your runes more powerful with less effort. I’m afraid I need to save what magic I have for the other phases of this task, otherwise I would at the very least assist. I believe my confidence in your ability here is not misplaced... is it?”

“No!” Starlight blurted. She hastily coughed. “Ah... n-no, father. Of course your confidence if not misplaced. I am up to the task.”

“As for you, Red Velvet,” Silvertongue addressed next, “You are to provide the ‘paint’ for Starlight’s ‘brush’, as it were. These rune markings need to be drawn in blood, and as much as I would like to just go out and kill enough ponies to supply her with enough material to get the job done, your blood is replenishable and abundant, plus you’ll be able to help correct any mistakes. This needs to be flawless, understand?”

“Yes, daddy,” Velvet eagerly nodded, glad to be a target of his praise and affection again, “As you say, my blood will be that which paints the picture in your mind’s eye.” She snickered over at Starlight, “See? I can do it too. It’s like poetry. I like it!” Starlight was, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, not at all amused.

The pair of them stepped forward to where Silvertongue was directing them, and immediately set to work on their assigned task. The two shared a few distant glances at one another, clearly miffed that they were working together so quickly after they’d just gotten through fighting with one another, but putting aside their squabbles if only just for him. Silvertongue, in the meantime, turned to the other four.

“What about me, pops?” Havocwing asked eagerly, igniting her hooves in anticipation and poise, “What do you need me to do?”

Silvertongue smiled and spoke to Havocwing first, referring to his datapad as he spoke. “Havocwing, I require the circle to be surrounded with a flame, of a very specific intensity,” he explained as he handed her a small device like her sisters’, “Once your sisters complete their runic circle, you’ll go to work and create a wreath of flame around it. Like their work, this barrier needs to be precise, and will need to be maintained until the ritual is complete, after which the flames will die out naturally. Can you maintain it until that point with those guidelines in mind?”

“Hell yeah, pops!” Havocwing boasted as she happily took the device and started to read it immediately, “That’s no problem for a pro like me! You just watch, I’ll make you proud!”

He turned to Insipid next. “Insipid.”

“Yes, daddy?!” Insipid bounced happily, her smile wide and eyes aglow.

“You’re going to be assisting Curaçao with her assignment by-”

“Eeee! Curie!” Insipid grinned even wider as she grabbed the blue pony in a crushing hug, “We’re partners! Eeee! Oh. My. Stars. So cool!”

“Oui, très bien,” Curaçao smiled nervously, “Ah... per’aps we should let papa finish zough, non?”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Insipid nervously chuckled, not letting go of her grip in the slightest and rubbing her cheek subconsciously against hers.

Silvertongue smiled, and gave Curaçao a small device much as he’d given Starlight and Havocwing, this one with a three-dimensional image of a pony on it, apparently covered in the same markings Silvertongue himself was. “Curaçao, you and Insipid are going to be applying these markings to yourselves, and to your sisters. I’ve provided you with more than enough of the enchanted paint to accomplish the task perfectly. While right now you and your sisters have no need of them, they may very well after the next phase of the plan. Please ensure they’re completely accurate, because there may be grave consequences if they aren’t. Understand?”

“Oui, papa,” Curaçao bowed as she took the paper and turned to Insipid, “Ma chérie, let us get to work, oui? Allons-y!”

“Weeeee!” Insipid cheered.

Grayscale stepped forward next. “And me, dad?”

“Grayscale, you will be helping me with the final part of this first stage. Your gravity control will help direct the magical energies of the runic circle into a single point, which will tear through the veil that lies between our mortal realm and that of the Dreaming,” Silvertongue nodded, handing her her own device with instructions. She nodded in return as she took it in her mouth and set it upon the ground to read.

Almost an hour of constant work followed, and finally Starlight and Velvet completed the runic circle. Silvertongue looked over it painstakingly to ensure it was accurate, then called Havocwing over to surround it with flames as the next step. When the three of them were finished, they returned to the others; Starlight and Velvet specifically walked over to Curaçao and Insipid, and the two began drawing the runic markings all over their own bodies as much as they’d done so with the others. Like their sisters before them, they needed to first strip. Velvet was barely embarrassed at all, though Curaçao was having some minor trouble trying to draw the markings on Velvet without turning away in disgust at her sister’s scarred body, wondering why Velvet didn’t go through the trouble to heal; Starlight was heavily embarrassed and tried her best not to look at Silvertongue, and fidgeted slightly and nervously tapped her hooves. Once fully marked, they suited back up and stood by their father to await the next stage.

“Now, my daughters, you shall all bear witness to something entirely beyond your mortal comprehension, something that even I have a hard time believing is about to be done. Only seven ponies in this world will ever know what we’ve accomplished here today. This... this is history in the making!”

His voice was filled with pride and wonder, and it inspired them all to smile in turn. Whatever was getting their father in such a bright mood must be good; they’d never seen him so... happy. So excited. So eager. He beckoned Grayscale to follow him, and she did so, flicking her wings to full wingspan and holding them there once she was in position. The other five mares all took a half step back as they felt an intense burst of gravity radiate from the center of the circle, strong enough that it started to suck the flames into it to create a very bizarre pyramid shape. Silvertongue cleared his throat, and began to read from the datapad aloud; Curaçao listened intently, silently muttering the words to herself, while the other five merely listened without a clue what was really being said.

“Le sang est l'essence de notre vie  
La magie, notre raison d'exister  
Leur réunion libérera des conflits  
Notre monde qui en a tant enduré  
Par la Lumière, nous aidons ceux que nous aimons  
Par les Ténèbres, nous vainquons toute appréhension  
Ensemble, elles sont un pouvoir sans fin  
Qui changera un mal en un bien!  
Apparais, Alicorne, et réponds de tes péchés!”

The circle began to glow, brighter than even the Beacon just a few dozen yards away, and the markings along the coats of all six mares and one stallion began to shine bright and clear. Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash and a colossal explosion rocked the entire building, shattering windows all the way down all two hundred floors. The mares were all knocked aside, rather not expecting these occurrences to happen, as the roof itself shuddered and cracked, starting from the center of the runic circle outwards, slowing and stopping just before the surrounding ledges. As they clamored to their hooves, they could see that the Beacon had slightly waned in strength, losing a great deal of its brightness and hue. The spot where the circle had been was now shrouded in a faint cloud of purple magic that glittered like diamonds in sand. Only Silvertongue was left standing tall and unwavered, his face alight with an almost deranged excitement as the magical smoke slowly cleared until there were only traces of sparkly magic left amongst a cloud of slowly clearing regular smoke. Even now, the other six ponies could see the silhouette of a figure there in the smoke, slowly trying to stand and doing a rather poor job of it. Now the non-magical smoke cleared at last, and the six mares’ eyes all widened in surprise, gasps spreading throughout their number all at once.

There was a pony there now, one unlike any they’d ever seen before. She was tall, taller even than their father, thin and elegant, built with the figure of a pony familiar with graceful posture. Her coat was a ghastly color, not quite purple but not quite black, nearly pitch and certainly darker than Insipid’s but of a different shade than Starlight’s, shimmering with cleanliness and luster. Her mane and tail gleamed a brilliant silver not unlike their father’s coat, almost metallic in their shine. With their shape and rigidity they certainly had the appearance of bladed weapons. Her mane was in a wild, spiked style that was almost crown-like entirely on its own, while her tail trailed behind her, lifted and wing-like with sharp tips at the end of the feathery streaks, like a multi-bladed scythe. A crown rested upon her head, made of a dark gray metal that they did not recognize that did not so much reflect the light as absorb it, adorned in the middle with a fiery orange jewel, its center a ball of red that darted back and forth, a pupil-like taint of purple in its own center - a Gorgon’s Eye of the most pristine quality. She wore matching bracelets on each leg and a matching necklace. She was otherwise completely nude, making it easy to see her most defining features: her body’s tone was incredibly lithe, leanly muscled and physically intimidating even compared to Grayscale Force; her long, sharp horn, nearly a foot-and-a-half in length and made their father’s look quite inferior; her great, long wings, certainly of a greater wingspan than any pegasus they’d ever seen before, made both Grayscale and Havocwing fidget in embarrassment; and, of course, her Cutie Mark, a pair of black, bat-like wings adorned with red spikes along the tops, with a crooked red tail streaking through the center.

She stood and glared at Silvertongue with such a fiery intensity that the six mares could actually feel the hatred emanating from her, as if somepony had suddenly thrown them all within an oven and cranked up the heat. Red Velvet licked her lips in excitement at the prospect, feeling a powerful darkness that permeated the air around the creature, practically oozing towards them. Starlight Shadow watched in subdued awe, able to sense a great deal of magic radiating from the creature and worriedly calculating in her head just how much magic this pony contained. Insipid, too, was noticing this veritable cascade of magical might, visibly fidgeting and shuffling her hooves from the sheer thrill of being in the presence of so much power. She occasionally stole glances at her father, as if she wasn’t sure she was allowed to be here. Havocwing’s jaw dropped, stupefied at what she was seeing and envious of the colossal hate this one pony was capable of without having uttered a single word. Grayscale and Curaçao kept passing each other looks as subtly as they could: small, muted glances with one another in an attempt to communicate with one another that they were both busy trying to figure out just what they were seeing. Silvertongue, of course, was totally and completely unfazed by the raw effervescent hatred the mare before him was pouring out, and stepped forward with purpose, in confident, even strides.

Her voice was ice, sending chills down the spines of all present. The air around them reacted much the same, becoming fiercely chilling. They’d been inside an oven until now; the sudden chill became a wash of shocking cold.

“My former Warden, Silvertongue... what have you done?!”

Silvertongue clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Tsk tsk, milady, such a harsh tone. Whatever seems to be the matter? Can’t you read my mind?” he added with a smirk as he tapped his temple, where the blue runic markings still glowed fiercely. “Well, if you’re going to insist on utilizing names rather than titles, milady, I suppose it is only polite to reciprocate the gesture. Welcome to the mortal world, Nihila.”

Nihila struggled to move, but found her movements greatly restricted. She looked about herself and at the glowing circle of runic markings she was in; the runes of blood were glowing a dark magenta that increased in intensity whenever she attempted to move. She glared at him with even more ferocity than before, as if she was attempting to set him on fire with her gaze alone. 

He tugged at his collar with a playful grin on his face, showing off the markings on his neck. “My my, is it getting hot out here? We’re still in the midst of the Winter season. How bizarre.”

“How... how is this possible?!” she demanded.

Silvertongue was careful not to reveal the datapad he had now latched to his side. “I must say I regret that I’ll never be able to thank dear Galdorhoff for his marvelous work, A Treatise on Alicorns. See, there’s an awful lot of ancient Dark magicks in these spells, and the gryphons didn’t exactly see eye to eye with him. Exiled him years before you and I even met. But I knew of him. I sought him out. I ensured his greatest work was not lost. And now, after all these years, his work has finally been allowed to shine. A pity he’ll never see it.”

Nihila snapped, “You traitorous whelp. I will destroy you!”

Her horn flared with the brightness of a small star, its color a bright, sinister orange. Silvertongue’s face stiffened for an instant as she unleashed a blast of magic at him from nearly point-blank range. The blast was sent careening off with a resounding explosive blast that shook the entire tower again. As the blast ricocheted away, it circled the Beacon’s light like liquid caught in a drain, igniting and clearing smog all around it as it went. Silvertongue’s smug grin widened as he pat Starlight Shadow proudly on the shoulder; the unicorn had stepped to his side the instant Nihila’s horn had started to glow, and even now not letting her Barrier spell drop until she was sure that had been the end of it.

“You shall not harm my father so long as I am standing, whoever you are,” she spat, her words wavering slightly at the unsettling realization that the blast she’d just reflected had carried more force in it than she’d seen from any other pony but herself and perhaps Twilight Sparkle, and of course her father. She hid the pain well.

“Well done my darling Starlight,” Silvertongue praised, causing the purple unicorn to smile with pride, her face alight with confidence, “Strong enough to resist even the strength of an alicorn’s magic. Outstanding... absolutely outstanding...”

“Alicorn, father?” Starlight asked, her eyes not daring to dart away from the creature she held in her sights.

“You...” Nihila hissed, her words dripping with poisonous bile that made Starlight take another step back as if she was suddenly very, very ill. There was no physical harm, but the venom that oozed from the creature’s words stung as if they did. “You miserable, insignificant little wretch. I gave you life! You soul belongs to me! You would betray me as well?!”

Starlight blinked nervously, unsure what to make of any of that series of sentences directed at her and her alone. Gave her life? Owned her soul? What did those things mean? She turned briefly to her sisters, but they all looked as confused as she did, even Curaçao and Grayscale. Only her father did not seem fazed by this strange talk. All she knew was that this pony, whoever she was, was incredibly, no, phenomenally powerful, certainly strong enough that she could destroy her father in an instant if she so wanted. Starlight narrowed her eyes and stepped back into form. Nothing this mare could possibly do or say was going to stop her from keeping her father safe.

“I think you are forgetting, Nihila, one very important aspect of betrayal,” Silvertongue said with a pompous gesture of straightening his mane with a hoof, “That word implies that one was originally loyal to you, and then betrayed that trust. The thing about me is, I was never loyal to you. So how could I betray you?”

Nihila’s eyes narrowed and she hissed again, her words so filled with hate and anger that five of the six mares suddenly felt the same sick feeling Starlight had felt earlier. Only Red Velvet did not succumb, actually stepping forward with an almost awed expression on her face. This creature, this Nihila, was making her mind light up with inspiration, with dark intentions. The abyssal aura that wafted about in the air was almost intoxicating, and she was certain that if a lesser pony than her father had been the target of these words, they would be nothing more than a crumbling heap upon the ground, trapped in terror at the prospect of such a thing even existing.

“You lie,” she raged, “I’ve seen your every thought, I’ve seen your every action!”

“I know you have,” Silvertongue smiled knowingly, “All a part of the game, milady.”

“You betrayed Harmonia to serve me! You say that you are still loyal to her? Ha! You have committed acts that she would never forgive, regardless of your intentions.”

“Hmmm...” Silvertongue hummed, “I suppose if I really cared what Harmonia thought anymore, that might be an issue. I mean, after all, look at all the nefarious work I’ve spread across this great continent! I built a monument to a goddess of evil that literally obscures the sky with a cloud of darkness and horror. I slaughtered a peace-loving race of scholars and engineers after goading them into helping me build that monument. I created a curse that taints the very land itself and turns the dead into horrible undead abominations. I order murders on a nearly weekly basis, I have ensured that a city of millions is so fraught with strife and disorganization that it spreads disparity and hate like a virus in a self-perpetuating cycle. Oh, yes Nihila, that definitely sounds like somepony loyal to Harmonia.”

Nihila angrily flared her horn again and attempted to attack him out of pure, unadulterated rage from being taunted. The blast of magic was, again, reflected haphazardly away by Starlight Shadow’s Barrier, but the force of the blast knocked her off balance and she stumbled for a moment before recovering. She hoped her father would speed this up; this other creature was certainly powerful enough that she wouldn’t be able to withstand too much more of that kind of abuse.

Silvertongue laughed. “I have waited centuries for this opportunity, Nihila. Year after year, decade after decade, waiting for you to finally drop your guard and to allow me but a moment of total privacy that I may at long last complete my mission that I set out upon all those years ago. And that’s where these wonderful little ponies came in.” He turned to Starlight and rustled her mane playfully, making her blush and happily smile at him. She was glad that she must have done something right. “Ah... you were so easily distracted by the prospect of destroying your counterpart that you ignored me to watch as our plan came to fruition.”

Starlight blinked in confusion again. “‘Our’ plan, father? What... what do you mean? This creature had something to do with all this?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Silvertongue said softly, “If we all want to be really technical about things, Nihila here could be considered a... benefactor, of sorts. She is mostly responsible for helping your six recover from your accident. I know you don’t remember her - you were all unconscious at the time.”

Nihila snorted, “Why not tell her the same story about me that you told them all about you, Silvertongue? Why not tell them I am their ‘mother’ and be done with it?”

“M-mother?” Starlight sputtered in a panic.

“Whoa... dad, you and her?” Havocwing whistled, “Wow pops... you’ve got game- ow!”

Grayscale had elbowed her hard in the side. “Keep quiet, idiot.”

Silvertongue frowned in her direction. “For shame, Nihila. Trying to manipulate these girls so. Such a pathetic attempt to win them over to your side. I am their father. I have given them all my heart,” he added with a smirk, “A piece of me resides in them all. That’s why they help me here and now with my designs.”

“Father... what does this all mean?” Starlight asked tentatively.

Silvertongue smiled, “Merely that you accomplished the true task I set out for you. Nihila here was so focused on keeping you six girls in her sights, to ensure that her ‘investment’ was seen to completion, that you corrupted the Elements of Harmony and helped her to use them as weapons against Harmonia. That you failed in that task is irrelevant - had you succeeded, then Nihila would be watching all twelve of you to ensure that her task was carried out the rest of the way. I would not be affected in the least, for all the while... she completely ignored me. After centuries of being her Warden, far longer than her previous one, I grew accustomed to what it felt like to have her watching my thoughts, my actions. You said as much, did you not, Nihila? I knew the moment that feeling left my mind that I was free to carry out my plans without your knowing. I relish this moment to gloat.

“Ha!” Silvertongue laughed loudly, “To think that after all these years, I’ve still got the touch. I convinced so many of Harmonia’s loyalest servants to follow me across the sea to make war, all of them once pacifists but each of them willing to take up arms against the darkness. I convinced the gryphons that I was bringing good to the world through my efforts, despite the fact that my plan would coat half the entire planet with evil. But none of that compared to convincing an omnipotent goddess that I was loyal to her for over eight hundred years, right up until the very end when I finally got the opportunity to reveal my intentions. How does it feel, Nihila? The Goddess of Disparity, who herself exemplifies evil and all that goes with it, deception included, deceived. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“You...” Nihila seethed, flaring her horn again and firing another powerful burst of magic at Silvertongue. Again, it was reflected away by Starlight Shadow and sent careening off into the Beacon’s funnel effect, though this time the blast had been strong enough that Starlight winced and fell to her knees.

“Father... what does all of this mean?” Starlight asked worriedly, unsure what to make of any of this. Her purpose in life this past week or so had been to turn those six mares into weapons, as per her father’s orders... but that was all a ruse? Just to trick this goddess into lowering her guard so that her father could betray her? She admired her father’s brilliance, but... something felt wrong about it.

“It means, my dear,” Silvertongue smirked as he pushed her back defensively and stood in front of her, “That I win. It was nice to see you in the flesh for the first time, Nihila. So sorry that it won’t be for much longer. Again, you fall for simple deception and waltz merrily into my trap.” 

He pointed at the Beacon, which was now glowing incredibly bright and had grown in thickness to the point that it had expanded beyond the hole in the center of the roof and was eating away at the concrete and metal around it.

“The Beacon is more than just a magical font of energy that coats the heavens with the powers of Darkness. It is also a magnet for those same Dark energies, which you have been funneling into it steadily since your arrival here. That power will be turned against you, and you will be powerless to stop it. It will destroy you.”

Nihila laughed, a chilling sound that seemed to freeze the air around them all. “You bluff. What do you think you can do, hmm? If you destroy me... your precious world will be thrown out of balance permanently. It will never recover. You would destroy your world, just to sate your precious ego, Silvertongue? Or is this to make amends to Harmonia, for betraying her?”

“On the contrary, Nihila,” Silvertongue said, his grin widening, “Destroying you is exactly what I’m going to do, and I know exactly what the consequences are. What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me?”

Nihila angrily flared up her horn again, and once more Starlight was ready with another Barrier spell. Nihila did not relent and continued to fire the stream of magic at Silvertongue, slowly forcing the bubble of magic to deflate inwards.

Starlight strained to keep up the shield, and in a panic, turned to her sisters. “Sisters! To me! Lend me your power! We must protect father!”

Four of the other five sprinted forward and entered the shield as asked. Only Velvet hesitated. As she watched Nihila’s power exploding against Starlight’s, tearing away at the layers of the shield, she saw the goddess turn very briefly towards her.

“You... my favorite daughter,” a voice called in her head, “You are tainted, imperfect... but there is something to you that has always struck me as exquisite. There is room for you, by my side. Only for you... and only if you can strike fear into those who claim to be fearless.”

Velvet’s eyes teared up as, as for a fleeting second a rush of warmth spread through her heart, her mind, her soul. A familiar feeling, as though looking upon Nihila at last with a veil no longer clouding her vision, seeing the truth for what it was. 

“M-mommy?” she breathed.

She looked between Nihila, and then to Silvertongue and her sisters. She hadn’t noticed Starlight turned to face her, screaming at her to enter the bubble and assist them. She then turned to Nihila again, and without a second thought, began to walk towards her instead. She could barely hear Starlight’s outraged cries. She turned to look at her sisters again, and for some reason, she felt the urge to smile. Her grin spread wide, fanged. Her glance then tilted upwards to look at Silvertongue.

Her heart stopped. He looked sad. She’d never seen him sad.

And, in an instant, she turned back to Nihila and shook her head, then made haste into the bubble herself. The others all gladly accepted her into their ranks, letting her past as she stepped up to Silvertongue and nervously hugged his leg. His smile returned instantly.

“So... even you betray me...” Nihila’s voice said, legitimately disappointed, “Without me... none shall know true fear ever again...”

Velvet joined her sisters at last, and Starlight enveloped the six of them in a white glow, and very suddenly the Barrier reinforced itself and expanded. Nihila sneered and focused more power into her blast, forcing back their empowered Barrier slowly. Her maddened glare and enraged snarl sent waves of panic washing over them all.

Silvertongue laughed. “What seem to be the matter, Nihila? Feeling... weakened, perhaps? Unable to stand up to the six mares that hold together, united, as much power as you, alone? I do hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time, milady. I know you haven’t had much time to recover, after all. But I digress - it was nice to see you in the flesh at last. Now, I bid you adieu.“ 

His horn glowed red, and with it the Beacon’s massive energy began to flow towards him in tiny spark-like orbs, floating through the air like fireflies and collecting around his horn. He lifted his datapad again, and as before began to speak aloud from it in a language that was lost to all but Curaçao, Silvertongue, and Nihila herself.

“Alicorne, voici ton heure dernière  
Face à ma force, tu finiras par fléchir  
J'entends à présent l'ultime Lumière  
Dans les Ténèbres, je t'enverrai dépérir  
Ton enveloppe physique, pour l'éternité  
De sang et de magie sera dépossédée!”

As the incantation completed, Silvertongue’s horn glowed a brilliant gold and pierced through the Barrier like lightning, striking Nihila in the chest. She screamed in pain, and her head snapped away, causing her spell to wildly screech through the air, igniting smog. She collapsed to her knees, firing the spell downwards towards the city, slicing through a large chunk of the Pandora Tower as she did so. Then, in an instant, her spell was canceled and she writhed in agony. Her screams were haunting, causing the air around them to blacken in horror at what was passing through it. Her eyes rapidly flashed between normal and a shining white, and with a final cry, her body exploded in a shower of golden sparks that rocketed out and up from the circle like fireworks. The six mares all watched in awe as they slowly began to coalesce, then without warning, raced towards Silvertongue himself and impacted with his chest, knocking him flying back and slamming into the metal railing with enough force to tear through it.

“Father!” Starlight cried, frantically flaring up her horn brighter than ever and catching him with her magic, safely pulling him back onto the tower roof. She and the others hastily ran over to him to see if he was okay; only Red Velvet did not move as quickly, holding her chest as if in pain, for only a second before joining them at his side. He did not get up.

“Father... father, no...” Starlight said in horror.

“Dad... c’mon... get up...” Grayscale worriedly added.

“Daddy...” Insipid sniffed.

His body suddenly began to glow the same golden light as his horn had before, and they all stepped back in shock. He staggered to his hooves, obviously in colossal pain judging from his awkward steps alone, but more from his anguished screams. Starlight reached out with a hoof, desperate to lend him aid, but Curaçao stopped her and beckoned for her just to watch. She visibly ached, watching him in the throes of agony. He clutched his head and screamed some more, and his horn began to grow, a full few inches until it was about a foot-and-half in length. A loud ripping sound and a flash of light, as suddenly the traces of wings burst out of the sides of his leather and metal armor. His whole body grew slightly in turn, legs lengthening and figure elongating, muscles strengthening and pressing against his armor. The glow gradually dimmed and died, and Silvertongue lay there for a long time before moving again. He warily started to get to his hooves, the runic markings that once graced his coat melting away into the air without a trace. Starlight rushed over to him and anxiously helped him stand.

“Father... are you okay?” she asked worriedly, “Please, father... speak to me...”

His breathing was ragged and short, his eyes closed. She could see that something was wrong with his left eye even here. Well, wronger than usual. She brushed her head under his chin to try and help him raise his head. The others had come over as well and helped where they could to get him over to the railing again so he could lean against it and recover. His breathing slowly returning to normal, and he blinked his eyes open. On instinct, they all took a half step back from him as he turned his gaze towards them. His left eye now was something completely different than what they were used to seeing. Completely gold, shining with a brilliance they’d not yet seen in it before, with streaks of the same magic tearing outwards out of the socket and spreading along his face like veins. There was no longer any trace of the void of blackness there, and without it no indication of where that eye of his was looking whatsoever.

“Wow... pops, you look...” Havocwing muttered, awe in her voice as she hesitantly reached out to touch one of his wings; Starlight swat her hoof away.

“Pretty...” Insipid cooed, “You look pretty, daddy...”

“Imposing,” Starlight added in an attempt to return some sense of masculinity to the praise, “What’s happened to you father? You look like that other pony did... that Nihila character.”

Silvertongue smiled broadly and shook off his stupor, then flicked his new wings gingerly, eying them with curiosity and awe. 

“Well now... that is something, isn’t it?” he laughed, “They feel almost natural, as if they’ve always been there. Intriguing... flight was almost a dwindling curiosity to me, but now that it is so easily within my grasp, it feels as though I’ve always known how to.” His grin broadened. “I’ve done the impossible and killed a goddess... and with only few modifications to the spell, instead of simply destroying her... I have devoured her. Heh... heh heh... astounding. Despite minor setbacks here and there, it would seem that everything is finally falling into place.”

“So... father, if you do not disapprove of my prying,” Starlight nervously fidgeted, “With this undertaking of yours a grand success, I can assume we are to return to our original assignment?”

“No, there’ll be no need for that,” Silvertongue shook his head, “You’ve served your purpose, I have no more need for you all to do anything of the sort.”

The six all looked tentatively at one another, then back to him. “But father,” Starlight insisted, “W-why? We have proven ourselves reliable, and if... if your intent now is to annihilate them, surely we could-”

“I said, that won’t be necessary,” Silvertongue snorted in her direction, “Shadowstep’s orders are clear, and he will follow them to the letter; he will handle them himself. If you all want to do something, then by all means, find something to do. I have no more need of you all for such menial tasks. The rest of my designs do not require any outside influence, so you are free to do as you please.”

“But... father-” Starlight tried to interject.

Silvertongue cut her off and continued, “As for proving yourselves ‘reliable’, that is a rather broad exaggeration. You failed to corrupt those six as I’d requested,” he briefly looked at Grayscale, “With one exception, but obviously that was only temporary.”

“But... you just said that didn’t matter,” Havocwing pointed out, earning a sharp glare from Starlight in the process.

“I said it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, to be sure, but not that it did not have impact upon your repute. Then, when your assignment was changed to simply capturing them, you failed at that as well; were they in my custody now, I could simply be done with it all, rather than squander Shadowstep’s use - I require him for another purpose, and him wasting time killing mares that should not be an issue may prove a delay. While before these failures I was certain you could easily kill them, and despite witnessing what you are capable of, I have my doubts that if you went all out against them, they wouldn’t still somehow escape. You’ve all earned yourselves a track record of being incapable of dealing with those six, I am sad to say.”

“But daddy-” Red Velvet said, stepping forward, “We... we were handicapped before! You said we couldn’t kill them, but now... if we’re allowed... we... we can kill them! We’re stronger than they are, just give us a chance-”

“You’ve squandered your chances,” Silvertongue interrupted, “Normally failures would be punished harshly, but I had no need to do so to any of you so long as you stayed on task; dear Red Velvet was the exception, because Nihila was watching and would expect nothing less of me in that situation. Yet you still failed, but with what you’ve done here today, you’ve more than made amends for those failures. Even so, I have no desire to leave that chance to the wind. Those six may yet still be a thorn in my side if they reach Harmonia. Shadowstep will be more than enough. That’s my final word on the matter. Am I clear?”

“Yes, father...” Starlight frowned.

“Good,” he said firmly, “Now, I have matters to attend to, so if-”

“Papa,” Curaçao interrupted, taking a step forward, “Euh... if I may? Zere were some zings zat zis ‘Nihila’ said zat bozered me. She said zat she... gave Starlight ‘life’? She called ‘erself our ‘mozer’? What do zese zings mean?”

Silvertongue looked at her with a serious, thoughtful expression, then answered, “Why is any of that important? She was attempting to trick Starlight into flinching, nothing more.”

“Papa... I know when somepony is lying,” Curaçao frowned, “She was not. You... are ‘iding somezing.”

Insipid hurriedly put a hoof over Curaçao’s mouth. “Curie! Shh! Don’t, like, talk back to daddy! What’s gotten into you?”

Silvertongue frowned. “Ah... Curaçao. Your ways with deception are exquisite. So talented in the art that you can even tell when you are being deceived, is that what you claim? You think I’m lying to you?”

“Father, please,” Starlight hastily interrupted, “She is speaking out of place. Pay her no heed, I will see to it that she is reprimanded for-”

“No no, Starlight, I wish for your eldest sister to answer me,” Silvertongue noted, “Go on, Curaçao. Tell me what you really think.”

Curaçao nervously replied. “I... zink zat you know more zan you are telling us...”

Silvertongue smiled. “I appreciate your candor, and your honesty. Ironic, isn’t it? After years and years of deceiving armies, civilizations, and a deity, none of whom could even tell there was anything amiss, I have at last met my match in a young mare that knows not where she even got her natural aptitude with that ability. Bravo, Curaçao. You are your father’s daughter.”

Curaçao blinked and looked around at her sisters. “Euh... merci? I... am not sure if I should be proud, or... worried, papa.”

“So you want to know the truth, then?” Silvertongue nodded, “Well luckily, I can take care of that quite simply. Your dear Uncle Blutsauger followed my orders to the letter, and installed a very handy tripswitch for me to deal with should I ever need to reveal this information to you. I’d prefer it if I could keep it all from you, that you may live the rest of your short lives without knowing, but if you insist...” He shook his head. “You six are special. There is a name that I came up with to describe you all together, as a group. You are ‘the Elements of Discord’.”

Instantly, all six mares’ eyes went blank, and they cried out in pain as visions raced through their heads all at once. The visions felt like dreams at first, distant and hazy, like fantasies or imaginations. Then, they progressed further until they became as ideas, curious and awkward but with an inkling of foundation within actuality. Then, the visions continued and became vivid and real, sending sensations through them as though they weren’t just dreams or ideas, but memories. These memories flashed through them, horrible in their truth and astounding in their clarity, until they became as nightmares. It all took but a few seconds, and when it was over, they all panted heavily and exhaustively, as if they’d just gone through an incredible ordeal that that strained their minds and bodies harder than they’d ever been pushed. For several moments, they all remained silent, their minds racing to try and register the thoughts and memories they now had.

Insipid was the first of the six to visibly react, falling back on her backside and beginning to sniff back tears, barely resisting the urge to let loose an ocular gusher accompanied by pained wails; Starlight and Grayscale fell back as well, their faces almost completely blank and unreadable, clearly deep in thought, the only things betraying their real emotions being their eyes, which were filled with anguish; Red Velvet fell to her knees, her hooves racing to her temples and holding her head as though in pain, not showing any of Insipid’s incredible restraint and letting her tears flow forth unfettered. Only Curaçao and Havocwing’s reactions were truly subdued, the former barely reacting at all and if anything looking quite pensive, while the latter remained muttering to herself, her eyes darting around the others in intense thought.

“There. It is done,” Silvertongue said simply, “Now you all know the truth of your existences, the purpose for with you were created, the process and painstaking work that went into creating you. You were all birthed for one express purpose - destroying Nihila. Your powers all being conveniently helpful towards the summoning ritual was unintended, but convenient nonetheless. I knew when I went about the process of creating you that your incredible might would be difficult to tame, difficult to control and direct, so I ensured that an inkling of my magic was streamed through the spell that gave you all life. There is a piece of me inside you all - that is what makes you all so dedicated to me so quickly. With your purpose filled, you don’t need to worry about anything else. I have no need of you as servants anymore, and so you may live the rest of your lives as you wish.”

None of them replied to his words. It was almost as if he wasn’t even there. All that they could think about was that everything they knew was a lie. They couldn’t remember anything from before the ‘accident’ because there was nothing before it. The ‘accident’ to them was nothing but a series of sensations and flashes, now obviously the process of their bodies and souls being twisted and manipulated to the whims of a goddess, a goddess that they’d just finished killing at the behest of their father. Father. Was that even what he was? He was just as responsible for their creation as Nihila had been, but he seemed to be more. Only Curaçao would be able to confirm if his mannerisms amongst and towards them were genuine.

After not getting a response, Silvertongue let out a sigh. “So then... if that is all, I believe I said that I have business to attend to. I need to experiment with these new sensations and abilities I have been granted, and I’d rather like to begin immediately, so that I am prepared for the next stage of my plan. Farewell for now, young ones.”

With a bright silver flash of his horn, he was gone.

Minutes passed in silence. The Beacon hummed away just off to the side, no more than a dozen yards from them, having lost the extra luster and size it had gained briefly and now at last back to normal, aside from the slight change in color, now a little more gold than orange. The roof was cracked and covered with dust from the fierce clashes of power and explosive detonations of magic. A now-empty battlefield contained within a single stretch of concrete and metal just barely more than fifty feet across; the remains of the spell circle fizzled as the remnants of the magic flecked into the air and were absorbed by the Beacon. 

Havocwing cleared her throat tentatively, her voice filled with confusion and her hoof absent-mindedly shifting to the back of her head as she tried to put everything together. Her words were simple. “Well... that was... interesting...”

None of the others said anything at all, and Havoc was disappointed to see that only Curaçao was not actively appearing distressed. She took this opportunity to try and enunciate further what she was thinking, hoping somepony else would be able to help her put two and two together.

“I mean... okay. So... uh... we all just had the same visions, right? With the glass thing, and there was Uncle... Doctor... whatever, Blutsauger there and he was all going over stuff and... then pops was there and he did some stuff to... well, I guess... copies? Yeah? Copies? Of those six, right? So... does that mean we’re... y’know...?”

The others all visibly looked like their moods were growing worse as she spoke, and this made Havoc fidget nervously. “I... well, I mean... okay, so... yeah. Um... okay, yeah I guess it’s kind of... well no, really lame that we all thought what we did about them, and now it turns out we’re just, uh, clones.”

As she said the word, the reaction from her sisters was even worse than before, and Insipid actually started to cry as well now, joining Red Velvet in letting her tears flow and sobs be vocalized. Curaçao gave Havocwing a sidelong look as if to stop using it, before the word could do even more visible harm. 

She nervously chuckled, “I mean, yeah, I’m pretty pissed about it, but... I guess for different reasons now than I was before. It’s just... uh... well like I said. It’s... interesting.”

Curaçao spoke next, giving a heavy sigh. “Oui... interesting. Zat is certainly one way of putting it. I am glad to see zat at least I am not zee only one zinking clearly.”

Havocwing rubbed her neck. “Well... the way I see it, somepony here needs to be the big mare of the family. I guess that’s me, and you... what with being the oldest.”

Curaçao sighed again. “Oldest... heh, zat seems très banal, now. Oui, I am zee oldest. Older zan you, ‘avocwing, by no more zan... deux heures: how would you say, two hours, perhaps?”

“So what? Still the oldest,” Havocwing said firmly, crossing her legs in front of her defensively.

Starlight Shadow suddenly interrupted, snapping her head up and flaring her horn brightly. Her face was red with anger, her eyes red as well from trying and failing to hold back tears, her mascara streaming down her face.

She shouted angrily, her voice cracking with her distress, “You immense imbecile! This is all your fault!”

Curaçao was taken aback and warily took a half step away in defense. “Quoi? Moi? What did I do, ma cap-”

“You... you just could not keep that puerile little mouth of yours shut! Couldn’t keep that filthy, forked tongue of yours from hissing, could you?!” Starlight snapped, her voice seething with hate. She did not bother with her magic and physically punched Curaçao as hard as she could with her hooves, knocking the blue earth pony off balance and causing her to stagger back in shock.

“Whoa... boss, calm-” Havocwing started to say, reaching out a hoof to stop the unicorn.

“Muzzle your gaping trap, Havoc, before I do it for you!” Starlight sneered as she turned to face the pegasus, “Curaçao, our dear eldest sister, just so constructively dug up the fact that we’re all clones! If this ridiculous charlatan had just kept her useless worries to herself, we’d... we’d...” She trailed off, her horn shimmering brighter and brighter, then suddenly dimming. She paced around in a circle, talking now to herself more than to anypony else. 

“We’re nothing more than duplicates.” She gave a sad glance towards Grayscale, who remained silent and did not meet her gaze.

“Reproductions.” Her gaze now turned to Red Velvet, who hastily turned away and shook her head, holding her ears in desperation to block out the sounds of talking.

“Replicas.” This one directed at Havocwing, who snorted and otherwise was unfazed.

“Imitations.” Now, Insipid, who wailed louder and pounded a hoof on the roof and let the tears flow more than ever.

“Mirror images.” Her gaze became angry and she looked at Curaçao now, who remained stoic in the face of Starlight’s enraged disapproval.

She slumped to the floor, and muttered to herself now. “Clones... just stupid... useless clones...”

Havocwing snorted, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she put a hoof on her youngest sister’s shoulder to console her. “So what? What’s the problem? Big deal, we’re clones.”

“Big deal? Big deal?!” Starlight spat, shrugging Havoc’s hoof away and glaring at her. “You colossal moron, do you not comprehend what this all implies?! It means our whole lives - all less than two weeks of them - are a lie! Everything we thought we knew is a lie. Everything father ever told us...” she suddenly slumped back again, her face contorting in anguish, “Ever told me... is a lie. Father... why?”

Havocwing crossed her forehooves and did not falter, “If you’re worried he doesn’t love you or something-”

Starlight shook her head, her voice suddenly solemn and full of dejection, the anger in her eyes and upon her face gone and replaced with immense sadness. “How could he? I... I am nothing special at all. All I am is just a tool to him... a weapon to use for a single task. With that task completed, what use has he for me? I’ve been discarded. I’m worthless...”

Havocwing rolled her eyes and put her hooves on Starlight’s shoulders. “Come on, boss, that’s not what he thinks at all, and you know. He didn’t say anything like that, and if he were lying, Curaçao would’ve picked up on it, just like she did... oh... um-” she hastily flustered, trying to change the subject away from Curaçao’s curious blunder when Starlight’s eyes welled up with tears again. “I mean... uh... so what that you’re like two weeks old and he doesn’t know you that well. He still loves you - he loves all of us! Think about it - if he didn’t, he could have vaporized us or something, what with being a physical god now. That’s gotta stand for something.”

Curaçao approached tentatively, and nodded in agreement, speaking carefully and trying to make eye contact so that Starlight could see her concern. “Oui... ma capitaine, tout va bien. We’re not worzless. Papa still loves us, d’accord?” 

Starlight did not respond, and merely turned away from both her and Havocwing. The two looked at each other and sighed. Curaçao moved over to where Insipid was still visibly crying.

“Ah... ma chérie, come now... don’t cry. Everyzing is okay.”

Insipid sniffed loudly, messily and hurriedly wiping her nose with the backside of her hoof. “Oh... *sniff* C-C-Curieeee, it’s *sniff* terrible! she wailed, “I’m... *sniff* I’m, like, just a *sniff* c-c-c-c-”

“Clone,” Grayscale muttered, making Starlight cringe in disgust and Velvet sink further into her hooves to try and muffle the sounds.

“Yeah that! A clo-ho-hoone! Wahhhh!”

Curaçao pat Insipid calmly on the back as the unicorn wrapped her in a hug, ignoring the tears that the unicorn was getting all over her. “It’s okay, ma chèrie. Please... calm down, d’accord?”

“*sniff* B-b-but Curie...” Insipid sniffed, “If I’m just a... *sniff* just a clone, that means, like, I’ll never be *sniff* perfect!”

“Oh, there there, darling,” Curaçao soothed, “It’ll all be alright, you’ll see.”

Insipid then pushed away, slowly, her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. She’d suddenly stopped crying too. “Wait... wait... no. You’re a clone too...”

Curaçao raised an eyebrow. “Euh... oui?”

Insipid mouthed her words to herself again, looking into Curaçao’s eyes, then averting them, then trying to meet them again and finding she couldn’t bear it.

“You’re one too...” she muttered, “I’m a clone... you’re a clone... we’re all clones...”

She shook her head, and muttered the words one more time. Then, she grit her teeth.

“Clone. Imitation. Not perfect. Never perfect!”

In a very sudden rage and without warning, she flailed her hooves and knocked Curaçao off of her like she was some horrible insect crawling upon her. Curaçao stumbled back and looked aghast.

“You...” Insipid seethed, “How could you?”

Curaçao blinked in surprise. “Ma chérie?”

Insipid, again without warning, tackled Curaçao and pushed her to the ground, pinning her violently beneath her and roughly placing her hooves at the earth pony’s throat. “If you’re a clone too, that means you’re not perfect! It was all fake, and that means you lied to me!” Curaçao’s eyes widened in shock as an electrical sting shot through her. “How dare you?!”

“Whoa!” Havocwing blurted as she frantically tried to yank Insipid off of Curaçao. “Insipid! Calm down, what are you doing?!”

“You lied to me! To me!” Insipid wailed, her eyes welling up with fresh tears, “I thought you were perfect, that I could be perfect too! You liar!

Curaçao pleaded and tried to push Insipid’s hooves away, “Ma... ma chérie-”

“Don’t call me that anymore!” Insipid snarled, “I’m not your cherry! I don’t want to be your cherry, you... you liar!” 

She spat on Curaçao’s face just as Havocwing managed to wrestle her off of the earth pony; Curaçao felt at the spot where the saliva had landed, but her calm, professional demeanor seemed to intensify. She warily started to get to her hooves, and for a long moment stared at Insipid, who simply grimaced and turned her face up in disgust, walking away from them and sitting so close to the Beacon as to be leaning on it. The sound of her sobbing drifted softly back into the air to mix with Velvet’s.

“Come on, you guys,” Havocwing huffed as she helped Curaçao up, “What’s gotten into you all? Seriously, what’s the big bucking deal?”

Grayscale spoke next, her voice deathly calm, and didn’t even bother facing the others as she spoke, looking off into the endless smog surrounding the Beacon with a dull lack of interest in her eyes. “Don’t you get it? It’s a big deal because it isn’t a big deal...”

“And what the hell does that even mean?” Havocwing snorted.

“It means nothing. Nothing matters. Everything we thought we knew about us, means nothing, nothing at all,” Grayscale said flatly, “We were created. We weren’t born or raised, we are tools, just as Starlight said. Tools built for a purpose. Now that we have completed that purpose, there is no longer any purpose for us. We are nothing. What more is there?”

Havocwing impatiently tapped a hoof, “Well, I dunno, the rest of our lives?”

“Everything we knew about ourselves is a lie, and the truth is that all of our personalities and powers were created. They are false images, just figments of another pony’s imagination. We did not make them ourselves, they made us. We don’t matter, not to anypony or anything, because all we are are opposites of those others,” Grayscale continued, still not bothering to turn to face anypony else, particularly those she was speaking about.

“All of Starlight’s power was given to her, a gift she did not earn. Her strength belonged to Twilight Sparkle, she has no right to it. She has no place calling herself anything special, any more than a well-built house can claim its significance if there’s nopony to fill it.” Starlight did not look up at Grayscale at all, but nodded in disappointed agreement.

“Insipid’s wants and needs and desires are all false, a pathetic inversion of Rarity’s generous nature. She doesn’t want to be perfect, she just thinks she does because that’s what somepony else told her she should think.” Insipid snarled and stamped her hooves frantically against the floor.

“Red Velvet, a monstrous, murder-loving maniac who thrives on fear and feasts on the blood of others, rather than the joy and laughter of her friends like Pinkie Pie. All of it some sick fantasy of somepony else, forced upon her on a whim. She’s not responsible for how she turned out but she is responsible for what she’s done with her implanted personality. That’s not fair to her, but what does it matter?” Velvet was as deep in her own hooves as she could go, and even so they could all still hear her sobbing, and she was getting louder.

“Even you, Havocwing. All the anger you feel at the world, all the fire in your soul, all of it, fake. Unjustified. It means nothing.”

“My anger? Ha! Gray, look, I think it’s you who doesn’t understand. My rage is not fake,” Havoc said adamantly, proudly striking her chest with a hoof, “Sure, it’s manufactured. Somepony else took that stupid wimp Fluttershy, and all of that calm, loving nature of hers and flipped that bitch straight into pure rage.”

“All you are is a twisted copy. You’re not unique,” Grayscale argued.

“Fine, I get that. But you know what? It’s still there, and it sure as hell ain’t going away. So, all my anger is just an illusion? That’s what you’re saying?”

“Nothing more than false thoughts placed in your head.”

“What a load of crap. I don’t know about you, but you know what? I’m still angry. Just because I found out it was planted in me, that it’s not really mine, doesn’t mean it’s not real.” Grayscale, this time, did not respond. “I’m still angry. I’m so angry right now, that I can’t even express how much anger I feel, that’s how bucking angry I am. And you know what I’m angry at? Those six mares!”

Curaçao raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “Ah... zee ‘Elements of ‘armony’?”

“Hell yeah!” Havocwing cheered, pumping a hoof, “All of this bullcrap is because of them! If they’d never come to this world, we’d have never been made... so... they’re responsible for all the misfortune that we’ve dealt with. Simple logic!” She pounded her hooves on the ground and snarled. “Especially Fluttershy. When I get my hooves on that little creampuff, I’m gonna scorch her straight on down to her bucking soul!”

Her face suddenly brightened immensely. “Yeah. Yeah! Yeah, that’s it!” she excitedly beamed, “See, here’s the thing - you know what would really help me calm down a bit? Killing that wimpy excuse for a pegasus, that’s what. It would make me happy, no beyond happy, to see that little waste of space dead. And you know what, you should all do the same! Think about it - killing them? Solves all our problems. For me, it’s just straight up expulsion of rage! Yeah! Bucking burn that chick into dust, and get all my hate and anger out! Just thinking about it makes me so damn excited; I finally get to do what I’ve wanted to do straight from the start! Bucking hell yeah!”

Curaçao coughed and tapped Havocwing helpfully on the shoulder. “Ah... ‘avocwing, you seem to ‘ave... partie en vrille. Euh... gotten off topic.”

“Oh yeah, right,” Havocwing chuckled, “Yeah! Okay, see, all of you have issues that can be solved right now simply by sucking up all your stupid angst, growing a pair, and going out and slaughtering the mare you came from! Like for instance... ahhh... ah! Starlight!” She turned to the unicorn and smiled broadly. “You’re feeling worthless, yeah?”

Starlight only mumbled her reply, “I am worthless... Grayscale is absolutely correct, I was conferred this power. I did not earn it... I do not deserve it. What does power matter if you did not acquire it by the sweat of your own efforts? And what’s worse, that pathetic pushover is just that - a weak-hearted wimp of a unicorn. And I am her clone? I have never felt so low...”

“Pshaw, you’re not worthless, Star. You know what will prove that to pops? Destroying Twilight Sparkle!”

“Hmph... and how would that be any consolation?” Starlight mumbled, “Father doesn’t want us to do it... he thinks we’re worthless. He trusts that weirdo to handle it over us. He doesn’t care...”

“Oh c’mon, that’s not true at all! So what if pops didn’t ask us not to do it ourselves, that doesn’t mean we can’t! He told us to do whatever we wanted to do! Think about it - that weakling is still considered a threat to pops somehow, that’s why he wants her and her stupid friends dead, right? So he wants that... that Shadowstep guy to do the job? So what?! You’re better than him, and you know it! Pops says he doesn’t want to give us the assignment, well, let’s prove we’re worth it! Prove to pops that you’re better than his little assassin and do his job, and do it better. Prove you’re still useful!”

Starlight brightened a little. “Yeah... yeah! If I can vaporize that utterly insignificant little nimrod, then I will prove to father that I can accomplish any task he sets before me!”

“Yeah! That’s it!” Havoc said, spurring her on, “Get mad! Buck that stupid nerd! Pops’ll see you’ve got what it takes! Pops still loves you, you just need to get him to show it! And what better way than doing the only thing he has left to do?!” 

Starlight cheered, brightening up considerably. “Yeah!”

“Yeah! You’re better than her! You’re not worthless just because you’re her clone - you’re stronger than she is! Smarter than she is! A better leader than she is! You are superior to the original!” Havoc turned to face in Insipid’s direction next, squinting past the light of the Beacon, “Insipid, you wanna be perfect, right?”

“Well, duh,” Insipid sniffled.

“But okay... you can’t be perfect if you’re just like Curie anymore right? Because she’s not perfect, right?”

Insipid’s lower lip quivered as she spoke, “Psh, double-duh. I n-need, like, somepony better and junk?”

“Right, right, exactly,” Havocwing nodded, giving a sidelong shrug to Curaçao in apology. Curaçao frowned, but did not interrupt as Havocwing continued her tirade. “Okay so yeah, Curaçao’s not perfect anymore, so you can’t be like her. In fact, none of us are perfect either. But hey, I thought of something! You know who is perfect? Rarity.” Insipid blinked, not understanding at all where Havocwing was going with this idea. Havocwing continued, ignoring Insipid’s confusion, “See, okay, think about it - you’re cloned from her, right? That makes her the original, and you’re just a cheap copy - like, Rarity two-point-oh.”

Insipid angrily huffed, “Gee, thanks a lot? Like, oh my stars Havoc, you are the worst therapist ever? What a jerk.”

Havocwing hastily added, “Wait wait, what I mean is, what’s a more perfect pony for you to emulate than the original? Make sense now?”

Insipid blinked again, then pointed at Starlight. “Um... no? ‘cause like, Starlight’s better than the orig-”

Havocwing waved her hooves dismissively. “That’s Starlight, she’s different because she’s all sorts of super powerful. You’re an inferior copy of Rarity though, sorry to say, just like all of us are copies of the others. But all of us got something more to prove! You though, you just want to be perfect. And the way I see it, the only way to prove you’re perfect is to prove you’re better. Just like the boss, yeah? She’s better than that stupid Twilight Sparkle, she just needs to prove it! So... so do you!”

Insipid hummed in thought, “Yeah... yeah, that, like, makes sense!”

“Exactly!” Havocwing smiled pointedly, “We find that prissy skank and you just suck up everything she’s got! Her powers, her personality, her looks, her life. Drain her of every last drop of her, and you’ll become her, no, better than her! Because you’re her, plus you! Simple mathematics tells me that one plus one is two, which is greater than one, so if you absorb her into yourself, you’ll be better than perfect!”

“Oh! Better than perfect? I am, like, liking this idea!” Insipid giggled, excitedly waving her hooves, “Eeee, this is gonna be so awesome! Totally. Major. Fresh.”

“Grayscale!” Havocwing wheeled around.

“You don’t have to convince me,” Grayscale said flatly, standing up, “Nothing matters anymore. You don’t matter. I don’t matter. Rainbow Dash doesn’t matter. But I’ve got nothing better to do...”

“Yeah... yeah, exactly, you said it!” Havocwing excitedly pointed, “Rainbow Dash doesn’t matter! She’s insignificant. Worthless. She’s just a speck, a little meaningless speck. But! But, she thinks she isn’t. She thinks she’s the best. You think nothing matters, Gray? Well, you’re going to have to prove it to her. Show her just how insignificant she is!”

“I said you didn’t need to convince me,” Grayscale snorted.

Havocwing turned to Red Velvet next, who was by now running low on tears, rubbing her eyes wordlessly, and still convulsing with dry sobs. She looked at Havoc miserably, and Havoc felt an unusual pang of remorse, but plowed on. “Red!”

Velvet’s scarred body heaved with another sob, but she reined it in, and half-gasped at Havoc in a pathetic and mewling voice Havoc had never heard from her before. “What’re you going to tell me, huh?” 

“I mean... well, this is easy, why do I even need to bother, right?” Havoc said with a sidelong look of easy expectancy. Velvet glared at her, her bleary eyes already forming bags.

Havoc let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her forehead with a hoof as she began to forget what she’d had going into her rant, searching desperately for a cue. “What the hell’s wrong with you anyway? Whatever - you like killing, so let’s go kill-”

“Do I like killing?” Velvet said coldly, “Or was that just something put in my head too?”

Havocwing rolled her eyes, “Ah geez, so you’re also on about this crap? You wouldn’t shut up about killing for five minutes before, you pulled all kinds of monster scares just to get a chance to torture and kill ponies!”

“Am I... really a monster?” Velvet mumbled, looking at her hooves, “Is my hunger just a fabrication? Is it real?”

Havoc didn’t say anything for a moment as she stared at Red Velvet, completely bewildered. After a long beat, she took a moment to swallow, and then nervously chuckled, “Y-yeah! Sure it’s real! That’s why we should... go... kill those guys! Wouldn’t you be happy to kill Pinkie Pie? I know how much you’ve wanted to kill her before. You always talked about all sorts of things you wanted to do to her. Like... rip out her heart, and show it to her before she dies! That’s awesome, Red, that is dark. I love it! And when you’re done, you can eat the heart, just to rub it in to any of the others that might still be standing! You love that stuff - eating ponies! You’d get a kick out of it!”

“Would I?” she muttered, “Is it natural to feel bad about things you’ve done... or is feeling no remorse the norm? Is murder normal? Is terrifying others normal? Or is that all implanted in me? What... what am I?”

“You are what you want to be! Nothing more, nothing less!” Havoc said impatiently, “And even if you’re feeling a little confused, I know what you want to do is to make pops happy! We all do! So we need to go kill some stupid mares and prove to him we’re not useless! Prove to ourselves we’re perfect, better than perfect! Prove to them that they’re nothing, not us! Unleash our anger, and... whatever it is that’s motivating Curaçao.” She turned to Curaçao and whispered, “Hey, what’s with you? You’re in too, right?”

“Of course I’m ‘in’,” Curaçao huffed, “I want to make papa ‘appy too, tu vois? And all my sœurs as well! C’est merveilleux, all of us, working togezer.”

“Right!” Havoc piped, turning back to Velvet, “We all want to do this, because it will make pops happy, it will make us happy! You in, Red?”

Velvet shuddered, “You don’t understand... I... something’s seriously wrong, Havoc. Something’s wrong with me...” She stared off towards where the circle of runes had been, as by now the runic markings had all evaporated away into nothingness. “When Mom- or, I mean: Nihila was here... I felt... stronger. I felt the urge to kill, stronger in me than ever before. It felt... good. But in the instant she was destroyed... something snapped. I felt... sad. Remorseful. And now, I... I can’t feel fear anymore...”

Havocwing blinked. “You... you what? Oh c’mon, Red, stop toying me around. Here,” she said, holding out a hoof, “Just suck some fear out of me, you know it’s there. You always get off on that, don’t you?”

Velvet shook her head, “Nothing. There’s nothing there...” She looked at her blood as she let it flow out of her again. “Is this all I am now? Starlight’s right... without fear, I’m... I’m nothing. Was all of that her doing? Did I feel excitement from terror because that’s what she wanted?”

“You’re not ‘nothing’, Red. Come on,” and at this, Havoc offered Velvet her hoof more steadily, “Enough of all this. This ain’t you.”

“You don’t know what I do now, Havoc,” Velvet pushed the outstretched hoof away with her own, and sniffed back her runny nose, “I... I felt her. We all know now that... she helped create us. But I... I felt her. I know who she really was. And... and what she tried to make me do...” Havocwing seemed confused, so Velvet continued, “I... she tried to lure me to her. I almost did it... I almost betrayed daddy...”

Havocwing’s face was firm. “But you didn’t. You remained loyal to him, just like you should be now.”

“But... by staying loyal to him, I betrayed a part of myself... a part of myself that now I know was planted there. I don’t know what I should feel... what’s right or wrong...”

“Red...”

“You don’t understand! That’s why I can’t feel it anymore! She’s gone, and she took a piece of me with her!”

“Hey... hey, Red, c’mon,” Havoc said, her face clearly not believing the words coming out of her own mouth, “You can do it. You’re always able to get something off of me, you’ve said as much! Just try a little harder!”

“I am trying!” Velvet cried, holding back a sob, causing a strange full-bodied twitch, “I am, I am, I am! I... c-can’t!”

Velvet angrily leapt up and ran over to the wall of the roof’s stairwell with impressive if not monstrous speed, her blood flailing about her with all the effort she could put into it. They were still strong, powerful enough that when she slammed them into the wall they cracked it; broke it apart. They were still sharp, enough that when she angrily swung them around her they sliced through chunks of the cement roof. But they were lacking in substance, and she couldn’t tap into any fear to strengthen their standard beyond this apparent maximum.

“Why doesn’t it work?!” she shouted in a rage, “Why can’t I make it stronger?! There are millions of ponies in this city! Why can’t I feel their fear?!” 

She lashed out in a rage again, slamming the wall as hard as she could and slowly realizing she was fighting a losing battle. She suddenly drew her blood all back to her, and looked at her tendrils in a panic, and her body once again twitched all at once. The blood-lashes were dripping uneasily, not quite as solid and strong as she was accustomed to. And what was worse, they were in pain. She’d felt pain before, even enjoyed it, both inflicting and receiving. There was something frightening about an opponent that didn’t flinch when suffering injuries, and that fear gave her power. But now, the pain she could feel in her blood, in herself, actually frightened her.

She looked around at her tendrils, formed in various blades and spikes, and twitched again, before she began to cry again, despite the streaks from her previous breakdown not having dried yet. She pled with them, “Please... please... work. Work! Why won’t you work right?” She slumped back in defeat.

Havocwing stepped over warily. “Hey... hey Red, you okay?”

“No!” Velvet snapped, “No, I’m not okay! What’s happening to me?!” She twitched again, and grabbed one of her tendrils and tried to actually strangle it as if it were another pony. “Why won’t you work right?! Why can’t I make you stronger?!” 

Her anger flared and she ripped her own blood apart, splattering visceral fluids all over herself. Her breathing became erratic and panicked as she looked around at the other tendrils, which remained still as if frozen by fear. She grabbed another tendril and began to strangle it as well, violently bashing the blade at the end against the wall.

“Answer me!” she screamed, “What is-,” she twitched so hard as to close her eyes for a half instant, “-wrong with you?! What’s wrong with me?! Why can’t you do anything right?!”

Havocwing nervously began stepping back as Velvet’s tendrils flailed defensively away from her. She grabbed at them like they were snakes attempting to flee a predator, whipping them around with her own hooves and narrowly avoiding hitting her sisters with them in her apparently aimless rage. At last, she crushed the last one uselessly against the wall, spraying blood everywhere and finally becoming drenched in the stuff. She turned towards her sisters, who in that instant actually looked genuinely frightened of what was happening; not of her of course, but for her.

Velvet’s eyes crinkled and she teared up. She could see they were afraid, but she couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t smell it, or taste it, or see it wafting about through the air, or hear it in her mind. She knew it was there, but she was unable to tap it. She twitched and collapsed on the floor, burying her face in her hooves and sobbing so hard now that in moments her sobs went dry again, and she heaved uselessly, gasping like a fish out of water.

Her sisters watched her breaking down with a strange unity of silent fearful awe, and all together inhaled, startled. While she wept, occasionally twitching, her blood had begun to seep and move all around her as it never had before, slowly at first, then picking up pace until it was practically running along the floor like water. It slithered up and wrapped around her, entering her body in great gushes of fluid all at once and refilling her. She did not react to any of this.

Suddenly, a tendril of blood began to seep out of a great gash along her spine, thick and red. It slowly formed at first, gaining size and volume as it flowed, circling around her like a snake. The tip slithered up alongside her, and slowly molded itself into what looked like a face, one eye larger than the other and with visible fangs and even a nose, and the bizarre appearance of what looked like what was supposed to be a top hat on its head. The others all nervously watched as next, Velvet’s bloody tentacle actually started to talk.

“But it’s too hard. I’ve never worked so hard before, and it hurts...” the tendril of blood said with a screechy, high pitch. Havocwing looked to the others in concern, noticing very clearly that Velvet’s lips were moving in tandem with the tendril in a display of the absolute worst ventriloquism anypony had ever seen. Starlight, the closest to her, shrugged in worried confusion. As Velvet lifted her head to respond, they could see that her eyes had become slightly unfocused, and that her mane and tail were stiff and rigid.

“It’s not fair... it’s not fair,” Velvet sniffed, “I... I feel so weak...”

“Aww... there there, my dear little pony,” the tendril consoled her, sprouting another long lash at its side, like an arm, and patting her on the shoulder and splashing blood everywhere, which all quickly seeped back into her body. “I’m here for you, my dear. I’ll always be here for you, even if everything else in the world were to stand against you...”

“Oh, but... w-who are you?” Velvet asked sincerely, her eyes red with tears rather than bloodlust.

The tendril actually tipped its ‘hat’ to her cordially and bowed. “Sir Visceral Clottington McKillicutty the Third, Esquire, at your service, my dear.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Velvet giggled, twitching again, “I’m gonna call you ‘Clottles’! Is that okay with you?”

“Clottles. It is a good nickname, and I accept it,” the newly-named tendril spoke, “Now you know my name - what’s yours?”

“I’m Red Velvet,” she answered with a smile, reaching out a hoof to shake. The tendril reached out its second lash again and eagerly wrapped around her hoof, and shook. She twitched again, her pupils becoming more dilated in the process. “Most ponies call me Red. Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, dear. Now my sweet, sweet Red, tell your good friend Clottles what’s the matter. I’m here for you.”

“Well, my blood powers feel too weak...” she sniffed, “I feel weak because of it. Without fear in the air, how am I supposed to get stronger?”

“Maybe you just need more of it now than before?” Clottles suggested, “Your sisters aren’t afraid of you enough to drain from them anymore. You’re going to need new ponies to draw from. Ponies that fear death... ponies you can kill. Maybe that ‘Pinkie Pie’ will make you feel good about killing again?”

“I don’t know...” Velvet muttered, “When I think about killing... something feels... wrong, now. I feel... bad. Am I supposed to feel bad? Or good? I just don’t know anymore...”

“Oh...” She was obviously deep in thought as she obviously took on Clottles’ voice again, “...that’s just... because you haven’t killed for real since that nice Jetstream lad!” he bubbled - literally, “You poor dear, you’ve only killed once before. Do you remember how you felt then? You felt good.”

“Yeah... yeah, I... I did,” Velvet nodded slowly, “But... that was then. I could taste his fears and everything, it made me feel so good while I was doing it. I... I don’t know if I can feel like that again...”

“That’s because he was just one,” Clottles smiled, lifting up a tendril to help visualize the concept. “It’s like candy: if you only eat one piece of candy at a time, it’s good; but if you eat a whole bunch at once-” And he split the tendril into two, then four, then eight, and so on. “It’s better!”

“Yeah... yeah! That makes sense!” she beamed, twitching yet again, “If I kill again... maybe I’ll feel better about killing! Then... then I’ll kill more! And more! Yes!”

“See, my dear? Let the blood flow! You can make us stronger with the blood of the fallen! Believe in the power of blood again! You don’t need fear as much as you need blood! Now go on, follow your sisters into battle!”

“Oh...” Velvet face-faulted and frowned, losing some of her enthusiasm, “Sisters... right...”

Clottles’ ‘eyebrow’ raised at this. “What’s the matter, dear?”

“Well... I mean... we’re not really sisters... ” Velvet frowned, sinking back down.

“Ohhh... of course you are! Haven’t you been listening to Havocwing? She understands, don’t you dear Havocwing?”

Havocwing nervously pointed a hoof at herself. “Uh... are ...you... talking to... me?”

“Certainly, my dear! Explain to Red, and all your dear sisters, what it means to be sisters. She needs you to clear up the gloomy weather!” Clottles and Velvet both stared at Havoc, Clottles the only one bothering to blink.

Havoc stared for a moment, and narrowed her eyes. Then, she scratched her head, and shrugged back at the others, and fluttered in front of the group. “Uh... right. Sure thing... Sir Clottles? ...yeah... yeah! Okay! Look, Red, it’s like this - we might not be bonded by blood, like ’real’ sisters are, but that doesn’t mean squat! Hell, we’re better than blood- er, no offense.”

Clottles tipped his hat, “None taken.”

Havoc realized who she was talking to, and shook her head. “Uh... where was I? ...we’re... better than... that! Yeah! And hey! I don’t give two bucking bucks sideways if we were just test-tube fillies, or whatever. We were brought into this world together. We still have a connection. We still share a common bond, and as far as I’m concerned, pops really did adopt us, just like how Curaçao put it. We are sisters! We’re family!”

“See, dear?” Clottles cooed, “Now go on... go to your sisters. You all need to stand united. They need you, and you need them, now more than ever.”

“Yeah... yeah! Ohhh, thank you Clottles! You’re the best horrible blood abomination ever!” Velvet happily smiled, giving the tendril a big hug and splashing blood all over herself, then mostly sucking it all back up in an instant. She merrily walked back over to the others, dripping and tracking blood as she went. “Oh, and thanks, Havoc. You’re not always a stupid loudmouth. I’m in!” she said with confidence, her eyes refocused and her spasms long gone.

“Oooookay. Good, I guess,” Havocwing coughed as she fluttered back to Starlight and Curaçao, “Well... now that we’re out of... Crazytown... um...” She shook her head. “Yeah! Whoo! Family! Okay, so we’re all with it?! Let’s go kill those stupid mares! We’ve got to get them before that... whatever his name was, that assassin guy! Shadowstep! Right? That guy. We’ve gotta kill them before he does!”

“Hmm... zen zat puts us at a disadvantage,” Curaçao nodded, immediately focused on the task, “Zey are already almost at ‘ope’s Point, and ‘e ‘as a lead on us as well. Zey will most likely get to zee port before us, even if we ‘urry...”

Starlight frowned, “The nearest I can teleport us to is the canyon, which would still necessitate that we travel the remaining distance on hoof, and even then, assuming we got to the city, by the time we do they will have already acquired and utilized a flight across the sea. Even I cannot take us across myself...”

“Zen we need a ship of our own,” Curaçao nodded.

“We could just steal one of the ones in the airship docks here,” Havocwing suggested.

“Non,” Curaçao dismissed, “Zee airship docks are guarded by zee full might of zee Pandemonium military, and wizout papa to give us auzorization, we would need to cross... par la violence. While I know we can ‘andle zem, it is... a delay, and zee large ships are slow. Zey’d be in Utopia days before us, wiz no time to stop zem. Non, we will get into ‘ope’s Point after zem, and get a ship of our own, à la place? We’ll be right be’ind zem.”

“Acceptable,” Starlight nodded, “So then, are we all settled?”

“We sure are, bo-” Havoc started.

Starlight held up a hoof to stop her. “Please, Havocwing... do not refer to me by that meaningless title any longer. Until I have proven myself deserving... you and Curaçao are the oldest, and... frankly, you appear to be the most... how should I put this?” She sat back on her haunches and sniffled for a moment, taking a long look at Velvet’s frighteningly distant eyes, the work Insipid had put into her appearance shattered by tear-streaks, Grayscale’s unnerving trance, and finally at her own still shaky forehooves. Curaçao and Havoc both reached out automatically as though they hadn’t needed to think about it, and with expressions of otherwise unreadable scrutiny they took hold of each one, and stopped her from shaking. Starlight looked up, and smiled, despite her lip quivering, “Stable? Yes. You two appear to be the most stable. Perhaps... you two should take charge. For now, at least. Until such time as I regain some confidence in myself and retake the mantle, I am merely your youngest sister.”

Curaçao blinked, then nodded in agreement. “C’est acceptable, ma sœur.”

Havocwing looked utterly stupefied for a moment, and Starlight understood immediately why, smiling a bit wistfully at her older sister. “You didn’t have to fight or jockey for it after all, huh?”

“I... it’s different now. Being in charge, well, halfway, but still... I...” She grinned suddenly, “If I’ve gotta make speeches every time we do something, I can see why you were... uh... born for the job. So basically, I’m getting kicked when I’m down again, right? But hey! If that’s what you want,” Havocwing’s grin widened, “I guess I can suffer a little more for your sake. You’ve got it... little sis.” 

As she said this, Havocwing reached out, and froze for a moment, a look of wonder on her face. Both Havoc and Starlight stared at her outstretched hoof for a moment with arguably equal confusion, and then Havoc found her nerve and latched an arm around Starlight. Amazed by her own daring, Havoc, and the rest of her sisters, watched as Starlight’s face considered confusion, indignity, outrage, embarrassment, and even a flicker of gratitude very rapidly. Finally, her face red, she sighed and settled on acceptance with a timid, uncertain smile.

“Awww...” Velvet sniffed, “This is sooo touching! Let’s all get in on this! Come on everypony, big family hug!” She happily stepped forward, lashing tendrils out and grabbing onto the other five and tugging them in before wrapping them all in the aforementioned big family hug.

Insipid fidgeted awkwardly, “Like, eww, hey! You’re, like, getting blood all over my mane and junk? Not cool, Red. Not cool.”

“Awww, just relax, Insipid,” Havocwing nervously chuckled, “Um... we... yeah. Whoo. Yeah. Family hug!”

Curaçao smiled, trying and failing to prevent it from looking obviously forced, “Oui... we will... always ‘ave each ozer. We are a... euh... big ‘appy famille.”

Grayscale remained silent, and hung limp in the hug.

“You’ll see, guys!” Velvet giggled, “Havoc’s right! For once! When we kill those weenies, everything will go back to- or, uh, start to be normal!”

Starlight looked at her sisters, and found she wasn’t irritated at them as much as she had been. In fact, at this moment, they were the least irritating they’d ever been. Somehow. She surprised herself, and smiled. “So... a big happy family... sure. Okay. I’m... okay with this.”


	26. Inimicality

Two distinct types of terrain made up the majority of the southeast coast of the northern continent. Near the southern exit of the World’s Wound, a solid stretch of rocky ground tapered off into a cliff that jutted a few dozen yards above the ocean and fell into the sharp rocks below. To the east, at the bottom of a steep, winding slope that hugged the cliffside, the Bonesands stretched out in a distinctly bleached white sandy expanse that was left consistently damp by the rolling tides. The beach ended at another short reach of rocky terrain, abruptly stopping at an irregular cliff that stretched for miles into the air, clear enough to be seen even from the entrance to the World’s Wound without much effort.

The slowly dying thunderstorm whipped the already rough waters of the ocean into a frenzy that lashed against the coast, smashing rock and pouring over sand. But another sound, coming from the rockstrewn entrance to the canyon, could be heard over the din of the crashing waves. The sound was gentle at first, but as it got louder, the great thunderstorm above slowly began to clear, letting the glow from the Beacon’s veil come through and shine some semblance of light on the darkness below. Its color shined brighter than ever before, almost as clear and bright as a normal summer’s day. The sound became clearer, and the crashing waves became whispers, eventually being drowned out entirely so that the only thing one could hear at all for miles around was just this one entrancing sound.

A softly twanging banjo, with a cheerful, peppy voice singing a heartfelt song in tune with the slow and gentle notes. The sound of drawing violins and the striking of piano keys joined the strumming banjo, until it became a full orchestral collection of instruments. Their music was carried along by the brisk sea breeze in a slow, light-hearted melody.

“♫Why are there so many  
Songs about rainbows  
And what's on the oooother side?  
Rainbows are visions  
But only illusions  
And rainbows have nothing to hide  
So we've been told and some choose to believe it  
I know they're wrong, wait and see  
Someday we'll find it  
The Rainbow Connection  
The lovers, the dreamers, and me

Who said that every wish  
Would be heard and answered  
When wished on the morning star?  
Somepony thought of that  
And somepony believed it  
Look what it's done so far  
What's so amazing  
That keeps us stargazing  
And what do we think we might see  
Someday we'll find it  
That Rainbow Connection  
The lovers, the dreamers, and me  
Aaaall of us under its spell  
We know that it's probably maaaagiiiic

Have you been half asleep  
And have you heard voices?  
I've heard them calling my name  
Is this the sweet sound   
That called the young sailors?  
The voice might be one and the same  
I've heard it too many times to ignore it  
It's something that I'm supposed to be  
Someday we'll find it  
The Rainbow Connection  
The lovers, the dreamers, and me ♫”

Pinkie Pie slowly strummed the banjo a few more times before the sound died out completely, the other instruments - none of which were present - dying out with it. As soon as she stopped, the sound of the ocean came roaring back as if it had never been gone; it was loud enough that it actually shook the group out of the temporary dazed focus they’d all been in.

Rainbow Dash let out a loud sniff and hurriedly wiped her eyes. “D-dangit, Pinks... you know that song always... m-makes me...”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, a wide smile on her face. She playfully nudged Rainbow in the side. “Well ain’t this somethin’? Golly, Rainbow... are y’all... cryin’?”

Rainbow rubbed her eyes again, frantically trying to hide her face in the collar of her jacket. “I’m not crying! Really! I got... sand... in my eyes. Sand!”

Pinkie, banjo in hoof, leaned over to Applejack and said matter-of-factly, “Oh, she is. She always cries when I sing this song. And she loves it, don’t you Dashie? After all, it’s our song! I love it too - it’s totally super sweet and all, and reminds me of just why I love her so dang much!”

Rainbow sniffed again. “D-dangit Pinks!”

“That was... well, the only way I can describe it is very sweet, Pinkie. Touching, really,” Rarity smiled sincerely, patting the earth pony on the shoulder, “I didn’t know you and Rainbow already had a song. And such a wonderful choice! It is awfully romantic.”

“It’s... nice,” Fluttershy agreed with a grin, “I feel happy just listening to it...”

Twilight gave a light nod, “So do I, Fluttershy. Usually... I find Pinkie’s songs to be... unnecessary, but this... was nice.”

Flathoof nodded as well, “Yes... it was very nice. I never pegged you for such a good singer when it came down to it, Pinkie. Most of the songs you’ve sung have been more... uh...”

“Weird?” Tick Tock suggested.

“Silly,” Flathoof corrected, “All good songs to be sure, but... uh... not really anything I’d consider ‘emotional’.

Pinkie smiled and returned her banjo to her mane, then wrapped Rainbow Dash in a tight hug. “See, Dashie? Everypony loves it! Happiness everywhere! Mission accomplished! C’mon everypony! We can turn those frowns upside-down! We’re on the home stretch, so let’s get ready to give those Hope’s Point ponies some big happy smiles!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I bet they’re just dying to see us. Hmph...” she sighed, “I really wish I’d known what to do... that I hadn’t tried to do it alone. I can’t say enough how sorry I am that I left you guys alone...”

“Awww, you don’t have to keep apologizing for that, really,” Pinkie said, hugging the pegasus tightly, “We’re all feeling bad, Dashie. This is the hardest thing we’ve ever done! Six days without food, fighting for our lives every other day? I bet when we’re all done with this adventure, when we get back home, we’re gonna be able to beat ol’ Discord up without the Elements of Harmony at all!”

“Discord... right.” Rainbow flittered her wings nervously. “Well... to be honest guys, I think I should tell you all something else. I mean... I know I said a lot of mean things, and I’d love to blame it all on lack of food, but... a lot of it came from me.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and rustled Dash’s mane. “Dash, really, ya heard Pinkie. Ya heard me. We all said it - we forgive ya. Y’all don’t need ta keep-”

“No no, hear me out, I’ve got something more important to say than that,” Rainbow interrupted, “I know a lot of what I said came from me. All of that was in my head, in my heart. But, I was sort of spurred along, I think, into seeing things as being worse than they really were.” She sighed, “Grayscale Force and I talked a lot before we all split and... I think I took a lot of what she said to heart that I shouldn’t have.”

Rarity and Fluttershy shared brief glances. The unicorn coughed. “I think I understand what you’re talking about, Rainbow Dash. Miss Force said something that sounds similar to what you’re saying here. You told her... an awful lot about what you were thinking, didn’t you? Confided in her? Darling, if something we were doing was bothering you, why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Rainbow nodded, “I didn’t want to bring it up to any of you, because a lot of the thoughts were... very negative. I didn’t want to upset you guys, you know, get us off track? But the more I talked about it, the more Grayscale convinced me that I was right and that I should... take action. That I should make you guys see what I was seeing. And the more things seemed to go wrong, the more I was convinced she was right.” She let her wings droop. “I exploded at you guys because I’d hit the last straw... and... I’m sorry.”

“She seemed... happy about you leaving,” Fluttershy added, “Like she wanted it to happen.”

“Yes, that she did,” Rarity agreed, “At the time I thought it was odd, since she and Starlight Shadow seemed to have been dead set on you and her facing off. But now that you bring this up... I wonder if there’s something more to all of this?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “What did she and Starlight say after that?”

“Starlight praised her for her efforts,” Rarity hummed, “She said something about their father being pleased with her ‘success’. Again, I thought of that as odd. Contradictory, even. If their plan was to have you and Grayscale battle one another, then why would she want you to leave?”

Rainbow waved a hoof and frowned. “So wait... she acknowledged she was trying to do it? Trying to... I dunno, manipulate me or something?” Rarity nodded firmly. Rainbow clapped her hooves together in realization. “I knew it! That’s exactly what my reflection was trying to convince me of!”

“Your... reflection?” Tick Tock asked.

“Long story,” Rainbow Dash dismissed, “Say... I wonder if...” Her eyes lit up. “Hey! What if the others were trying to do the same to the rest of you? I didn’t even notice Grayscale was doing it until it was too late, but heck if I’m going to let her dumb sisters do the same to the rest of you. So think, did any of them say anything... suspicious?”

Pinkie scratched her chin. “Well, remember how Red was trying to scare me and stuff? Maybe that was her trying to keep me from being happy, like... the opposite of laughing? Seems kind of an awkward way of going about it though. Well yeah, actually, that makes sense. No wonder she went after Fluttershy - her attempts to scare me weren’t working, right? So that was what she was doing, but she wasn’t doing a very good job. It must be frustrating being no good at your job.”

“I... wouldn’t exactly call her ‘no good’ at it, Pinkie,” Flathoof coughed.

“Well, she was,” Pinkie huffed, “At least, at first. She got better.”

“Personally, I don’t think Insipid was doing much to me, if she was even attempting to do so at all,” Rarity stated, “She tried to get me to do what she wanted, and all that seemed to be was giving her beauty advice and makeovers. Such a waste of my talent. I don’t see how that would be trying to turn my generosity around - if anything, it proves how generous I am, to give her something she wants when I barely even know the girl.”

“Hmmm... yeah, that is kind of weird,” Rainbow Dash acknowledged, “It’s like she got it backwards.”

Rarity continued, “Oh, and she didn’t bother to keep up with maintaining any of it! So then she goes and cheats by using that rotten Curaçao’s magic somehow to make herself look better. That doesn’t even make any sense! If Curaçao can turn invisible, then how does that lend to Insipid being able to turn pretty? Hmph. Surely she must’ve said something just awful to you, Applejack?”

“Now, I know that that there Curaçao filly was downright awful to ya, Rarity, but I’m gonna go ahead an’ disagree with ya there,” Applejack said firmly, “All that she ever talked ta me ‘bout was navigatin’, an’ family, an’ friends. She seemed real int’rested in talkin’ with me about this ‘n’ that. Ta be honest, if it weren’t fer y’all an’ Pinkie tellin’ me that she fights all dirty like, I’d‘ve said she was a pretty decent mare all ‘round.”

“Really? Nothing?” Rainbow shrugged, and turned to Fluttershy. “Huh... well... what about you, Fluttershy? Havocwing say anything to you to try and get you to be less kind or something?”

Fluttershy thought a moment. “Oh... w-well now that I think of it, the only thing Havocwing and I really talked about was her trying to help me be more assertive. And she did a really good job at it too, I think, so I don’t... I don’t see how that’s a negative at all.” She looked over at Rarity a moment, frowned, and shook her head. “At least... I think so. I don’t feel less kind. I have been taking care of Lockwood after all. If I wasn’t kind, I probably wouldn’t care... right?”

“Well... despite that... I think... I-I think I see where you’re going with this... Rainbow Dash,” Twilight breathed, still leaning into Tick Tock for support, “Starlight... she was trying to convince me to be a leader... but... but a leader more like... she is. Not so much... a leader... as a violent... egotistical sociopath that somepony... decided to place in charge.”

“A brute, basically?” Rarity scoffed.

Twilight glumly nodded, “I... I’d considered what she said, at one point. But... then everything started going wrong... and then I got hurt. After everything that’s happened... I think that now I realize that... I’m no leader...”

Rainbow frowned, “Hey, c’mon Twi, nopony said that. Oh... um... other than me... but I was mad! I didn’t really-”

“You did, Rainbow. You said it, and you... meant every word, even if... somepony else spurred you along. And you know what? You’re right,” Twilight wheezed, “Everything that’s happened... since we left the city... could have been avoided had I just... listened to everypony in the first place...”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes, “Really, Twilight, everything could have been avoided if things had just gone according to plan. If it weren’t for my rotten bad luck apparently spreading to all of us, we’d be in Utopia by now.”

“Yeah, but it’s my fault... that things got so... out of hoof... so quickly. I could’ve done more to... make things right...”

“I could’ve been nicer,” Tick Tock said adamantly, “If I’d been honest with you all in the first place about the volcanoes, we might not have ever taken that route in the first place. It’s my fault we went that way, not yours for listening to me.”

“But it’s my fault I-” Twilight started again.

“Guys, really?” Rainbow grunted, “This is exactly what they want: for us to fight with one another over stupid stuff like this. Let’s just drop it, okay?”

“Rainbow’s right, of course,” Rarity chimed in, “Nopony here is solely to blame for anything that’s happened to us throughout our travels, and in fact a great deal of our misfortunes have just been simply bad luck, not anypony making bad decisions.” She chanced a quick glance at Lockwood and made to speak again, but Fluttershy’s stern look in her direction made her reconsider.

“Saaay...” Pinkie said, pointing a hoof, “This all sounds pretty familiar, doesn’t it?”

“It does sound awfully similar to what Discord attempted to do to us all,” Rarity nodded, giving a glance at Tick Tock, who nodded in approval, “Tick Tock had a similar theory, didn’t you dear?”

Tick Tock cleared her throat, “Well, as you say, it was just a theory, but this new information certainly fits together with it spectacularly. If anything, I’d say that perhaps there is a connection here that we’re not seeing. Why would they have been trying to corrupt you all in such ways? If they’re answering to Nihila, as we believe they are, does she have some connection to this Discord fellow? Considering that Nihila and Harmonia possess the power to create dimensional portals, it just makes me... curious.”

“What, like Nihila and Discord are in cahoots and worked together to bring us here?” Rainbow suggested.

Tick Tock shrugged. “A distinct possibility. You did after all end up right at her doorstep, and theoretically they would be able to communicate, but with him encased in stone as you say he was, that seems unlikely. Still, I’m not about to discount anything. All we know is that you should all be wary as to anything those six said to you. As Rainbow Dash so clearly pointed out, even if it seemed like they were helping you... they could have been manipulating you.”

Applejack spoke in her own defense. “I don’t rightly see how anythin’ that Curaçao said was tryin’ ta manipulate me. Like I said, all we talked about were navigatin’ - which even y’all, Tick Tock, agree was good fer us in the long run - an’ family, an’ nothin’ she said there seemed the slightest bit dirty or dishonest. I’m mighty good at spottin’ liars, an’ everythin’ that mare said was as wholesome as apple pie.” Everypony’s stomachs rumbled. “Shoot, I mentioned food ‘gain didn’t I? Sorry.”

The party continued talking as they hiked down the winding cliffside trail. Once they reached the bottom, they looked out upon the large stretch of the whitest sands they’d ever seen. At the other end of the expanse, they could still clearly see the massive cliff that Rainbow and Tick Tock assured them led up to Hope’s Point. Rainbow was glad that for once she was able to help confirm things Tick Tock said and feel like a part of their navigating as well. 

Suddenly, Tick Tock trotted forward with Twilight in tow, and brought her over to Flathoof. She shoved her leg into his chest, forcing him to stop in his tracks. To the surprise of everypony who saw her do it, she set her to lean on him instead without a word to either of them.

“Eh?” Flathoof blinked, “Tick Tock?”

She cantered forward with a brisk pace to stop Applejack, who was as always at the front of the group, from stepping off the rocky ledge and jumping eagerly into the sand proper. The earth pony stomped a hoof in annoyance and tried to go around Tick Tock, but the unicorn shifted slightly to bar her path again.

“Whoa there, Applejack, let’s not be too hasty now,” Tick Tock warned, putting her hooves up in defense.

“Huh?” Applejack asked, eyebrow raised, “What gives? Come on, we’re almost there, let me just hop in and-”

“Trust me,” Tick Tock interrupted, “It’s not a good idea to just ‘hop in’. Beyond here, we’re officially in the Bonesands, and I assure you that like everything else out here, that name isn’t ironic. It would do you well not to just wander out like some wide-eyed idealist, understand? We were supposed to be able to skip this bleedin’ place, but both those options are out of the question now so we’re stuck trying to cross, and that’s not exactly a walk in the park.”

“I still don’t see what’s the big deal about this place that’s got you all jittery,” Rainbow Dash stated, “I flew over it earlier, and I didn’t see anything dangerous about it at all. Other than the weird color of the sand, it looks like any other beach.”

“That’s because you didn’t step in it, though with your speed I doubt you’d have had any trouble getting away,” Tick Tock explained, casually stretching her hooves, “Okay everypony, limber up! Get those legs stretched, because we’re going to be moving hard, and moving fast. I know we’re all exhausted, but we’ve got to push with everything we’ve got. If we go at top speed, we’ll be at the other side in a couple of hours, and we can’t afford to dawdle. No stopping, no rests, just running. Got it?”

The others all looked at each other tentatively, not at all liking the sound of running full speed for hours on empty stomachs and with various lingering injuries. 

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes impatiently. “No, really. What’s the big deal? I don’t see anything out there that even looks-”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes and held a hoof up to interrupt the pegasus. “You’re acquainted with Gargantuans, yes? Horrible mutant bugs, killing machines?”

Rainbow huffed. “Yeah, I’m-”

“Familiar with the fact that they live underground and only surface to kill or feed or mate then?”

“Yeah...?”

“Well, then you shouldn’t be surprised that the creatures that live here are also underground dwellers until provoked, and by provoked I mean you just walk on the bloody sand. We need to move, and we need to move fast. Silt threshers are arguably more dangerous than Gargantuans in the proper numbers, and with my luck there will be proper numbers.”

“What the hay is a ‘silt thresher’?” Rainbow scratched her head.

Applejack, to everypony’s surprise, spoke up. “Well, ‘silt’ is like sand or sediment, normally carried along by water. And ta ‘thresh’ means ta separate, like grain from wheat.” Tick Tock and Twilight in particular looked at her with welcome praise. “What? Silt is earth-stuff, an’ threshin’ is farm stuff. I ain’t allowed ta know yer fancy-”

Tick Tock calmed her, “No no, we’re just... impressed, is all. That was a well-put definition.”

“Yeah well, it don’t explain none what the hay they are,” Applejack huffed, “How d’ya thresh silt?”

Tick Tock smiled, “They’re difficult to explain straight away, but you’ll see them soon enough. Short version is, they’re magically-infused creatures that have been given life and enchanted to protect a certain pony, place, or thing. In this case, they’re charged with protecting the Bonesands to keep ponies out of Hope’s Point - the Pandemonium military had them created maybe... oh, ten years after Hope’s Point really started making a name for itself some fifty, sixty years ago. If Pandemonium is going to lose any taxpaying citizens, it wants to milk every last drop of money it can get out of them, and them saving money on an airship ticket by coming here is decidedly a strike against them.”

“That’s... that’s just cruel,” Fluttershy frowned, “Don’t they know ponies might die if they do something like that?”

Tick Tock gave her a look. “Sweetheart, that’s the point. Bloody dangerous things. Scared off a lot of potential travelers, but you still get a few brave souls that attempt the crossing.”

“Well that’s a waste,” Rainbow scoffed, “I flew over just fine, so any pegasus could. Seems pretty dumb to have a defense that only stops two out of three ponies.”

“I said they were dangerous, not that their creators were smart,” Tick Tock laughed. “As far as what the significance to their name... well, they’re basically threshers made of silt, not things that thresh silt. I can’t really explain much more than that, sorry to say, but as I said you’ll see soon enough, I guarantee it.” She turned to her other side. “Flathoof! Do you think you can carry two ponies?”

Flathoof pointed at himself. “Me? Well, sure, I think I can manage that.” He scratched his ear then shifted his hoof to point at the unicorn leaning against his side. “Let me guess - Twilight’s gonna be my second passenger? Is that okay with you, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded weakly, “I’m okay with it. I suppose... since we have to move quickly... I’m in better hooves... with you...”

Tick Tock nodded, “Right. I can’t move at top speed while helping her walk, and we all need to be moving top speed. You can move fast enough with both of them, Flathoof. I’ll help keep her and Lockwood steady, while the rest of you all keep us covered. Sound good?”

“I... yes?” Rainbow said, tilting her head.

“Well, let’s see what these here things are like then, I guess?” Applejack nodded as she straightened her hat.

“I’m not looking forward to this, not one bit...” Rarity grumbled, “But I suppose we have little choice.”

The group all lined up just beside the sand while Fluttershy helped Twilight up on Flathoof’s back, nesting her comfortably in place next to Lockwood, who was still asleep. Tick Tock tied them in with a rope-like extension of her magic, and double-checked to make sure it was tight but not uncomfortably so. With a deep breath, she signaled for the group to move out. Everypony took a few anxious steps into the sand, expecting something to pop out at any second. They could feel thicker, harder sediment beneath the wet sand, stabilizing the path. For several dozen yards nothing seemed to happen, at least nothing that warranted Tick Tock’s warnings. Just sloshy sand and wet hooves. 

Rainbow Dash let out a long, aggravated sigh. “See? What did I tell ya? Nothing. Just a big bunch of nothing,” she grumbled.

“Just keep moving!” Tick Tock shouted back, “We don’t have time to-”

The wet sand in front of her exploded upwards. She and Flathoof screeched to a halt to avoid running straight into the pillar that was rising from below. Applejack, who’d been just in front of them, was knocked flying several dozen yards ahead. She tumbled forward, barely holding onto her hat as she rolled through the surf into another burst of sand to come to a stop. Tick Tock did not waste time, and hurriedly ushered Flathoof around it, gesturing for the others to follow. As they did so, more sand burst out around them, forming mounds that pursued the fleeing ponies.

“What in the hay are these things?!” Applejack yelled as she narrowly avoided another burst of sand while trying to get to her hooves.

“These are bloody things I was talking about!” Tick Tock yelled, trying to keep up with Flathoof and barely avoiding tripping over the unstable ground.

The mounds began to form great towers, several feet tall and almost as wide. As soon as they were tall enough to be out of the surf, the sand dried, hardening into tightly-packed torsos. These sprouted long, thick arms at their sides. Glowing red eyes blinked in where their expected heads would be. Their bottoms were still firmly attached to the sand beneath them, which they slid through with astounding pace, as if skating along ice. As they gave chase, they let loose roars that echoed through their sandy bodies. They were gaining, and they were gaining fast.

“This isn’t good!” Tick Tock yelled, “We’re not moving fast enough!”

“Sounds like y’all need a distraction,” Applejack grunted from the front, changing directions and throwing her hat over to Rarity, who barely caught it with in her teeth.

The unicorn flipped it up and it plopped on her head, and she gave Applejack a worried look, knowing full well what Applejack was attempting to do. “Applejack! What in Equestria do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled as Applejack bounded briskly over her head.

“Givin’ y’all a distraction! Tick Tock said I can handle mahself out here without none o’ yer help, and I mean ta prove it!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow shouted as she looped around and gave chase, “If anypony here is good at being a distraction, it’s me! I can move fast enough to catch back up!”

“Fine, whatever, y’all can come along! C’mon, let’s buy th’ others some time!”

“You got it, AJ!” Rainbow called with a salute.

Exploding into a lightning bolt, she careened straight at the nearest patch of the sand creatures, punching straight through one, then another, and another, zipping back and forth through them with as much force as she could muster. The golems all looked down at the holes left in their forms, and without further thought turned towards the direction Dash had charged in, gathering up sand from beneath them with their hands to fill in the chunks they were missing as they did so.

Applejack, her body made of the same sand as the golems, easily avoided swipes and jabs by sinking into the sand. She popped up again in front of one to buck as hard as she could and smashed its ‘head’ apart. The thresher groped around where it had been struck, and used the sand from its hand to rebuild the missing bit before sinking its arm into the sand below and refilling its arm. Applejack grit her teeth and spat on the ground.

“Well shucks, ain’t that a fine how-d’ya-do? These things jus’ rebuild themselves! How’re we s’pposed ta-”

Another thresher burst out of the sand and, letting loose a guttural growl, raised an arm to bash Applejack in the head. She had no time to defend herself. Then, in an instant, it was set upon by a ferocious Pinkie, who ruthlessly did the same to it what it was about to attempt upon Applejack. She sliced through its head multiple times with a glowing, pointed blade attached to her leg until it was just a pile of sand on the ground. When the thing was finally worn down, she hopped off its remains and joined AJ at her side.

Applejack gawked for a dumbfounded second, and got a chance to take a good look at Pinkie’s new... costume. The party pony was covered head to hoof in armor that hid all of her soft parts completely. A thick black bodysuit showed through at the joints of her legs, along her spine, midsection, and neck. Dark green plating covered other crucial areas for additional protection. Once again a matching helmet hid her face, with her eyes completely obscured behind an orange-gold reflective visor.

“Pinkie-245, reporting for duty!” Pinkie saluted, her voice distorted from behind the helmet.

“I swear,” Applejack muttered.

Pinkie scoffed, “That’s a pretty bad habit, Applejack. I’ve been trying to get Dashie to quit it since she’d been real bad about it since we got to this world and all. Don’t make me get out the swear jar.”

Applejack shook her head. “Pinkie! What in the hay’re y’all doin’ here?! Ya shoulda stayed with th’ others!”

“Uh duh? You said you needed a distraction, and I’m the most distracting thing ever? Helloooo. Pay attention, AJ.”

Applejack blinked, then sighed, “Can’t argue with that logic. C’mon! We’ve got work ta do! Do... whatever it is yer new costume let’s ya do, I guess. I ain’t got any idea how ta direct y’all with yer powers changin’ e’ry other day.”

“Don’t sweat it. I am the pinnacle of military efficiency,” Pinkie Pie said with another salute.

Pinkie placed the device where the blade generated from on a slot near her flank, then grabbed a bulky weapon off her back, leveled it, and went charging headlong into the next batch spraying bullets all the while, leaving Applejack behind to gather her wits. She was distracted by a rumbling sound behind her, and turned to face it. The thing Pinkie had just finished smashing into the sand was collecting itself again or perhaps being replaced by another one, Applejack wasn’t sure which, but it was just like the others had been doing even when this one had been totally beaten into the ground. For a frantic second, Applejack remembered dealing with the abominations from the Blood Mire, endless in number, and realized in horror that these were worse. Much worse.

She turned back and yelled into the sky. “Rainbow Dash! This ain’t workin’! They’re just gettin’ right back up!”

Rainbow swooped around. “Shoot... alright, I’ve got an idea! You two keep them gathered together!”

Rainbow zipped over the remaining stretch of beach to the ocean and swept low, skimming the surface and picking up water as she flew. She looped back around with a collection of it in her wake, carrying it along and forming a cloud that was easy to corral behind her. Once over the beach again, she delivered a swift kick to her cloud, cascading water down on one bunch of the threshers that had been grouped together by the two earth ponies. Their arms flailed and clumped together. Dampened and weak, they crumbled apart like poorly-built sand castles. The sand beneath them, also wet, tried to repair them, but as soon as one was formed it immediately crumbled to the ground again..

“Well, that worked!” Applejack shouted happily, “C’mon, let’s catch up... ta...” 

Her eyes widened as she watched the sand below her. She could feel movement heading east, with a pace much faster than she thought possible. Compounding that, so few of the threshers were bothering to attack her or Pinkie anymore. Almost as if- 

“Consarnit, we’re th’ ones bein’ distracted! They’re headin’ fer th’ others! We gotta move!” She turned sharply and darted east with all the speed she could muster, merging herself with the sand so that she could move through it unabated.

“Right behind you, AJ!” Rainbow called as she darted forward to catch up.

“We’ve got your back!” Pinkie shouted, putting away her rifle and sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, which Applejack was surprised to see was actually very fast.

Rainbow and Pinkie overtook Applejack after only a few dozen yards of running, as Applejack was busy trying to stamp out more of the threshers as they formed to prevent them from becoming obstacles. She found it rather trying on her patience as they sunk back down and popped back up in random locations, causing her to lose her footing several times before realizing she’d lost a ton of ground. She abandoned her task and set out to catch up, when her leg was caught by one of the creatures reaching out and grabbing her, causing her to trip, yell, and fall face first into the sand. Rainbow heard her yell and turned to sweep back for her as more threshers popped up to overtake their fallen prey. Pinkie followed suit, grabbing her rifle again and taking potshots at the threshers that were trying to envelop Applejack.

“Just get movin’!” Applejack shouted as she kicked the thing off her leg and leapt out of the way of another one swinging its fists down at her, “I’ll be fine, y’all get back ta Twilight an’ th’ others! Go! Go!”

“But AJ-” Pinkie started.

“Just go, dagnabit!”

Pinkie and Rainbow looked at one another, and with hesitation turned back around and raced east towards the others. More of the threshers kept springing up beneath them. Ahead, they could see more of the mounds moving east, chasing after the other group. Rainbow snagged Pinkie up in her hooves and lifted her up to fly over the threshers attempt to bar their path, and flew faster than before to try and catch up. They saw could see their friends now, far ahead, their pace slowed by trying to fight off the monsters that got too close for comfort, which with only Fluttershy and Rarity to do the job was proving next to impossible. 

They could see Fluttershy flying overhead, keeping up just out of reach of the silt threshers. Ophanim, changing into seemingly random animal forms, delayed as many as he could before falling out of range, zipping back to Fluttershy, and starting again. This served almost no purpose at all other than keeping the threshers off of them for seconds at a time, because as soon as Ophanim was gone, the threshers he was dealing with just dug underground and gave chase again, able to catch back up in seconds to deal with Ophanim once more. The familiar’s strikes were growing more and more sparse, and he was having difficulty standing. He would not last much longer on his own.

Rarity, of course, was doing what she could to keep Tick Tock boosted. The green unicorn had extended a Barrier in front of Flathoof to help him plow through threshers that attempted to spring up in their path, but she was still growing more and more drained. She desperately tried to help defend the group, launching bolts of magic to and fro, while at the same time trying to ensure Twilight and Lockwood were safely on Flathoof’s back. Rarity herself occasionally flung any rocks she could find at the nearest thresher, stopping it for all of a few seconds before it regenerated and was back in pursuit.

Rainbow and Pinkie joined the fray with an explosive entrance: Rainbow Dash flung Pinkie as hard as she could into the middle of their group of friends. The earth pony was quick to nimbly land on the head of one of the creatures that was much too close to Rarity for comfort. She bashed its head in with the butt of her rifle, primed a grenade, and inserted it into the gaping space that she’d created before leaping off. The thresher regenerated its head and made to lash out at her, then the grenade exploded, spraying sand everywhere.

Meanwhile, Rainbow arced around and rocketed through the nearest group of threshers she could find with more force that she’d been using before. She proceeded to spin around them to create a quick whirlwind that swept their sand away as they attempted to regenerate. All this did was slow the process down. The creatures continued to pay no attention to her and focused instead on the targets they could actually reach, making Rainbow quite upset that she was being ignored.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the creatures reacted not only to movement in general, but to the amount of movement in the area. When Pinkie had landed on the sand and joined them, more of the things started popping up than had been there before, and it did not take long for them to start to overwhelm the group. 

Tick Tock was forced to stop using her Barrier entirely, focusing more attention on keeping Flathoof’s passengers stable so that the bulky stallion could assist in driving off some of the threshers that were getting too close to Rarity. The white unicorn seemed to be their primary target; they were not only strong, fast, able to regenerate, and capable of creating a distraction, but could also organize and single-out what they considered a threat. Fluttershy tried to do her best to direct Ophanim from her higher vantage point, but his light was flickering out by the minute. Rainbow’s lightning and Pinkie’s weaponry weren’t buying them any ground either, and within minutes, they found themselves surrounded, and despite everything they were doing, nothing seemed to keep the creatures down.

“Dammit,” Tick Tock spat, “This would’ve been much easier if we could all move faster...”

“We’re gonna have to blast our way out,” Rainbow claimed, “Ready, Pinks? Focus everything you’ve got on the eastern group, we’ll punch on through.”

“Roger that, Dashie,” Pinkie saluted, priming another grenade, this one a ball-shaped one that glowed a bright bluish-purple, “Let’s do-”

A noise behind them drew their attention as another of the creatures burst forth from the ground in close proximity to Pinkie, knocking her off balance. Rainbow was about to move towards the thing when it suddenly turned and, to their surprise, smashed another one of the creatures square between its eyes, crushing its head completely. The ponies all watched in stunned awe as the new thresher began to tear through ranks of the others, eventually causing them to draw their attention away from the ponies and onto itself. Rarity’s eyes widened in surprise, and without a word she let loose a torrent of magic at the newcomer. It doubled in size, allowing it to knock away the great number of opponents that had begun to clamor upon it without a second thought. The big one single-mindedly reached its great hands into the heads of its enemies and ripped something out, and either threw it aside or crushed it in its grip. Whatever it was doing, it was preventing the things from regenerating.

Before long, the giant sand creature had cleared away all the smaller ones. The ponies all gasped as it turned upon them. The creature lowered its head down to Rainbow Dash, who’d charged ahead a little to place herself between her friends and the giant thresher. The sand on its face melted away, and Rainbow’s jaw dropped when she saw the familiar shape of Applejack there, her body made of a strange purple rock that glowed in the light of Tick Tock’s horn.

“Well howdy there, Dash!” Applejack chuckled, “Y’all look like ya was ready ta try and wallop me. If’n y’all ‘re lookin’ ta tussle with me now, I’m game.”

“Applejack?” Rainbow blinked. She turned to Rarity, “You knew? I figured it was a berserk one or something.”

“Well of course it’s Applejack,” Rarity nodded with a wide smile, “I saw the creature’s eyes when it looked at us earlier. The others all have these little beady red eyes, very unsavory. It makes them look absolutely dreadful. This one’s eyes were green, just like dear Applejack’s. I put two-and-two together, simple as that.”

“But... how?” Rainbow said, scratching her head as she circled around Applejack’s ‘vehicle’.

Applejack flexed a foreleg, causing one of the arms of the thresher she now controlled to mimic her movement. “See this here weird rock I’m made of? Found it in the head o’ this thresher thing while swimmin’ around back there, thought it looked mighty suspicious.”

Tick Tock brightened, “Aha! That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Rainbow asked.

“Silt threshers are magical constructs, and so are required to have some sort of ‘foundation’, similar to a living thing’s organs but focused on a single object. It could be considered a weak-point of sorts. Like a...” She thought a moment to think of the correct word. “‘Heart’, I suppose.”

“So this... uh... ‘heart’?” Rainbow Dash mused, “It’s made of this weird rock?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack smiled, “And it ain’t all weird neither, or at least it ain’t nothing I can’t work with. I can tap inta it jus’ like dirt or sand or anythin’ like that. So, I’m the new ‘heart’ o’ this here thing, that I am. An’ since I know what the rock looks an’ feels like, I can sense it in th’ other threshers too, seek ‘em out, and break ‘em apart.”

“Cooool,” Pinkie said, poking Applejack’s thresher’s torso with a hoof. Applejack chuckled at the touch, making Pinkie grin wide, “Ooh, AJ’s new thing is ticklish! I’m gonna-”

“Well if the magic lesson is over,” Flathoof interrupted, putting a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder to stop her, “Can we get a move on?”

“Oh! Yes, of course,” Tick Tock hastily blurted, “We’re a little more than halfway across now, let’s keep up the pace and our new escort can keep us covered. Applejack, if you’d like to take the lead?”

“Thank ya kindly,” Applejack nodded, letting the sand around her collect again and hide her from view. She circled around the party and took point, then gestured that she was ready. 

Tick Tock and Fluttershy double-checked to make sure Lockwood and Twilight, the former of which was still fast asleep and the latter of which was barely even registering anything that was going on anymore. The others straightened themselves up, and with an rallying cry from Tick Tock-

“Onward!”

They were off. 

The ponies galloped ahead, Applejack’s enormous personal sand golem leading the way. More silt threshers popped up around them en route, but with Applejack’s assistance, the entire grueling experience had been reduced to a mere exercise in caution. The giant golem slammed its hands into random parts of the creatures as they came forward to attack her, sometimes fishing around inside to find the little magical rock, which she’d then toss skyward for Rainbow Dash to catch and smash or Pinkie to shoot out of the sky. They reached the rocky slope that led off the beach and towards the cliff, and the party quickened their pace to get out of the sand; Applejack stayed just at the edge, and turned around back towards the beach to face the growing horde of threshers charging after them.

“I’ll clear out these here stragglers,” she called, “Y’all go on ahead.”

Rainbow Dash hurriedly took the lead, coralling her friends over to the large metal and glass box at the bottom of the cliff that the party rushed to board. Rainbow stayed outside, not needing to take an elevator up; Fluttershy did not follow suit, and went inside to keep an eye on Lockwood. Once the party had completely boarded, Tick Tock, the last one in, pressed a big green button on the stand just beside the platform door, shutting the door behind her. With a great clang, followed by a loud whirr, the platform started to rise off of its metal base.

“C’mon, AJ! We’re leaving!” Rainbow called.

Applejack continued to beat back oncoming threshers, and yelled back, “I’ll catch up! Don’t worry ‘bout me none!”

The others watched Applejack fight off dozens of the smaller things as they continued to ascend the cliff, and despite the frighteningly slow pace they were soon well out of any sort of height that Applejack would be able to jump to.

“AJ! Come on!” yelled Pinkie, opening the door and leaning out to make sure her voice carried through. Tick Tock and Rarity had to grab her and yank her back in to keep from falling.

“Darling, really!” Rarity chimed in, latching her magic onto the door so she could close it, “You won’t be able to catch us at this rate!”

Applejack ignored them and continued to fight even as she was swarmed upon by more and more of the smaller threshers, not wanting to risk any of them being able to somehow get to her friends. She turned again, and saw how high up her friends were. Confident they were safe, she swept a mighty arm in a wide arc and swatted a great deal of the threshers away from her. In an instant, she burst out from the back of her thresher’s head, causing it to crumble apart without its power source. The other threshers gave chase, but Applejack had fused her energy with the solid rock beneath her hooves, abandoning the strange material she’d been made of in favor of more traditional earth, and with this connection she was able to move much faster than they could. She grit her teeth and leapt, but landed nowhere near the elevator platform, which was now much too high for her to jump to. She hadn’t been aiming for that though. Instead, she latched onto the cliff itself, jamming her hooves roughly into the rock and sticking there effortlessly. She looked down below as the pursuing threshers below rushed up to the wall and stopped. They stared upwards for a few moments, then scattered back to the sands, where they melted away in retreat. Rainbow swooped below the platform and attempted to grab Applejack to carry her up top, but AJ warded her off with an outstretched hoof.

“If’n y’all don’t mind, Dash, I’d prefer ta climb,” Applejack smiled. Rainbow gave her a look, so she continued, “T’aint hard ‘r nothin’, an’ ta be honest It feels good havin’ this here kinda earth beneath mah hooves again. We ain’t gonna have none o’ this in the city, an’ I jus’ would like ta enjoy it, y’hear?”

Rainbow shrugged, “Suit yourself, AJ. Just don’t tire yourself out, huh?”

“That won’t be a problem, I don’t think,” Applejack chuckled, “Somethin’ ‘bout this here earth feels right, makes me feel at home again. It don’t feel like the Wastelands. It feels... good. I dunno, jus’ like it gives me energy ‘r somethin’.” Rainbow nodded, and held up a hoof as if she’d remembered something. She swept up to the elevator, quickly returned in a flash, then plopped Applejack’s hat back on her head. Applejack smiled again, “Thank ya kindly, Dash. An’ tell Rarity thanks fer holdin’ onta the darn thing so well, an’ not tryin’ ta eat it.”

“I can hear you, darling,” Rarity snorted from up above, stamping a hoof on the metal plating so that Applejack could at least hear the look of disapproval she couldn‘t see.

The platform continued to climb, slowly but surely moving up the cliff at a pace much too slow to really excite the riders much. If anything, it made them impatient. Antsy. But they were excited nonetheless, knowing they’d finally made it; Hope’s Point was nothing more than an elevator ride away. They all looked skyward as the platform ascended, eagerly watching as the top of the cliff approached inch by grueling inch, foot by agonizing foot. After nearly an hour, they were just short of the halfway point.

Rainbow Dash circled around the platform in little loops and rolls, lazily trying to pass the time. “Geez... what’s taking this thing so long?” she groaned, “This must the be the slowest elevator in the world! The one back at that NPPD joint moves faster than this!”

“Yeah... it does,” Flathoof agreed with an aggravated sigh, “After taking that damn thing up and down a dozen times a day for a so many years, I know how fast it moves. This thing is going slow. What gives? I thought these ponies out here had at least as good of techno-magic as Pandemonium does?”

“It might be running out of juice,” Tick Tock said with a scratch of her head, “We’ll have to remember to inform them that their elevator’s battery is running low. Might land us in their good graces.”

“Frankly, I don’t mind too much,” Rarity said pointedly, “This pace is relaxing, even if it is rather slow. And... well... to be honest, I’ve developed a sort of a... um... fear of heights?” she added with a nervous chuckle, “One too many sudden drops from astounding heights, you understand. I was terrified when that brutish Starlight Shadow kept me dangling up in the air last night. You haven’t any idea how scared I was when dear Fluttershy and I attempted to escape!”

“You and I have something in common then, it seems,” Tick Tock said, patting Rarity on the back, “I’m terrified of heights too, what with all the sudden drops I’ve dealt with lately. We should start up a club or something of that sort.”

“What, like a Mile High Club?” Rainbow snickered, “Afraid that one’s taken, girls. Exclusive membership.” She winked at Pinkie Pie, who snorted into her hooves. Both Tick Tock and Rarity looked at one another and shrugged. “Eh, it’s a pegasus thing.”

“Aww Rarity, there’s nothing to be afraid of here,” Pinkie chuckled, “We’ve got the best flier in alllll Equestria right here with us! She’s done it before, she’ll do it again! So you fall, nooo problem!”

“Having somepony to catch me again isn’t what I’m worried about,” Rarity gulped as she looked out the solid plexiglass windows over the side of the platform, glad that they were thick enough that she couldn’t possibly fall through them. “Besides, Rainbow couldn’t catch us - we’re inside a sealed box.”

“You worry too much, Rarity,” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “This thing looks perfectly safe.”

Pinkie slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Dashie... that’s just asking for trouble...”

“She’s right though,” Tick Tock assured her, “Rarity, really, there shouldn’t be any fear of falling here. Those windows are inches thick, and none of us are going to try and break them and throw you out. You’re not that annoying.” Rarity didn’t laugh; Tick Tock nervously tugged her collar, “Right, I’ll leave the jokes to Lockwood, when he gets up. My apologies. What I mean is, this contraption, despite its dreadful pace, is rather well-built. Take a look at the cable.” She pointed at the line of cable that was pulling them up mechanically. It was a brilliant silver color that shined in even the paltry light of the Beacon veil up above. “Don’t ask me how these Hope’s Point ponies got ahold of the stuff, but this here is Obidium. Now, I know there’s some of the stuff around and about here and there, but to get enough of the pure stuff to fashion a cable and platform like this is astounding. The Hope’s Point ponies are a more resourceful bunch than a lot of ponies give them credit for.”

“Obidium? I recognize that name,” Rarity hummed, “Mister Gilderoy said that most of the Sanctuary was made of that metal, that it’s artificial?”

“Artificial and exceedingly rare,” Tick Tock nodded, “The gryphons invented the metal, and while there are records of the process with which it is made, it’s impossible to make it anymore, not without the techno-magic machinery that synthesizes it. That’s down to the south, in the Gryphons’ old research facility. Uh... ooh, my memory’s a bit hazy.” She grumbled, “Elysian... Islands?”

“That name sounds familiar too, from the murals,” Rarity nodded, “What’s so special about the stuff anyway? You make it sound special at any rate.”

“It’s a magical material, well-regarded for both its malleability, durability, and its extreme resistance to magic,” Tick Tock nodded, “Once it’s been forged into shape, the only creature that can utilize magic against the metal effectively is the original forger. The gryphons made a lot of their most advanced techno-magic out of the stuff, so that it was effectively indestructible. The Beacons’ central cores are made of the stuff, hence why they can withstand such incredible energies. The only thing that can damage Obidium is more Obidium, according to everything I’ve read on the subject. Can’t say I’ve seen it in action myself, but the theory makes sense to me.”

“They must have used it to keep the platform safe from ‘saboteurs’,” Rainbow hummed, “The guards at the gate mentioned something like that, that’s why they don’t just let anypony in. Probably keeps it safe from getting broken by the other things around here too. Wouldn’t want a Gargantuan stumbling over and bucking up your elevator.”

“Well spoken,” Tick Tock nodded, “See Rarity, there’s nothing to-”

There was a sudden twanging sound from above them, and they all looked up to see what it was. They only had about a split second to register it, before gravity took over and they began to fall.

“Aw, bollocks. Me and my big bleedin’ mouth!” Tick Tock yelled.

“Told yooooouuu!” Pinkie screamed.

Applejack saw it begin to move. In a flash, she stretched herself out and caught it with her fore hooves. Sparks flew from her rear hooves as they screeched against the cliff wall. The platform didn’t even begin to slow down.

Rainbow Dash swept down below and pushed with all her might, beating her wings desperately to get the wind to push with her. Applejack’s hat sailed off in the updraft, but she was too focused on the elevator to pay it any heed. Her legs quaked under the pressure, and Rainbow’s wings flapped furiously, but the platform still wasn’t slowing down.

Applejack grit her teeth and took a deep breath. And, slowly, the earth began to gather. Applejack felt herself grow heavier and heavier, taking more and more rock into herself and pushing as hard as she could against the platform. The ground was approaching fast, but not as fast as it had been. They were slowing. Applejack pushed harder, gathered up more material; they slowed more. The ground was only hundreds of feet away, but they were slowing. Finally, after a few incredibly tense seconds they grinded to a stop.

Rainbow Dash, who’d been busy pushing with all her might as well, finally opened her eyes, and looked down. The base of the platform, several dozen feet below, was still too close for comfort.

“Whew...” she breathed, “Great job, AJ, you really did a number there.”

Applejack sighed in relief, “I tell ya... sometimes I don’t rightly know if we’d ‘ve made it without these here powers...” She adjusted her shoulders and very slowly started to push, carrying the elevator up with her.

Rainbow fluttered up to check on the others, who were all piled together haphazardly in the center of the elevator car. “You guys alright?”

“As we’ll ever be, I’m certain,” Rarity groaned, rubbing her head.

“I really hope that was the last near-death experience we have to put up with for a while,” Flathoof grumbled as he checked to make sure Lockwood and Twilight weren’t jostled by the incident.

Tick Tock shook her head as she looked outside the platform, where the snapped cable fell off into the sea. “This doesn’t make any sense...” she mumbled. She opened the elevator door. “Rainbow Dash, help me reel this in, please?”

“Oh... uh, sure,” Rainbow nodded, grabbing the cable and passing it to the unicorn.

Tick Tock and Rainbow yanked at the cable until the end reached them, and Tick Tock gave a loud hum as she examined it. It was a neat cut, perfectly smooth without any inkling that the cut had been difficult to manage. She scratched her head, sighed, and let the cable fall.

“It would seem my rotten luck is now capable of defying the laws of magical chemistry and physics. Wonderful. Bloody fantastic,” she sighed, “Nopony saw anypony up there cutting the cable or anything right?”

“Not a soul,” Rarity shook her head, “The cable snapped way up above us. It just... snapped. Most peculiar, if everything you said is true. Though that’s not exactly the word I would like to use to describe what just happened. That was terrifying.”

Applejack continued to push, with Rainbow Dash helping as much as she could, which still proved to be a rather difficult venture. While the pace was slower than it had been with the proper elevator system, they were glad to be moving up rather than down. Eventually they reached the top and the ponies inside all hastily exited, eager to be back on solid ground again. Applejack sidled careful up the side, and as soon as she did, the platform dropped towards the ground several miles below. Applejack and Rainbow watched it fall for nearly a minute before it finally slammed into the platform at the bottom, smashing apart from the force of the impact.

“Guess it was a good thing we got y’all outta there,” Applejack whistled, “Guess that stuff ain’t as indestructible as y’all said.”

“If I never see another elevator again, it’ll be too soon,” Rarity breathed, fanning herself with her hoof, “Oh goodness, why must all these misfortunes befall us? Did I do something wrong before we all came here? Is this some form of bad karma? It’s beginning to get ridiculous.”

“Well, we won’t need to deal with it much longer, I hope. Come along all, we’re almost there,” Tick Tock said, pointing to where the party could clearly see the giant shield covering the city.

As Applejack finally let her powers loose, a timely breeze whipped through her hair. She suddenly perked up in a panic and patted around her head. “Mah hat! Where’s mah hat?!” She frantically looked around the immediate area, and couldn’t see it anywhere. The others began to search around as well, and after several minutes of searching and not turning up anything, it became clear that- “It’s gone...” Applejack sniffed, “I can’t believe it’s gone...”

Tick Tock was about to speak up, when Rarity abruptly put a hoof to her mouth. “I know what you’re about to say, but don’t,” she whispered, “Trust me, it’s not ‘just a hat’, hmm?”

Tick Tock nodded, and sighed. “I’m sorry that we can’t look further, Applejack. I don’t want to sound like I’m rushing you, but-”

Applejack stood firm and turned towards the giant city. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. It’s more important that we get ta Hope’s Point. Y’all’re right - we’re too close ta stop. We need food ‘n’ shelter ‘n’ rest, an’ that’s more important than... than mah hat...” She shook her head, wiping her eye quickly so that nopony would see. “C’mon y’all, let’s go.”

They moved east at a brisk pace, their next destination being finally within reach after nearly two weeks of total travel, the six days of which had been devoid of food, lacking in rest, and rife with exhausting combat, running, and injuries. Rainbow Dash excitedly led the way, knowing already where to go and how to get to where she’d been stopped last time, eager to see her friends get through with the solution they now possessed. The large building that led inside the city was just ahead, and with the others trailing behind her, Rainbow flew up to it and knocked, a wide smile on her face. As before, a small screen popped up with a burst of static, and on the other end appeared one of the two unicorns she remembered from earlier; this time, it was the shorter, stouter unicorn. Her smile disappeared in an instant and was replaced by an incredibly disappointed frown.

“Who goes- oh, it’s you,” he said, suddenly eager and rubbing his hooves together, “So you came crawling back, huh? Change your mind about that alternative payment?” He chuckled light at Rainbow’s sneer. “Oh well, it was worth a shot. Pegasi are a bit a dozen around here, and I’ve seen better to be honest. Well, we haven’t finished your background check yet, so-”

“Just open up and let us inside,” Rainbow interrupted, “I’ve got wounded here, and we don’t need your stupid background check anymore.”

“We?” he asked. She moved aside a little so he could see behind her, where her friends were just now catching up. “Huh. So you did have friends out here. Fancy that. Ooh... a nice collection too. I don’t suppose any of the earth ponies would consider-” He stopped when her sneer grew more intense, “No? Shame, earth ponies are fun. Oh alright, come on in, let’s get this train rolling, if you insist on doing this the legit way. I hope you’re not wasting my time again.”

The gate gave a great clanging sound, then started to slide open with a screech. Rainbow and her friends eagerly walked through the opening and entered the building, hurriedly moving along the tiled floor as the gate closed behind them. Rainbow led the way to the secondary gate system, past the rows of ponies still waiting to get in. Rainbow didn’t see any new faces, but she did see that the red unicorn mare was gone. She let a smile temporarily creep up, hoping sincerely that her background check had cleared, and not that she’d caved in to the gatekeeper’s demands.

“These ponies are all waiting?” Rarity asked worriedly, “Oh my...”

“Can’t we let them in with us?” Fluttershy asked.

“We’ll see what Lockwood’s contact can do for us,” Rainbow nodded, “I’m more concerned about getting us in first though, so let’s worry about that right now.”

As before, she pushed the big red button to start up the connection with the unicorn gatekeeper who had his datapad handy already. The others all settled in beside her, with Tick Tock helping Twilight down off Flathoof’s back so that she could stand, as she was beginning to come out of her dazed stupor and was once again alert.

“Okay then, let’s see... Rainbow Dash, right?” he questioned. She nodded, her face still not letting go of the sneer. “Okay, let’s have the names of the rest of you, so I can see if you’re on my list.”

“We’re not,” Tick Tock said, stepped forward, “We didn’t check-in at the airstation back in Pandemonium.”

The unicorn on the other end rolled his eyes, “Well then, let me get your names then so I can start the background check. This might take a while, what with there being so many of you, but-”

“And there won’t be any need of that either,” Tick Tock interrupted, “We’ve got a voucher inside.”

The unicorn blinked. “You... you do? Oh... well why didn’t you say so? Okay then, first up, what’s the name of the pony who knows this voucher? Bring him or her forward so I can get confirmation.”

Tick Tock turned around and beckoned to Flathoof; the earth pony stepped forward and turned slightly to his side so that Lockwood was clearly able to be seen. Tick Tock then lit up her horn with a soft white glow, which enshrouded Lockwood’s head. His eyes opened slowly.

“Eh? Wha?” he mumbled, lifting his head and looking around, “Oh... oh good, I’m awake... and I didn’t have to get hurt to do it. Um... where are we?”

“Hope’s Point,” Tick Tock explained, “We’re at the gateway inside, so it’s your time to shine, eh? They need your name and I think they want you to be the one delivering it?”

“Oh good... finally...” he smiled lightly. He turned up to the screen and spoke, his voice hoarse. “Well hello there. I guess you need my name then? Lockwood.”

Tick Tock turned to the screen, “Okay so here he is. Now what?”

The unicorn jotted down Lockwood’s name, then turned back to them, casually taking a sip out of his coffee mug. “Okay, now the name of your voucher?”

Lockwood spoke again, “Briarthorn.”

The unicorn spit what was clearly not coffee, judging from its color and frothiness, all over the screen. He hastily wiped the bronze liquid off with his magic and a rag, then stared into the screen with a look of bewilderment. “Seriously? You’re serious?”

“Does he look like he’s joking?” Rainbow asked. She turned to Lockwood quickly, “You’re not joking right?”

“Yes, I’m serious,” Lockwood nodded.

The unicorn shook his head, “This is a first. Ah... well, okay, guess we’ll see what happens. Hang on a second.”

The screen glowed blue for a second and the group watched as some sort of magical beam shot out and briefly ran across Lockwood’s face. It didn’t seem to bother him. When finished, the unicorn punched up some buttons on his work station and lifted a small device to his ear and waited. And waited. And waited. Suddenly he perked up.

“Briarthorn?” he asked. He instantly jerked the device away from his ear, as though whoever was on the other end had been shouting. Satisfied that the shouting had ceased, he brought it back and spoke again. “Yeah, hey, I’ve got a pony here claiming he knows you and he’s using you as a voucher- ...what? Yeah... yeah I know. He’s got like seven mares with him and- ha ha, yeah I think they are. Yes, they’re insistent- ...look, I’ve just gotta do my job and go through the motions, if you don’t know them then just say so and we’ll be done with it, okay? ...no... what? Hey! It’s not my fault they- ...look, can we just- ...what? ...right, okay! Fine. The pony who personally asked for you is a... Lockwood? Sending his picture through now.” He waited a few seconds, then looked at the device with curiosity. “Hello? Briarthorn?” Then he jerked the phone away again. “What? Oh... oh okay then. See you in a few.” He hung the device up, and turned back to the screen. “Well it seems you’re all in luck. Go ahead and pass through to phase two, Briarthorn will meet you inside.”

The ponies outside the small gate all beamed as the gateway started to open. Tick Tock ruffled Lockwood’s shaggy mane. “Glad to see you’re good for something, you dumb git. I knew we brought you along for a reason.”

“I thought you brought me along for my good looks?” Lockwood asked with mock disappointment. He laughed, and then immediately coughed. “Ahh... g-geez... that didn’t feel good...”

They all eagerly walked through the second gate, entering a small room with another gate on the other end. The first gate closed behind them, and so now, they waited. And waited. And waited. And a few moments later, the gate ahead of them started to open. As soon as it did, they could see a pegasus waiting for them, bearing a large grin on his face as he walked, or more like sauntered, out of the opening and into the room with them.

It wasn’t his height that was unusual, though he was a bit tall. He wasn’t as bulky as most taller ponies were, but instead was lithe and completely built for aerodynamics. His goldenrod coloring was common enough, with a slightly darker mane and tail, both of which were slightly messy as if left that way on purpose. His mane was pushed up out of his face by a pair of thick flight goggles with blue-tinted lenses and silver metal rims on his forehead, just above a pair of bright hazel eyes. His clothing was where he began to seem a bit unusual, but it was still nothing beyond a little curious. He wore a plain white shirt under a brown, heavily-pocketed vest, and a large belt around his waist loaded with full pouches; how somepony could walk with so much loading him down was what surprised them. Despite this, he seemed completely unencumbered and made a beeline straight for Flathoof and Lockwood.

There was one thing - two things, actually - that made him distinct from other pegasi though, and those were his large wings, big enough to completely cover his sides, actually curving back and upwards. Excluding Celestia and Luna, the only pony that the group had ever encountered possessing wings this imposing was Grayscale Force, whose wings were larger, but hers were large for the sake of powerful flight, whereas these seemed built more for dexterity. They were the single defining feature that stood out more than any other part of this pegasus.

Right up until he opened his mouth.

“Lockwood, Lockwood, Lockwood. I never expected to see your face out here,” he said with an slightly and uncomfortably loud, fast, yet smooth baritone. Without stopping for an answer, he grabbed hold of Lockwood’s hoof and gave it a few solid shakes, not noticing for a moment Lockwood’s pained groans, nor the fact that Lockwood was sitting on Flathoof’s back, nor the fact that the red stallion was giving him a nearly point-blank look of utter disbelief. “So good to see... you?” Suddenly realizing where Lockwood was, he raised his eyebrows in barely veiled amusement. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, you’re on a dude’s back. That’s not your typical thing, as far as I knew. What gives? You switched teams on me? Is it that fun?”

“Why does everypony keep making that assumption?” Flathoof balked.

“Well you are... a handsome lad, hero,” Lockwood chuckled, “Hey there, Briarthorn... long time no see...” He weakly smiled, trying and failing not wince through a laugh.

Briarthorn suddenly stopped the hoof-shaking and gaped at Lockwood’s side in realization. “Hey. Hey! Hey! Whoa now! No, no, no, Lockwood, quit being you for a moment, your too-damned-nice self, holy horse-crapples. If you’re this hurt, we’re going to fix that first, then friend-talk later. That sound good? Give me like... buck, I dunno, thirty seconds? I dunno how angry-” He held up both forehooves, shaking them with mock presentation. “Her Highness is going to be. I’ve only irritated her twice today so far, so maybe the third time’ll be the charm? Wish me luck.”

He stepped away a few feet and reached up to his ear, pushing at something there for an instant with an audible click, then standing and waiting for something to happen. After a moment, his ears perked up, and he began to pace in a circle while speaking to someone only he could hear, his voice despite all odds quickening even further and his body pacing in easy circles as he talked.

“Hey, hey, hey! Queenie Blackburn, it’s your favorite- ... ...hoo! You’re a barrel of laughs too, your grace. … ...hell yes I’m calling you by name over- ...what?! No no no, don’t hang- look, I’ve got some ponies here at the phase two gateway. ...yes! I obviously know this is a restricted channel, but I need override codes- ...yup, just like yesterday, and the day before that. And this morning. But this here? This is actually serious. Like life-and-death medical emergency serious. Remember Lockwood? He’s seriously hurting- … ...what d’ya mean ‘you don’t’? Oh, come on, you know Lockwood, everypony at some point or another knows- ...yes, the gray pegasus stallion that, if I am not mistaken- … ...if. I. Am. Not. Mistaken... you said on one of your better drinking nights had prettier eyes than mine- ...wait, what?” He gave a barely registered slight chortle, “Talk all the trash you want about my eyes, your beautiful worshipfulness, but could you just authorize the damned override already? Lots of pain and suffering- ...yes, an EMT! What did you think- ...I already told you: the phase two gateway. This has to be fast, and I mean fast. Unicorns only; we need good teleporters- …aw hell, I don’t know, Blue Cross and... Steady Hooves, maybe? Six Two Oh Seven. ...calm down! YES, Six Two Oh Seven, I am not waiting on some pissant Oh Five, mobilize them, or I swear, O Wondrous Ruler, I will swipe that Hundred-Year Burgundy you’ve been saving straight from your bucking office safe when you’re not looking- ...yes, I will, you know I will, I know the combination- … ...oh yeah? Change it again, I’ll still end up swilling it back like it was the cheapo Blue Malt crap that Moonshine brewed last Tuesday! I won’t even bother smelling it or commenting on its rich smooth piquancy or whatever the b- ...yes! Do you get how serious this is now? This is a friend, potentially mortally injured here, well worth wasting your stash in ten seconds flat ...uh, excuse me? Yes I would drink it that fast- ...so what? So I’d puke, and then all you’d get to do is stare at it as it melted a hole in the floor. ...yeah, you bucking heard me, princess. Come on! Just hit the bucking button! Again: potential mortal injury here!”

Two unicorns popped into existence beside him carrying a gurney, but he just kept on talking. The two ponies shared brief, professional glances, lifted the gurney over Briarthorn, and carried it over to Lockwood. Flathoof and Fluttershy assisted the two in carefully lifting Lockwood off of the former’s back on onto the gurney.

Briarthorn kept chatting into his ear as they went. “Now, see? Was that really so hard for- ...still, that’s what I call service- ...yeah, I know I call a lot of things service.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You want to meet me at the bar later? I’ll give you some legendary ser- ...fine, fine, fine, I’ll bother you about it next week. ...yup, same as every other next week. ...no, I don’t get tired of it, why do you ask every time, like I’m suddenly going to ‘see the light’ or something?”

Flathoof leaned in close to Lockwood’s ear. “You’ll be okay, buddy,” he said reassuringly as the pegasus was strapped into the gurney, “You hear me? You’re gonna be okay.”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” Lockwood winced, “You all get some R-and-R, okay?”

Briarthorn did not for an instant stop talking into his ear. All the while, he kept pacing in an increasingly tight circle, occasionally pitching his wings upward in triumph, giving regular, if brief glimpses at his Cutie Mark: a circular, bronze shield marked with a ‘V’ the precise color of his mane, with long, white gold ribbon-like streaks stretching out from the shield, flowing down his haunches and out along his leg.

“Alright. ...okay, okay, okay, I get it. I’m so- ...hey! No, no. No! Quit going all air-raid on me, jeez- ...okay! Sorry, sorry- … ...it is a dramatic situation, if you’re where I’m standing- ...okay, yes, I am double-sorry. Triple-sorry. Quadruple-super-serious-super-sorry. Seriously, I won’t touch your good stuff, I just said that to make it clear- ...okay, thanks. Again, sorry- ...I’ll stop apologizing when you relax. ...sure, I’ll give your crew a round this week. I’ll use my entire bonus. ...what do you mean, ‘what bonus’? The one you were planning on giving me, of course. ...what? Yes you did, don’t act like you didn’t- ...yes, I was planning on giving it out anyway, I’m not an alcoholic- ...hey, I actually rely on the stuff professionally, unlike some ponies- ...what? Pfft. Says you, Madam Queen Sir Lady Drunks-a-Bunch- ...I was! I was, in fact, planning on it! Is it that big a shocker? I mean, sure, I planned for it like forty-five seconds ago, when I saw a baker’s half-dozen of beautiful-” His voice dropped an octave. “If half-starved-” Then returned to his normal pitch. “And lovely women just waltz in the door.” 

At this everyone but Lockwood, who stifled a laugh but immediately groaned in pain at the attempt, stared at him with varying degrees of sudden incredulity and distaste. 

“Who does this guy think he is?” Applejack huffed quietly to Rarity, “I don’t like ‘im.”

“Just put up with it, darling, he’s helping us,” Rarity sighed, “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to deal with an uncouth lout for a while. Besides, he’s a friend of Lockwood’s. That has to stand for something, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll bet it does,” Rainbow snorted.

Briarthorn apparently didn’t hear them and kept right on talking. “Makes sense now, doesn’t it? ...of course it still counts- ...ha! You’re not jealous, are you? ...riiiight, right, of course not, why would you be jealous? ...no go on, keep playing hard to get, milady, keeps things interesting when business is slow ...oh, sure, now you’re busy. You’re clearly really busy what with you still talking to me... oh, and now it’s goodbye too, huh? Sure, sure, sure. I’ll see you later, boss ma’am sir ma’am Blackburn ma’am- ...but your name is just so fun to say! ...sure! Bye-bye! Adieu! Ciao! Briarthorn out, over, roger wilco, end transmission.”

He again pressed his ear with a click, and finally looked at the group, waving a hoof dismissively at the unseen pony with whom he’d finally gotten done talking. “Man, you guys, some ponies. Good thing Lockwood had me vouch for him. The crazy lady upstairs doesn’t keep track of where the bathroom is, much less ponies she should remember. Says she’s too busy running the city or something. Bosses. Am I right, or am I right?” 

With Fluttershy and Flathoof still helping the medical team attend to Lockwood, the rest of the group, sans Pinkie who rapidly nodded in sympathy, were all doing their best to impersonate Fluttershy’s Stare. These had little effect on him, and he smiled and waved at them with misguided friendliness. 

“But where are my manners? Hello, hello, hello, hey, and hi! Welcome to Hope’s Point! I’m Briarthorn, but by now, you probably all got that already. I guess I’m your... what should we call it? Tour guide? Yeah, tour guide sounds, uh, official-ish. As of now, me, tour guide. None better, I’d say.”

The two paramedics now carried Lockwood a few yards away from the others to clear room for their exit teleport. Fluttershy nervously stepped forward and raised a hoof as if to reach for him. “W-wait!” she peeped, “I... I don’t want to leave him alone...”

Flathoof put a hoof on her shoulder. “He’s in good hooves, Fluttershy, let him go. The teleport is safer that way,” he said in as gentle a tone as he could, “His friend is going to get him where he needs to be. We should rest too, and get something to eat. Lockwood wouldn’t want you to starve yourself any longer, would he?”

Fluttershy shook her head, “No... you’re right. Oh... please, take good care of him?”

The lead unicorn, a white stallion with a red mane poking out from under his small white cap, nodded. “We’re the best in the business, ma’am. We’ll take good care of him, don’t you worry.” With that, the two shined and popped again, disappearing with their patient in an instant.

“They’ve got him in our medical center and will be doing what they can to fix him up.” Briarthorn assured her. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it’s probably gonna take a little while- but hey, he’s right though. In the meantime, let’s get some... what did he call it? R-and-R? Yeah, that seems like our top priority, because if I personally supposed and subsequently heard you correctly... uh... big... guy?” He pat Flathoof on the shoulder. “Oh right, so you and Lockwood aren’t-”

“No!” Flathoof exclaimed, “By the stars, why is that always everypony’s first assumption?!”

“Well, you two do act awful close,” Rainbow snickered, “I’m beginning to wonder myself if maybe I should stop being worried about him liking-” Fluttershy suddenly glared over at her, causing her to take a half step back and nervously tug the collar of her jacket.

“Hey hey whoa, no offense meant there,” Briarthorn chuckled, “I know Lockwood well enough that he could land anypony he wanted, so I just figured... y’know, what with you being such a... big... guy. I bet you’ve got quite a- well whatever, the rest of you are apparently actually starving, and you look the part. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some mares aiming for thin before, but wow. Whoo-ee! Get me a couple sticks and we could have a xylophone concert. So, you know, in my completely inexpert opinion, food and rest would be probably life-saving for you as well as the medical attention is for him, said him being Lockwood, in case anyone happened to forget from hunger pains. Let’s go get those pains solved, shall we? Lunch, maybe? My treat - any friend of Lockwood is almost always usually a friend of mine.” He blatantly eyed Fluttershy, puffing his chest a little. “Espeeecially sweet kind gentle lovely little friends with similar coat coloration to myself and big pretty eyes! Did I mention you have pretty eyes, sweetheart?”

As he spoke, Briarthorn sidled shamelessly up to Fluttershy and put a hoof around her shoulder, earning immediate sharp looks from Flathoof, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. The latter two took half-steps forward, and Rarity’s horn lit up as she prepared a spell. Pinkie held Rainbow back just barely, but nopony seemed to be bothering to stop Rarity.

“See? Your good buddy Briarthorn? He knows how to get things done around here. And your big buddy’s right, you know. Lockwood is gonna be in good, and dare I say, competent hooves. Now, if you’ll allow me, I’ll make sure you’re in at least good hooves too.”

“I’m... just worried, is all...” she sighed, completely oblivious to Briarthorn’s advance, “He’s done so much for me... for us...”

Briarthorn blinked, and without missing a beat snatched his hoof away with an unoffended shrug and began to scratch his chin in one smooth gesture. “Well... yeah, I’d assume so. He’s a good pony like that. But I think we should get our minds in a hopeful state. We’ve gotta endure, right? That would be the Point of Hope. ...anypony?” He wiggled his eyebrows again with an oversized sidelong grin, and elicited groans from most of the group, except for Pinkie, who snorted into her hooves, earning a big smile from him. “There we go, a sense of humor in the face of prolonged death. I like it!” He inched ever-so-slightly away from Fluttershy and started in Pinkie’s direction. 

“But! We’re off-point here, so... anyhoozles, most of you look like you’re not only starving, but depressed too, and that just won’t do. Don’t you worry, Lockwood’ll be in and out, magically poofed back, easy-peasy. The rest of you, too, if you keep in mind that I just said lunch- heck, let’s say lunch and dinner and some nice beds are on me!” he added with a wink.

A few skeptical, unsavory looks at the way he’d mentioned beds seemed to make him realize he may have worded it wrong, but he cooly grinned again as if dismissing it.

“Now, now, now, don’t think me rude or a complete and total sleazeball here. Partially? I deserve it, but completely? Let’s keep things in perspective! I’m assuming you folks will want to go to bed without much interruption, so don’t worry about any rapscallions interrupting your undoubtedly well-deserved repose. I’ll make sure any and everypony steers clear of any hell-raising, with me to answer to for any attempts.” He gave a brief bow, the very picture of cordiality, perhaps the first gesture most of the group received well.

Fluttershy perked up. “Oh! Oh... um, excuse me? I hate to ask, but... what about all the other ponies out in the waiting area? Is there any way we can let them in with us?”

Briarthorn shook his head. “No can do, sweetheart. I don’t have any problem letting you all in at the drop of a hat, what with being in Lockwood’s company. I trust that he knows what’s what with all of you lovely young ladies... and big stallion. Those ponies out there, I know nothing about, and I’d have to ask Her Highness to authorize it anyway, and what with all that hoopla and hullabaloo earlier I doubt she’s too eager to let me do anything like that again for at least six more hours. I’ll put a good word or three in with Cutlass and Barnacle for you though, maybe they’ll double-time the background checks. Hang on.”

He tapped his hoof to his ear, waited a brief moment, then perked up when somepony on the other end answered, sliding into yet another one-sided conversation. “Cutlass! Buddy, buddy, buddy, hey, can you do me a- ...what, yeah, of course you’re my buddy, old pal. … ...no, I don’t remember that at all. … ...ohhhh, that? Pfff, man, that’s ancient history. Look, I’ll make it up to you and- what?! That’s a load of horse-crapples. You’re honestly going to say that you saw her first, what kind of- ...look, no, no, no, let’s not get dicey. We can think of something else. How about that nice mare that works down at Wyrm’s Head? You know the one. ...you don’t? The unicorn! With the flank twice the size of- ...yeah, that’s it! I’ll see what I can do about- ...no I can’t give you a promise, but I’ll- ...oh come on! Fine fine, and it’s on me. Happy now? Good, look, I need a favor old buddy old pal. Those background checks you’re doing on the other ponies out here in the waiting area? Yeah, could you be a bro and speed those along a little? Good, good, good, glad to hear it! I’ll do what I can to get- yes, I swear. Right then, over and out, sayonara, arrivederci.”

He turned back to Fluttershy. “See? Problem solved. Didn’t I tell you you’re all in good hooves? So! Let’s be off then, shall we? We’ll worry about introductions later, for now we’ve got some scenery to purview, some stomachs to fill, and some sweet dreams to be had! Let me know if I’m in any of them, of course.”

Briarthorn winked, and trotted over to the second gateway, then took a keyring out of one of the many pouches on his bulky belt and fit the largest key into the slot. The gate opened with a grating screech, revealing behind it the energy field that protected the city. Briarthorn walked up to it and cordially gestured for them to enter, causing the magical barrier to flicker at the point of his hoof’s impact and spread apart like a curtain. They followed behind him through it in earnest, their reservations about their strange host held back for the chance to get some food and rest. 

Rainbow Dash, a nagging question on her mind, raced up to Briarthorn. “Hey, uh... Mister... Briarthorn. Quick question,” she asked, waving for his attention.

“What can I do for you, Miss... rainbow-mare?” His words, tone, and smile were small, polite, and patient, completely different from his earlier performance. Its sincerity caught Rainbow off-guard; he was difficult to read, she thought.

She stared for a moment, then shook her head and pressed on. “W-well, hey, I came through to this gateway earlier, and I couldn’t make it in. I... I just...” she sighed, frustrated, “What’s the password? I was this close to figuring it out. It’s ‘stop asking questions, let me in, I forgot-’ ...forgot what?”

Briarthorn guffawed, instantly back into the swing of his grand overture, “Really? You didn’t get it immediately after getting that far? Well, I guess that’s good, otherwise it’d be actually and totally useless as security, wouldn’t it? But come on: you were two words away, ma’am. Ha ha ha haaa... okay, okay, okay, no need for any dirty looks, ma’am, no offense intended. It did its job, I can’t expect you to think like we do here. Allow me to dispel the mystery,” he said with another oversized smile, “If you want in, just tell them what’s usually the truth for us Hope’s Point ponies: ‘Stop asking questions, let me in, I forgot...’” He paused for dramatic tension, making Rainbow unconsciously lean in before he whispered, ”‘...my keys’.”

Rainbow’s expression soured. She looked up at Briarthorn, prepared to laugh at his little joke. He had an enormous grin plastered on his face as he spun his keyring around on his hoof. Rainbow blinked a few times and shook her head in desperate denial. She didn’t want to believe it, but he was completely serious. With a huge, pained groan, she applied a hoof squarely to her face.


	27. Impropriety

Briarthorn wove his way through the streets of Hope’s Point, seven mares and one other stallion behind him avoiding all the pedestrian traffic they could. All eight of them stared in curiosity and wonder at the city around them which fully lived up to its name. At the entrance there had been a very clear set of buildings and stations intended for easing weary travelers into the city. Further in, the city itself unfolded into view. The streets weren’t paved with gold as they’d heard Utopia was, certainly, but this place was most definitely the highlight of their journey thus far.

The city loomed around them, much larger than Rainbow Dash, who’d flown over just days before, had initially described it. At first glance it was about the size of Canterlot and certainly shared its most noticeable quality of being built into a cliff. Hope’s Point differed enough from Pandemonium to make them rather glad they hadn’t been traveling all this time to a smaller version of that city. No skyscrapers towered into the air, no massive factories choked the air with smog, and most notably, the Beacon's veil was not obscured in the sky, which through the color of the force field actually looked quite pleasant. The crowded streets bustled with ponies of every kind, all of them looking quite content, even ecstatic, just to be within the safety of the port town. Businesses flourished, the streets were clean, and everypony wore bright smiles. For the first time in weeks, the six mares from Ponyville almost felt like they were at home.

The second thought on their minds was their new ‘tour guide’, Briarthorn, whose bizarre way of speaking and peculiar mannerisms kept the group on its hooves, not wanting to miss anything.

“Now I hope it’s immediately obvious that Hope’s Point isn’t just Hope’s Port. We’re a full-on metro-plexo-opolis,” Briarthorn expounded airily as he walked them past row after row of clearly personally-touched buildings, from houses to apartments and small corner stores to large grocery marts. He flapped each of his wings independently at the particularly impressive ones while simultaneously gracing his tour group with a pleasant breeze.

“We don’t have much in the way of what you might call... a standard civic structural cohesion.” He rolled his eyes in thought. “But that’s because we’re, to be frank, as completely autonomous as a city can be! The city’s... how should I put this? Founder? Sure, the founder declared us a sovereign nation. City-state all the way.”

“To make his long story short, they’re completely independent of Pandemonium,” Tick Tock interjected.

“That doesn’t seem possible,” Flathoof observed, doubt tinging his voice, “How do you deal with the New Pandemonium Armed Forces? They were established specifically for the purpose of ensuring no other civilizations existed on the northern continent. Got a whole air force and army and everything to handle folks like you. I’ve been curious about it ever since I first heard of this place.”

Briarthorn gave a boastful wave of his hoof. “We’re just that good! Have been for two whole generations, ever since this place got started up. The original ponies who lived here nominated the founder as their King, and he passed down the mantle to his son, who passed it along to his daughter, who is our current Queen. All of them, the best of the best of the best class of ponies.” He chuckled, “I wasn’t completely flatter-smacking my boss when I was giving her derivatives of royal, that’s for sure. She is the Queen. And that’s an attractive thing about her.” 

He noticed a few of them giving him awkward looks. “Hey, don’t arch every lovely eyebrow so quickly, ladies... and gentlecolt. I’m not just thinking about the junk she’s got rummaged in her trunk. I mean, yes, yes, yes, personally, she is a beauty, a doll, a gem, but! She is the ruler of an independent place in a really dependent world. She is really a Queen, and here, the Queen. Of everything! Everypony around here knows her, loves her, and frankly I can’t blame them. Wonderful mare, she is. I think the NPAF is actually scared of her, you know?”

“She certainly sounds fascinating,” Rarity hummed, “I’d love a chance to meet such a splendid pony. I may not be good Mister Lockwood, but I understand the importance of making social connections with the right ponies in the right places, and having a queen on your list of friends must certainly be quite a perk! Why, Twilight here is proof enough of that. Thanks to her, we’re not unaccustomed to being in the presence of royalty, are we girls?”

“Well...” Fluttershy peeped, “I don’t know. Meeting the queen of a foreign nation on a... um.. new continent, sounds like it’d be different from having a conversation with any of the Princesses...”

“Oh nonsense, I’m certain we’d handle ourselves marvelously if given the opportunity,” Rarity laughed, “Just a little class and dignity, and as long as you all let me do the talking, and we’ll be sitting pretty in no time.”

“Somethin’ tells me the Queen here ain’t o’ the fancy persuasion,” Applejack said bluntly.

Briarthorn continued his spiel, waving his wings around broadly to gesture to the ponies walking to and fro around them. “Ponies here have come from both Pandemonium and Utopia, but both for very different reasons. Most Pandemonium ponies come here to either escape the city’s problems, or to strike out a nice little life of profit and comfort. From Utopia, either we have ponies coming out here to help to needy here and in Pandemonium proper, bless their precious bleeding hearts, or they’re the adventurous type and want to have an enjoyable vacation! My dearest little Queenie - pardon, her Royal Highness - she can give them that. A veritable steamy mixy gumbo of ponies from all walks of life. We have your business centers, your residential neighborhoods, your seedy underbelly - don’t worry, all perfectly harmless!” He added, seeing a nervous look or two from Fluttershy and Rarity.

“This place is sounding more and more like Canterlot all the time,” Rainbow Dash whistled, “Canterlot might be a ritzy place all-around, but heck if I haven’t seen all sorts of ponies there, not just the fancy-schmancy types Rarity hangs with. The Wonderbolts may be high-class fliers and everything, but most of them used to be real middle-class folk before making it big. I’d like to think becoming famous didn’t change any of them. The ones I’ve met seemed pretty ‘normal’.”

“Ooh ooh!” Pinkie chimed in. Her voice was clear, as her helmet had been removed and strapped to her side. “I know a few ponies in Canterlot that love my kind of parties too, not just those high-class ritzy ballroom shindigs.”

“It certainly doesn’t look like Canterlot, to be sure. Canterlot’s architecture, while certainly profound and beautiful, is rather uniform. These buildings are all much more... custom-styled, as t’were,” Rarity observed, “And just look at all of these ponies! So many of them are so colorful and bright! Not at all the common drab shades we saw back in the city amongst the general populace. Why, even dear Lockwood’s coat color is quite common. I do see a few of those types here and there, but even then they’re wearing such colorful clothing.”

“I don’t get it though, why’s everypony still wearin’ clothes out here? I thought that law was all Pandemonium’s hogwash?” Applejack asked.

“If you’re trying to get me to take my clothes off, southern comfort, you just need to ask,” Briarthorn said with a broad grin. Applejack rolled her eyes in response. “Well, at any rate,” he said with a shrug, “We’re all just used to it I guess. There’s certainly no law saying you have to wear clothes. The Queen basically gives us all a free pass to do what we want here, so long as we’re not hurting anypony. We do get a few ponies here and there that choose to go stark through the streets, of course. It’s just not... received well. I certainly don’t mind, but by the stars and skies above us, some ponies just do. Not. Have the figure for it. Now, if a few of you were to take that option...”

Rarity brightened, not paying Briarthorn’s last sentence any heed. “Oh, and they do actually have some semblance of fashion sense! So many bland clothes back in the city - you haven’t any idea how difficult it was to whip up unique outfits for us all. Oh my, I’m awfully embarrassed to be wearing my dress in such shoddy condition...”

Briarthorn sidled over to Rarity with a slight spring in his step. “Madam Rarity, I didn’t say a word about your clothing, and I like a good suit suite, because what you’ve got could’ve been a conscious choice. You’re a bold lady, if I might be so bold, myself. Because you’re bold, I said to myself, ‘she must know it’s got just the right kind of wrong to it’.” As he spoke, his smile widened. “When ripped, it shows off that gorgeous figure of yours. Or rather, the figure I know you’ve got once you get a mind for good and a meal just as good back in you. You could... no, should be one of this cruddy little town’s top-of-the-tip models with a figure like the one I’ve got in my head and the one you’ll have tomorrow.”

Rarity gave an awkward laugh. “Well... thank you, I appreciate the... compliment? I suppose it was a compliment, of course. Ah ha... yes, well, I’m used to hearing that sort of thing. I can’t say that thought never crossed my mind, but my calling is making dresses, not necessarily wearing them.” Briarthorn wiggled his eyebrows at her last words. She gave an annoyed sigh, “What I mean is, making dresses is my passion. I have little interest in modeling them.”

“Oh who d’ya think yer tryin’ ta fool Rarity?” Applejack chuckled, “Ya know dang well that if y’all were able ta get yer hoof in the door wit that whole modelin’ business, ya’d jump right inta th’ opportunity.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I’m going to assume that that too was a compliment about my figure, Applejack, and I appreciate it. I must say that I’m touched, and a little surprised, frankly, that you agree with Mister Briarthorn.”

“Please. Madam, Lady, dare I say, Mistress? For you, Rarity, no need for the ‘Mister’ moniker,” Briarthorn insisted as he stopped walking. He took up her hoof and patted it gently.

“Yes, well-” Rarity started, trying to politely ignore his forward gesture.

“How much longer until we get to this food joint anyway?” Rainbow interrupted, “Could we just keep moving and not waste time schmoozing?”

Briarthorn turned towards Rainbow Dash, narrowing his eyes with mild disappointment. “My apologies, Miss Dash,” he said apologetically, “We’re almost back to normal, but I just can’t dismiss the parts of you that aren’t going to be fixed with food or fabric.” He flapped one wing a few times, motioning for the rest of the group to follow. “When I saw you, I wasn’t just thinking opportunity for hay-rolls,” he continued in an almost solemn voice, “You’ve been out in the wastes. That’s serious stuff, right? So would you rather me harp on about your troubles?”

“Well no, not really. We’ve had enough of talking about the crap we’ve been through,” Rainbow agreed.

Briarthorn nodded gently. “That’s the typical thing, isn’t it? What a therapist might call ‘consolation’. But it keeps all of you back out there in your heads, doesn’t it? So my instinct pulls me away from that. Therapy is for when you’ve got the mind to reflect at all. Do you all prefer when a stallion ignores the good in you after so, so, so much bad? I’m just pointing out what I like about you all.” He smiled openly again. “Does it bother you so much that the pony who let you into his home would want a little time to stop, and-” His voice dipped back into its usual candid tone. “Get to what problems I can handle for you? I’ve put aside my plans for tonight, if you’re interested.”

“Is that a... trick question?” Rainbow’s wings ruffled. “Because honestly, I’d rather eat than have to spend any more time with you.”

Briarthorn inhaled sharply, but his wily look didn’t falter. “Ooh, ouch. My double-apologies. My instincts aren’t always great, are they? Not for everypony, some exclusions apply, consult your doctor before using.” He raised one eyebrow. “Be assured, my dear, lithe, and lovely,” he said, watching her bristle at his words, “Rainbow Dash, food is your imminent future. You’ll have to tolerate me for just another block. Or two. Or three. Or four, can’t remember. We’ll be able to see it. Now, now, now if you ask me... well, I know by now at least a few of you won’t, so I’m just going to provide the answer for you: Buns ‘n’ Stuff is the single best restaurant in the city. Immensely popular, line stretching out the door from business hour open to business hour close. But Lockwood knows the owner and introduced me some years back! You give me two shakes of any of your tails- metaphorically-” He muttered something that sounded like ‘for now’ under his breath, then smiled again. “And I’ll get us a table lickety-split. No muss, no fuss. The things that mare does with Dolor foods, mwah!” He kissed his wingtip, and waved the kiss into the open air. “It’s not surprising the place is packed all the time.” He suddenly had a pained expression, the first the group had seen. “Well, okay, hold on. Let’s not set ourselves on the future so hard it hurts! I don’t want to make your hunger worse, ladies... and buff guy.”

“Oh no... more Dolor junk?” Applejack groaned, “Frankly, at this point, I’d eat anythin’, but I was hopin’ fer some real food. Them rations we all took with us weren’t all that fillin’.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hold on now. If you’re groaning for home-grown, she’s got real stuff too. Naturally! I think. But,” Briarthorn said with a flick of both his right hoof and wing, “But! Outside of the really, really, I mean really ritzy joints back in Pandemonium, you can’t find some of the more delectable Dolor brands that we in our humble little hamlet somehow have in ample supply!”

“So then why do you only give the crummy brown stuff at the gate, huh?” Rainbow asked incredulously, “If you’ve got all the sweet score in here, why not pass it out a little more generously at the gate?”

Briarthorn didn’t miss a beat. “If we gave out all the good loot out at the door, why would anypony want to come in and stay?”

“Surprisingly logical,” Tick Tock agreed, “Everypony knows this city has the goods, but getting in is the tricky part. I hear you all are still worried about saboteurs? Even after all these years?”

“Without a shadow of a doubt. It’s only gotten worse in the past week or so.” Briarthorn’s face scrunched up as if a foul smell had suddenly wafted into his nose. “We’ve had a lot of ponies come looking to get in the standard way. A lot more than normal and half of them were immediately suspicious. They never have a voucher, they never have a story that corroborates under those background checks, and they’ve never and I mean not once avoided our turning up dirt that they were with New Pandemonium Armed Forces in some way, shape, or form. That hellscape’s military is, under no circumstances, whatsoever, ever, ever, ever allowed into this city, whether they currently work for them or used to or are aspiring to or whatever. It’s not hard to figure why: anything goes wrong with the shield, and the whole city is open to attack, and you can be damn sure Pandemonium would try to ‘reclaim’ us. Police aren’t a big problem, they don’t get along well enough with the NPAF to be in cahoots, but we’re still even more diligent on cops, of course, than we are with regular folk. Never can be too careful.”

Flathoof looked a little nervous. “Cops? Do you get... much of the NPPD out here?”

Briarthorn eyed Flathoof for a moment, letting his eyes drift down to the red stallion’s Cutie Mark. He stopped walking, and the whole group stopped behind him. His voice turned slightly cold. “Cops usually aren’t that dumb. They’re paramilitary. They’re not troops. They’re detectives at best. Agents. But we’ve had a few, and you know what? Bla- the Queen hates them. I think she might hate them more than the actual military. They’d trade secrets, not missiles. We’ve only had a few, but I will guarantee you this: if a cop comes into Hope’s Point, he’s not going back to New Pandemonium. Nice set of hoofcuffs on that swole flank of yours, big guy. You wouldn’t happen to know any cops, would you?”

Flathoof began to sweat, and was about to open his mouth to speak when Tick Tock opened hers first. “This big bloke? Heh, oh sure, he knows plenty of cops.”

“T-Tick Tock!” Flathoof hissed.

Briarthorn cracked his neck, preparing to reach into one of his pockets. “Does he now?”

Tick Tock continued, her expression not even remotely nervous. “Oh, but not for what you think, so you can relax. Ol’ Flathoof here is a career criminal. Always doing porridge, this big hench bloke.”

Briarthorn raised an eyebrow. “Hench?”

“Beefy. He’s strong, right? But he’s a little slow, if you follow. In the head sometimes. You must’ve picked up on it. Can’t imagine what Lockwood sees in him.”

“Are we going to keep making that accusation all day?” Flathoof sighed, “How many times do I have to deny it?”

Briarthorn stared at them for a bit, then dropped his hoof. He smiled again. “I trust Lockwood’s judgment. Wouldn’t vouch you if I didn’t. And criminals, well, we get plenty of that type around here. Just know... hench dude, that while we don’t mind a pony rough around the edges, there are some kinds of law-breaking the Queen isn’t going to tolerate. Her Majesty likes her city clean not just of your average litter, but pony trash as well. So what got you that nice, sizeable permanent record, huh? Must’ve been a lot if getting arrested is your particular skill.”

Flathoof’s eyes darted back and forth, and he quickly answered. “Oh... just small-time stuff. Looting, mostly. Petty theft. Pandemonium’s pretty lenient on that kind of stuff. In the pokey one night, out the next. Yeah... whoo, I made more money stealing, getting caught, and paying my way out than most ponies did with real jobs. Beating the system, I say.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “See? Just a bunch of stupid stuff. Filching tellies and what-not. Nothing serious.”

Briarthorn smiled and continued to walk. The group followed, trying not to sigh with relief all at once. “Larceny and bribery! Now that’s just a fun time, isn’t it? Useful tools for your toolbox- just don’t fall back into your grabby habits around here, buff guy. We want to keep things nice and easy for your stay. A bribe or two? That’s just common courtesy, really. Always room for that no matter where you go. I’ve already had to bribe... what was it? Three ponies today? One of ‘em was the Queen herself, too. And hey, it’s not even always money. Sometimes it’s little charm and good looks, which I know you all know I’ve got.” He grinned, ignoring several looks of incredulity and a look of clear distaste from Flathoof. “Sometimes it’s favors. Hell, what do you think Lockwood’s done all his life?”

Flathoof coughed and gave Tick Tock a very brief look of gratitude. “Yes, well, I can see why you’d want to keep certain ponies out if you want to keep this place safe. Don’t worry about me, I’ve put that life behind me. Um... so, does the NPAF often try to attack the city?”

“Does about twice a month sending an air carrier this way to scaremonger everypony count as ‘often’? A literal physical reminder for us that if one little thing goes wrong, the city’s as good as dust and if we’re lucky, we’re rotting in prison a little while before being inevitably tossed into the Blood Mire. Again, if you’re lucky, you’re already dead at that point. Let’s take a looksee...” Briarthorn casually took a small, complicated-looking device covered in buttons and knobs out of one of his many pockets and looked at it intently for a moment. “Well, if the guys doing the mapping aren’t being idiots, and most of the time they do a pretty good job, we can expect a fireworks show before the week is out. Missiles, magic blasts, bullets, acidic flak sprays, the works. Great fun, bring the whole family out to watch. Nice even progression up to a final act - gotta love that fancy AMRG-22000. Makes a real nice spectacle. Real shame for them it doesn’t work on the shield. When the big guns come a-knockin’, I think the guys working the street-sweet booths actually do better. Now, me? I like being say, a mile up, just behind the shield on the off-chance they can see me blowing a raspberry. Really, they’ve been extremely obvious that they’re going for ‘random’ attacks, oooo, scary!” he mocked, waving his wings and hooves in fake ominousity. “But please. The city’s gotta file their crap in triplicate just to order somepony to sneeze, so we’ve kind of picked up on the pattern. The Queen likes to organize little banners and junk to put up when we know they’re coming, just for a laugh. She only makes good guesses. I figure there’ll be fliers out by say, what, tomorrow? Usually a day or two before the attack, by the latest.”

“End of the week... goodness, that sounds dangerous,” Rarity nervously pointed out, “Wouldn’t the attack ships pursue anypony trying to leave? How horrid...”

Briarthorn turned and pat her hoof reassuringly, with an ‘accidental’ brush of his wing along her side in the process. “Oh, my lady, trust me, they do. That’s why we’ve got the best, best, best ships and pilots in the world here. All custom-built and self-trained, respectively, better than anything the dumb military can offer.” He spread his wings and gave a sharp salute. One of his wings again brushed along Rarity’s back. He stayed frozen for a half-second in the perfect pose of a precision pilot. “If you’re worried about ships making dangerous gaps in our big ol’ snowglobe’s force field, don’t be. Our ships? Don’t even use the shield for any of our countermeasures. Their ships? Never even dented it. I can assure you, personally, Lady Madam Rarity, that even if the attack is scary, no cruel fate will be befalling you or your lovely companions... or Lockwood, or your big guy,” he added with another perfect bow, tucking in his wings so quickly Rarity was late in feeling offended as it brushed her flank a third time.

They followed him around another corner, and as Briarthorn had said, they could now clearly see their destination. It was a modest-sized building colored with bright pink and blue stripes. The awnings looked like white, fluffy frosting that had been applied with meticulous care. The windows were spaced evenly around the building, their frames lavishly decorated to look like graham crackers. The roof was also decorated with the same frosting-like material as the awnings and was topped with a candle, itself topped with a bright glowing light that illuminated the streets below with a bright pink hue. It resembled a freshly-baked chocolate birthday cheesecake.

“Oh wow...” Pinkie gasped, “This place reminds me of Sugarcube Corner! Mmmm... it looks delicious! I bet I could eat the whole place all by myself, plumbing and all!” She gave a long, drawn-out lick of her lips in anticipation.

“It certainly does have that air to it, doesn’t it?” Rarity observed, “And so crowded, and in the early afternoon like this?”

“Late afternoon,” Tick Tock clarified, “Just nearing supper time, actually. It seems we arrived at precisely the right time.”

“Or wrong time, if we ever wanna get in...” Applejack muttered.

Buns ‘n’ Stuff was, as Briarthorn had said, incredibly popular. A long line stretched out the door all the way around the building’s edge and circled back around the other side, switching directions back and forth several times whenever it met itself. The entrance was the only part of the exterior not blocked by the ever-growing line, and it came complete with what looked like an actual, honest-to-goodness bouncer outside the door. 

He was a dark green earth pony stallion certainly bigger all around than even Flathoof. He wore a black suit and tie and a pair of sunglasses despite there being no sun to shade his eyes from. His brown mane was incredibly short and his tail tied up so that it was neatly tucked behind him. As they approached, he lifted a hoof to stop them.

“Hold on, kids,” he said in a gruff voice, “What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see the line? To the end of it, all of you.”

Briarthorn skipped forward. The other stallion’s mouth curled into a disdainful frown as soon as the pegasus approached. “Hey, hey! Ironheart! Good to see-”

“You,” the other stallion snorted, “I thought I told you you weren’t allowed back here until you paid your tab? You damn near put the boss out of business last time you came in.”

Briarthorn looked genuinely shocked. “What?! Me? Of all ponies?” He shrugged. “Yeah okay, I ran up a pretty meaty tab, but everypony in the city heard about that little shindig! And look at this place now! Out of business my glorious golden ass. You guys must have easily done an extra twenty percent minimum from the raw amount of business during and after that little half-the-city get-together than you had before. Come on. Coooommme oonnnn. Who’s your buddy?”

“I don’t care if we outright doubled our profits, ace, I’m not letting you back inside until you pay your tab. Rules are rules, and right now, I’m the law here. You got a problem with it, take your business elsewhere. I won’t miss you.”

“We can always go someplace else if this is a problem,” Tick Tock grumbled.

Briarthorn blinked, honestly astonished for a moment. “We could, but... you all just suffered what’s been certain death for too many ponies. As far as I’m concerned, this place is the ritz, and you should get the ritz.” Briarthorn rubbed his forehead with a wingtip. “Mister Nice Guy nearly dies getting you here, and I don’t think he entrusted me to just take you all to somepony’s hot pretzel stand. No, no, no. You give me a moment to think. I owe Lockwood at least that much.”

Briarthorn tapped his chin, and paced for a moment, murmuring half-formed words in the back of his throat as he went. There was a look of real distress in his expression. Then, his wings flared as if something had struck him. He turned his head, narrowed his eyes, gave a sly smile, and approached the large bouncer stallion again.

“Okay. My tab? I’ll settle it. Fine. Just... let me talk to your boss, yeah? Let me sort this out directly. I didn’t know she was so gung-ho about kicking me, of all ponies, out for a tab, uh, delay - I thought she was joking! A real kidder, you know?” The stallion just gave him a stern look and didn’t budge. Briarthorn reached into his pockets to pull out a large golden bit, which he flicked to the earth pony. “There, happy? I’ve still gotta see your boss. I’m looking for immediate reservations here. Very hush hush, just between me and her, comprende?”

The stallion looked at the bit, and cautiously placed it between his teeth. Pocketing it, he opened the rope behind him and let Briarthorn through. Rainbow, who’d pushed herself to the front of the group, attempted to follow, but was quickly barred by the earth pony’s hoof. “Ah ah ah, lady. He can go through, but nopony else gets in so easy. When he’s done talking to the boss, we’ll see about the rest of you. Otherwise, get to the back of the line.”

“Oh come on!” Rainbow sputtered, “Sweet Celestia, I am getting sick of not being let into places. This is some cruel joke, it has to be. Uhhh... oh! Stop asking questions, let me in, I forgot my keys!” Ironheart just stared at her with one eyebrow raised. She gave a nervous shrug. “Well, worth a shot.”

Briarthorn turned and gave a reassuring salute with his wings, one out, one bent to his forehead. “Now, now, now, don’t sweat it, my fine line of lovely ladies... and dude,” he added with a shrug at Flathoof, “I’ll be back out in, I dunno, twenty seconds? Maybe thirty? I’ll work this out and we’ll be in business in no time, you’ll see. Lockwood’s not the only pony capable of having a smidge of resourcefulness around here, but boy does he give good lessons on the subject. Let’s let the student apply some of the master’s technique. Be riiiiight back, girls… and dude.”

Briarthorn entered the building, leaving the seven mares and Flathoof behind to sit and wait outside the establishment. So they waited, taking the opportunity to observe the city without having to listen to Briarthorn’s motor mouth. That was one thing they hadn’t noticed about the city before: the sounds. Ponies here were actually talking with one another, just like they would back at home in Ponyville. In Pandemonium, they rarely saw two ponies even look at one another while walking through the streets. Apart from yelling at one another for being in the way, of course. Here, everypony seemed to be part of a real community. More and more it was reminding them of home and how much they wanted to be back.

A moment later, and Briarthorn exited the door and waltzed over to the group with a massive smile, not at all attempting to hide any sense of smugness. He gave Ironheart a small note, which the other stallion hesitantly took and began to read. Ironheart rolled his eyes after finishing the note and released the rope behind him again, gesturing for them to enter. Briarthorn gathered the others together and ushered them to follow, his smile widening by the second as he opened the door and waved them into the establishment one at a time.

Buns ‘n’ Stuff certainly was impressive on the inside. Like the outside, it was decorated to look like various desserts. The walls were painted in very bright, colorful stripes that gradually faded from one color to another as they circled around the room, starting near the door with pink and blue, then going around into white and green, brown and yellow, black and red, and back around to pink and blue. The building was filled with tables that seated a very large variety of ponies of all shapes and sizes and breeds, all dressed in fine dress attire of every color and style they could imagine. Waiters and waitresses circled the room with trays of food that they delivered to tables, and the sight of anything at all on a plate made the group’s mouths water. Earth ponies worked on carrying out the large trays and placing them out on the tables, unicorns took orders and jot them down on notepads, and pegasi circled the air with pitchers of drinks, sets of napkins and silverware, or dirty plates to ensure fast service.

Following Briarthorn, they left the doorway and headed along a hall that was prominently decorated with a rug that almost looked like frosting. They came to a large rectangular dining room, big enough to easily fit a few dozen ponies comfortably. It was completely empty, and other than the single, very large dining table in the center that had been decorated and prepared to seat ten, all the tables were lined up to lean against the room’s walls. Staff members were busily setting up equipment on the main table: plates, utensils, glasses, napkins, etc. One staff member in particular, a unicorn stallion with a blue coat and darker blue mane, tail, and finely trimmed mustache, hurried over to them just as they entered to room, and, without a single word, ushered them over to the table so they could begin taking their seats. He, Flathoof, and Briarthorn helped the mares into their seats, the latter of which making very open decisions about where everypony was sitting, particularly that he got to sit next to Rarity at one head of the table.

All seated at last, the group took the opportunity to look around the room they’d been seated in. Wonder and awe spread across their faces as this dining room was specifically decorated to look easily fancier than anything the rest of the restaurant had to offer. The ceiling was domed and white, with a bright chandelier in the center. The walls were painted a light, golden brown, broken up by randomly-placed splotches of richer, darker brown applied in intentionally not-quite-perfect circles.

“Mmm... oh wow, the walls look like cookies,” Pinkie cooed, licking her lips, “Chocolate chip, my favorite! Must. Resist. Urge. To eat. WALLS!”

Even Rarity was impressed. “I must say, this décor is simply splendid. It reminds me of this one sweet shop I visited whilst in the company of Fancy Pants. Very elaborate, very tasteful. Tasty-looking too, I might add.”

“Speakin’ o’ tasteful ‘n’ tasty-lookin’, where’s the dang grub?” Applejack impatiently huffed, “I’m sittin’ here starvin’, an’ y’all brought us ta some ritzy joint where we gotta sit ‘round with salad forks or what-have-ya? Shoot, a dang hay-fries stand would’ve been a better choice. Fast, fresh, ‘n’ easy.”

“Easy, easy, easy, little miss southern comfort,” Briarthorn laughed, “I just got finished guaranteeing that the the lovely owner of this fine establishment would set us up with a feast fit for royalty! Those kind of hors d’oeuvres might take just a moment, but if you keep the faith and stick with trusting me despite my reprehensible manners, you will not be disappointed. Considering all the spiel I gave that dear young filly, I’d expect to be getting everything in... oh, say, three minutes?”

About four minutes later, the double doors into the dining room burst open and a half-dozen ponies carried into the room the grandest plethora of foodstuffs the party had ever seen. Everything was carefully spread out on the table in front of them. The only things keeping them from gorging everything right then and there were the lightly glimmering barriers of magic keeping the heaping piles of food steady on the platters and trays as they were set up. 

What really astounded them was what was available. They could see what certainly looked like real food at first glance on all of the plates. Bowls of strawberries and whipped cream, trays of sliced carrots, bananas, and squash, plates loaded with assorted types of melons, and at the center of the display, a big platter completely covered with flowers of every kind from daffodils to violets. The one thing that seemed odd about it all was that every single piece of food glistened as if it were perfectly fresh, perhaps even polished, including the flowers.

A dark gray unicorn with a short, straight, pure white mane and tail, with a matching curly mustache stood at the doorway. He wore a very prim and proper black tuxedo and tie and a tiny silver monocle upon his right eye. He diligently watched a tiny stopwatch on a chain connected to his tuxedo pocket while his horn glowed with the same color as the magical barriers. Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie all eyed him with a little disdain, as he was now the only thing keeping them from their food. As soon as the last tray of food had been laid out, he nodded in approval and clicked the watch, causing the other staff members to all collectively breathe sighs of relief.

The old unicorn coughed into his hoof, bowing deeply to the ponies all present. “Honored guests,” he announced proudly with an accent similar to Tick Tock’s, “It is my humble honor to present our esteemed restaurateur, Lady Cookie Dough!”

Behind him stepped an earth pony mare, her coat the same color as the walls of the room. Her creamy white mane lofted into a neat little spiral resembling a tuft of whipped cream with streaks of very light golden-brown running through it. Her figure pushed slightly against the fabric of her dull green frilly lace shirt and skirt. Her Cutie Mark, a pair of cookies, one of them half-eaten, could be seen clearly on her flank. Her smile widened as she looked out amongst the crowd of hungry ponies, then turned to a colossal frown when she saw the one empty seat at the end of the table opposite one golden pegasus. Cookie Dough immediately turned to Briarthorn and stalked towards him in a huff, her eyes alight with anger.

“Briarthorn, you lout!” she flustered with a pout, “You said Her Majesty was coming! So, where is she? I swear, if I’ve gone through all this trouble-”

Briarthorn waved her off dismissively. “Cookie, sweets, honey, candy, dear, just be patient. She’ll be here.” He muttered under his breath, “Eventually.” He cleared his throat and continued. “You didn’t think you’d see her royal grace without a nice little entourage though, did you?”

“Exactly!” she exclaimed, stamping her hooves, “Where are they? They’re always here before she is just to scope the place out like good bodyguards do. I know these ponies aren’t them, so where-”

“Cookie, baby, lovey, my heart, my joy, these are some very important guests of Her Majesty’s, and they’ve had a very hard journey that has left them without anything even resembling food for quite a long time, as you can clearly see.” 

He gestured with a wing out to the group, who were all still hungrily eyeing the food that was before them but still kept out of reach by shields. A few of the mares were visibly resisting the urge to try and break the magical fields by force, most notably Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, the latter of whom was reaching her hoof slowly along her back towards her rifle. Cookie Dough gulped, and took a noticeable step in the direction of the door.

Briarthorn brought a nervous Cookie Dough’s attention back to himself. “They haven’t eaten in many a day, so what can we do for them? Well! Her Majesty is being quite generous, see. I’ve got it on some most excellent authority to show them around our most excellent little town and get them something most excellent to eat, so where do we go? Right here, my illustrious Madame, to the best restaurant on the planet, of course. Queenie- er, the Queen will be joining us shortly. You know how the Queen is, she’s a... very, very, very busy busy mare-y, so you never know when she might show up! But we’re all in the square? Those clearance codes for her account, they checked out, right? You can just throw this little feastie on right here with no worries. And hey, insurance! If she does feel that my... choices were a bit extravagant, well, I’ll take the fall for you. I fall a whole lot, you know.”

Cookie eyed him warily, then shrugged and turned to the rest of the ponies in the group. “Please, honored guests, forgive the delay! As owner and proprietor of Buns ‘n’ Stuff, I welcome you all to-”

“Can we just eat already?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her patience finally having worn too thin as she prodded and poked the shield nearest to her.

Cookie wrinkled her nose at the interruption, and stomped one hoof loudly. “Well! If you’re all that eager to dig in, then please, don’t let me stop you! Hot Cocoa?”

The unicorn nodded. “Yes, milady?”

“It’s feast time.”

“Of course, milady,” he said as he nodded again.

The fields of magic dropped, and in a flash the food was set upon with unmatched ferocity by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Flathoof was not far behind but at least paid some heed to proper table manners. Rarity and Fluttershy were much less active and took their time, though even they were moving much quicker than they otherwise would. Tick Tock was diligently helping Twilight in eating, taking her time between bites to give the other unicorn some as well. Briarthorn, however, leaned back from his own place at the table, shrugged at Cookie Dough, and gave her a look of genuinely-impressed surprise as he slowly waved his wing in a gesture over the feast. There was more than enough food here to feed twenty ponies twice over, and it was being devoured without a single care in the world.

Cookie watched in awe and dismay. “M-my feast! They’re just... gorging themselves! They don’t care a lick about how anything tastes!”

Briarthorn chuckled, “Did you think that I was spinning another of my majestic and well-received half-truths when I said they hadn’t eaten in days? Hunger does some crazy things to ponies. If I were somehow you, Cookie, pumpkin, I would be going to start up the next course. These mares, and buff dude, are going to be through everything here like-” He flicked a wing so fast it audibly cracked the air. “That! ...at this rate, anyway. Maybe they’ll appreciate the flavors more when they’ve had a couple dozen more of them?”

She glared at him. “You... grrr! I’d be insulted if at least some of them didn’t look like they were enjoying themselves.” She turned to Rarity, who was seated next to Briarthorn in a clear position of importance. That, and she was much more likely to answer questions than Pinkie Pie who was on Briarthorn’s opposite, since she at least wasn’t stuffing her face with mouthfuls of food at a time. “Miss... oh, I don’t believe I caught any of your names. Dreadfully sorry, dears, but this was all sort of rushed.”

Rarity daintily wiped a napkin across her lips. “Oh heavens, think nothing of it Lady... Cookie Dough, was it? Begging your pardon, but we should have introduced ourselves first. I am Rarity, and these are my friends.” She started gesturing around the table clockwise starting from her left. “First, my dearest friend Fluttershy.”

“Oh... h-hello,” the pegasus answered with a nod, “This food is really good, Lady Cookie Dough. Thank you so much for all of it.” She smiled as Ophanim’s glowing orb circled around her happily. “Oh, and this is my spirit companion, Ophanim. He doesn’t eat anything, but he thanks you for feeding me too. That’s sweet, Ophanim, you’re such a good boy.”

“Oh, aren’t you cute. Charmed, my dear.” Cookie blinked for a moment at the ball of light, but then shrugged, smiling as the orb bounced over and around her like an excited pet. “Go on, Rarity.”

Rarity gestured to the next two seats. “Those are Tick Tock and Twilight Sparkle-”

“A pleasure, Lady Cookie Dough,” Tick Tock waved.

“Please, you all can drop the whole ‘Lady’ thing. That’s just Hot Cocoa putting on airs. We were supposed to be having Her Highness here, weren’t we Cocoa?”

“Yes, madam,” the old unicorn said drearily.

Tick Tock pointed her spoon at one of the items on her plate, a strawberry-shaped thing with what looked like whipped cream on top. “This really is fantastic stuff. Is there Dolor White in any of this?”

Cookie brightened immensely. “Why yes! Yes there is! You have a taste for it, do you?”

Tick Tock nodded. “When you don’t get much of the stuff, yeah, you tend to notice it.”

Cookie smiled politely as she looked at Twilight, who was busy taking another spoonful of food from Tick Tock. She coughed quietly into her hoof, making Twilight realize she hadn’t responded. “Oh... s-sorry, Miss Cookie Dough... my mind was... elsewhere. Thank you for... all the food. It tastes wonderful...”

“Forgive Twilight for not responding,” Rarity added politely, “She’s had a bit of a problem with her magic lately and it’s affecting her physically too. She’s a little exhausted. Okay, maybe a lot exhausted.”

“Oh, the poor dear. She’s lucky to have friends like you who are willing to help feed her in her time of need,” Cookie sniffed, “Well not to worry, Dolor White has excellent nutritional properties for both magical and physical healing. She’ll be right as rain in no time.”

“I certainly hope so,” Rarity nodded. She continued, “Just next to them is Flathoof-”

He quickly swallowed his mouthful and nodded politely. “A pleasure, Miss Cookie Dough.”

“Oh my, such good manners. You must be a real ladies’ colt out in the world,” Cookie said with a smile. She turned to the next three seats and frowned. “At least some of you have them.”

Rarity nervously coughed. “Eh heh heh, yes, well. Um... those would be Applejack-”

Applejack, like Flathoof, hastily swallowed her mouthful and nodded. “Thank ya kindly fer all this here food, ma’am. Sorry ‘bout ma table manners... ah... but I’m mighty hungry. Like Briarthorn said, it’s been dang near a whole week without a bite.”

“Well at least you’re polite, if a bit messy,” Cookie smiled, “Don’t fret over it, dear. There’s more than enough for everypony. Don’t let me stop you.”

Rarity continued. “Next to her is Rainbow Dash-

Rainbow waved a hoof from her plate. “Yo!”

“And Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie mimicked Rainbow’s wave. “Heya!”

“Such a... colorful group,” Cookie said with an uncomfortable laugh.

“We get that response quite often, truth be told,” Rarity smiled.

Cookie cleared her throat and trotted over to join Hot Cocoa by the door. “Well then, since you all seem to be nearly done with the appetizers, we’ll just go and prepare the first course, shall we?”

Everypony’s eyes widened, except Briarthorn, who merely watched in amusement.

“A-a-appetizers? First course?” Flathoof blurted, “You mean, there’s more food coming?”

“Well of course!” Cookie chuckled, “I was told to prepare a feast, and a feast I did prepare! I’ve prepared enough food to feed twenty ponies plenty, but seeing the way you eight have just gone through the appetizers alone... well, I think I may need to make sure the second course is up to snuff.”

“Second course?!” Rainbow happily exclaimed through a mouthful of food, “Oh man, this is awesome! Thanks for all the grub, Miss Dough! You really know how to cook!”

“Yeah, thanks a bunch!” Pinkie happily waved between licks of her plate. “This is some grade-A stuff! I’m gonna hafta get your recipes for some of it, even if I can’t make it without that weird Dolor stuff.”

“You mean... you all like it?” Cookie blushed a little, and waved a hoof. “Oh! Yes, of course you do! Ha ha! I can see you stuffing your cute little faces. I’ll be back shortly with more, so don’t go anywhere!”

She hurriedly ushered Hot Cocoa out of the room with her, leaving just a scant staff of two unicorns in the dining chamber in her wake.

Minutes passed as more and more food was scarfed down by the group, and soon the table began to look quite empty. By now, Twilight’s energy was returning to her, and she was able to start using her magic again. Though, after a single attempt at maneuvering a spoonful of food into her own mouth and instead ending up with pink goop all over her nose, she decided to leave it to Tick Tock; at least now, though, she was able to participate in the conversations going around the table. The other unicorn’s attention was, in the meantime, focused on the two unicorns that had been left behind, who were busily teleporting plates away to be cleaned and replaced. She watched them with a dejected frown, and sighed.

“It seems that just about every other bleedin’ unicorn can teleport nowadays, except me,” she said despondently, “If I could just teleport as well as you can, Twilight, I’d have gotten us all here in a day or two, not weeks.”

“It’s quite alright, Tick Tock,” Twilight smiled reassuringly, “Teleporting is quite a difficult art. That all these ponies are so talented with it is rather... surprising. Then again, these ponies here are teleporting inorganic matter, which is much, much easier. I’m sure you can at least do that, Tick Tock?”

Tick Tock shook her head glumly. “It’s not my forte at all. Seeing you and Starlight do it is one thing, seeing others do it too is... depressing.”

“Oh, cheer up, Tick Tock!” Pinkie chirped as she threw a plate for the unicorn behind her to catch before grabbing another tray, “Maybe if you wanna teleport so badly, you should ask Twilight for lessons? She’s feeling better now, I’m sure she’d be able to help you!”

“Yes, that sounds like a fantastic idea!” Twilight beamed, patting Tick Tock on the shoulder, “When I’m back to full strength, of course. At this rate, I’ll be my old self by morning!”

“And all it took was just a little bit of food to do it,” Rainbow grinned, “Shoot, if I’d known this was all it took, I’d have been flying loops between Hope’s Point and you from the start. Sure, that Dolor Brown junk isn’t great, but hey, it’s something.”

“There’s more to it than just food, Rainbow,” Twilight said, shaking her head, “Tick Tock helped me out a great deal with my magic deficiency. Whatever happened when Starlight’s magic and mine reacted, it fractured my Ley Lines - the technical term for magical conduits in a unicorn’s horn,” she explained, seeing a few confused looks. “Tick Tock may not know Restomancy outside of a simple Diagnostic spell, but Ley Line fractures can’t be repaired with plain Restomancy anyway. It requires either time and rest without using magic, or very, very complicated Restomancy spells that even I don’t know. I don’t know how she did it, but Tick Tock’s magic seemed to have progressed the rate of recovery in my horn. That kind of damage should’ve taken weeks of no spellcasting to recover from, but here I can feel she’s managed it in days.”

Tick Tock sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “It’s a form of Chronomancy. It’s not like Restomancy because it doesn’t heal wounds, but it speeds up the natural healing process. It’s useless on major wounds, but excellent on things that just require time to heal. If applied properly, it can actually stop certain injuries from even progressing. I used it on Lockwoods wound too, that’s why it was able to stay in the condition it was in for so long, instead of getting worse.”

“You... you were helping Lockwood too?” Fluttershy asked, “I thought you were just evaluating his condition all that time. Why... why didn’t you tell us?”

The hoof on the back of Tick Tock’s head dropped away listlessly, and she looked down, frowning. “To be honest... I think you all had had enough of listening to me go on about how much I knew and then have it blow up in my face. I figured, if I just kept my great gob shut and worked it in secret, perhaps it wouldn’t be jinxed by my bloody rotten luck.”

“That works good enough for me,” Flathoof shrugged.

“So, back to what we were discussing earlier,” Twilight interjected, “If you really want to learn Teleport magic, Tick Tock, I’d be more than happy to teach you the fundamentals. It’s dangerous stuff to attempt unsupervised in the learning stages, so I’ll stick with you for the next few days until you get it down. I think you’re smart and strong enough to handle it once we get that far.”

Tick Tock’s smile widened. “You... you’d really teach me?”

“Of course!” Twilight grinned, “What are friends for?”

Tick Tock was overwhelmed. Only one other pony had ever actually called her ‘friend’ to her face before, and he was miles upon miles away. Without warning, she wrapped Twilight in a hug. “Thank you, Twilight. I didn’t think I’d earned the privilege of being anypony’s friend, not with the way I’ve acted towards you and your friends.”

Twilight blushed and pat Tick Tock on the head. “Hey now, you’ve done a lot for me, and for the rest of us as well, despite all the setbacks. You stood with me when I was at my weakest. If that’s not friend material, I don’t know what is. Even if you are a little insufferable at times. No offense.”

Rainbow suddenly joined in. “Yeah, Twilight’s right! To hell with what I said way back, you know what? Tick Tock stood by Twilight and tried to help her when she was down! Even if she messed up bad at first, she’s still a-okay in my book!”

“I’ve been saying that since the start!” Pinkie scoffed, “Geez, about time you listened to me Dashie.”

“I’ll admit,” Applejack added in between bites of her latest dish, “Maybe y’all ain’t so bad after all. I s’pose we all do owe ya a lot o’ thanks fer lookin’ after Twi like ya did, an’ Lockwood too if’n y’all’re serious ‘bout that. So... thank ya, Tick Tock.”

“Yes, thank you, Tick Tock,” Fluttershy eagerly agreed, hugging the unicorn as well, “If what you say is true, you... you did more for Lockwood than anypony else could have. You saved his life...”

Rarity happily came over behind Fluttershy and joined in, then even Flathoof walked over and, to the surprise of the others, joined in the hug as well. Pinkie and Rainbow and Applejack, despite being on the other side of the table, hurriedly rushed over to add their own number to the grand display of affection.

It was Tick Tock’s turn to blush. “Now really, I can’t take the credit for that. The spell is very finicky, and requires a lot of effort. I was using it mostly on Twilight to speed her healing along. I only used it on Lockwood sparingly, since really keeping him sedated seemed to be doing him more good.”

“And you helped with that too,” Fluttershy sniffed, “Oh... thank you Tick Tock.”

Briarthorn, who had been intently watching the moment unfold carefully without a single word, had a genuine smile of soft appreciation as Fluttershy spoke. He rushed forward out of his absence in the conversation, just as the last syllable passed from Fluttershy’s lips.

“Whoo! Alright! Tick to the Tock to the Tickety Tockety Tick Tock! Magic and spells! Gettin’ things done!” he announced in a bouncing rhythm.

Unfurling his massive wingspan, he just barely brushed the tips of his primaries together as he bunched everypony together, pulling their natural drift towards the green unicorn into an immediately much tighter group hug. He squeezed himself particularly between the two unicorns in the middle of the hug, Twilight and Tick Tock herself. They all remained rather awkwardly together for a moment or two, caught up in feeling good about Tick Tock while having mixed feelings about Briarthorn joining in.

“H-hey, now! G-get off!” Tick Tock hastily began wriggling uncomfortably through the hug, pushing everypony clumsily away as her cheeks lit furiously red. “B-blimey, you all get really mushy when you’re feeling friendly.”

The awkwardness was interrupted when the doors to the room opened again, letting Cookie Dough into the room with Hot Cocoa and another dozen staff members carrying large trays of food behind her.

She coughed into her hoof, and announced happily, “My dears! The main course, is served!”

*****

“Ohhh...” Rainbow groaned as she rubbed her stomach, “Wow... that was some meal...”

“I ain’t never ate so much dang food b’fore...” Applejack mumbled from the floor, “I bet I done ate ‘nough food ta feed the whole Apple Clan all by mahself...”

“So... I take it everypony enjoyed themselves?” Tick Tock grinned as she finished off the last bite of her own meal. “I must say, Lady Cookie Dough, this is some of the finest confectionery I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. I know that sounded... really hoity toity, but your food’s quality deserves it.”

“And what’s wrong with sounding ‘hoity toity’, darling, hmm?” Rarity laughed, feigned offense, “She is right you know. This food has been absolutely astounding! So many flavors, so many varieties and styles, and the presentation and volume of it all were just wonderful! I’ve never been to this fine establishment before, but I must say that this surely must be your finest work yet!”

“You’re all too kind,” Cookie Dough smiled with a blush, “Though I wish your other friends had more to comment upon than just the quantity.”

“Pshaw,” Pinkie chuckled as she cleaned off a fifth plate with her tongue, “As a connoisseur of confectioneries and treats and sweets of every kind imaginable, I’m going to go ahead and give this place-” She held her hoof up in a display of triumph. “My Pinkie Pie Seal of Approval - Six Stars, Grade-A-Plus-Plus, One Hundred and Ten Percent!” She then coughed into her hoof and pulled a monocle from her mane, which she attached firmly to her left eye before nodding her head and speaking again, her voice suddenly much more refined. “As dear Lady Rarity so keenly observed, the presentation alone was worth the trip, easily the finest I’ve ever seen at an establishment of this persuasion, and trust me, I’ve been to my fair share of high-class, ritzy restaurants myself. The service was incredible. We were never left waiting for our next plate, our every request was met, and the staff was clean, polite, and friendly. The décor was also quite attractive, and elicited a feel of being surrounded by freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, and there were plenty of those included in the food selection as well!”

Ignoring the collective set of dropped jaws around the table, Pinkie Pie continued. “And that brings me, of course, to the food! I’m not much used to Dolor brands myself, and after my first few experiences with the stuff, I was of the assumption that they were nothing more than nutritional supplements not designed with flavor in mind at all, and barely even for nutrition at that. Buns ‘n’ Stuff proved me wrong! The incredible amount of skill that must have gone into making these Dolor products all taste like real food, and even look like real food, astounds me to no end! I’d thought Dolor Green only tasted liked soggy green beans, but here they’ve made it taste like peas, broccoli, cucumbers, and every other green food I can think of! Amazing!” Pinkie turned to Cookie Dough and asked excitedly, “How do you do it?”

Cookie shook off her stupor for a second to appreciate the compliment, eager to talk about her talent. “Well the trick is that Dolor products have a very delicate flavor to them, and that flavor is reflected entirely in the environment they are stored in. We have an underground storage facility that houses scores of Dolor products of every color in varying conditions, allowing them to develop particular flavors.”

“Kind of like a farm, it sounds like,” Twilight observed, “Metaphorically-speaking, of course.”

“Hmph, ain’t like any farm I ever heard of,” Applejack snorted, “Meteorically or no.”

Twilight clarified herself with a cough. “Well, not like a farm farm. But I remember when I was living in Canterlot, once every now and again Princess Celestia and I would take a tour of the rock caverns on the mountainside, to study geology and gem-based magicks. In the cave lived a farmer she called ‘Monsieur LeOinque’. He was... a pig. And he grew truffles in the cavern there, like you would grow carrots. They have kind of a nutty taste to them.”

“They’re a delicacy in most parts of Equestria,” Rarity explained further.

“Huh... well I s’pose,” Applejack shrugged.

“The fact is,” Pinkie continued, dropping her high-class voice at last, “That everything tasted real even when I knew it wasn’t. You almost fooled my tummy into thinking I was eating the real thing! The ‘carrots’ taste like carrots! The ‘sweet potatoes’ taste like sweet potatoes! The ‘snozzberries’ taste like snozzberries!”

“The only thing we can’t replicate the flavors of are magical foods,” Cookie explained with a sad shrug, “And some of those are ridiculously hard to grow or come by, even for us. Magmaberries are one of the few things we can come by ‘easily’, but I’m afraid we’re fresh out.”

Applejack scratched her head, and frowned for a moment when she remembered she could do so without taking off her hat. “Well now shoot, I jus’ realized somethin’. I didn’t taste no apples in this here feast o’ yers. Everythin’ under the sun was here, even if I could barely taste it what with all the mixin’ o’ flavors I was doin’. So... where’s th’ apples?”

Pinkie Pie pointed at Applejack in acknowledgement. “Yeah, hey, you’re right, AJ! I didn’t taste any apples either! What gives?”

Cookie gave them both an awkward look, and turned to Briarthorn, who shrugged, equally blank. At last she asked, “What’s an... apple?”

Applejack turned white. “Ya... ya don’t know what an apple is?”

Flathoof tapped his chin. “Huh. I thought if anypony would know what the hay an apple was, it would be these folks here at Hope’s Point. They know all about the food grown in Utopia, a lot more than I do. I was hoping to get a chance to try one! You girls make them sound delicious with all the talk about them.”

Applejack pointed worriedly at her flank, and gestured for Flathoof to look where she was pointing. “These! These here are apples!”

Flathoof turned pink and muttered, “Ah... oh, right... nnnnope, I’ve never seen one of those before. First time I’ve ever seen one, in fact.”

Briarthorn immediately stared with all the professional scrutiny he could muster. “A red fruit, of some kind, right, southern comfort? Sweet and tasty? Very round and pronounced, if I may.”

“I didn’t ask y’all ta look,” Applejack flustered, scooting her chair back in under the table.

“Merely a botanical observation, my dear, nothing more, nothing more.” Briarthorn immediately leaned away, but Applejack saw the tiny grin on his face and scowled.

“They... they don’t have apples...” Applejack muttered, “Shoot... now I know how Twi felt back when they told her they don’t have no books here...”

“They don’t grow them down south either?” Twilight asked.

“I swear, I have no idea what you’re talking about, dear,” Cookie Dough said, shaking her head, “If they grow it down south, we’d at least know about it. We’d be trying to copy its flavor after all! How do you know about them?”

Tick Tock quickly responded. “Oh, they’re from a little sequestered part of the southern continent, see. Very remote, doesn’t get a lot of visitors, certainly doesn’t export any of its food, and they all have just the most bizarre accents there. Only Applejack herself is actually from Utopia. They ended up out here by... uh... accident. Teleportation accident. Twilight here, the silly girl, is an accomplished mage, you see?”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Oh! Yes, right, Teleportation accident. I’ve gotten better at controlling it since then, but I don’t trust trying to warp across the ocean. Once we get back to Utopia proper, I’ll just whisk us all back home. Eh heh...”

Briarthorn, munching placidly on a platter of smoked petunias, looked up from his plate at the clock hanging on the upper wall. The hands told him it was well into the evening. “Hm! How about that. Just look at that time, and how it’s gone by. Well girls... and big guy, we’d better get to steppin’. We’ve still got to get you all set up with rooms for the next week, and-”

“Wait, week?” Tick Tock blurted, “Who said anything about a week?”

Briarthorn blinked a moment, then answered, “Well... you aren’t really thinking you’re just going to run and gun, right away, wham, bam, thank you ma’am? You’re in the city so you’re clear on that, but there’s...” He gave them a wry wince and a shrug. “...y’know, a line? She’s the Queen. Queens are important. I mean, ultimately, sure, no big deal, you’ve already got your appointment all set up so we can get you going. Since Lockwood’s my bestest best buddy, I’ll probably end up taking you all.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “All by my wonderful lonesome.” And suddenly he frowned. “...though, I... I do need to... get clearance from her, and... well, that’s gotta be something we deal with when we get to it. I’m not going to piss her off on that kind of serious stuff. If there’s one thing she won’t tolerate on whimsy, it’s the city’s well-being... and any kind of clearance to go on what would basically be a paramilitary transport operation... it wouldn’t be my normal easy.”

“But... you don’t understand, we need to get to Utopia, and fast,” Twilight anxiously pointed out, “We’re on an extremely strict timeline and it’s getting stricter by the day. We don’t have that long.”

“Why would you have a problem getting them passage quickly, Briarthorn? Didn’t you say they were the Queen’s honored-” Cookie’s eyebrows snapped up and she glared sharply at Briarthorn. “And that reminds me, Briarthorn! You said that Her Highness was coming here for this feast, and she still hasn’t shown!”

Briarthorn looked so apologetic that Cookie craned her neck back in surprise at its sincerity. “Well, well, well. I am afraid that it must have happened yet again. The Queen has so many things to do. Busy, busy, busy. You know how she is. It is a disappointment to me to such an extent that I hope my sorrow matches yours, Cookie. We both love our dear royal lady, but she is, quite sadly... calenderly-challenged. Does that sound about right? You know it wouldn’t be the first time, Cookie.”

Cookie huffed, “I suppose it wouldn’t surprise me if she did, she does have a bad habit of it. Such a shame too, I went through all that trouble to make sure this feast was perfect, just for her. Oh well...” She looked around at the others in the group while tapping her hoof to her chin. “But I digress. Didn’t you say these mares were honored guests of Her Majesty?”

Briarthorn chuckled lightly. “Oh, I did, and honored guests they are. But they’ve also been in the Wastelands. You don’t go through those things without leaving a clear trail, no matter who you are. We’d have to measure the collateral damage, and then certainly I can ask for Her Highness’s approval, but... well. Quick passage? Maybe. Maybe. After my dear friend Lockwood has been all fixed up and given a clean bill of health, the Queen needs convincing. But I appreciate your attention, Cookie. I’m Touched. Thrilled. Enraptured. Overjoyed.”

Cookie’s face brightened. “Lockwood? Lockwood’s here? I never thought he’d leave that dismal city! Oh where is that darling rapscallion? I still owe him a birthday present, the poor dear. And after all the hard work he did getting me those connections with the Dolor Company’s master shipping clerk. Business has boomed in the years since I upgraded my stock, you know?”

“Oh, so he says those connections were all him, huh?” Briarthorn rolled his eyes nonchalantly. “Yes, my dear, Lockwood has finally taken a turn to Hope’s Point.” He looked down, and some anxiety passed over his features. “But he’s not looking like one of our better newcomers. When I saw him this afternoon, he looked like he was injured by something fierce out there. There are some true horrors in the lands that surround that terrible city.”

“Oh dear!” Cookie exclaimed, “Oh no no no, that simply will not do. He’s at the medical ward then? Oh my, I’m going to have to bring some of his favorite cookies to him, the poor dear...”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate that,” Briarthorn said sincerely, “I’m sure he also appreciates you feeding all of his friends here.”

“Oh is that why they’re honored guests of Her Majesty? It all makes sense now. Hmm...” Cookie raised an eyebrow in confusion, then shook her head and calmly looked at the ponies around the table. 

Rarity, with a horribly mangled dress that barely even covered her anymore. Fluttershy, wearing what she recognized as one of Lockwood’s jackets that was dirty, torn, and burned, with nothing underneath. Applejack, with a singed, ripped shirt. Rainbow, with a jacket riddled with tears and water damage, and broken goggles to boot. Flathoof, with a baggy, torn t-shirt. Tick Tock, with a worn sweater vest, a shirt missing a sleeve, and half a bow tie. Twilight, with a sequined vest missing almost all of its luster and riddled with holes. Only Pinkie Pie seemed to have an outfit in good condition, as if it were brand new. Then again, it was armor.

With an audible hint of distaste in her voice, Cookie observed, “I know it’s not my place to pry, but... they certainly look like they could use more than a hot meal and a place to rest, if you don’t mind my saying.”

Briarthorn tilted his head, and hummed loudly, looking out at the mares, and Flathoof. His mouth curled up in what was now a familiar smile. This time though, his eyes lit up too, and he about-faced to Cookie Dough and pat her hoof reassuringly. “Oh I know, Cookie, I know. These poor mares... and stallion, they have just had the most terrible experiences, like any of us would, if we went out in the Wastelands for just a short, yet painfully long week. Her Highness, naturally, wants her honored guests to feel at home here, and after dinner we’d planned on getting them all lavished up. So, if they would all follow me,” he said with a wing-flap, “So that when they do get their audience with her, the Queen won’t have much room to be disappointed by them.” Under his breath, he muttered, “She’d probably save it all for me, I think.” Again, he brought his voice back to normal. ”She is wonderful, our Queen. Such a kind and generous hostess! But alas, just as she forgot to come to dinner, she forgot to leave me with the proper address for exactly as to where we would get them some new, more suitable apparel for their introduction.”

He dropped his smile as he looked into the restaurateur’s eyes, his own positively sparkling in return with such sincerity that she had to double-take to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack all watched with interest, as suddenly Briarthorn’s voice and actions became astonishingly polite and charming without a hint of ulterior motives.

“I hope, after working so hard with your amazing talent, Cookie Dough, peach, dear, sugar, you would forgive me for asking a final favor in the location of such a place that might have fresh clothing for our guests?” Briarthorn added a small wink. “I’ll make sure the Queen hears how much you’ve helped.”

Cookie shook the red from her cheeks and looked carefully up to the ceiling in order to consider what she was just actually asked. She thoughtfully tapped her chin again, then lifted a hoof as an idea struck. “Ah! I know just the place! A few of my more ‘upper crust’ customers from Utopia and the like have been talking about this little boutique a few blocks away from here. They say it looks like just a little hole in the wall, but the owner is absolutely astounding.”

Briarthorn blinked, intrigued. “I... think I know just the shop you’re talking about. But I hadn’t heard of him getting broader clientele. You’re... sure the ponies who recommended him were the most upper of the crust?”

Cookie went on. “I have no reason to doubt them. They did seem very well-dressed, and more importantly they tipped with wild abandon. Supposedly he makes custom outfits.”

“Ooh, that sounds simply marvelous,” Rarity cooed, “Oh I would just love to get myself some new clothes. This poor remnant of a dress just will not do any longer. Mister Briarthorn?” Rarity said with a sweet smile, fluttering her eyelashes, “Could we please visit this delightful little boutique?”

Briarthorn’s lips pursed. He restrained another smile, actually amused at Rarity’s sudden reciprocation of flattery. He turned to her and bowed deeply, a gentlecolt in every way. “Lady Rarity, it would be my honor- no! My pleasure.” His lips wriggled, trying to hold himself back, but finally he added, “In so many ways.” With his façade split, he wiggled his eyebrows at her, and gave her little waves with his wingtips before tightly pulling them back to his sides. “Hoo! Now that we’ve got ourselves a new goal. We’ve gotta keep up our energy. Don’t stay belly-tired on me, folks. Make that food work! Let’s head on over there, get you all some new-fangled clothier ensembles. Now, I’ve got to be clear on this, Cookie. What’s the name of this shop you’re hearing tossed around?”

“Oh... um... I believe it was a Romantique name,” Cookie said thoughtfully, “Um... La Boutique des Miracles, perhaps?”

Briarthorn blinked in mild surprise, then nodded. “Sounds fancy, but that language usually does. Yes, that is definitely the shop I was thinking about. Guess he really is moving up in the world, how about that?”

“Well... I s’pose we do need some new duds,” Applejack said warily, earning her a raised-eyebrow from Briarthorn, “I don’t know if I feel right gettin’ all gussied up though...”

“Oh I’m sure this shop has great deal of selection,” Rarity assured, “The name is Romantique, after all. If my own Carousel Boutique is any indication, then this little shop should have quite a display.”

“Personally, I don’t need new clothes, but I do agree that something needs to be done about our sorry state,” Tick Tock noted, “Surely this tailor can repair my own. I’m rather attached to this old set, after all.”

“Regardless! Regardless of who needs what and how, yeah, we need our where and when right now. And to me? In my very humble and unregarded opinion, all of you absolutely need to get prettied up for-” Briarthorn waved his hooves grandly again. “Her Highness. It just wouldn’t sit with her to see all of you so tangled. For her to see you looking like there was a fight between two mama Gargantuans and you got stepped on for a half-second, just short of your bones breaking. Come along, ladies... and hench dude. We’re going shopping.” He looked at Applejack, and grinned. “Duds shopping. Thanks again, Cookie.”

“You’re very welcome, Briarthorn. Don’t be a stranger around here, okay?” Cookie waved at him freely for a moment, before she rolled her eyes and murmured, “As long as you pay your dues on time.”

Briarthorn only winked, “‘Don’t be a stranger’? Hmmm... aren’t you married, Cookie? You do look the jealous type and I don’t think your hubby’s into three-”

Cookie smiled wryly at him and started pushing him towards the door. “Go on, get out of here. And give Her Majesty my regards.”

Briarthorn happily led the gaggle of mares, and Flathoof, out of Buns ‘n’ Stuff, and down the street. In the meantime, all they could talk about was how good they felt now that they’d had something to eat. This especially included Twilight, whose magic was beginning to slowly return to her, as she demonstrated by using it to lift random objects off the ground as they walked and manipulated them. She started slow, with tiny pebbles that she flicked across the sidewalk, and moved up to litter that she helpfully picked up and placed delicately in trash cans.

Briarthorn slowed his pace and deliberately settled himself in between Twilight and Tick Tock, who’d been walking side by side. “Hey, hey, hey, look at how much better you’re feeling, dear,” he said with a broad smile in her direction, “Always a nice thing to see the results of a little effort and kindness. Glad to help your recovery! And your good friend Tick Tock here, she’s just a peach, isn’t she?”

“Sure sure, a peach,” Tick Tock dismissively rolled her eyes.

“Oh yes, I do appreciate what you’re doing for us, Mister Briarthorn,” Twilight smiled back, “Lockwood and his friends have all proven to be very polite and giving so far, it’s quite a nice change from some of the other ponies we’ve met in the past couple of weeks.”

“Yes, we’ve gone from malicious murderers to flamboyant flirts,” Tick Tock sighed, “I suppose anything would be an improvement over having a group of ponies out to kill you, but I’m not sold on how much of an improvement it is.”

“Ouch! I can feel the sting in that one. The sublimely lime limey with a barb for me, right on timey. You aren’t getting a little heartburn after that big ol’ meal, are you, Miss Tick Tock? I could fix up a heart problem for you, princess. But you already knew that, and already rejected it, right? Too smart for the showboater, naturally.” His eyebrows didn’t so much wiggle this time as roll towards her, earning him another flat-lidded stare. He tilted his head, and his smile and voice became small again. “Easy, easy, easy. Relax. I promise, I’m not going to just try to plant my front to your back. If I were going to do that, I’d have done it already. That should be just as easy for you to believe if all I am is a bad person in your head.” His voice began to pick up again. “Just give me more time on the clock, a little face-time, if you will. I’m very giving, and not just between the linens.”

“Smooth,” Tick Tock said flatly.

Tick Tock’s grudging look in the other direction seemed to satisfy Briarthorn, so he turned his head to the unicorn on his other side. “You hear any of that? Stick with me, Twilight. I’ll show you how a real Hope’s Point pony lives and enjoys their time.”

“I don’t know how long we’re going to be here, but that sounds like it would be great,” Twilight agreed.

“I don’t need magic to make a day, or more accurately, a night, last forever.” Briarthorn winked shamelessly, flicking an ear but otherwise not reacting to Tick Tock’s exasperated facehoof. “After that kind of fun, you might find it harder to leave.”

“Well I don’t know what you could possibly have to do for fun around here that would make me think that,” Twilight laughed, completely oblivious, “But you certainly make it sound exciting. Is it like an amusement park or something?”

Briarthorn, for the first time since they’d met him at the gate, almost stumbled. He almost tripped at Twilight’s remark, but his wings, still tucked on his sides, flittered just a bit to keep him even. As he regained his walking pace, still even with the two unicorns, he stared at Twilight in open disbelief. Twilight blinked at him in concern. Tick Tock went from barely tolerant to holding back laughter, breathing deeply with an effort at discipline.

Briarthorn on the other hoof, in hearing Tick Tock’s efforts to resist, completely lost his composure, and laughed so hard that Tick Tock had to bite her lips to stop from joining in. “Ha! Ha! Baaahahaha! Haaaaa. Hah. Oh. Oh, Twilight.” He flared his wings upward, and splayed them out with a single sweeping beat of air, and tucked them around the two unicorns. For a moment, Tick Tock didn’t even get angry, because she could see he was barely walking straight from his laughter. “Twilight, Twilight. Hoo... you know what? I think your stay here has, no jokes about it, some real potential to be... quite the interesting experience for you. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. Ha ha haaaa.... we’ll talk about it more after we all get to the hotel. Hey, Tick Tock? You and I can get Twilight up to speed, can’t we?”

As his regular bravado switched back on, and with her position in his crosshairs renewed, Tick Tock took a large and disdainful look at the large wing tucked around her, and after inhaling sharply, the humor she’d enjoyed seconds ago was gone in a flash. “I’d rather just have a cup of tea and get some sleep.” Under her breath, she added, “Frankly I’d rather try to swim to Utopia.”

His ears perked, and the slyest grin he’d yet delivered preceded his so far deepest, quietest tone drop, barely above a whisper in Tick Tock’s ear. “Well then, misinterpret this for a while. Don’t think I couldn’t get you halfway there before you even needed to swim.” Preempting a hotly indignant reply, he said loudly, “And we’re here!” Briarthorn declared it like he was calling out the winners in a race, pulling his wings back up and over Twilight and a steaming Tick Tock. They approached the boutique, marked by a hanging sign above the sidewalk. “I’ve always thought it was a nice little place. Flashy, if you’re looking for the ‘battle scars’.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Rarity sighed contentedly as she started to walk towards the door, “It looks simply fabulous. Thank you oh so much for your assistance, Briarthorn. I’ll ensure we all get the most exquisite outfits imaginable. Oh I must get out of this ratty old thing and-”

Briarthorn calmly but briskly moved between her and the door, stopping her with a raised wing. “Easy, easy, easy. Just hang on a second now. Like I said to our dear Lady Cookie Dough, you’re all going to be having an audience with the Queen once Lockwood is back in action. I simply can’t and so won’t let you waltz in front of Her Majesty wearing just whatever clothes you manage to find on the rack. I apologize preemptively, but I’m going to have to make some judgments right alongside you.”

Rarity briefly raised an eyebrow, then coughed into her hoof. “Ahem. Briarthorn, darling, it is customary for the gentlecolts to wait outside while the ladies handle their own clothes shopping. Besides, dear Flathoof needs clothes as well! Surely you should be helping him find some?”

“Don’t leave me alone with him,” Flathoof interjected sincerely, making Briarthorn salute with his other wing.

“Huh? What’s the matter, Mister Hench Bloke? I’m certain this shop has plenty of stallionswear as well,” Briarthorn said dismissively.

“That’s not what I meant,” Flathoof said haughtily, “I still don’t get why we’re going clothes-shopping. Well, why I’m going clothes-shopping. The girls’ clothes are ripped and torn and, in Fluttershy’s case, mostly gone, but my clothes are still in good condition. A little dirty maybe, but-”

“Oh don’t be such a stick in the mud, Flathoof,” Rarity said with a pout, “Why, I’m sure there’s something in there that would make you look just positively dashing. A broad fellow like you could really fill out a nice dress suit, I would think.”

“I’m just more concerned with using this vast amount of free time we seem to have to visit Lockwood and make sure he’s okay,” Flathoof said firmly.

Fluttershy spoke up. “Oh... yes, actually that sounds like a good idea. I’m terribly worried about him...”

Briarthorn smiled and nodded. “Well, now, then we’ve got to do something about that, then, don’t we? Worrying is for warts and we can’t have you being warts. Now, as far as I know, if we want to get you into a hotel that’s, uh, above one star, we don’t really have time to go visit him in the medical ward. That’s all located underground. We don’t want to risk putting non-commercial or if you’re Her Majesty, ‘important’ structures, like a hospital, above ground. Y’know, in case of an emergency. And we do need to get you all new clothing if I’m going to rush you along to see the Queen. Now, I could assure you he’s in the right hooves, but, but, but you’re not going to be satisfied with that, and I don’t blame you, so! If you really want to double-check, give me just a second here.”

He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small remote. He punched a button before replacing it, and then held the same hoof to his ear, clicking the device they’d seen him use before. They waited a moment until something on the other end caused Briarthorn to perk up.

“Oh hi! Doctor Sugarcane? How’s it going? ...I’m glad to hear it, I- what? No, not this time. Do I sound like I’ve been drink- ...yes, a little... no! It was a feast at Buns ‘n’ Stuff, strictly social. It was pisswater anyway- ...look! This isn’t about how much I’ve been drinking today! I sent a patient down to you this afternoon and- ...no, it’s not a barfighting thing! You get angry about that every time I talk to you, and it only happened one time! ...huh? Okay, twice. Tops. ...oh, holy horse-crapples, that one doesn’t count, we weren’t actually in the bar. Never made it in, even, yeesh. Look, I just need a check-up on a friend of mine in there. Can you do that for me, pretty please, sugar-lumps? Wha- …fine, yes, I promise I’ll come in more regularly for check-ups, as long as you take your time... huh? No. I won’t promise you I’ll drink less. Occupational hazard, you know that- ...wait, wait, wait! Hey! Come on! Here, look: please? ...thank you. Geez. Patient’s name is Lockwood. I’m gonna put you on the video line, okay?”

Briarthorn reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small device resembling a tiny, flat television. He stretched a cord out of it and hooked it to his ear device. Instantly the screen on the thing flickered to life, and he showed it around to everypony. They all stared in curiosity at what they saw: a pink pegasus mare with red streaks flowing through her tidy silver mane. Doctor Sugarcane wore a white lab coat and black, horn-rimmed glasses. She hummed softly to herself while busily focusing on the datapad in front of her.

The mare spoke, her voice silky smooth and as sweet as her name. “Patient’s name was Lockwood, right? Well, according to my data here, he’s just been moved out of Emergency Room One and is stabilized in one of our diagnostics rooms. We’ve isolated the cause of his condition and are working to treat it now, and we should be able to have a more thorough report in a few hours after we run some tests. At first glance, my expert opinion on his condition is that we can treat it, but I’m not sure in what capacity yet. I’m afraid that’s all I can do on such short notice, sorry.”

“Can we see him?” Fluttershy asked with no small amount of worry.

“I’m terribly sorry, miss,” Sugarcane replied, shaking her head, “Until we’ve gotten him through all the motions and fixed him all up, I can’t allow any visitors, period. That includes you, Briarthorn. No funny business like last time, I’m not in the mood for any of your antics, got it?”

“Oh, sugar, sweetheart, gumdrop, you wound me! I wouldn’t dream of it!” Briarthorn said sweetly, “With my good dear friend depending on your marvelous medical magic to get better, I wouldn’t dream of distracting you! Thanks for the update, Doc.”

“Just you remember our deal, Briarthorn,” Sugarcane said firmly, “While I do want to be better-informed on your health, I don’t want to see you down here again unless it’s work-related.”

The screen abruptly shut off. Briarthorn disconnected it and returned it to his pockets. “See? While the doctor leaves me personally disappointed, Lockwood’s peachy keen. Our mutual friend is in wonderful hooves, he’ll be right as rain by morning. Does that sound about square?”

“I suppose if that’s the best you can do,” Flathoof said with a nod, “I’d like to see him as soon as we can, though. I don’t care if it’s three in the morning, you take us there.”

“Oh... I’m still worried about him...” Fluttershy sniffed, “He sounds like he’ll be fine but... it also sounds like it’s still a serious problem...”

“I’m certain he’ll be fine, darling,” Rarity reassured her, “So far these Hope’s Point types seem rather talented and resourceful. I have no doubt that their medical staff is just the same, and will have him in perfect condition in no time at all.

“I’m glad we’ve got you at least a little impressed! Now then, back to clothes business, and speaking of said business: Lady Rarity!” he declared her name like she’d won an award, “It’s not that you all won’t be perfect on your own; I just have to be certain beyond a doubt that you get the outfits that would... what’s the word I’m looking for here? Pacify? Mollify? Edify? Enthrall? Enrapture? Expedite? Accelerate? Actuate? Ameliorate? Ah! Yes. Ameliorate your audience with the Queen - really impress her, I mean. Smooth things over.”

“I thought Starlight Shadow was bad...” Rarity whispered to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy peeped back, “W-well... at least I knew what all... but one of those words mean. And now I know that one too. Ameliorate... hmm...” 

Briarthorn continued, “I’m sure you’re an expert in all things fashionable, Lady Rarity, but I know Her Majesty’s, uh, I think... tastes... yep, I’m going to say tastes is suitable here. I promise you, I will be a valuable asset, without discussions on topics of impropriety.” His voice dropped. “Mostly.” It returned to normal as quickly as it had dropped. “I repeat, I don’t for an instant doubt that you’re supremely talented and can handle everything just fine on your own, but I want to help you do the best you can, given the circumstances that find me as your... chauffeur? Or, say, chaperone. You want to make a good impression, yeah? She is paying for it, after all.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Yes, well, I suppose that you make a valid point. Very well, you and Mister Flathoof may assist us. The traditions we’re more familiar with would generally leave this sort of behavior to be reserved for ponies in a more intimate relationship. But... I do agree that making a good impression on Her Highness would be in our best interests.”

“Good! Great! Wonderful! Most excellent!” Briarthorn beamed. “Then, ladies... and big guy, it’s time for a fashion show!”

“Good,” Rarity smiled.

“Great...” Rainbow huffed.

“Wonderful...” Applejack grumbled.

“Most excellent!” Pinkie air-guitared.

The mares and two stallions all entered the boutique, and even Rainbow and Applejack had to admit they were impressed at some of the displays. There were no actual dresses or suits or clothing of any kind to browse through, not at all like Carousel Boutique, but instead, oversized photographs of ponies actually wearing fashions that they assumed had been designed by the owner adorned every inch of the walls. Rarity gleefully eyed a particular photograph of a svelte unicorn mare with a pink coat and orange mane, whose dress meshed astoundingly well and evoked a sense of the mare’s personality and talent in its fruit-themed shape and design. Rarity was impressed, to say the least.

To their surprise, the group found the shop devoid of other customers entirely. The only pony in the building, a very bored-looking unicorn stallion, occupied a stool behind the the counter, his attention entirely devoted to a small television quietly blaring tinny showtunes. He had a creamy white coat and a very trim figure, and he wore a hot pink collared shirt with a baby blue tie. His purple mane and tail were curled slightly with tinges of pink in them. At the sound of potential customers, he snapped his head up and briskly made his way around the counter to meet them.

“Well hello,” he greeted in a surprising baritone, “And welcome to La Boutique des Miracles. I am Haute Couture, owner and proprietor of this fine establishment. How may I be of service to you lovely mares and strapping stallions,” he added with an overly-long look at Flathoof and Briarthorn, who stepped back and waved, respectively.

“My, how polite,” Rarity smiled, “Hello there, Mister Couture. I am Rarity, and these are my friends, and we are looking for some new clothes. As you can see, our current outfits are... ah... less than satisfactory.”

“Oh, my dear, that is putting it mildly,” the stallion declared in dismay, “You poor dears haven’t been walking around the city like that, have you? Briarthorn, you should be ashamed. I thought you had better taste in-”

“Ho ho, whoa now,” Briarthorn cut in. “They were in the wastes, Haute. At least six days with no food. As good as you are, they needed to eat first.”

Haute was instantly mollified but didn’t change his tone of voice. “To have such wonderful colors in such disastrous clothing. But you were in the Wastelands? Of course you had to do what you had to do! What a silly question. Scandalous, simply scandalous.”

“Anypony else think this stallion sounds a bit... Rarity-ish?” Applejack whispered to Rainbow and Pinkie.

“Oh, I figured I was seeing double,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, “Great... there’s two of them now...”

“Please, allow me to assist you poor dears in getting some new fashions!” Haute gleefully declared, “You certainly are a colorful bunch. Such vibrant coats and manes! Please tell me it’s all natural, darlings.”

“Oh I assure you, my good sir, everything you see here is one hundred percent authentic,” Rarity laughed, “I wouldn’t be caught dead dying my coat or mane unless there was some sort of style that was all the rage at the moment that required such an act. But that’s beside the point. We do appreciate your assistance in this. If I may volunteer to go first? I’m a fashion designer myself, you know. I’d love to share some opinions with you while we work if I may. To hear your mindset on making some of these wonderful designs in these photos here, of course.”

“Heavens, that sounds exciting!” he exclaimed, “It’s so rare that I get a chance to discuss my own talent rather than just obeying my customers’ every whim. Come along then, dear. When I’m through with you, your friends here will be leaping at the opportunity to be next in line.”

“I doubt y’all could impress me ‘nough ta ‘jump’ at the chance ta get all gussied up,” Applejack chuckled, “No offense, mister, but this here ain’t mah thing. Ta be honest, I’d just as soon ya jus’ fixed up the duds I’m wearin’ an’ save yerself the time.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that, my dear,” the stallion laughed, not at all offended, “Even if I don’t manage to impress you enough, and I know there are ponies out there that don’t have one ounce of taste for fashion, I can at least take your current ‘duds’ and improve them with a few additions here and there.”

“Ahem,” Rarity coughed, “If you’re through interrupting, Applejack, I’d like to have my turn?”

“Heh, right, go on ahead, Rarity,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes, “Sorry ta interrupt yer fashion show.”

“Oh, but Rarity,” Fluttershy peeped, “Um... isn’t this a bit... forward of you?”

Rarity blinked. “Forward? Whatever do you mean, darling?”

Fluttershy nervously flustered, “W-well, I mean... what with the whole... ‘naked’ thing... and-”

Briarthorn and Haute both snickered, and the fashion stallion tutted, “Oh my. Darling, I don’t think you have to worry about me trying to take advantage of your friend here.”

Rarity smiled lightly. “Trust me, Fluttershy, I’m in safe hooves here.”

Haute eagerly escorted Rarity past the counter and into the fitting room behind it. The others in the meantime busied themselves with taking looks around the room to try and see what it was that had Rarity so impressed. Aside from Briarthorn’s endless anecdotes, only Fluttershy really seemed to appreciate any of the fashion for what it was, but she admitted that Rarity saw things differently than she did and by a rather wide margin at that. What seemed like an hour passed before they heard hoofsteps coming from the back, and they all gathered together, actually finding themselves eager to see what sort of outfit Rarity had gotten.

“Wow...” Fluttershy said quietly as Rarity stepped out.

“Preeetty,” Pinkie cooed.

“Holy cow...” Applejack muttered, “Dang Rarity, y’all look... real fancy.”

Rarity gave a light-hearted laugh and brushed her mane back again with the brush Haute had lent her. “Oh I know, girls. Isn’t it just the most divine thing you’ve ever seen?”

Rarity strut around the counter and brazenly showed off her new outfit with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. It was elegant in appearance, the height of fashionable display, but at the same time very simple in its execution. A long, flowing faux-ermine cape made up the majority of the ensemble. The synthetic fur was the purest white, speckled with gem dust; purples and blues that caught the light of the room perfectly and shined like real gemstones. The cape itself was a vivid royal purple and made of a silky material that draped across Rarity’s figure like a second skin. Their attention was then drawn to her head, where her horn rested upon a shiny silver tiara decorated with sparkling rubies. She looked every bit the perfect picture of a lady.

Twilight brightened and pointed her hoof at Rarity in delight. “Oh! Rarity, that outfit. Don’t tell me, you were inspired by your costume at last year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve? You certainly took it up a notch, if you were.”

Rarity smiled brightly and swooped over to Twilight. “Oh, so you recognize it, Twilight? Normally I would have never dared try to recreate Princess Platinum’s famous royal ceremonial wear. It’s much too warm and showy for day-to-day wear and instantly recognizable enough that I could never wear it to an actual engagement without fear of being called out for wearing a costume! But here? It’s a unique outfit! And it is perfectly tailored to me, is it not?”

“I always thought that you were perfectly suited to play Princess Platinum, Rarity,” Fluttershy smiled, “It certainly is... nice.”

Rarity playfully bopped Briarthorn, who was in a daze as he looked at her, on the nose. “Well, Briarthorn? Now do you believe that I’m more than capable of picking out some outfits for my friends and I that will impress your Queen?”

Briarthorn hummed in thought and circled around her, examining her new outfit with utmost scrutiny. He did not shy away from using his wings to lift the cape in areas to feel the fabric, an action that earned looks of disapproval from her. After three complete circles, he clapped his wings together over his head.

“This was a close one, I’m afraid. But in the end, I think it’ll be acceptable,” he said seriously.

“Acceptable?!” Rarity balked, and Haute put his hooves on the counter, visibly resisting the urge to faint.

He gave her a half-lidded smile. “Rarity, believe me when I say this to you: most people just don’t know her Majesty’s... tastes as well as I do. I think she’ll like it, but I can’t say for certain that she’s going to be blown away or anything... hey! Whoa. Okay. Haute? Madam? Both of you. Stop looking at me like that. It’s not that I don’t like it.” Rarity and Haute further narrowed their eyes in incredulous disbelief perfectly in-tune with one another as the pegasus went on, flapping his wings periodically as if he were angry, his face utterly serious. “I? Me? The bombastic pegasus who has done nothing but compliment your figure before you went and did what you could to correct your solitary fault? Which I remind you, was not from you, but your many ordeals and trials? The irritating grandstander and all but outright accused back-jumper who is me? I think it’s incredible, gorgeous, beautiful, fantastic, and so many other words that arrive at the crown jewel of descriptors, perfection! It’s you, essentially exemplified and refined to such a point of beauty that you could wear it for years, and not for one micro-half-instant of any of the time spent wouldn’t have ponies within jaw-dropping distance suddenly gaining appropriately unhinged faces. I outright can’t think of a more lovely mare to be wearing something so stunning.”

Rarity’s face and the tips of her ears began to tinge red as he went on, and simply flustered as she turned back to her friends. Hopefully out of his earshot, she whispered to those that could hear her, “I can’t tell if he’s a gentlecolt or a lout at times. He mixes up the mannerisms so... indiscriminately.”

“Lout, all the way,” Rainbow hissed quietly.

“Oh... don’t be so hard on him, Rainbow,” Pinkie whispered, nudging Rainbow’s ribs, “He’s funny, and he knows how to have a good time! He’s like... a male version of me! Only a big gold pegasus.”

“Pinkie, if you were anything like he is-” Rainbow started. She realized she couldn’t really come up with a good comparison, and hung her head in shame. “Okay... but at least you’re not... that bad...”

“‘Bad’? What?” Pinkie blinked, causing Briarthorn to raise an eyebrow.

“Ahem,” Rarity coughed, quickly shifting the topic as she realized Briarthorn had heard everything, “Yes, well, I do think this is one of the finest outfits I’ve ever designed, with some help of course.”

“Golly, an’ y’all jus’ whipped that tagether in less than an hour?” Applejack whistled, “I ain’t one fer yer fancy wear, Rarity, but heck, I’ll admit I ain’t never seen y’all work so fast.”

“I believe I owe that to our gracious tailor,” Rarity beamed, gesturing to the equally ecstatic unicorn behind her, “And his wonderful techno-magic, of course. Girls, you will not believe the amazing feats his little machine back there is capable of. He made this wonderful outfit from scratch!”

“That sounds like a pretty fancy device,” Tick Tock hummed.

“A marvel in techno-magic engineering,” Haute smiled broadly, “I had some help building it of course, and the design is fairly common amongst the other fashion shops around the city, but, as I am the original designer, I can do things with it that would astound even the most disinterested pony in the world. So, who’s next?”

Twilight stepped forward first. “I’d like to have a look, if I could? All this techno-magic really fascinates me, and I’d love a chance to really interact with some on a personal level like this.”

“Certainly!” Haute smiled with a bow, “Come along then, miss, and we’ll have you in new clothes in no time at all. Rarity, you said you’d like to assist me?”

“Ah, yes of course,” Rarity nodded eagerly, “I only wish I could have one of these back in my boutique. To be able to instantly put what’s in my imagination into form would be astounding. I’d miss the sensation of some of the finer points of designing outfits, of course, but... well, this just seems so fun. Come on, Twilight, let’s make you look every bit the pony you are on the inside.”

The three unicorns headed into the back room, and returned in much less time than before. Rarity eagerly pulled Twilight to the center of the showroom to put her on display, both of them quite proud of the new outfit they’d chosen. Twilight was no longer in a sequined vest, but a cloak that flowed just past her tail and covered most of her torso and flank. Upon her head she wore a pointed hat, tall and thin. They were both a bright royal blue with complicated cosmic-themed designs, with almost photographic-quality images of galaxies, stars, and planets. The final touch was a gem at the collar of her cloak: an authentic meteor shard, a magical gem colored a pinkish-purple that Twilight knew was a great aide in spellcasting, cut in the shape of her Cutie Mark.

Briarthorn performed an examination of the outfit upon her just the same as he’d done for Rarity, and Rarity gave him the same sharp looks she’d given him earlier when he ran his wing along Twilight’s cloak, then used said wing to pull Twilight into a hug.

“Twilight, my dear, this is exact. This is completion. It is not Rarity, no, you are not merely a lady at the pinnacle of her beauty. This, this outfit is one that speaks of purpose. Your friends say you’re quite the magician, and well, this is not merely practical in conveying that point, but it makes it clear that you’ve uniformed yourself for the task of changing the world around us. Simply put, It really brings out the very rightly-deserved magic in you,” he proudly stated.

“Oh, thank you Briarthorn,” she smiled, “That’s what it’s supposed to do, so I guess that means it’s working.”

”Hey, I’ll say this. Its hocus-pocus has gotten to me, as well,” he said, shamelessly tightening the hug, “I’ll be so bold as to say, dear Twilight, that seeing you in this outfit has me positively...” He looked around the room briefly. “...wait for it... spellbound.”

“Boooo,” Rainbow called from across the room while simultaneously tossing an annoyed look at Pinkie. She could only give Rainbow an apologetic look through her giggling.

“Oh yes, it is certainly a great design,” Haute said from nearby with a beaming smile, “I normally wouldn’t consider this acceptable ‘walking’ clothing, but since you said they are to be worn in an audience with Her Majesty, I felt that perhaps a little extravagance was in order. Just be sure that if she asks where they got these wonderful outfits, she knows who made them for you.”

Briarthorn smiled and pat the stallion on the shoulder with a hoof and a wing at the same time. “Oh, don’t worry about that my finely tuned and sharp-horned friend. Her Majesty? She’ll be handling the bill on these. She’ll see the location on her next credit report. But I’ll still put in a good word for such a helpful stallion as yourself.”

“Oh my,” Haute chuckled as he pat Briarthorn’s hoof, “Maybe this means you’re next in line? I’d love to get my hooves-”

Briarthorn smiled apologetically. “Oh, my dear Mister Couture, I am sorry, but if these girls... and dude, are leaving within the week, it’ll be at least until then that I remake myself. But!” he said with a grin, and an eyebrow wiggle that caused a few of the other ponies to raise their own, “After this week, I might swing around back here. You have a gift for clothes, and the ponies that go with them, yeah? You’ve got the touch, you’ve got the power, if you know what I mean.”

The unicorn’s smile seemed a bit melancholy, but with a trickle of hope. He shrugged with theatrical dismay. “C’est la vie, such is life. While we wait our long week until our next... engagement, let’s get this show on the road, ladies. Who’s next? Perhaps... you, my armor-clad friend?” he asked, referring to Pinkie.

Pinkie waved a hoof dismissively. “Sorry, but I’m gonna pass. I can change my outfit whenever I want, uh, from a spell... Twilight... cast...” She gave a slow nod, plainly proud of her brilliant ruse.

That was until Twilight opened her mouth to speak. “Pinkie, I-” Pinkie snapped her head over to Twilight and just stared at her. Twilight stopped mid-sentence and awkwardly laughed. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly what happened,” she said with a nervous nod. “Whoo. It, uh, it sure was a, uh, toughie.”

Briarthorn blinked. “Hm! You’ll have to make that happen a few times in front of the Queen, but I don’t think she’d be offended with a shifting wardrobe. “

Pinkie nodded with a smile. “No problem! Sooo, I’d hate to make the Queen pay for a set of clothes I’m not going to wear. But ooh! I know who’s gonna be your next mare!” She hastily pushed Rainbow Dash forward, causing the pegasus to trip. “Dashie, you’re up!”

Rainbow Dash sputtered and tried to get out of it, but seeing Rarity’s hopeful look and the wide grin on Pinkie’s face made her think better of it. “Fine,” she sighed, “Let’s get this over with...”

The two white unicorns ushered Rainbow along into the back, leaving the others to converse with Twilight more about her outfit and their own prospective choices. The trio returned from the back in far under an hour, and as before Rarity ushered Rainbow to the center of the room to put her on display.

Rainbow’s old flight jacket had been replaced with a dark green faux-sheepskin bomber jacket. The jacket had a hood, which Rainbow was flipping up and down over her head to get a feel for. It was simple but functional, offering her warmth through anything and thick enough to even cushion against small blows. Her old goggles had been repaired and sat upon her face, good as new. They’d actually been improved, reinforced with stronger metal, and the lenses looked much less fragile.

“Oh, you look simply super! See, Dashie - you always dress in style!” Pinkie bubbled, “Nopony’s cooler than you...”

“Dang right, Pinks,” Rainbow smiled.

Briarthorn approached all on his own and gave her a once-over, purposefully quick and not wasting any time at all to even attempt anything like he’d done with Twilight and Rarity. Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion at this, but let him continue.

“Cool... yes, definitely cool,” Briarthorn nodded, “I happen to be rather well-versed in the nature of ‘cool’, and I can see you are, too. Hints of radical all throughout: the hood, the padding, the goggles are almost as awesome as mine,” he said as he tugged at the goggles on his forehead, “And there’s at least a margin of twenty to thirty percent of added levels of strictly cool in how the goggles and the jacket color contrast cleanly.” He locked eyes with Rainbow, and in that instant she and him forged an unexpected and unspoken connection in the layers of greatness. She shook her head, confusion visible on her face as Briarthorn concluded his spiel. “Right here? This is down-right mathematical. Algebraic, even, in how you let your radicalness, awesomeness, and coolness mesh. Rarity, Haute? You both let her colors work, and that’s saying something for a girl actually named Rainbow. And hey? I know from personal experience that the Queen has a certain appreciation for this kind of look. I think she’ll like you, Rainbow.”

Rainbow blinked, still bewildered. “What... that’s it? I... I mean, no comments about how you’d like to see me ‘without the jacket’ or whatever? Or... maybe that you ‘dig mares in hoods’ ...or something?”

Briarthorn didn’t smile at her, but his eyes did get the determined look they had earlier as they’d approached Buns ‘n’ Stuff. “Rainbow, there’s a fine subtlety to being overly obvious. You’re cool, Dash, you’re cool to the core. And I know you know the precise quotient of your radical factor. Finely-tuned for action visible half a mile off. But you gotta work on your awesome. ‘Dig mares in hoods’, pfft. What a thing to say.” Briarthorn clicked his tongue, tutting at her in disapproval, so plainly that Rainbow was doubly-stunned, and, with wide eyes, quietly trotted back over to Pinkie.

“I have no idea what just happened,” she said simply. Pinkie offered a hoof to bump in sympathy, which Rainbow immediately took, but her expression didn’t change.

Rarity leaned forward, catching Rainbow’s attention. Because Rainbow didn’t shift out of her stupefied expression, Rarity leaned forward just a bit more and shrugged after a few moments for emphasis. “As I said darling, utterly confusing. On one second, off the next. Simply impossible.”

“Okay! Who’s next? How about you, dear?” Haute asked Fluttershy.

“Oh... um...” Fluttershy peeped, “If it’s alright with you, I’m... not interested either. This jacket... is all I need.” She pulled Lockwood’s jacket tighter to her.

“Oh, Fluttershy darling,” Rarity smiled, “You certainly don’t have to get rid of that. But something under it would be a good idea, don’t you think? Besides, Lockwood, that poor dear, most likely won’t be able to get new clothes anytime soon. I’m sure you’d like for him to have his jacket on him when we go and see the Queen, wouldn’t you?”

Fluttershy thought a moment, then nodded. “I suppose I’d like it if he looked his best, yes. Okay... but I don’t think I need anything fancy...”

Fluttershy followed the two unicorns into the back, and as with the others returned nearly an hour later. Everypony had rather curious looks, as Fluttershy was in a rather unimpressive collection of clothes. Just a very simple sky blue blouse, with an equally simple mint green pleated skirt, that they were all glad had been made long enough this time that it covered her Cutie Mark completely. She was still wearing Lockwood’s jacket, which was now not only completely clean, but she’d also had all of the residual damage repaired.

“It’s not too complicated,” Rarity explained, “She said she wanted something simple, so we gave her something simple. The poor dear is so attached to Lockwood’s jacket that I think it’s best her outfit works well with it, and it certainly does.”

Briarthorn nodded wholeheartedly. “Simple, to the point. Unassuming. The sort of softness that you can feel without touching. Looking at the sky from the grass, or the grass from the sky. Like a field in Utopia. Birds and bees.” He held up one of his wings to cut off disapproving looks. “Flowers and trees.” He scanned across the room for a moment, skeptically. “I don’t know what was about to rile you guys, but you can’t just jump me for a rhyme, folks. I’m off point, though. Fluttershy, you’re just the right kind of low-key Queen-grade audience. Acceptable.”

“Who’s next?” Haute asked eagerly.

Applejack raised a hoof. “I’ll just get this here dog ‘n’ pony show over with, I don’t want ta go last. If’n y’all were able ta just remake Dash’s outfit and improve it, I think y’all could do the same fer me, right? So let’s just do this an’ move on.”

Applejack joined the two unicorns, walked back with them, and returned all the same. As with Rainbow, her outfit had not really changed all that much, but it had improved. She still wore a red, plaid work shirt, though this one was brand new and had more pockets. She also wore a pair of dark brown denim jeans that sat tight against her flank and legs.

“You look like you’re all set for the rodeo when it comes to town,” Rainbow chuckled.

“An’ you look like y’all’re ready fer the next air show,” Applejack jabbed right back.

Briarthorn jumped right back into full-blown observation mode. He barely lingered on her shirt, but he was definitely drawn to the form-fitting denim. He took a few steps away from Applejack, his eyes very clearly following the curve of her flank. 

Applejack snorted loudly, “Ya mind not starrin’ so dang much, flyboy?”

He snapped his head up. “Very, very, very acceptable, little miss southern comfort. Especially digging those jeans. Your figure fits your Cutie Mark. Apples must be amazing, because you are positively low to the flow in them applebottom jeans.” Pinkie guffawed loudly at this, causing him to take yet another bow before continuing. “More to the point, though, you look like a hard-working girl, which the Queen appreciates. But I... I can’t help feeling there’s something off, here. Your... duds feel incomplete. This sort of outfitting, well, it needs some kind of hat, I’d say. It’s making your working-girl very before or after. The Queen wouldn’t mind that, but the hat would say your purpose was still going, present-tense.”

Applejack’s expression had soured when Briarthorn spent time sizing up her backside, and couldn’t keep her voice from sounding harsh. “I ain’t wearin’ no hat but mah own, an’ as far as I know mah hat is... lost ferever. So that means ain’t nothin’ goin’ on mah head ‘til I get it back, an’ I don’t care how I get it. Y’hear?”

Briarthorn’s frown of sympathy was open and sincere, and his eyes honestly looked watery for a moment. “Oh, oh, oh. You poor mare. A hat that special to you, gone? I know what it’s like to have sentimentality in what should be inert. To feel a piece of your soul sitting pretty where you attached it. Head to hip and back. Doesn’t matter. Something like that really is irreplaceable. Believe me when I say you have my deepest condolences,” he added with a long, slow bow, “Knowing that the outfit will be forever denied perfection is, in itself, a story the Queen would love, despite being aware that she couldn’t love the story as much as you love whoever made you love your hat. In this specific and special case, Applejack, your duds can be nothing but perfect, even without it.”

Applejack blinked. She walked back over to Rarity, and whispered, “Well, now, Rarity... I see what y’all meant.”

“I know, right?” Rarity whispered back, “Back and forth at a whim. I can’t tell if he’s serious or not!”

“Next!” Haute called brightly.

Tick Tock and Flathoof looked at one another awkwardly, before Tick Tock rolled her eyes and stepped forward. “Okay okay, here’s the deal, this outfit? Yes, it’s my outfit. I don’t change it. I own six more just like it. It’s all I wear, it’s my uniform, I don’t change out of it, I’m not getting a new outfit, I just need it fixed up. Can you do that for me?”

Briarthorn spoke up, his solemnity drained and his cracked smile wide again. “Yup, there we go, Tick Tock. That would be Queen-grade. It’s a uniform. Uniforms are stories all by themselves. It’s got my brand of approval, dear, and I’m fairly certain it will have Her Majesty’s.”

Briarthorn trotted over pleasantly to Tick Tock and Twilight, and attempted to fit himself between them again. Tick Tock immediately got up, and moved around both the stallion and Twilight, sitting down and putting Twilight between them. Briarthorn’s only reaction was to abruptly conclude his judgment.

“Ah, well! Acceptable. Pretty simple! Your outfit suits you. Very... posh.”

Tick Tock blinked, curling her lip at Briarthorn. “Posh? Just what are you trying to say?” Briarthorn simply stretched and cracked his forelegs, one at a time, and said nothing more. Tick Tock’s horn sparked. “Why you-”

Haute took this as a cue, and interrupted, frowning in mock hurt. “Oh, just a repair job, then, dear? That’s fine, I can have that done in a jiffy, darling. We’ll do that last though, for now... mmm, we have one more pony who needs a new outfit.”

Flathoof pointed at himself. “Um... well you seem to have more in line for designing dresses so-”

“Oh don’t you worry, I make clothes for stallions too,” Haute grinned, “Though I can’t say I get specimens like yourself in here that often. This is my lucky day!”

Flathoof muttered under his breath, “After I make sure that stupid idiot is alive, I’m going to kill him for leaving me alone with all this...”

“Come along, Flathoof,” Rarity beckoned, “We’ll find something that suits you just fine. We’ll make you look like the big tough stallion you are.”

“I dunno, Rarity,” Rainbow snickered, “You and ‘tough’ are two words that don’t mix together that well.”

“Yeah, can y’all even do ‘tough’?” Applejack chuckled.

Rarity’s eyebrow twitched. “Oh?! Hmph! I’ll have you know that I know plenty of fashion designs that elicit a sensation of what ‘tough’ is. Come on, Mister Couture - we’ll show them that we can handle making Flathoof look ‘tough’!”

“Oh my, I’m going to enjoy this,” Haute laughed.

Flathoof nervously walked back with the two unicorns. And, only a few minutes later, Rarity returned, followed by Haute. Flathoof was noticeably absent.

“Well?” Rainbow asked.

“Hmm?” Rarity blinked, looking behind her. She huffed, and stuck her head through the curtain in the doorway. “Oh, come on, Flathoof. You look simply marvelous! You wanted to look like a rough and tumble stallion, and you certainly do!”

“I’m not coming out!” Flathoof cried, “I know you’re not used to the customs around here, but this is not rough and tough! I tried to tell you!”

“Oh, darling,” Haute called back, “You certainly look like you’d be able to give anypony who gave you lip a good once-over! If I may, I’d like to volunteer.”

“Innuendos are not helping!” Flathoof yelled.

“Come on!” Rarity snapped, “Mister Couture and I worked hard on that outfit, and I will not let you insult us by staying hidden back there like a little colt! You rejected the last three too, and I am not making any more designs!”

A loud groan could be heard from behind the curtain, and moments later, Flathoof pushed his way out of the curtains. Immediately, the only two ponies that reacted were Briarthorn and Tick Tock, who put their hooves to their mouths simultaneously and tried their hardest not to laugh outright, startling Twilight who was left between the two shaking ponies. Pinkie took notice of this and began to feel a tingling feeling that made her start to smile, though she was unsure why just yet. Flathoof grumbled and came around the counter to the center of the room to display himself.

“Well, you certainly do look pretty tough,” Rainbow observed.

Briarthorn was shaking with silent laughter, and barely managed to say through an overly-wide grin, “Really tough.”

“Yeah... yeah, ‘tough’,” Tick Tock snickered, “Haute’s right, he looks like he’d give some stallion a proper pounding. Hoo hoo...”

“Tick Tock, I swear to the stars,” Flathoof started.

“I don’t see what you two are laughing about,” Twilight said to the two ponies flanking her.

Flathoof was dressed in only two things: a black denim biker’s jacket, and a black denim biker’s hat. The jacket was one size too tight, enough that it fit perfectly but so that it clung to his body and showed off his broad frame.To the ponies of Ponyville, it certainly looked tough. To Briarthorn and Tick Tock, however this same exact outfit meant something completely different.

Briarthorn, still laughing, mustered his nerve and froze his face into a deathly serious stare, his voice dropping back to its normal slyness. “You look fantastic. I didn’t notice it before, big guy, but man, you are ripped. Very hench. Right, Tick Tock?”

“Absolutely. Hench. Very hench,” Tick Tock snickered.

Applejack, for the first time in over a week, found herself unable to take her eyes away. “Golly... Flathoof, ya look... well, decent. Whoa nelly...” She wanted to avert her eyes, but couldn’t. Things had changed since the last time she’d seen him like this.

“Look, just get your little ‘evaluation’ over, Briarthorn,” Flathoof snorted. He sighed to himself, “Dammit, Lockwood. I know this is all your doing. Somehow you passed word around and called in a damn favor somewhere to make sure you made a fool out of me. I swear, when you get better, I’m gonna kill you.”

Briarthorn didn’t move for a moment. Then, he slowly trotted over and began giving Flathoof a very slow and thorough looking over. Flathoof found himself extremely uncomfortable with the attention, because it seemed that Briarthorn was taking his time just like he had with Rarity and Applejack. Haute Couture was giving him looks from nearby as well. Tick Tock was giggling into her hooves harder by the second. As her laughing continued, Pinkie started to giggle along with her.

“Oh... oh wow, I’m so sorry, Flathoof,” Pinkie said in between laughs, “This laughing is really contagious. I’m not trying to be mean, really!” Flathoof merely grumbled in response.

By now, Rarity had become visibly self-conscious. Her concern over the situation was rising by the second as Tick Tock and Briarthorn, and now Pinkie too, continued to laugh. Flathoof on the other hoof was feeling more and more exposed by the second.

“Now, beefy, You’re not going to like this, but... I am serious when I say this outfit works for you.” Briarthorn smiled, and let his eyes wander a bit, making Flathoof flinch. “I know it’s a little unorthodox for such a big stallion like you, but trust me, you’re gonna drive everypony wild with this thing. Haute, old buddy, this is your best work yet. Brilliant!”

“Mmm. Oh my, I enjoyed getting him into it,” Haute laughed an easy, friendly laugh that anyone could tell he was comfortable using, “A big strong stallion like that deserves to be shown off. No sense in hiding that body behind baggy shirts. The Lady Rarity, she deserves just as much credit, perhaps more of it than me. The basis of the theme came from her!” He waved a hoof at her with no small amount of flair, and she smiled, but something about Tick Tock and Briarthorn’s immediate response of even more laughter made her sweat.

Briarthorn practically cackled aloud. “Woo, man. This is amazing. You and Lockwood certainly are close, aren’t you. And-” He leaned his head up and down, melodramatically sizing Flathoof up. “Nm! Nm! Nm! I can see why! Did anyone else catch any suspicious activity?”

Between Tick Tock and Briarthorn’s laughing, there was the tiniest squeak. Heads turned towards Fluttershy from where she sat against the wall of the boutique, her face turning red.

“O-oh, um... I... I, n-no, they’re n-not... ohh...” She buried her face in her hooves. “Oh my...”

Briarthorn gave a single great flap of his wings, and held a hoof to his ear. “I’m sorry, dear, what was that?”

Fluttershy began to shake her head furiously, and as she did, her wings flared, stiffly lifting her back very slightly from the wall. This movement made her squeak louder, vaguely trying to speak words that were ultimately incomprehensible. This did not stop Briarthorn from providing running commentary.

He gasped, “No! They did what? Oh! Oh my stars and garters! You what? You watched!? The scandal! Good thing we got Lockwood fixed up when we did. He only just barely landed himself a catch.” Fluttershy shook her head even faster.

Tick Tock could barely contain herself. She held a hoof to her mouth and pressed hard, speaking through it as she nodded to Briarthorn. “Th-th-this is amazing... So... r-rich. I... I... h-h-had you all wrong, Briarthorn! Y-you’re all right.”

“Thank you, dear Tick Tock,” Briarthorn said shortly, biting both lips together as Flathoof stomped angrily, almost shaking the entire room, “Oh, now I get it. Your Cutie Mark - you’re into the kinky stuff, I take it? Nice cover story with that whole ‘criminal’ thing. Whoo boy...”

“I told you, he and I are not like that!” Flathoof sputtered.

Tick Tock chortled, “Could’ve fooled me, mate! With that outfit, you two... you two... oh, tell me, which of you is the nancy colt in that little relationship?”

Pinkie seemed for a moment she might actually explode, filling up with sparkling pink light before leaning back and falling head over hooves. On her back, she laughed as hard as she could, kicking all four legs into the air with wild abandon, sending bright pink light streaking around the boutique. Rainbow watched in confusion, not quite sure what was making Pinkie laugh so hard.

“We are not like that!” Flathoof barked, his voice cracking as the pink lights shined into his eyes, “For buck’s sakes, we’re brothers!” The mares, except Fluttershy, all looked at him in surprise, making him turn brighter red. “L-long story. Just... just leave it. I wouldn’t even think of him like that!”

Briarthorn took a deep breath, and focused all his energy on not losing himself to a laughing fit. “Well, even if you’re not with Lockwood, big guy, you’ve got to be with some nice colt. Look at all that studly stallion stuffing. Smoked man-muscle everywhere.”

“Briarthorn, if you’re trying to get a rise out of me,” Flathoof said, taking a deep breath and speaking as calmly as he could, “It’s not gonna happen. So just... just get this all over with so I can-”

“Rise out of you? Hoo boy, I’m sure a few ponies here would love to see a part of you rise!” Briarthorn snickered. “Hey, hey, Flathoof. What’s your on-duty name? The job really lends itself to some great ones!”

“Ooh ooh!” Pinkie chimed in, “I’ve got one! Butch Deadlift!”

Flathoof hung his head in dejection. “Here we go...”

Briarthorn scratched his chin for a moment, then pointed at Pinkie excitedly. “You, my good mare, are onto something! How about... Slab Bulkhead!”

“Flint Ironstag!” Pinkie continued.

“Big McLarge-Huge,” Briarthorn added. As they proceeded through their list, Tick Tock actually began crying with laughter, hunched over in stitches.

“Smash Lampjaw.”

“Buck Plankchest!”

“Blast Thickneck!”

Briarthorn gave a great laugh. “There, see, Punch Sideiron? D-d-d-daaamn son! Somepony as slow-steamed and hickory-cured as you, Thick McRunfast, has to be tapping some nice, sweet little stilly-stally on the side. At least now Buff Drinklots has an outfit that makes him look the part!”

“Buff ‘Drink’-lots?” Flathoof said indignantly at Briarthorn, “Now you just wait a second-”

Pinkie cut Flathoof off with a giggle, “Finally, somepony new who gets my jokes! I tell ya, goldenrod, you ain’t half bad.” She jumped into the air.

Briarthorn unhesitatingly leapt up and flying-high-hoofed her. “Well thank you, my well-informed pink friend! You ain’t bad yourself,” he added as they landed.

“Okay, seriously, what’s the big deal with his outfit?” Rainbow asked as she had began to snicker in wonder at Pinkie and Briarthorn’s exchange.

Tick Tock pulled herself off the floor, and leaned over to Rainbow. For a moment, she held up a hoof in front of Rainbow’s ear. But she was unable to even attempt to whisper; she just dropped her hoof to wipe away a tear and kept laughing.

“Well... well...” She inhaled deeply, and bonked herself on the nose. She took another deep breath, and weakly murmured, “A-around these parts... th-that’s the sort of....out-out-outfit, hoo... that a male ‘escort’ wears. I’m talking... adult escort.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, then her face brightened in realization. “W-wait... you mean...”

“Please don’t,” Flathoof pleaded with a long-suffering sigh.

“It makes Bolt Vanderhuge over here look like a very successful gigolo,” Briarthorn smirked.

Rainbow gave a loud snort and fell back laughing, landing on her back next to Pinkie Pie. Tick Tock fell back down as well, clasping her sides and wheezing loudly, completely out of breath.

Twilight stood alone, calm and unphased. She blinked, and scratched her head in confusion. “Uh... a what?”

Rarity looked positively aghast. She clutched her head with both hooves. “That outfit makes him look like what?! Oh Sweet Heavenly Celestia Gracious Bringer of Warmth and Daylight what have I done?!”

Fluttershy shuffled further into a corner, still squeaking as she shifted her body awkwardly around her rigid wings. She turned her face as far away from the rest of the group as best she could and began gently and rhythmically tapping her forehead against the wall in embarrassment in a Fluttershy-grade attempt to give herself a concussion.

Applejack turned red as well, but unlike Fluttershy, did not avert her eyes in the least. Unfortunately, at that moment, Briarthorn pulled his head from the counter to wipe a tear away, and then his eyes went up, past Flathoof, to hers. The earth pony’s eyes drifted not a millimeter up from where she had been staring the red stallion’s frame. Across the room, straight on, dead center: she’d been caught eyeing Flathoof’s previously discussed impressive physique. The instant look of realization in Briarthorn’s eyes scared her. He knew.

Flathoof snapped his head around to Briarthorn. “Look, are we done here? I told you, you’re not getting a rise out of me. I’ve been Lockwood’s best friend for over a decade, and he’s much better about these sorts of things than you, I think. He’s subtle. You’re too flamboyant, I can see where all this is going from a mile away. Nothing you could do would surprise me.”

“Lockwood’s subtle. I give you that. But... hm. Nothing? Nothing at all? Then I guess you’ve been expecting this.” Briarthorn said with a wicked grin.

He moved, suddenly behind Flathoof. With his eyes nailed to Applejack’s own, Briarthorn dramatically bit his lower lip, and flicked out his wing at blinding speed at Flathoof’s exposed rear. Wing and rump collided with an incredibly resonant, echoing smack. Flathoof jumped nearly half his height in panicked surprise, and Briarthorn posed as though utterly shocked, shaking and cradling the offending wing in false pain.

“Wa-pa-chang! Hoo boy! Slate Slabrock, you could cut diamond wid dat. Ass!”

Pinkie, Rainbow, and Tick Tock, if they’d been reveling before, now began howling with laughter. By now,Twilight had also nervously joined in, even if it was clear from the look on her face she wasn’t sure why it was all that funny. Rarity’s eyes rolled back into her head as she promptly fainted. Fluttershy noticed just in time in between bumping her forehead on the wall, and dove to catch the falling fashionista before she hit the floor.

Pinkie was gasping, still actively radiating pink light, “Too!” she heaved, “Too funny!” She panted, “I can’t,” she wheezed, “I can’t breathe,” she huffed, “Oh,” she heaved again, “Oh,” she heaved once more, “Oh.” She took a deep breath and sharply exhaled. “Oh, oh, butt-smack.” She wheezed again, “Oh, wow. I... I’m so so so sorry, Flathoof... but... butt...!”

Briarthorn rested his elbows on Flathoof’s back. Flathoof, for his part, held one large hoof over his face to obscure his mortification. Briarthorn vocally addressed the group at large, but his eyes were still deadlocked on Applejack’s. “Ladies, ladies, ladies. This is the part where, if you had bits you’d be willing to spare, you’d be tucking them into Bold Bigflank’s hat over here, seeing as he doesn’t have any pants. Any takers?” he added distinctly in Applejack’s direction, who gulped heavily but otherwise remained red-faced and inert.

Rainbow and Pinkie were on the ground beside one another, giggling. Tick Tock was wheezing, pulling herself up to lean on a wall heavily. “I just...” she sputtered, “I can’t remember...” She rolled her head around limply. “Anything... like... that... in... in... in a long, long time... oh... Hell’s bells...”

Twilight had authoritatively and decisively asserted her confusion, and compassionately trotted over to see to Rarity, whose head was propped up by Fluttershy’s forehooves. She kneeled down to Rarity’s face. The white unicorn’s eyes cracked open slowly.

“Rarity, are you okay?” Twilight said with honest concern.

“...Fluttershy? ...Twilight?”

Fluttershy stroked the fashionista’s purple mane. “Rarity, oh, Rarity, are you alright?”

Rarity held up a hoof, and both Fluttershy and Twilight took it without question into their own. “Fluttershy... Twilight... oh, Twilight... When... Mister Flathoof... gets a better ensemble...”

“Yes?”

“And... and... out of those... those things...”

“...yes?”

Rarity hissed, “Burn them.”

Haute Couture had speedily magicked a number of paper fans out of his pockets and was even now frantically fanning himself with them all at once. Slowly and softly he murmured, “Oh my....”

Flathoof turned his head around and just stared at Briarthorn, still posed on the middle of the red stallion’s side. “What in the hell is wrong with you?! Just a second ago you’re all over every mare in the room and now you’re smacking my ass? Seriously, what?”

Another round of laughter erupted around the room. Briarthorn leaned over on Flathoof’s back, smiling piteously at the big red stallion, and said quietly, “Well, it’s like this, Roll Fizzlebeef. I’m not picky, I’m just perky. Ponies are ponies, have they-”

He whispered the last part right into Flathoof’s ear, and would not stop fluttering his eyelashes at Applejack. To Briarthorn’s visible delight, she bore a look of utter dismay that showed through the occasional twitch of her right eye. Flathoof simply, on the other hoof, went from red to almost white. Then, as Briarthorn turned to walk away Flathoof stopped him right in his tracks. He glared fiercely at the pegasus, narrowing his eyes in anger. 

“Don’t you just walk away from me like that, after what you just pulled.” 

The room suddenly went quiet.

“Something wrong Flathoof?” Briarthorn mused, repeatedly bugging his eyes out at the red stallion.

Flathoof was about to speak when Rarity suddenly grabbed him by the collar of the jacket and started yanking him towards the back. “Come along, Flathoof!” she shouted, “We’re going to fix this, now! Mister Couture!”

“Oh, such a shame,” Haute said with a shrug, “C’est la vie.”

The trio was only in the back for a few minutes before they were right back out again, Rarity pushing Flathoof forcibly out of the back room with Haute right behind them. Flathoof was now wearing a very plain, blue work shirt and a set of blue denim jeans that matched Applejack’s.

“There!” she said triumphantly, “Not a single one of you can laugh now!”

Flathoof gave a deep sigh. “Took long enough...” 

Briarthorn wasted no time in stepping forward. “Now then, as I was saying earlier, is there a problem, Flathoof?”

“Eeyup.” Flathoof replied with a shake of his head, “I just wanted to let you know that personally, I prefer Gristle McThornbody.” The room remained deathly silent for just a moment, then exploded in raucous laughter. This time, Flathoof laughed right along with them.

Briarthorn guffawed. “Ha! Okay, that was good. You’re not all bad there, stud.”

“Like I said, I’ve been friends with Lockwood for too long not to know how to roll with the punches,” Flathoof said with a grin, “So, are we all done here?”

“Ah ah ah,” Briarthorn chuckled, “Like I said, I need to check and make sure your outfit is perfect, and I mean perfect, for the Queen. That last outfit of yours was great for you maybe, but oh boy, if you showed up in the Queen’s chambers wearing that, you’d be thrown out a specially picked window on sheer principle. The Queen is very strict about what comes in and out of everything she has anything to do with on a personal level.”

“Wait... you mean you didn’t approve of that outfit at all?” Flathoof muttered.

“Oh, of course not.” Briarthorn said nonchalantly.

“So then... all that... with the names and the-” Flathoof stuttered.

“Just bucking with your head. That was really the gist of this whole fashion ordeal. Of course you needed out of that goofy thing, but additionally of course, there was no way I was going to let an opportunity go by. I’ve gotta say, though, I am impressed. It took a loooong time to get you bothered if not hot. That’s some very impressive control, big guy! You’re going to need that sort of thing.”

“Need... what?” Rainbow blinked. “Control?”

“Why in Equestria would we have trouble controlling ourselves?” Twilight asked with a frown, “I think we’ll be fine. Sure, some of us might be a little rough around the edges, but-”

“Look,” Briarthorn quietly interrupted her, and looked at the group with a sudden, penetrating, and deathly serious stare. “Look, look, compared to me? I’m just a jerk-ass. The Queen will take a deep long look into you, practically size up your entire life, pass judgment on you right then and there as a pony and living being, and she won’t care if you feel bad when she does it. She presses buttons relentlessly, because when you’re in charge of Hope’s Point... it’s like a monster, or, or, what? A machine? Yeah, that sounds about right. This whole city is like one big techno-magical monstrosity, almost literally, maybe! Worst part about that is, the Queen’s got the keys in the ignition and the manual memorized, and she’s not afraid to think back to any page. Even the ones with the fine-print and warranty options. She’ll read you, too. That’s no small warning. Brutally honest about who she does and doesn’t like is putting it lightly. Nothing I could just say to any of you would explain how she gets into your head. We’ve been swimming in the shallow end of the pool tonight.”

“Well, so what if she doesn’t like us?” Applejack huffed, “Ain’t like any o’ us never dealt with anypony that didn’t like us ‘fore now. We ain’t bad ponies.”

“If she doesn’t like you...” Briarthorn shook his head, visibly nervous for the first time since they’d met him, earning him several looks of surprise. “I sincerely hope she will, but if she doesn’t, you’d better be capable of handling some abuse. Don’t get me wrong, if you’d asked me to stop, Flathoof? I’d drop it. I’d have been more than a little disappointed if we did, for several obvious reasons. Sex jokes aside, though, I’d be outright worried for you, which I believe I’ve made clear is for warts. I’ve got a lot riding on the idea that all of you will be accepted by the Queen. Had to use her expense account again today, savvy? I enjoyed it, naturally, but I’m gonna have some ‘splainin’ to do. Really, I did enjoy myself the whole time, despite being relatively sober with ponies I’d not had the pleasure of meeting until today. That’s a bucking miracle. Well, maybe not. Lockwood’s always been one to work on those. Today ended up being something else Mister Ultra Nice Guy will get credit for, once he’s out of the medical ward. After all you guys have been through, maybe today wasn’t as terrible for you, either!” He wiggled his eyebrows, causing Flathoof to groan. “Hey. Hey, now. No hard feelings, yeah?”

Flathoof rolled his eyes. “I suppose I should’ve guessed this kind of treatment from another friend of Lockwood’s. I still say you’ve got nothing on him though, understand? Apology accepted... just keep your hooves off my ass, got it?”

“Your ass? Oh. Oh, ho ho, Flats. Can I call you Flats? No? Oh, well. Let’s be clear: your truthfully sizeable backside is just not the one I’m worried about right now,” Briarthorn exhaled shakily, and chuckled, “Point is: Hope that this all goes smoothly when we reach the throne.”

***** ***** *****

With a crackle energy and a bright silver flash, a small clearing just north of Hope’s Point went from empty to occupied, the space taken up by six mares who had suddenly warped in.

“Oof!” Havocwing grunted as she fell on her face. She had no time to react further, except to grunt a few more times as Insipid, Grayscale Force, Red Velvet, Curaçao, and Starlight Shadow all landed on top of her in a heap.

“Worst landing ever,” Grayscale flatly observed as she spread her wings to knock the ponies on top of her off so she could take to the air, “You’re losing your touch, Star.”

“Well, pardon me for being quite unable to violate the criterion of Teleportation magic,” Starlight huffed, getting back to her hooves along with the others, “I cannot teleport accurately to a location I have yet to personally visit, and I am only aware of this one from what little I remember of that infernal Chronomancer’s atlas. I would say you’re fortunate you did not simply splice through the ground!”

“Hmmm... ‘splice’. Sounds messy,” Velvet said brightly, her eye twitching involuntarily, “I like it! I wanna splice something! Hey Star, how do you splice things? Is it like slice, or dice, or what?”

“I think I, like, landed on something!” Insipid complained.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Havocwing groaned, “Get off!”

“Yowch!” Insipid yelped as Havocwing surged with heat, and abruptly leapt away. “Havoc, you dumbface! That’s my butt you just lit on fire!”

“Then maybe keep it out of my face, airhead!” Havocwing snapped back.

“And we are back to normal, it seems.” Curaçao gave a light sigh, “Well, we are outside zee location now, non? Zut... and it is getting late. We took too long going over zee plan, I zink. Grayscale!” Grayscale gave a low grunt in response without bothering to turn and face her sister. “I ‘ave une tâche for you. Are you up to it?”

“I’d rather you just get on with what it is than try to engage my enthusiasm,” Grayscale muttered.

Curaçao was unfazed. “Sister, zere may be security measures around zee city besides zee shield. Would you check around and see what you can find out? We need time to plan our entry, n’cest-ce pas?”

“Typical. Still being used as a scout,” Grayscale said unethusiastically as she fluttered off to the west.

“Wait... late? How do you have any idea what time it is?” Havocwing asked after Grayscale flew away, “None of have a watch, and there ain’t a sun or moon or whatever.”

“I paid attention to zee Chronomancer’s boasting,” the earth pony said simply, “She said she is able to tell time even wizout une montre or anyzing. Well, last time she mentioned l’heure... hmm, il était huit heures trente-sept. Eight zirty-seven.”

“And... so...?” Havoc continued.

“So, zat was eight days and sixteen ‘ours ago. I ‘ave been counting,” Curaçao laughed, “I am very good wiz numbers, vois-tu? Anyway, Starlight, is zee Barrier as strong as we zought?”

Starlight hummed and flared her horn just barely, then shook her head in dejection. “It has a similar energy radiating from it to that of the Gate doors. Thus, it must be energized by techno-magic, which means it is refreshing itself every microsecond. My power could certainly shatter the shield, but it would simply repair itself instantly, as if nothing had happened. I do not believe I can prevent its replenishment long enough to allow anypony through. Perhaps father could...”

Havocwing noticed Starlight’s drooping at those last words, and reassured, “Hey now, don’t go feelin’ bad that pops is stronger than you. He’s like, a living god now or something, right? We’ll make due with what we have, and I know you’ll be able to handle things once we get past this stupid shield.”

“I suppose,” Starlight sighed, “I am curious as to how they could get their filthy scavenger hooves on that manner of techno-magic, though. The Pandemonium Armed Forces would not suffer such embarrassment lightly.”

“Well, we’ll find out when we get inside,” Havocwing suggested.

“And then we get to slaughter them all, right?” Velvet’s eyes slid in and out of focus as she continued to talk. “I don’t just mean those stupid Elements of Harmony, I mean all the dirty normal ponies too! Oh please oh pleeease.”

“Of course we can,” Starlight smiled, “Anything that excites the blood within you, stirs you into a bloodlust, we shall do. I am eager to see the kind of power you wield without your fear-mongering.”

“Yeah, fear may not make you, like, stronger and junk anymore, but bloodlust totally still does!” Insipid added, “Mmmm... blood. All of a sudden, I have a craving for some. Like, have any to spare, Red?”

“Um... no?” Velvet shrugged, “Geez what’s with you, lately? You keep asking us for junk. It’s getting aggravating.”

“Leave ‘er alone, Red Velvet,” Curaçao sighed, “Wizout somezing to focus ‘er attention on, ‘er wanting nature ‘as become more outspoken, vois-tu?”

“Pfh, you’re just mad you’re not, like, my number one best pony ever anymore, Curaçao. For sure, jealous much?” Insipid said with her nose in the air.

“Frankly, I don’t really care, one less thing to worry about,” Curaçao said flatly. Insipid sneered a little at the comment, but otherwise didn’t react.

“So if there’s the big shield here, how do we get in?” Havocwing asked.

“I’m not quite-” Curaçao started. She stopped and pointed west. “Ah, ‘old on, ‘ere comes Grayscale. Sister! Did you find anyzing useful to us?”

“I saw something on my way back,” Grayscale said glumly, “But I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“Whatever it is, we can take it,” Havocwing boasted, “So, what is it? Some big ol’ laser cannon? A... a Gargantuan on a leash?”

“Worse. Those things just have a chance to kill you,” Grayscale shrugged.

“What could be worse than-” Havocwing started.

“Oh, there are plenty of things worse than death, little Havocwing,” came a voice from nowhere.

The six mares looked around in surprise, recognizing the voice instantly. As the voice cackled, Havocwing looked down to see Grayscale Force’s shadow suddenly elongate to twice its size. The shadow split in two down the middle, and the part that tore away morphed into a solid shape that rose from the ground. Havocwing took a few steps back at the sight of the figure’s great silver wings, the first things to manifest. The rest of his body began to take shape, until at last he was fully formed. He cracked his neck in agitation, causing the stetson hat on his head to wobble. Red Velvet brightened immensely, the scar along her spine slitting open to ooze a thick tendril of blood that slowly took the shape of a top hat-wearing snake.

“Fancy meeting you all here,” Shadowstep scoffed, more than a hint of disdain tinging his voice, “Small little world, isn’t it? Funny, I could have sworn that my master took you all off this little assignment.”

“Assignment?” Havocwing nervously laughed, “Oh, w-what assignment?”

“Don’t play stupid. Oh, wait, sorry, you’re not acting are you? Just don’t talk then,” Shadowstep ridiculed, spitting a wad of black bile on the dirt.

“We are not here to complete any sort of assignment,” Starlight stated simply.

“Oh? So you’re here for some other convoluted reason, I take it?”

Curaçao stepped forward. “Oui, we are ‘ere on vacation. Papa gave us some time to ourselves, and we ‘ave ‘eard a lot about zis ‘’ope’s Point’, and of Utopia beyond.”

“If it’s Utopia you’re interested in, there are airships in Pandemonium that would take you there,” he responded with a smirk.

“Oh of course, but ‘oo wants to be crowded onto a ship wiz a bunch of zee common folk? We are of a more esteemed class, n’est-ce pas? ‘ope’s Point ‘as zee opportunity for private passage.”

Shadowstep hummed. “I see. You realize of course that the Elements of Harmony are already inside, don’t you? You’re not here because of them are you?”

“Oh, are zey?” Curaçao blinked, “Well fancy zat, I zought zey would be dead by now. After all, you are papa’s number one assassin, oui? Tsk tsk, papa would be disappointed to know zey eluded you. Oh, I ‘ope zis does not ruin our vacation.”

Shadowstep grit his fanged, rotten teeth. “A small delay, nothing more. My master still has a purpose for me, that’s why I’m still here. Unlike the rest of you, who he’s discharged. Frankly I’m astounded you’re all still alive. You must not have been worth his time.”

“Oh dear, ‘ave I struck a nerve?” Curaçao smirked, “I am so sorry, Monsieur Shadowstep. I meant no offense.”

Shadowstep spat another glob of black bile on the ground. “You just steer clear of the Elements of Harmony. That is my assignment now. I’ve been instructed to destroy them and the Chronomancer, and anypony else that gets in my way. That includes you if you try to take upon the job for yourself, and don’t think milord would be upset if I did.”

“Big talk coming from one pony against six,” Havocwing sneered.

Shadowstep glared in her direction, and in an instant sunk into the shadow on the ground and disappeared. Havocwing swung her head back and forth looking for him, only to back into him as he reappeared behind her, manifesting out of her shadow. She yelped and leapt back a few steps.

“Now see, the difference between you and me is, I don’t fear death,” he whispered, “I can exist like this without anything to fear except my lord and master’s disapproval. Nothing any of you could do to me compares to what he can do, especially now. You, though... if you get on my bad side? You may as well forget ever sleeping again. It might be tomorrow, it might be in a week, it might be three years from now, but one night, I will come for you, and your ‘sisters’ will find your head someplace they shouldn’t and your body twenty miles away. Understand that, before you try to ‘talk big’ to me again.”

Red Velvet squealed in delight. “Oh. My. Stars. That was hot.”

Shadowstep grunted in her direction. “Oh, you again. You seem to be the only one of your ‘sisters’ that doesn’t hold any disdain for me. I find that odd, considering you’re just as much of a useless tool as they all are.”

Velvet’s smile dipped into a colossal frown, and she looked as if she was about to cry. Then, the tendril of blood at Velvet’s side leaned into her ear, and she nodded a few times as it bobbed around. Shadowstep watched in confusion. It was as if she was listening to somepony talk into her ear. She perked up instantly, all sense of her sadness gone.

She giggled, “Clottles tells me that you only really hurt the ones you love. So you must really like me to say such mean things. Hee hee, if you ever wanna get rough, stud, I can take it. Healing factor, plus violent orgy, equals-”

“Red, seriously?” Havocwing blanched, “You’re grossing me out. More than usual.”

Velvet stuck her tongue out at Havocwing. “Oh hush, Havoc. You’re just jealous that I’ve got a stallion in my life now. And we’re going to get married in a chapel of bones and have a biiiig wedding cake made of the flesh of our enemies, and have little horrible little blood spawn children and we’ll live happily ever after! Clottles said so, didn’t you Clottles?”

The tendril of blood formed a mouth that spoke in tune with her horrible ventriloquism. “Yes yes, of course, Red! This strapping young lad is a perfect mate for you, none better I say!”

Shadowstep shook his head in disbelief. “Wow. Incredible. I knew you all were useless, but you, you’re actually insane! Heh. Maybe I should do the world a favor and just rid it of another nutcase. A shame too, I may have stayed interested if your mind was still in one piece...”

“You lay one hoof on her-” Havocwing started, igniting one hoof.

“Oh, he can lay his hooves wherever he wants,” Velvet cooed.

Starlight huffed in an attempt to return the conversation to a more sane topic. “Your ego has burgeoned since our father’s ascension, I see. Do you forget who you speak to? You dare to threaten us?”

“Oh, threaten?” Shadowstep said with mock hurt, “In order for me to feel the need to threaten you, you’d have to have some semblance of importance in the world. You’re nothing more than a gaggle of clones. Pathetic inverted copies. Cauldron-born. Worthless. Knock-offs. Cheap imitations ponies simply ignore in the most vainglorious, hypocritical hole of a pawn shop in New Pandemonium, the kind that trades in orphans. Orphans. Orphans, and other unwanted, unloved children who were abandoned just after they were born. Failed abortions, to become wards of the state, tossed aside before they were born; even those filthy little creatures are marginally useful alive as capital. As property. You aren’t even that. You barely even exist as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Other than my lord and master, myself, and those pathetic ‘originals’ and their friends, does anypony even know you exist? Anypony at all? ...Hm? That’s right. Nopony even cares. I thought not.”

Starlight seethed and flared her horn up brighter than ever. “You impertinent little-”

Curaçao put a hoof to Starlight’s shoulder. “Calm yourself sister, no need for any of sort of display. We are ‘ere for fun, remember? Shadowstep simply wishes to sound like ‘e is a danger to us after ‘is failure to complete ‘is task.” Shadowstep’s glare turned over to her, but she was unfazed. “Now zen, Monsieur Shadowstep, if you are all done ‘ere, we would like to get back to our vacation, voyez-vous?”

Shadowstep again spat and waved a metal wing dismissively. “Very well, you can carry on for now. But I’ll repeat myself once more for good measure: Stay out of my way.”

Shadowstep was about to melt into the ground again when Insipid bounded forward, smiling at him widely. “Wait!” Shadowstep stopped, eyeing Insipid with both disdain and curiosity as she bounced on her hooves. “That hat! I, like, recognize it!”

Curaçao perked up at this. “Ah, oui! Zat is Applejack’s chapeau! I was wondering about zat. ‘ow did you-”

Shadowstep’s smug grin returned to his decaying face. “Oh, do you like it? A souvenir I bagged up on the clifftop. I may not have managed to kill any of them, but I have a little trump card for when I engage Applejack alone. This hat of hers seemed important to her. I’m going to enjoy seeing her crumble when I tear it into shreds in front of her.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Insipid snapped, “I want that hat! Horseapples I’m, like, gonna let you ruin it!”

“You... want Applejack’s hat?” Havocwing balked.

“Like, for. Sure,” Insipid said with a nod, “If it belongs to one of the, like, originals, that means it’s perfect? I want perfect! I want that hat! Gimme gimme gimme! Gimme it now!”

Shadowstep’s eyes narrowed. “Um... no. Finders keepers.”

Insipid seethed at him and took another step forward, causing him to sneer and flare his metal wings in anticipation. Her voice deepened, carrying a slight echo. “I said, gimme! I. Want. That. Hat!”

“Insipid, whoa, hold on,” Havocwing interjected, startled at her sister’s voice.

The black unicorn’s normal whine became a genuinely menacing growl. “I want it. Give it to me. Now!”

“You want it?” Shadowstep taunted, “Just try to-”

Insipid lunged a hoof forward and smashed him in the face with it, latching on with all her might with a powerful surge of draining energy. Shadowstep looked stunned at the attempt at first, but shook that off, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

“I said I can’t feel pain unless it stems from my master,” he said angrily, “I’m insulted that you-”

Insipid growled and punched him with the other hoof, doubling her efforts. This time, though, he did react. He yowled in pain and stumbled back a step. Insipid didn’t let go, even as he attempted to swing a bladed wing at her. His attempt fell short when the wing collapsed, exhausted, as she surged more power through her hooves. As soon as he was distracted, she yanked the hat right off his head and placed it on her own, walking casually back to the group, speaking as if nothing had happened.

“I told him, like, I wanted the hat? Right so, no big deal, I, like, totally got it!”

Havocwing was stunned silent, and her jaw hung so low it could touch the ground. Curaçao watched with intense worry, her eyes flickering back and forth between Insipid and Shadowstep, who lay sprawled in the dirt, twitching in obvious pain. Starlight nodded her head and pursed her lip in approval, obviously impressed with Insipid’s display. Red Velvet, on the other hoof, held a hoof to her mouth and desperately wanted to rush over to Shadowstep’s side, but was only stopped by the tendril of blood whispering in her ear. Even Grayscale had reacted, leaning her head back and watching Insipid with widened eyes, glad that since everypony’s attention was on her sister, nopony would see her own reaction. She swallowed and watched as Insipid made several tacky poses displaying the hat like a fresh, new toy.

“Oooh, I like it,” Insipid cooed as she straightened it, “Girls, look! I’m Applejack! Howdy howdy howdy!” 

Shadowstep warily got to his hooves and glared at the black unicorn. His left eye, his normal eye, was now suddenly blazing red. As he seethed in anger, his metal wings flexed and bristled, displaying dozens of long feathers as sharp as knives. “What did you do?!”

“Huh?” Insipid blinked. “Oh! Like, I drained your energy or what-ever? Your power is pretty neat-o, too! Shadows are coolsies. Major fresh. Not like you, scuzzball! I think I’ll keep it for a while. Daddy seems to like you, so maybe he’ll, like, like me more if I have a power like yours? Or like, the power that is yours, or some junk? Cha.”

Shadowstep took a brief step forward, but suddenly shot to attention, stopping mid-step. Without a word, he shot a last look of disgust at the mares and then melted into the dirt.

“Whoa... Insipid,” Havocwing gulped in awe, “That was... wow. I don’t think a word exists that can describe what just happened.”

“Monumental,” Starlight said at once.

“What? Oh! He should have, like, known not to get between me and what I want or whatever? Ponies get, like, hurt, super-serious,” she said with a carefree tone, “For. Sure. Like, if he’d tried to keep the hat from me, I totally would’ve drained him to his last drop. I do not know what Daddy sees in him. Major. Loser.”

Starlight Shadow spoke up, her voice angry but not loud. “Still, Insipid, that was hazardous! What if that stunt hadn’t worked? He would have sliced you into tiny little bits!”

Insipid shyed away from Starlight and tugged the hat over her eyes. “Ooh... um... s-sorry boss! I mean, Star! Starboss! Please don’t punish me! I’ll be good! Oooh...”

Starlight groaned and put a hoof to her face. Havocwing and Curaçao shared brief glances with one another, then looked at Starlight.

“Starlight, could you come wiz us a moment?” Curaçao asked politely.

“Hmm? Oh, certainly,” the unicorn replied. The trio stepped aside a few dozen paces, then turned to face one another. Starlight spoke first. “What is it you wish to discuss?”

“We’ve got a job for you,” Havocwing said simply, “You want to prove you can be leader again, well, we’re gonna give you that opportunity.”

Starlight winced for a moment, but then nodded. “I would... be glad to hear of this opportunity.”

“Insipid is... well, ‘as always been dangereuse, oui?” Curaçao said nervously, “It is a part of ‘er, it is what makes ‘er Rarity’s opposite. Rarity, ‘er first goal was always ‘elping ‘er friends. Insipid, ‘owever, only wants more, more, more. After our... birth, she was, ‘ow do you say, violent when she did not get ‘er way. She is incredibly air-’eaded, but ‘as always been useful, oui? Zat is why I gave ‘er a single object to latch onto - moi. Wiz moi as ‘er focus, she could be directed. Une arme- a weapon we could control. Wiz... wiz what ‘as ‘appened, she no longer ‘as zat focus, and I fear zat zat violent streak of ‘ers may return. Per’aps even get worse.”

“I do recall witnessing her in such a state after the ‘accident’,” Starlight noted with emphasized distaste of that particular word, “I was impressed with her potential... but I had no inkling she could possibly have this much. To attain what she desired, she inflicted pain upon a pony who had no fathomable rationale to lie about being immune to it. He was relaying, at the very least, what he surmised to be the truth, is that correct Curaçao?”

“Oui, zat ‘e was. Zat is why we need you.”

“What would you ask of me?” Starlight asked with open concern and duty.

“Well... I know you won’t really like this, but... what we’re saying is, we need you to make sure Insipid stays... calm,” Havocwing continued, rubbing her cheek as she drew the words out, “We were worried about how to handle it at first, but seeing her just now... she responds to you, still. The rest of us, other than Curaçao... formerly, could barely get anything out of her. She said she could have drained him to his last drop...” Havoc shuddered. “And I don’t need Curaçao telling me that she wasn’t lying. She’s too dumb to lie about it. But she’s still scared of you. You’re still the strongest.”

“So I am to be her babysitter, is that it?” Starlight muttered with a sigh.

“Je suis désolé, ma sœur, but... in a nutshell, oui,” Curaçao said, echoing Starlight’s dismay, “Until we find zee Elements of ‘armony again so we can direct ‘er at Rarity, we need to make sure she does not do... does not do what she just did to Shadowstep to any of us. Zat is what I meant by dangereuse. I fear zat ‘er wanting nature may be worse now zat zee intensity of ‘er desire ‘as increased.”

Starlight hummed for a moment, then nodded. “I recognize the danger, and your anxiety is duly noted. Very well, you have my word that I will maintain a short leash on her. Perhaps I can do more adequately with her than I did with Red Velvet.”

“That’s the spirit!” Havocwing smiled, “Okay, go on then. Curaçao and I need to have a chat about what we’re going to do here.”

Starlight nodded and left, allowing the oldest two siblings be alone. As soon as she was out of earshot, the two closed the remaining few dozen steps to the force field. Havocwing poked it warily with a hoof and yanked it back with a yelp. She sighed in disappointment.

“This sucks,” she groaned simply.

“Oui, it certainly does ‘suck’,” Curaçao agreed, her voice melancholy.

Havocwing noticed it immediately. “Hey, you alright there, Curaçao?”

Curaçao nodded for a second, but her head slowed to an abrupt stop. She stared ahead for a moment and shook her head, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. She slammed her hoof on the shield, letting it sit there and fizzle for a second before snapping it away. “Zut! Zut zut zut! It isn’t fair, ‘avocwing! It isn’t fair!”

Havocwing frowned. “Hey... whoa, Curaçao... oh man, come on, not you too...”

The earth pony’s head shook furiously, her eyes shut tight. “It’s not like zat, ‘avocwing! I ‘ave no real problems wiz zee ‘ole ‘we are copies’ issue. I... suppose I always knew zere was more to my connection wiz Applejack zan met zee eye. Now zat I know zee truz... it all makes more sense, not less.”

Havocwing put a hoof on Curaçao’s shoulder. “Well... good. Um... then...?”

“‘avoc, everyzing is ‘appening at once,” Curaçao said softly, eyes still shut, “I know zat papa made me Starlight’s second, but... I never zought I would ever need to take up zee mantle...”

“Hey, I never thought I’d actually get this position either. At least not like this,” Havocwing chuckled nervously, “But things just can’t be that bad, right?”

“Non, non, non...” Havocwing couldn’t believe it. Curaçao looked down despondently, and as she opened her eyes, Havoc saw actual tears forming that made the pegasus’ jaw drop for the third time since the teleport. Curaçao took a deep breath and shook her head. “It is my fault Insipid even needs un babysitter. I know I cannot be, ‘ow does she say, perfect. But if... i-if I could be perfect... if I were not just une copie de Applejack, per’aps she would still be ‘er normal self... per’aps she would still want to... to at least talk to me! I... I d-did not mind being called ‘Curie’ sometimes. Insipid... m-ma pauvre, petite, bête chérie... b-but s-he will not even s-speak to me now. Not now. N-not now.” 

Havoc blinked at the tears trickling down Curaçao’s face. For a long moment, she thought it must be another of her older sister’s mind games. But no. Curaçao had not even lost her composure when Insipid had literally spit on her face. Now, while alone with Havocwing, she wept. For another long moment, Havocwing gazed past her sister at nothing in particular, unfamiliar with what she herself was feeling. She actually didn’t want her sister to cry. She realized she didn’t want to lead if she had to see her family like this to get the chance.

Curaçao sobbed quietly, breaking Havoc’s train of thought, “C’est un idiote, mais c’était mon idiote! And I can do nozing... I cannot be perfect... c’est pas possible!” 

Havoc couldn’t take it anymore. She was understanding too well why Curaçao was sad, and for a moment, felt her eyes shake. That made her angry, and she couldn’t stop herself from opening her mouth. “Hey. Curaçao, look. Look! It ain’t your fault,” Havocwing insisted , her voice fast and unsteady, “You already know no one’s perfect, right? Least of all us. In fact, in our case, that was kinda the point! Okay? Alright? So now we need a purpose, and it’s like we can’t agree that we’re worth finding a purpose. But, you know... I seem to recall that we did all agree on something: this heap of crap is all those ‘original’ mares’ fault, got that? That’s what we all agreed on. We agreed. Starlight agreed, Velvet agreed, bucking Grayscale agreed... sorta. Insipid was too dumb to go alone anyway. So we’re going to get the ponies at fault, and we’re going to take our pain out on them. It may not be what we were here for, but it’s what we’re here for now, so that’s what we’re gonna do.” Havocwing exhaled smoke fiercely, making Curaçao smile in a way Havoc hadn’t seen before. She saw the smile start in her eyes through her tears.

“Ton haleine est chaude, dear ‘avoc.”

Havoc swallowed, feeling seriously ill from all the happiness on Curaçao’s face for a moment, and then drove on. Anything to make the moment pass. “Look, I’ll be honest here, Curaçao - I really don’t think I can do this without you, and I need you to stay strong with me.”

Curaçao smiled and wrapped her younger sister in a hug. A real hug, with a real smile, unlike her unusually bad performance in Velvet’s bloody family embrace. “I am glad to ‘ave you wiz me ‘ere, ‘avocwing. I do not zink I could do zis alone eizer...”

“H-hey, whoa whoa, random hug there. This whole family hug thing, it’s a regular deal now, I guess? Ha... heh?” Havocwing said with a blush, “A-and... r-right, yeah... I’m glad I’ve, uh, got... you up here to, uh, help me too, Curaçao. I, uh, heh, might be the best fighter ever, but I don’t really know the first thing about leadership.”

“You say zat, but what you said to our sœurs earlier... what you’ve just said à moi, zat is what a leader does. We need to latch on to zee things zat make us different from our ‘originals’. Fluttershy, she was, and is no leader. You ‘ave zee passion for it. So we ‘ave to be strong, for our sisters, ‘avocwing,” Curaçao claimed with conviction, “Zey need us, oui? Ah,” she said as she wiped her eyes, noticing for the first time Havoc’s expression of escape. She chuckled a bit, “Per’aps zat is, ‘ow would you say? Enough of zee ‘mushy’ affaires? And per’aps more getting into zee city! I zink per’aps zat it may be best for a stealthy approach, non? If we go in by force, zen zee city will be alerted to us, and likely zee Elements of ‘armony as well.”

Havocwing scratched her chin. “Yeah, and with them all likely recuperating and getting back into shape, we’d have to face them, the Chronomancer, that dork Flathoof, and the city defense all by ourselves. I mean, I know we could do it, but... with the odds that poorly in our favor, maybe stealth is still the best way to go at this. I mean, if we’d been allowed to kill them from the start, they’d already be dead, and we all know it.”

“Oui, and zat is why I say we continue course,” Curaçao agreed, “As for getting into zee city zen... leave zat to me. Zis city ‘as a main entrance. I can sneak myself in, and shut down zee shield from zee inside. Simple, non?”

“And about time your plans are,” Havocwing laughed.

“No sense in waiting around zough,” Curaçao said as she looked off towards the entry structure, “Take care of zee ozers while I am gone, oui?”

“Okay then, big sis. I’ll hold the fort out here until you get word back to us. You still got that weirdo psychic connection the boss has?”

“Oui. I will contact you when I am ready, d’accord? I will also find zee Elements of ‘armony, so zat we can corner zem and destroy zem,” Curaçao said with a crack of her neck, “Wish me luck.”

“Break a leg,” Havocwing saluted, “And if you have a chance? Break that stupid Chronomancer’s leg too. I still called the killing blow though, yeah?”

Curaçao smiled as she melted into invisibility. “D’accord. Stay safe out ‘ere, ma sœur. You are mon lieutenant now, so while I am away, you are, ‘ow do you say, ‘in charge’.” And, with the sounds of her hoofsteps fading away into nothing, she was gone.

Havoc blinked, a toothy grin spreading across her face. “Now that?” she whispered to herself, “That part of leadership I like.”


	28. Inebriation

Tick Tock, her muzzle half-buried by a slightly damp pillow, mumbled incoherently in her sleep. She stirred erratically, repositioning herself every few seconds, unable to find a comfortable position. Apart from the rustling of Tick Tock's bed sheets, her labored breaths, and her soft muttering, only the sound of Twilight Sparkle's soft, steady breathing broke the silence of the darkened hotel room.

A tapping noise at the door jolted Tick Tock awake with a start. She attempted to leap into a defensive position, but only managed to fall out of her bed. Her eyes darted around the room as she searched for the source of the disturbance. Seeing nothing, Tick Tock took a long, deep breath, satisfied that she was safe from any intruders.

“Blimey... that damn dream again,” she muttered to herself, poking her scarred nose delicately as she did, “Get ahold of yourself girl, that monster’s trapped in a force field miles away...”

Another slightly louder knock sounded from the door. Tick Tock swore under her breath as she tried to free herself from her blanket, but it caught her leg. With a thud, she tripped back onto the unforgiving floor. Muttering to herself, she hurried over to the door to answer it. Whoever was knocking was doing so quietly enough that it wouldn’t wake the whole hotel, but Tick Tock could hear it just fine. She had always been a terribly light sleeper, but it had gotten much worse in the past week. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gotten a solid two hours of sleep, much less a full night's rest.

“By the stars, keep your knickers... on?” she blurted as she pushed open the door.

Briarthorn waggled his eyebrows at her as she squinted into the hallway lights. “Mmmm, well don’t you look just lovely. I’d been hoping you would put on the complementary pajamas, my dear sublimey,” he murmured, “Nifty costume for the center stage, isn’t it? Told you this place was high class. That looks better on you than your uniform does.”

“For the love of- what in Equestria are you doing here?” she snorted, “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Briarthorn blinked for a moment and reached for his pocket, but Tick Tock stopped him with an annoyed grunt. “It’s four in the bloody morning, you twit!” she hissed as quietly as she could, “We’re supposed to be getting sleep! Remember? Big long journey across Wastelands, nearly starved to death? Ring any bells?”

“Tickety, I’m legitimately sorry that I’ve gotta wake some of you up,” he whispered sincerely with an apologetic bow, “I know I promised not to let anything interrupt your dreams, especially if they involved me, but... well. This might be bad. They’re not telling me much, but the gist is...” He swallowed, and his voice became serious, almost frightened, “Down at the medical ward, there’s a... situation, with Lockwood.”

Tick Tock’s expression drooped immensely. “Oh... oh dear, is something the matter? Stupid question, of course something is. He’s not-”

Briarthorn frowned and shook his head. “I... they haven’t actually told me anything. He’s not dead, so I’m not going to freak out just yet, but they’re not telling me much at all. Only thing the doctors said was that they needed to speak to Twilight Sparkle, and only Twilight Sparkle. Since I’m sponsoring your stay, they asked me to take her there. Purply little thing still dreaming?”

“Of course she is, silly girl’s a sound sleeper it seems. Maybe she’s just really exhausted, I don’t- wait. Alone?” Tick Tock narrowed her eyes at him. “This isn’t some sort of-”

Briarthorn looked at Tick Tock with one part reproach and two parts sadness. “Hey, come on, Tick Tock, really? I’ve got copies of all your room keys.” He flipped a pocket open and held up a key ring on the tip of his hoof. The keys’ plated metal matched the hotel doors. Briarthorn sounded genuinely offended as he continued, his voice low but harsh. “If I’d wanted to bucking abduct one of you, it would be easy to do. This isn’t New Pandemonium. Okay? Can you believe me on that one, please?”

Tick Tock took half a step back, her expression apologetic. “Right... right, this isn’t New Pandemonium. I apologize, I’m just used to those sorts of ponies, grew up around too many of those types. You’re not exactly helping your case any.”

He sighed, “It’s okay. Like you said, you’re just used to it. But I’m dead serious here. The hospital asked me to retrieve Twilight, and I have no idea why. I know what I said about worrying and warts, but well... I’m pretty warty right now. Lockwood’s not dead, they made that clear.”

Tick Tock nodded. “Right. I’ll get her for you, you wait here.”

She walked back into the room proper and stepped over to Twilight’s bed, where the other unicorn was still fast asleep and snoring quietly. Tick Tock was immensely glad to see that Twilight seemed to be having a very deep, pleasant sleep, and almost regretted having to wake her from it. For the past week, she'd only seen an expression of pain and worry on Twilight's face as she slept. Whatever she was dreaming about, it must’ve been making her pretty happy. 

She nudged Twilight’s side with a hoof. “Twilight? Wake up, it’s urgent.” No response. Tick Tock grumbled and jostled her harder. “Twilight! Come off it, girl, wake up!”

Twilight swung her hooves around defensively. “Nmmnmm...” she mumbled, “Spiiiike... five more minutes...”

“Spike?” Briarthorn rubbed his chin as he leaned in more closely. “Boyfriend?”

Tick Tock jumped in alarm and shot her head up to shoot an angry glare at Briarthorn. “Bloody hell, who invited you in? Get- urgh, whatever.” She shook Twilight further. “Come on then, Twilight, get up!”

Twilight reached her hooves out and wrapped her hooves around Tick Tock, tugging her suddenly into a hug that twisted them towards Briarthorn. “Mmmm... thank you Tick Tock, the tea was lovely...”

Tick Tock turned red and tried to ignore the stallion’s attempt to chuckle at their expense. “Aw, I wish I’d known you two were so close,” he mocked gently, no fire behind his voice.

Flustered, Tick Tock flicked Twilight hard in the horn. “Twilight!”

Twilight jerked awake. “Ah! Wha- where?! Who?!” 

She looked around herself in a panic, calming down as soon as she realized who was in her hooves. She then panicked again when she realized somepony was in her hooves. She jerked said hooves back, allowing Tick Tock to escape. The green unicorn coughed nervously, and Twilight sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as she sat up. She waved a tiny wave at Briarthorn as well, who politely returned it.

“Oh... hi Tick Tock, Briarthorn. What’s going on? You two look worried.”

“No time to talk, Twilight,” Tick Tock said quickly, “Briarthorn here says that there’s an issue at the hospital, involving Lockwood.”

“W-what?” Twilight blinked, “Oh... oh dear. What’s the matter? Nothing’s happened to him has it?!”

”The doctors asked for you, Twilight. They won’t tell me why,” Briarthorn said simply, “It doesn’t outright sound... life-or-death, but it sounded urgent.”

“Go on, Twilight, get dressed,” Tick Tock nodded, “Whatever’s up, it doesn’t sound good.”

Twilight nodded in return and got out of the bed, heading over towards the wardrobe where she’d stored her cloak. Briarthorn watched her tugging at her pajamas with languid anticipation, until Tick Tock started shoving him out the door.

“Hey, come on,” he complained, “Have I stepped on any of your go-to coping mechanisms?”

“Nice try, flyboy,” Tick Tock stated firmly, “You can wait outside.”

*****

Twilight finally had a chance to get a good feel for what exactly the major difference between Hope’s Point and Canterlot really was, starting the moment she arrived at the subterranean sector of the city where the medical ward was located. When Briarthorn had mentioned that the important structures were located underground, she didn’t think he really meant deep underground, but here they were. The sky and the shield were completely hidden by a massive cavern ceiling above them, hollowed out and kept steady with hundreds of thick metal beams and other support structures that criss-crossed throughout the dome-shaped cave. Something she recognized lit up the entire cavern, an Illumination spell, likely powered by techno-magic. The spell was typically very basic, something that unicorns would use to light up rooms in an emergency, but the strongest one she’d ever seen could barely light an area larger than the inside of Ponyville’s Town Hall. This one, on the other hoof, was both large and bright enough to be considered more of an artificial sun than a lamp.

Twilight and Briarthorn had entered the underground through an opening several miles above this second city, completely skipping the elevator platform. Briarthorn, insisting they hurry against Twilight’s minor protests, now carried her on his back and was flying her the rest of the way to their destination, his great wings rocking her comfortably to and fro. She noted that he was noticeably more secure compared to most other pegasi she’d ridden. Though, she had to admit, ‘most other pegasi’ usually meant Rainbow Dash, and very rarely Fluttershy, hence her apprehension to accepting in the first place. 

“Wow... the underground city is easily the same size as the one up above...” she observed as she held tightly onto Briarthorn’s neck, “I never imagined subterranean city-building could be this advanced.”

“And really, we haven’t scratched the second surface,” Briarthorn explained, still committed to the role of her personal tour guide, “This is just the first underground layer. There are a few more, like what, two, three? Each one with all sorts of different infrastructures that mostly go into keeping that massive shield that keeps us all hunky-dory operational, amongst other things. This top layer just has crucial social structures like the hospital, residential quarters, stuff like that. Civic planning, eh?” He turned his head slightly, sliding one of his eyes to look back at Twilight through his goggles. Her face pressed up against the back of his head, just to the side of his mane. When she gave a small smile, he returned it and whispered very dramatically, “But of course, most importantly, there’s Queenie Blackburn’s grand palace.”

He gestured with a hoof as he finished his sentence, and Twilight followed it east to see the colossal structure on the far end of the cavern. Her eyes widened as she took in the grandeur of the building before them. A bright red, complemented by splashes of orange and gold which shone in the light of the artificial sun, decorated the Palace's walls. Towering spires and glittering towers of all shapes and sizes littered the structure, the tallest of which, in the center, rose up nearly half a mile towards the roof of the cavern.

“Wow...” Twilight breathed, “This whole place is absolutely fascinating. Times like these make me wish we weren’t in such a hurry, I could spend ages here just studying the architecture and social structure of this city...”

After several minutes of flying, the pair swooped in low towards the hospital - a large, pristine white building that covered three city blocks and towered into the air above, much more impressive than the one she remembered from New Pandemonium, which eased her worries immensely. Briarthorn landed with a brisk trot along the strip in front of the main entrance, knelt down, and let Twilight hop off his back. He gave a gentle pout of disappointment as she climbed down which Twilight ignored. Briarthorn led her through a set of sliding glass doors into the complex and immediately made his way to the service desk, where a staff member was working diligently on shuffling through assorted datapads of various colors. The stallion, a young-looking earth pony with an orange coat and brown mane, looked up from his duties to attend to the visitors almost immediately.

“Oh, hello there,” he said cordially, “Welcome to Hope’s Point Hospital. How may I be of assistance?”

Twilight was relieved by his politeness. Everypony here from the hotel staff to random passers-by truly did seem more ‘normal’ by her standards, a reminder of what was waiting for her when she made it home. She was also relieved to see that this hospital was nowhere close to being as crowded as the one back in the city, even if that had been an extraordinary circumstance. The lobby was spotless, minus a small spill in one corner that a janitor was cleaning up while whistling a cheery tune. There weren’t any agitated ponies standing around waiting in lines. A few other ponies were seated in the comfy-looking chairs around the lobby, patiently waiting for whatever they’d come here for, and they looked neither impatient nor disgruntled. If anypony had come in here injured, they’d already been taken elsewhere to be treated. Sweet, soothing music played through the speaker system, putting Twilight at ease, filling her with a confidence that told her everything was going to be okay.

“Heya, friend,” Briarthorn greeted equally cordially, pulling his goggles back up to their standard ready position on his forehead, “I believe Doctor Sugarcane is expecting us? Briarthorn and Twilight Sparkle?”

“For the Chief? Well, let me take a look-see.” The young stallion looked through his datapad, humming along to the ambient music all the while. He brightened when he found what he was looking for. “Ah, here we are: Briarthorn and Twilight Sparkle. The Chief is expecting you just down the hall in Waiting Room Five. Take a left past the first corner over here,” he explained as he pointed down a hallway to his left, “And it’ll be the fifth door on your right. Can’t miss it, it’s labeled pretty clearly.”

“Thanks, kiddo,” Briarthorn nodded, gesturing with one of his wings for Twilight to follow.

The two took the first left and counted doors until they reached the fifth one on the right, passing by staff members trudging along pushing carts of medical carts along the way. Briarthorn opened the door for Twilight to enter first, then followed right behind her. In the center of the room, Doctor Sugarcane stood pacing back and forth. As they entered, she looked up and smiled.

“Ah! There you are,” she greeted, stepping over to them and eagerly shaking their hooves one at a time, “Briarthorn, thank you ever so much for being punctual on this.”

“This is a big deal, Sugar,” Briarthorn said with a tight-lipped smile, “Lockwood’s the issue, so I’m willing to be a little more diligent than my usual laid-back self. What’s the problem? Is everything okay?”

Sugarcane sighed, “I am sorry, Briarthorn, but that information is privileged. Part of my oath as a doctor is to maintain doctor-patient confidentiality, and Mister Lockwood asked me specifically not to tell anypony what was going on until everything was all finished, with two exceptions. The first is one member of your group, a ‘Flathoof’ I believe he said? They’re legally brothers, according to the patient, but we’re not interested in that right now. The other exception would be Miss Twilight Sparkle here, and as part of that agreement, if I tell her, she’s not allowed to tell anypony else either. I doubt she’d have the time to anyway.”

“Me? Why does he want to see me for?” Twilight asked, “Surely if something was wrong, he’d want to see family first?”

“I can’t say any more until you agree to our policy,” Sugarcane said firmly, “And that means Briarthorn needs to leave. Now. I am sorry, Briarthorn, I know he’s your friend but I have rules I need to follow. You wouldn’t believe the hoops I had to jump through just to get the ethics board to let me call in Miss Sparkle here. They were hesitant at first, but they got trumped by a... higher authority. I’ve never seen her get involved like this in our matters.”

Briarthorn saluted. “Not a problem, Doc. If Mister Nice Guy asked for Miss Sparkle, then that’s who he gets. Just give me a moment to beg.” He took Twilight’s hoof in his, and stared deep into her eyes, startling her with such intensity that she was reminded of Fluttershy’s oft-mentioned Stare. “Twilight. Lockwood’s gotta make it through this. I don’t know how you’re going to do it. Hell, I probably wouldn’t know even if I was allowed to know and you told me and I actually knew. But I trust Lockwood, and he trusts you. So, I trust you, too. Please, Twily. Go all-out wizard on his keister, so we can laugh about it later.”

“T-thank you, Briarthorn,” Twilight smiled anxiously, “I promise, I’ll handle anything that comes up here. Lockwood will be fine, I promise.” Briarthorn bowed his head low, keeping his eyes on Twilight’s as he daintily kissed her hoof. He then made his way out into the hall and left without another word. Twilight stared at her hoof a moment, unsure what to make of the gesture, then shook her head. Only one pony ever called her ‘Twily’ before. “That guy sure is an... odd one...”

“‘Odd’ is putting it mildly, dear,” Sugarcane laughed. “He has his moments, when he’s not being such a scoundrel. Now then, follow me Miss Sparkle. We have important issues to discuss and there’s no time to stand around here doing it.”

Twilight followed Sugarcane out into the hall and traveled in the opposite direction that Briarthorn had left. Twilight chanced a glance behind her and saw Briarthorn doing the same as he neared the corner towards the exit, and for a fleeting second she desperately wanted him to be able to come with her. She began to feel nervous as they walked past dozens of doors that led into rooms that had ponies in them, recovering from accidents that had befallen them, mostly pegasi but there were quite a few earth ponies as well, but very few unicorns. She thought she recognized one of them, a unicorn mare with a red coat, from the entryway the day before, and wondered if Briarthorn’s efforts had indeed gotten all those weary travelers into the city a little quicker. She was so focused on everything else around her that she jumped when Sugarcane started talking again.

“I can’t imagine why you’re wondering why Lockwood called you out of all your friends to come here,” Sugarcane said simply, “From what he’s told us, you did the best you could out there without proper faculties. I’m honestly impressed. He should be glad to have an accomplished private physician like yourself. It’s really the only reason we considered asking you to come down here.”

“Private phys-” Twilight started. She then shook her head and then quickly agreed, “Right, yes. Um... I’m afraid I’m still just a novice though. I’m not, strictly-speaking, a professional. I mean, I’ve never had any ‘formal’ instruction, I’m mostly self-taught and did a lot of informal studying under a few doctors I knew back at home.”

“That’s how most of us started, interestingly enough,” Sugarcane smiled, “Nearly all of the doctors here on staff are originally from Pandemonium and couldn’t afford formal training, but we’re all talented with our gifts and we have utmost dedication to our patients, more so than I can say for any of those ‘properly-trained’ hotshots back in the city. But I’m rambling. Fact is, Mister Lockwood claims you know some manner of Restomancy, and have a strong backing of magical power to work with as well? That’s all we really need here.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Twilight nodded, “Not to brag or anything, but... well, any of my friends will tell you I’m pretty above-average as far as unicorns go. I’m not much on Restomancy knowledge though.”

“How much do you know, then?” Sugarcane asked sincerely.

Twilight hummed a moment, “Well, I don’t know if the texts I’ve read are what those you know, so I guess I may as well list them.” She lifted a hoof to start counting off her list, “Let’s see, basic Mending, Diagnose, Extraction, advanced Mending, um... and I suppose I’ve dabbled a little in expert Mending, but I’m not sold on my skill with it just yet.”

“That’s an impressive list for a ‘beginner’,” Sugarcane blinked, “I think you’re selling yourself short, myself. Lockwood also told us that you are incredibly powerful as a spellcaster, and I intend to verify that. If you are, then we’ll work from there. From what I’ve heard from you, I don’t have much doubt though in your ability, only your strength. The amount of power required to strip the curse safely is beyond the power of any unicorn I’ve ever met, but Lockwood was insistent that you’d meet that expectation.”

Twilight nodded firmly. She was worried, but only for a moment. She was confident that she’d recovered enough that her magic was back to full, or at least near-full, power. “I understand what’s needed of me. I’ll meet your expectations, I promise you that.”

“I just have one question before we go on: does blood make you squeamish at all?”

Twilight shook her head. “I’ve seen my fair share of blood during my instructions, and plenty enough in the past two weeks. I think I can stomach a little blood. Why does that-”

Sugarcane lifted a hoof to stop her. “We’ll get to that.” She took a small device out of her pocket resembling a tuning fork attached to a small screen with a few buttons on it. As she adjusted it, she asked, “Do you know any basic Attitudinizing spells?”

Twilight blushed. “Actually... no. I never studied any. I... never thought I’d need anything like that.”

Sugarcane blinked. “Huh... interesting. No matter, any spell will do, but Attitudinizing magicks tend to be a little easier to get accurate readings on. Let’s see... ah... how about a Teleportation spell? It’s a high-precision, high-power spell, isn’t it? That should give me close enough to accurate. Do you know how to Teleport?”

“Oh, that I can certainly do,” Twilight agreed with a proud smile.

Sugarcane attached the tuning fork to Twilight’s horn, and Twilight immediately charged up the spell she’d been asked for. She was glad that she’d eaten and rested all night, because she now had more than enough power to go through with a Teleport confidently again. She was eager to prove she was regaining her former strength, not just to this one doctor here, but to herself. The spell popped, and Twilight didn’t move an inch. The tuning fork had absorbed the entirety of the spell and directed it into the tiny reader with a crackling pop of electricity. 

Sugarcane took the device away and looked at it intently, then smiled brightly as she replaced it. “I’m impressed, Miss Sparkle. You should have more than enough power to do what’s needed of you, with proper direction of course. A terrible shame you didn’t know how to do it yourself... oh, I apologize, I didn’t mean to sound like it’s your-”

“It’s quite alright,” Twilight smiled, “After everything that’s happened to me and my friends lately, I plan on extensively studying Restomancy when I get home. You never can be too careful.”

“Well, yes, at any rate, that settles it. I think you perfectly meet what qualifications you’ll need here,” she said as she ushered Twilight onto an elevator. She pressed a button near the bottom and inserted a small key into the lock next to it, then turned to face Twilight. “I suppose it’s time I tell you what exactly is going on.”

“Yes, thank you. I’m... worried,” Twilight said weakly, “All of my friends are, some more than others. Lockwood’s done so much for us, I don’t think any of us could bear something happening to him. Is he going to be okay?”

“I’m afraid that I can’t immediately assuage your fears, my dear. Lockwood’s condition is... much more serious than our initial diagnostics revealed. I have some good news, and some bad news. The good news is, he’ll live. We’ve managed to isolate the Red Death curse and keep it away from his vital organs, and even managed to seal that wound of his. So there’s that.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, “Well, thank goodness for that. But... there’s bad news too? Oh dear...”

“The bad news is...” Sugarcane gave a deep sigh and gently put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “The curse spread into his left wing and managed to wreck havoc there, far more than we could have been able to stop. It’s not your fault, you likely aren’t too familiar with pegasus anatomy. Pegasi wings are delicate, incredibly sensitive to stimuli but more importantly very susceptible to damage. Though we’ve managed to contain it there and keep it from progressing further, it’s already eaten away at the nerves in his wing far too much to recover from.”

Twilight gasped, “You don’t mean-”

Sugarcane uncomfortably shifted her own wings. “I’m afraid that your friend is... likely never to fly again.”

Twilight fought to hold back tears. She knew how much pegasi depended on being able to fly just for daily activity. Even Fluttershy, who disliked flying for anything, would admit that she still needed it in some capacity to pursue wayward critters. “Is there nothing we can do?” she asked, “Is there no way we can prevent this?”

“To prevent this, no. It’s too far gone to recover from now. You’d have had to get him here within hours of the initial exposure to solve that kind of problem, or at the very least kept a very consistent Immunization rotation on the infected area, but that’s highly advanced Restomancy.” She pat Twilight gently on the shoulder again. “Be glad though that you did for him what you did. I don’t actually know what you did, but it slowed the progression of the plague down enough that it didn’t hit anything that could kill him. You saved his life.”

Twilight wanted to stop her right there and tell her that she wasn’t responsible for that at all, that it was all Tick Tock’s doing. But, Lockwood was placing his faith in her, and to be fair, Doctor Sugarcane seemed to need Twilight for something that only she could do. Tick Tock didn’t know Restomancy beyond Diagnose, and admitted that she haphazardly jerry-rigged Restomancy-like spells in ways that Twilight couldn’t imagine thinking of on her own.

With a ding, the elevator doors opened, allowing the two ponies to step out and trot down another hallway, this one devoid of almost all staff members and equipment. The walls were metallic and silver as was the floor and ceiling, all of them shiny and spotless, reflecting the light of the strips of bulbs above their heads.

“What exactly is it that you need me for?” Twilight asked as they rounded a corner, “I mean, if this was just for private visitations, surely Flathoof would have priority. You need me for something specific... don’t you?”

“To be blunt? Yes,” Sugarcane said, “You see, we’re at the point in our treatment when we would normally have to cut our losses and... amputate.” Twilight visibly cringed at that word. Sugarcane’s again nervously shifted her wings in anxiety. “Lockwood wouldn’t just lose his ability to fly, he’d lose a wing as well. It’s a drastic measure, but the problem is that we can’t keep the plague subdued forever. Medicine doesn’t work. The only solution would be constant application of particular fields of Restomancy that rotate on and off to keep the plague from immunizing itself to them, but for that he’d need to stay here for the rest of his life, or have one of our most talented unicorn doctors follow him around everywhere he goes. Nopony would want that. Least of all him, he was adamant about that much.”

“He agreed to amputation?!” Twilight blurted. She was astounded. For a pegasus, losing a wing would be almost the same as a unicorn losing her horn. That Sugarcane, a pegasus herself, would even suggest such a thing to Lockwood surprised her.

“Actually, no,” Sugarcane said with a shake of her head, “He adamantly refused that as well, and elected to go with a more ‘unorthodox’ treatment.”

“And that is?”

Sugarcane led Twilight around another corner, and the two stopped in front of a large, metal double door clearly labeled, “Operating Room 7: Curse Removal”. Twilight gulped when she noticed all the warning labels that covered the door.

“Removing the curse entirely, without removing the wing, of course,” Sugarcane said matter-of-factly.

“Wait, that’s ‘unorthodox’?! That sounds like precisely what he needs!” Twilight exclaimed, “Why the hesitation?!”

“It is not at all an easy process,” Sugarcane sighed, “The Red Death curse is a finicky beast. It doesn’t react well to ponies trying to remove it. It absorbs and attacks flesh with startling speed and voracious hunger, not unlike a virus. Even an above-average spellcaster would be hard-pressed to wrangle with the stuff. Normally, we can handle it. Small injuries aren’t a big issue, we have techno-magic tools that are specifically engineered to treat the stuff. But here, the plague has spread throughout his entire wing, and pegasi wings are a different matter altogether. There’s simply too much to handle, and what’s worse, the plague stimulates rapid molting and feather development, so there is a constant supply of blood in his feathers to continuously feed the plague. It’s a rapid, self-perpetuating process, hence why amputation was our favored option. We just can’t extract the curse fast enough or thoroughly enough to cure him.”

Twilight understood immediately where this was going. “So... you need me, then? What exactly can I do that your doctors can’t?”

Sugarcane grinned. “It’s your strength that’s the real boon here. I’m glad Mister Lockwood’s confidence in you wasn’t misplaced, otherwise this all would have been a massive waste of effort. Mister Lockwood is already prepared, and we were just waiting to see which option we were going to take. I think with you here, we can make this work.”

Sugarcane led Twilight through the double doors and into a wide, white room lined with rows of seats encircling another, smaller white room. A thick sheet of glass separated the two rooms, giving Twilight an easy view into the smaller one. She gasped loudly at what she saw.

The massive lamp on the ceiling made the entire room blindingly bright. Lockwood lay unconscious on his stomach upon an operating table, his breathing slow and labored, with a breathing mask over his muzzle which hooked up to a large, green canister nearby. His right wing, which was still healthy, lazily drooped over one side of the table. The other stretched out completely to the other side so that every individual feather was exposed and extended. The joints were slightly distended and each and every feather was discolored and wilted. Small tinges of a pink glow, matching the glowing prong on a techno-magic device nearby, held them aloft.

Inside the room with Lockwood stood one other pony, a chubby earth pony mare with a creamy yellow coat and a white mane and tail. The nurse wore a set of bright green scrubs covering her from head to hoof and pair of safety goggles over her eyes. She busily operated knobs and levers on several nearby devices as she went about picking up mottled feathers that were dropping from Lockwood’s wing and disposing them in a hazardous waste bin. 

Outside the room, looking in, was a unicorn. His coat was dark pink, his mane and tail a bright blue, and he was also wearing green scrubs and goggles like the pony inside.

“Doctor Heartthrob,” Sugarcane greeted simply as she stepped forward. The stallion turned and greeted her cordially with a hoofshake. “I trust all the preparations are done? Are we ready to proceed?”

“The patient is prepped and ready, right on schedule as asked,” Heartthrob explained with a friendly, professional tone, “We’re all set to proceed, just give the word.”

“Excellent,” Sugarcane smiled. She stepped aside and gestured for Twilight to step forward.

“Is this my... ‘assistant’? The ‘novice’?” Heartthrob asked as he quickly sized up Twilight, “Well, she’s definitely got the doctor mindset to her. Always on call. Good habit to have. Liking the cloak, by the way. Got a real master wizard feel to it. You don’t mess around, Miss...?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight nodded appreciatively, “I appreciate the compliment on my cloak, but I suppose I’ll be wearing the same scrubs and goggles while I’m in there though? Sanitary reasons, I take it? Sorry if i’m asking silly questions, this is my first time doing anything like this...”

“It was very astute of you. Yes, these are specially-crafted scrubs just for Curse Disposal operations. They’re laced with Immunization magicks to ward off accidental contamination.” Heartthrob smiled politely at the anxious look on Twilight’s face. “No need to be nervous, little lady. Go on, get suited up in the washroom there, then we’ll get started. Go on, double time,” he added with a few hasty stamps of his hooves, his voice light-hearted and still very much polite.

Twilight hastily nodded and grabbed the set of scrubs from the wall with her magic, then entered the washroom. She was out in under a minute, busily adjusting the mouthguard and goggles as she went. Heartthrob hummed while he looked her over. With a nod of approval, he showed her towards the door of the smaller operating room. Doctor Sugarcane took up a position in the exterior room. Twilight and Heartthrob both watched her with curiosity as she adjusted a small headset near her ear with what looked like a tiny camera attached to it. She was attempting to get a clear view of the inner room, moving around chairs and adjusting her angle so that the light above didn’t cause any sort of glare.

“Excuse me, Doctor Sugarcane, but... what are you doing?” Heartthrob asked, some of his politeness dropping out of his tone, “More observers are just going to make this poor mare nervous, I’d prefer-”

Sugarcane hastily waved her hooves to motion for Heartthrob to cease his talking. It was too late. He was forced to a stop when, with an initial click as the system activated, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker in the operation room.

“Don’t give half a damn what you’d prefer, Doctor Heartthrob.” The voice was full of fire, no sense of cordiality in it whatsoever.

Twilight was about to speak up when Heartthrob suddenly very nervously blurted, “Y-Y-Your Majesty? W-w-what are you-”

The voice interrupted, “Specifically asked your boss to keep an eye on this operation for me. Have put aside my other tasks for the moment. This is more important. Problem with this decision?

Heartthrob hastily shook his head. “N-no, milady, there’s no problem here.”

The voice hummed for all of a second before speaking again. “You there - Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight pointed a hoof at herself, astounded that the voice on the other end of the speaker knew her name. “M-me? Oh... um... y-yes, Your Highness?”

“Will say this just once. Hate repeating self; hope you’re listening - that’s a good, dear friend of mine on that table there. Went through a lot of trouble to make sure that he’s taken care of by the best and brightest my city has to offer. Am recalling a debate regarding permission to break protocol. Seeing as the medical staff has decided to include you in on this? Am issuing the same statement to you that was issued to them: do not disappoint. For the rest of you? Will have your licenses if that stallion has anything else happen to him, understand?”

“Y-yes, of course Your Majesty,” Heartthrob nervously gulped.

“For you, Twilight Sparkle: anything happens to him? You and your friends will kiss your little vacation across the sea goodbye. Would make you swim before even beginning to think about letting anypony fly you across. Especially your idiot ‘tour guide’.”

Twilight nodded firmly. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to Lockwood, he’s my-”

“Good friend? Highly doubt he’s as close with you than with me, but that’s a good thought to keep in mind,” the Queen’s voice hissed, “Sugarcane is going to be keeping a tab on the entire operation. Am not taking any chances here. Any ‘screw-ups’, any at all, will know who is responsible. That is all. Get to work. Now!”

As the speaker went dead, Twilight gulped loudly, completely unsure what to make of what had just happened. It was bad enough that Lockwood’s well-being was on the line, but now she had the pressure of doing this to make sure she made it home too? Briarthorn wasn’t kidding, the Queen certainly didn’t play around. Twilight already didn’t like her attitude, even if she did appreciate the Queen’s dedication to Lockwood’s well-being enough to entrust it to her. She nervously followed Heartthrob, who’d calmed down immensely in the past few seconds, over to the operating table.

Heartthrob turned to her and began to explain just what was going on, his original polite tone returning in earnest. “Now, I’m sure Doctor Sugarcane told you all about what’s happening here?”

“Briefly,” Twilight nodded, “I’m going to be helping you extract the curse. Right?”

“Indeed you are,” Heartthrob agreed, “I understand you’re not officially a doctor or healer, and so don’t know the more advanced Restomancy spells needed to operate here. Well, that’s what I’m here for. I’m not going to sugarcoat this, because you’ll see soon enough what we’re doing, so I may as well get it out of the way: I’ll be making incisions along the patient’s wings in the most highly-infected areas. You’re not squeamish, are you? Please tell me-”

“Doctor Sugarcane already asked me, and no, I’m not,” Twilight affirmed, “I’m a little nervous, no, a lot nervous, but... I think I can handle it.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Heartthrob breathed, “At any rate, as I’m making the incisions, the curse is going to react. Red Death is a hungry beast, and my incisions are going to break through our temporary isolation measures, which will allow the plague to spread. Your job is to follow along precisely after me and extract the curse as we go along. It’s a very simple Extraction spell, one of the most basic Restomancy spells there are. You’d normally use it for removing, say, splinters.”

“I know the spell. I suppose that the reason I’m needed then is because the curse will attempt to resist, and my strength can overpower it?”

“Precisely. So you understand what we’re doing then? It’s a very simple concept, but in practice you’ll find it much more difficult. Like I said, you’re going to need to follow my magic precisely. If the curse gets away from you, it will beat a path straight past the isolation measures and race towards uninfected areas. We’ll start with the wingtip, but once we move to the base, ‘uninfected areas’ include his heart, lungs, and stomach. It is imperative that we don’t make any mistakes.”

Twilight took a deep breath, trying her best not to shake. “Whew... well, if Lockwood is entrusting me with this task, then I’m not going to disappoint him. I’m ready whenever you are.”

Heartthrob nodded. “Good, spoken like a true surgeon.” He turned to the nurse and nodded at her as well. “Nurse Lemoncake, is everything ready to go?”

The nurse gave a small salute. “Yes, Doctor Heartthrob, we’re all set. The room is sealed and the disposal measures are prepped.”

Heartthrob beckoned for Twilight to follow him over to the wingtip and lifted a scalpel from the nearby table with a dull blue glow of magic. He turned to Twilight and nodded firmly. “Okay, Miss Sparkle. Here we go...”

Twilight gulped loudly as Heartthrob’s scalpel lifted to the furthest out of Lockwood’s primary feathers, which was visibly wilted despite being newly formed, as told by the red-white tinting of the shaft. The blade sliced delicately along the shaft, starting at the quill, and moved all the way down until it went through the tip, leaving a dull blue trail of magic behind it. As the blade sliced through, Twilight followed precisely in its wake with her own spell. She did her best to hold in her anxiety and nauseousness at the feeling of her magic physically digging into the blood inside of the feather. She could feel the pulsing magic of the curse-plague though, that much was for certain, and she could feel it reacting exactly as she’d been told, trying to sift its way past her spell. She let her magic waft out through the feather interior, sweeping through it like a strainer and picking out the foreign bodies at it went. She began sweating under the strain of making sure the spell didn’t extract anything but what she was looking for, as well as keeping it shaped precisely like the interior of the feather so that nothing got by it. Luckily, Nurse Lemoncake was right behind her with a dry cloth to dab on her forehead to keep it from dampening her goggles.

When she too reached the tip not more than a split second after he did, she tugged her magic out of the feather and looked on in repulsion at what she’d carried with her. The Red Death curse looked exactly as she remembered it - a red, gooey substance that writhed and wriggled in her magic in an attempt to escape and seek out flesh and blood to devour. Heartthrob returned his attention to the quill of the feather, and the glow of his magic changed from blue to green as it slid along the length of the shaft, repairing the incision completely. He then motioned Twilight towards the disposal container, a tall cylinder marked with warning labels advising against putting one's anything near it and whose interior glowed a bright purple, which Lemoncake had placed between the two unicorns. Twilight dropped the glob of red goo into it and listened intently as it sizzled and popped. The magic from inside the container flashed brightly, then stopped in an instant. The curse had been disposed of.

Heartthrob took another deep breath and let his magic, now a soft pink, stroke along Lockwood’s feather gently, straightening the vanes and barbs so that the feather looked almost good as new, though it was still a little dreary. “Whew...” he breathed, “Well done, Miss Sparkle. That’s one feather down...”

“And so many to go...” Twilight gulped.

“Just stay patient, and stay focused,” Heartthrob advised her as he lifted his scalpel again, “The feathers are the easy part. We haven’t gotten to the skeletal structure or muscles yet. You’re doing great for your first time, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Ready for the next feather, Miss Sparkle?”

“As I’ll ever be...” Twilight nodded.

*****

Twilight slowly blinked awake, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to both rid them of sleep and shield them from the incredibly bright light of the room. Her eyes took a moment to adjust. The bed wasn’t too comfortable, causing her to awkwardly straighten up into a seated position. She looked around, confused about where she was. Everything around her was a perfectly clean white aside from the bed sheets, which were a dull pink. She’d somehow ended up in her cloak again, but she didn’t remember changing out of those scrubs. Scrubs? Why had she been wearing scrubs again? And why did this look like the recovery room of some-

“Hospital?” she muttered. She suddenly jolted upright in realization. “Lockwood!”

She leapt out of the bed and landed cleanly on the floor, and was about to head out the door when somepony else walked in. She instantly recognized the mare as the earth pony that had been in the operating room earlier. What was her name again? Lemoncake? She carried a tray topped with a small plate and a glass of water in her teeth. She'd replaced her green scrubs with a set of blue ones, and she was down a set of goggles.

“Oh, you’re up,” Lemoncake observed, her voice muffled by the tray and her clenched teeth. She trotted just past Twilight and set these on the swivelling arm near the bed. “Good, then I don’t need to worry about that. I was just bringing you a complimentary lunch.”

“Lunch?” Twilight asked, “What time is it?”

“Just a few minutes ‘till noon,” Lemoncake stated, “You were only out for a few hours, thank goodness.”

“Out?!” Twilight exclaimed, “Oh... oh no, is everything-”

“Relax, Miss Sparkle, everything’s fine,” Lemoncake said sweetly, “You and Doctor Heartthrob did a fantastic job. I’ve seen a few operations like that, and let me tell you, I’m impressed. He asked me to come get him as soon as you awoke, so if you don’t mind?”

Twilight nodded. “Oh... oh certainly, go right ahead.”

Lemoncake left the room as quickly as she came, leaving Twilight to take a seat back on her bed. She lifted the lid off the plate and looked at the food beneath. She was impressed - it certainly looked like Dolor food, and though it wasn’t as decorative as what she’d had the night before, it didn’t look unsavory like the hospital food she remembered from back home. She levitated a spoonful of the green stuff to her mouth and took a bite; it tasted like freshly-steamed broccoli loaded with butter. By the time Doctor Heartthrob and Lemoncake had returned, she’d finished the entire plate full of ‘broccoli’, ‘mashed potatoes’, and ‘mushrooms’, and almost all of her glass of water.

“Ah, here’s our miracle worker, up and at ‘em,” Heartthrob smiled broadly as he entered the room. He greeted Twilight with a very friendly hoofshake, “You gave me quite a fright, my dear, I tell you.”

“What happened?” she asked anxiously.

He gave a light laugh. “I guess all that anxiety finally caught up to you. I’d just begun congratulating you on a job well done when you just plain passed out on the operation room floor. You’re fine, nothing wrong with you, just a little panic attack is all. Understandable, that was your first surgery and you’re not exactly a professional. Don’t worry, we all go through that phase at some time or another.”

“So... Lockwood’s okay then? The operation was a success?”

“He’s as ‘okay’ as he’s ever going to be,” Heartthrob sighed, “I assume Doctor Sugarcane told you about his rather unfortunate new handicap?”

Twilight glumly nodded. “Yes... though I was hoping maybe we could’ve done something. Are you sure we can’t help him?”

“Unfortunately, the damage was too severe and too far along to repair, which I’m sure Sugarcane explained, yes? We were able to prevent further damage, but his left wing is no longer capable of true flight, sorry to say. He can lift it maybe to shoulder height, enough to glide in case of an emergency I suppose. Nothing more than that though, not without extensive surgery and techno-magic implants, which we just do not have the faculties for. That stuff is extremely rare and expensive to produce, so we can’t get our hooves on it easily. Even Pandemonium doesn’t produce them regularly enough to procure.”

“I see...” Twilight sighed, “Well... at least he’s alive and still has his wing, right? I’ll take some solace in that...”

“That’s the best you can do for him,” Heartthrob said reassuringly, “He has a few other bits of residual damage from the healing process - magical scarring, stuff like that. Nothing that will affect him negatively on the physical side. It will take some time for those to heal, I’m afraid. Also, I know you couldn’t see it in the operating room, but we couldn’t do much about his-”

A noise at the door alerted them to the presence of a newcomer. “Twilight!”

Tick Tock galloped over, and she began frantically panicking over Twilight as soon as she was within hoof’s reach. Her horn glowed bright blue as she wafted the aura around Twilight’s head and horn extensively, changing the spell’s colors rapidly from blue to green to red to pink and back to blue again. Satisfied nothing was wrong, she let out a sigh of relief and dimmed her horn’s glow again.

“Thank goodness,” Tick Tock breathed.

“T-Tick Tock?” Twilight blurted, “What are you doing here?”

“Briarthorn got a report about an hour ago about what happened, and we headed straight over. Dropped what we were doing and everything. Is everything alright, Twilight? You’re not feeling weak are you? No pain in your Ley Lines?”

“Yes yes, everything’s fine,” Twilight smiled.

“We took good care of her, Miss...?” Heartthrob said, holding out a hoof towards Tick Tock.

Tick Tock took it and gave him a quick hoofshake out of courtesy. “Tick Tock,” she answered.

“Well, Miss Tock, I assure you that we did everything possible to keep Miss Sparkle here as comfortable as possible during her brief recovery. She merely fainted from anxiety, not exhaustion or anything of the sort. From your reaction I take it she’s been recovering from a Ley Line fracture recently?”

“Yes, that’s precisely it,” Tick Tock said, staring at Twilight, “By the stars, Twilight, have you any idea what could have happened if you hadn’t recovered fully before you started throwing spells around willy-nilly like that?”

Twilight pat reassuringly Tick Tock on the shoulder. “I’m fine, Tick Tock, really. What’s with all the worrying? This isn’t like you.”

“Well I heard you were performing some advanced magicks down here,” Tick Tock said quickly, “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! All I could think was, ‘that stupid girl is performing Restomancy already?!’ You just got finished recovering, you dolt! You shouldn’t be casting such advanced magicks so soon!”

“It’s alright, Tick Tock, I’m fine, okay?” Twilight smiled, “You don’t need to worry so much anymore.”

“Anymore?” Tick Tock blurted, “Twilight, we just got finished agreeing we were friends! If anything, I should be more concerned for your well-being.”

Twilight laughed. “Well, I suppose you have a point. Speaking of friends, where are the others?”

“Right here, darling,” Rarity announced from the doorway. She entered the room, followed by the others, until the room had become quite crowded.

Briarthorn raced past the rest of the group and nearly bowled over Tick Tock in his bid to make it to Twilight’s recovery bed first. He wasted no time at all in scooping her up in a huge hug with both his hooves and his wings. “Twily, Twily, Twily, you wonderful mare you! Everything alright?”

“Oh... hey there Briarthorn,” Twilight laughed skittishly, “Wow, you must’ve been really worried. You can relax now, okay? Y-you’ve... kinda got your wings all over me.”

Tick Tock coughed loudly and prodded Briarthorn hard in the flank, right in the center of the shield of his Cutie Mark. “Oy there, mate, mind letting her real friends get in there first?”

Briarthorn winced. Then, since his face so close to Twilight’s, he gave her a private grin of conspiracy as he put her down. He spun to face Tick Tock, taking one wing off of Twilight in the process. In a sing-song falsetto voice, he giggled, “Oh, hey there, Tickety Tockety! If you were feeling frisky you only needed to ask~” He leaned in close to Tick Tock’s ear and whispered in his normal baritone, “Your aim’s a bit off too.” Tick Tock sputtered incoherently as Briarthorn finally pulled his other wing away from Twilight and graciously stepped back to let the others through to crowd her bedside.

With the crowd dissipated, Lemoncake suddenly blurted. “Flathoof? Flathoof?!”

Flathoof blinked and looked at her in surprise. “Lemoncake? Is that you?”

The crowd of ponies separated suddenly as Lemoncake barged a path through it to reach Flathoof, and she gave him a big hug. 

“Hellooooo nurse,” Briarthorn whistled, “Hey there Flathoof, I’m impressed. She’s a much nicer piece than Lockwood.”

“W-what?” Flathoof blinked. He looked at Lemoncake, then back to Briarthorn, and had to visibly resist the urge to start shouting again. “By the stars, boy, you just can’t keep that yap of yours shut, can you? She’s my cousin.”

Lemoncake broke the hug. “Oh, Flathoof, it’s so good to see you! What brings you all the way out to my neck of the woods, huh? I never thought I’d ever see you out here.”

“It’s a... long story,” Flathoof chuckled, “How are you? I haven’t seen you in... what has it been, five years?”

“Six,” Lemoncake corrected, “I wasn’t there when you graduated from-”

“Yes! Six! Ha haaa...” Flathoof suddenly blurted, remembering that Briarthorn was in the room with them, “Ahem... r-right, six years. Been a while, cousin. You’re looking well.”

“Hmmm...” Briarthorn hummed, his eyes drifting down and around Lemoncake’s flank, “Cousins, huh? I can see the family resemblance. Your family’s got some tone, Flathoof. Good genes.” His eyes drifted casually over towards Applejack. “Excellent breeding stock, if I may say so...”

“Flathoof, your friend is weird,” Lemoncake murmured, making a face.

Flathoof grumbled, “Yes, he... certainly is. Um... we’ll catch-up later, Lemoncake. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. We’re all here to check on our friend, and especially Lockwood. How is he? Is he alright?”

“Hold on a moment,” Heartthrob interjected, “Lemoncake, this fellow is your cousin? Aren’t he and that Lockwood fellow downstairs brothers?”

“Yeah?” Lemoncake blinked.

“Why didn’t you say anything?!” Heartthrob blurted, “You and Lockwood are related! You’re not supposed to be within fifty feet of an operating room if he’s on the table!”

“Psh, oh come off it Doctor Heartthrob, we barely count as ‘related’,” Lemoncake said with a roll of her eyes, “He’s adopted or something like that. I hardly think that counts.”

Heartthrob put a hoof to his face. “Aww... geez, the ethics board is going to have a field day with this one...”

“Well, all that aside,” Twilight coughed, “You said Lockwood is okay now, right?”

“Oh, is he?!” Fluttershy exclaimed, “Oh please, tell me we can see him now! Please!”

Heartthrob looked sullen. “Well, unfortunately no, not yet. He’s still recovering from the operation and needs to heal, not to mention get some proper rest and food. Since Doctor Sugarcane isn’t here to inform you, I suppose I can relay our visiting policies. We’re required to give patients a rest period before accepting visitors, depending on the severity of the operation. By my estimates, he’ll be well enough to visit by eight o’clock tonight or so, just after dinner time. You can come visit then, visiting hours are always open.”

Fluttershy was visibly heartbroken. “Oh... I... I just wanted to see him...”

“It’ll be fine, Fluttershy,” Flathoof assured her, “We’ll come visit him later. We all will.”

“Well, you’ll have to take turns,” Heartthrob explained, “Our single-bed recovery rooms are fairly small. We only allow two visitors at a time, three at the most in special circumstances. This is a group room that happened to be empty, so you all lucked out in visiting Miss Sparkle. Lockwood needs to be kept isolated for now, just following procedure.”

“That’s alright,” Twilight nodded, “We would’ve given first dibs to Fluttershy and Flathoof anyway, isn’t that right everypony?”

“Oh what? I don’t get first dibs?” Briarthorn said with mock offense, “He’s my close buddy buddy too, y’know?” Flathoof and Fluttershy both gave him serious looks, at which he chuckled. “I’m not really kidding, here- I know family and, what, girlfriend material?” Fluttershy turned red and fumbled nervously with her hooves. “You guys are serious stuff, but I’ve been trying to talk to this guy for more than a minute at a time every couple months for like three years. Once you guys are done, I’m right behind you.”

“That’s fine,” Flathoof nodded, “Eight, huh? I can deal with waiting that long.”

“I suppose if we have to...” Fluttershy frowned, “Oh... I do hope he’s alright...”

Twilight suddenly frowned. “Oh... right, we should probably let them know exactly what’s going on.”

“Ah, yes, I’d almost forgotten in all the commotion,” Heartthrob nodded, “I’ll keep this simple, ladies and gentlemen. I’m not quite as good as sugar-coating information as Doctor Sugarcane is, so bear with me if I sound a mite formal here. Your friend is alive, that much is for certain, and we did everything we could, but we couldn’t fix everything that was wrong with him, given the timeframe in which he was delivered to us. Unfortunately, Mister Lockwood’s wing has been damaged tremendously by the Red Death curse. It’ll recover its fullness and plumage in time but the nerve damage was immense. I’m sorry to say, that he’s never going to be able to fly again.”

Everypony in the room’s faces drooped, save for Twilight’s; she already knew. Rainbow spoke first. “Come on Doc, you’ve gotta be able to do something here. Not able to fly? Do you have any idea what that means for a pegasus?”

“I’m afraid I do, ma’am,” Heartthrob sighed, “But there’s nothing we can do. He’ll be able to glide, and just barely at that. True flight is out of the question. We don’t have the resources to repair that kind of damage. There’s also some minor magical scarring, nothing too serious.”

“That poor...” Rainbow trailed off.

Fluttershy burst into tears. “Oh... t-t-this is all m-m-my-”

“Stop it, there you go again,” Flathoof chided her, “This isn’t your fault, Fluttershy. How many times are Lockwood and I going to have to say it?”

Briarthorn, to nopony’s surprise, dove headlong into trying to lift the mood. “Hey! Hey, hey! Guys, come on. Get a grip on your sad, this mopey mopery is completely the wrong attitude. The Doc just told us Mister Nice Guy is guaranteed alive! So he’s not quite perfect! That just gives him another story to tell. Nopony’s perfect to begin with, and we sure as hell don’t end that way. I’m just glad I didn’t have to tell you guys ‘no more Mister Nice Guy’, because that line has been sitting in my head, haunting me and making me rather worry-warty... huh? Oh, look, see, now you’re all looking at me like I wanted that to be funny. No, that’s just the way I think. I’d feel as bad as the rest of you. Frankly, if I’d have done it, it’d be to commit suicide from the inevitable pummeling I’d have gotten from you in your grief. See? Suddenly serious again, right? Yeah, I think we should move away from what didn’t happen today, and be glad that at least you all got here and got our girl Twily here with him in time to save his life, right? Spend the effort, flip those frowns around.” *

Pinkie Pie agreed wholeheartedly, “Yeah! Yeah, goldenrod over here is right! They did everything they could, and you know what, Lockwood’s gonna be fine and dandy, you’ll see! It’s like Lockwood always says, ‘It could be worse’!”

Briarthorn chimed in, “No clouds in the sky, a friend is alive, I think we’ve got ourselves a good day ahead of us, ladies... and Flathoof.”

The murmurs around the group seemed to agree at least that much, though they still weren’t exactly ecstatic.

“Well then, I’ll let you all take your leave,” Heartthrob said as he headed for the door, “Oh, and Twilight? You keep practicing that Restomancy, dear. You’ve got a real talent for it.”

He and Lemoncake left the room, the latter of which waved at Flathoof as she left. Flathoof sighed, “I’ll have to hope I can find time to see her before we leave. Well, we have a full day ahead of us then?”

“I can’t even think about doing anything...” Fluttershy sniffed, “I just want to see him...”

Rarity pat Fluttershy gently on the back. “Oh, darling, I know you do, but Lockwood wouldn’t want you to mope around all day over him now, would he?” Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. “Well then, as dear Flathoof so eloquently put it, we certainly do have a full day ahead of us, don’t we? What say we get some lunch and explore the town?”

Briarthorn snorted loudly. “Okay, sure, lunch? Whatever, that’s fine, we should get some eats as soon as possible. You guys need that. But explore? More of me as a tour guide, for which you guys don’t really have much of an appetite? That’s you guys going places with me because I’m the one holding your ‘day-passes’ around here. That’s what you’re asking. That’s the suggestion you’re giving me.” He snorted loudly again. “Nah. Nah. We just found out my good good buddy Lockwood is A-OK... mostly! We’re not gonna just go walking about like a bunch of bucking tourists. You’re not just any tourists. You’re my tourists. We’re gonna celebrate. We’re gonna celebrate really hard.”

“Why can’t we celebrate at lunch?” Flathoof blinked.

Briarthorn continued. “Like I said, lunch is good, because it’s always good to eat before you go out and celebrate. Does anypony really need me to spell this out for them?”

“Oh, are we going to visit that amusement park?” Twilight beamed, “That sounds like a fun way to spend the day! A good way to keep everypony’s mind on enjoying themselves and not getting down.”

“Oh stars...” Tick Tock sighed, placing a hoof to her face.

“Twily, you are adorable when you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Briarthorn said appreciatively, “But no. We don’t have an amusement park here at all, anyway. That’s more of a Utopian thing. Besides, we get enough ‘thrills’ in the real world. No, when I bucking say celebrate, I mean bucking go drinking, and by go drinking, I mean you will feel like your head is on the losing end of one hundred pillow fights, only the pillows are filled with hummingbird down, so it makes you giggle a little bit.”

“What the hay does that even mean?” Rainbow blanched.

Pinkie raised her hoof excitedly. “Ooh ooh, I think it means like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.” 

Rainbow threw her hooves up in exasperation. “That makes even less sense!”

“Yes, that was quite a silly analogy,” Rarity agreed, “I’ve heard of ‘going out drinking’ before, but never quite described in such a fashion.”

He stared at her. “That’s a serious analogy for a serious reason. You will actually feel like you’ve gotten your head crushed in very slowly and sweetly by the sheer amount of alcohol we’re going to throw back.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Certainly there must be something else we can do to celebrate than waste our time in a bar?”

Briarthorn chuckled, “If this place has traditions that don’t somehow involve a literally staggering amount of alcohol, I must always be drunk when they’re happening on accident. If something good around here happens, you celebrate by going out and getting hammered. It’s how we celebrate everything. Sister had a baby? Go get hammered. Successfully performed brain surgery? Go get hammered. Girl you proposed to said ‘yes’? Go get hammered. Found a bit on the ground? Sounds like a reason to celebrate to me! Go get hammered!”

“Good heavens... is there anything you ponies here don’t ‘get hammered’ for?” Rarity blanched.

Briarthorn tapped his chin in thought for just a moment, then shrugged. “Nah. Look, you said wanna explore. Explore why? Because you want to ‘get to know’ Hope’s Point. Am I wrong? I doubt it. So! If that’s your goal, there are only two places worth exploring. First, you’ll want to explore the Wyrm’s Head, because that’s where we, as a city, basically all drink. Everything smells faintly of grain alcohol, shame, throw-up, and, if you’re lucky enough to be there with me? Victory. Second place you want to explore? The bottom of the second to last quadruple-distilled whiskey chaser you’ve drank.”

There was a silence.

“The second to last because the last one is the one that makes you throw up after you’ve fallen unconscious. There’s always a need for a designated ‘friend’ to roll you out of your own vomit.”

There was another silence.

“You would die if you choked on your own vomit,” Briarthorn said unnecessarily.

“I... um... I don’t... uh... know... that sounds... awfully irresponsible...” Rarity nervously gulped.

“Horseapples to responsibility, I’m on this guy’s side for once!” Rainbow exclaimed, “After all the screwed up stuff we’ve been through this week, you know what, I could use a good drink!”

“Actually, y’know what? I’m with Rainbow on this one. I agree with Briarthorn,” Applejack nodded, “When I’ve had a hard day’s work out on the farm, I like ta kick back an’ relax with a cold one. Or two. ‘pends on how hard a day I had.”

“Oh, you two would agree to go out and do something like this!” Rarity huffed, “Somepony please tell me they think we should consider another alternative? Perhaps an art gallery, or-”

Pinkie piped up, “Art gallery? Puh-lease, Rarity, that’s-”

“Other than Pinkie Pie, who I’m certain is going to agree with Briarthorn?” Rarity interrupted. Pinkie gave her an indignant look for a moment, then shrugged it off.

Flathoof sighed, “Don’t worry Rarity, I’ve got your back.”

“Well thank you, Flathoof,” Rarity said appreciatively, “How about you, Fluttershy? Surely you don’t think we should indulge these ruffians in their little drinking games, do you? If they want to go out and ‘get hammered’, they should do so on their own time!”

“I don’t know...” Fluttershy nervously squeaked.

“Oh c’mon, Fluttershy, it’ll be great!” Rainbow cheered, “It’ll be like our senior year all over again, only this time me and Gilda won’t accidentally set fire to the bleachers at the skyball field. Oh man... good times...”

“Um... y-yes, well...” Fluttershy sighed, “As long as we have somepony responsible around to keep everypony out of trouble... you’re right, this sounds like it might be a little fun.”

“F-Fluttershy, you can’t be serious?” Rarity flustered. Fluttershy’s lack of response made her sputter. “I... but... urgh! Please, tell me somepony else thinks this sounds as dreadful as I do? Tick Tock! Twilight! Darlings, you’re of a more refined tastes than I give you credit at times, surely you two-”

“Actually, I’m all for going out for a bevvy myself,” Tick Tock laughed.

“I agree, I’m interested in giving this whole thing a try,” Twilight agreed, “This sounds exciting! I’ve never done anything like this before!”

Rarity was astounded. Her eyebrow began to twitch. “Et tu, Tick Tock? Twilight? Really now, only Flathoof is on my side?” She gave a long, drawn-out sigh, “Fine, let’s go out ‘drinking’, like a bunch of addle-brained college foals. What a simply marvelous idea! Knowing some of you I just know I’m going to be playing chaperone.”

Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Well, far be it from me to ruin everypony’s fun then, I was hoping a few of you would disagree. You can go ahead and join them a little if you’d like, Rarity. To be honest, drinking ain’t really my thing. See, I’m-”

“Delaying the inevitable!” Briarthorn interrupted, “I love it when a plan comes together. Everypony, this way! First, lunch. Then? Then, we hit the best bucking pub this side of New Pandemonium!”

*****

The building that Twilight and her friends now looked at was, to be blunt, bizarre. It didn’t look so much like a building as they’d expected. What it did look like was several dozen boats crushed together in some horribly ill-thought-out attempt to resemble a building, and they were just barely getting away with it by the skin of their figurative teeth. It was very, very tall, easily four ‘floors’, for lack of a better term, up. It was so wide that it covered an entire city block, though rather unevenly. The awnings, windows, and doors that had been attached post-boat wreck were laden with glowing lights and signs that attracted the attention of passers-by and directed them towards the entrance at street level smack dab in the middle of the eastern side of the structure. Curiously, one boat, completely intact, hung from a crane-like structure at the top, swaying back and forth high above the group of mares and two stallions and looking not at all sturdy.

“Could a heap of crap be more beautiful?” Briarthorn proudly declared, “It’s got rooms that used to be prison transports, rooms that used to be cruise ships, rooms that used to be ‘gar-barges’ -you’ll know what I mean if you end up in one - rooms that used to be cargo ships, and everything in between! I think there’s even an old kelp-fishing boat that got fashioned into the restrooms on the north side. This, is Wyrm’s Head Tavern. Pinkie!” he shouted, sharply pointing a hoof at Pinkie, “I need an intro line. Go!”

Pinkie thought for all of a second, then solemnly intoned in a wizened, aged voice: uniquely distinctive, yet unrecognizable to the group, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

Briarthorn nodded sagely, one hoof over his heart. “Better words have never been spoken.”

“It looks... uh... unique,” Rarity nervously laughed, “Yes. Yes, that’s the word I think works best here. ‘Unique’.”

“This ain’t like any bar I’ve ever been to before,” Applejack said with a shake of her head, “Looks more like a wacko dream somepony came up with after fallin’ asleep in a field o’ poppies. Downright weird.”

“Heh, you’ve been to some pretty tame bars then,” said Tick Tock. “I like this place. It has a certain seafaring charm to it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you tossed this whole thing in the ocean if it was seaworthy. What’s with that hanging boat up top though?”

Briarthorn pointed happily at it. “Oh, that? That’s the reserved lounge for the pilots. Seeing as us pilots are all pegasi, it makes sense to put it someplace other folk can’t just head up to. Of course-” he started.

Suddenly, a loud crack came from above and a large chunk of the bottom of the boat fell out, crashing several yards away from them in splintering wood and strips of metal. Twilight had to put up a shield to keep debris from flying into their group, who apart from Briarthorn had all leapt away. Out of the rubble of floorboards and broken bar stools crawled a dazed unicorn, who stumbled about a bit and looked up in disdain.

A pegasus up above shouted down, “Way to go, horn-face! Now we have to fix the damn floor again!”

“Of course,” Briarthorn continued with a laugh, “Sometimes every now and again, some poor bastard tries to get up there to see why the pilots get such an exclusive backroom. The floorboards are cloud-wood, from when we’ve got extra clouds leftover from dragging heaps of them back from the Belt of Tranquility. Know this nice unicorn guy, poofs ‘em into boards for cheap. Work just like clouds, look just like wood. Very ergonomic. Economic. Eco-friendly.”

“I don’t think ‘bizarre’ quite covers what just happened,” Tick Tock laughed, “Like I said though, it’s quite a charming little dive. I’ve always kind of liked theme bars, they’re usually loaded with all sorts of characters.”

“Has sort of a ‘pirate’ feel to it,” Pinkie pointed out, specifically referring to the dragon-like skull above the large doorway, “Skull and crossbones? Total pirate trademark.”

Briarthorn grinned in affirmation, “In general that’s the sort of clientele that this joint often serves. Pirates. Rogues. Smugglers. That kind of thing. I can honestly say that, to me, there’s no line of work that’s been more exciting!”

“Wait... so, you’re a pirate?” Pinkie blinked, “You don’t look like any pirate I’ve ever seen before. Where’s your talking parrot? And your accent? Pirates everywhere would be ashamed. You are a disgrace to Blackbeard, my friend.”

Briarthorn blinked. “Talking... parrot? And... accent? Oh! Oh, right. Well. Me? I’m not that kind of pirate... though we do get a few who enjoy that sort of authenticity to it. A little dressing up never hurt anypony, and if it makes them feel more involved with the job, I say go for it! Me, I’m more into the literal goal of piracy. Booty, and lots of- Lady Rarity, don’t let your looks go to waste in a mean look like that. I’m not jive-talking turkey ‘bout some fine badonkadonk, even if I am a fan of junk in the trunk. I run goods. What the New Pandemonium military and cops might call being a ‘smuggler’, but what I call ‘delivery boy’. When somepony out there wants something delivered someplace at some time and wants it done neatly and discreetly, I’m your stallion. It’s what most of the pilots around here are known to do! How did you think this city makes a living?”

“Sounds dangerous,” Twilight observed, “I bet you get those Pandemonium types after you all the time.”

“Military, maybe,” Flathoof noted, “I don’t think the NPPD cares much about it. They... uh... have more ‘local’ troubles to worry about. That’s what I’ve heard anyway,” he quickly added.

“I can’t say I approve of participating in such... illicit activities for a living,” Rarity frowned.

“Well it’s not like I’m stealing,” Briarthorn chuckled, “Not... technically. Not usually, anyway. I mean, sure, so a few of the things I transport here and there may or may not have been acquired through less-than-legal means, and my knowledge regarding these circumstances perhaps was or was not current and/or accurate at the time, and I could have maybe, possibly, theoretically taken a little off the top like any good businesspony would or wouldn’t... but hey! A lot of the things I transport ‘illegally’,” he added, making over-exaggerated air quotes with his wingtips, “Actually help ponies out there. Medical supplies, foodstuffs, miscellania like that.”

Fluttershy muttered, “Well... now that you mention it, Lockwood is sort of like that too...”

Twilight agreed, “Oh yes, that’s right. Those passports he helped us get, those were... uh... not quite ‘legally’ acquired, right? But we had to get them, because we needed to get home and in a hurry, right?”

“See? You’re with me, Twily. If you lean back and squiiiint at the letter of the law,” Briarthorn said, pretending to squint at the fine print of some imaginary document, “Sometimes the spirit is easier to read! You know, that’s how Lockwood and I found ourselves acquainted, actually. He’s got some sort of charity or underground railroad or therapy hotline or soup kitchen or something, I dunno, I don’t ask many questions, that’s neither my job nor my concern. Always trying to help out the ponies that live in the slums up in the city, see, and he needed a little help getting Dolor goods on the cheap and then getting them discreetly to the Outer District so that nopony asked questions. Who helped him out with that? Yours truly!”

“Well, that’s all very nice and what-have-you, but I do believe it’s time to get inside and get to celebrating, right?” Tick Tock anxiously interjected.

“You seem awfully eager, Tick Tock,” Twilight hummed.

“Oh, Twilight, you haven’t any idea how much I need a pint right now,” Tick Tock laughed, “You’ll join me for a round or two, won’t you?”

“A... round?” Twilight blinked, “I don’t really know much about this. I’ve never been drinking before. This is supposed to be a learning experience for me. You seem to know quite a bit, Tick Tock. Care to be my instructor?”

Briarthorn swooped over instantly, another look of outright conspiracy sitting plainly on his face, “Are you even old enough to drink, Twilight?”

“How old is... old enough?” Twilight asked quite seriously, “Is there an age limit?”

“Twilight, trust me, you’re old enough,” Tick Tock said simply. She then got a very sheepish look. “Wait... how old are you? I feel like a right sod, I never asked you!”

Twilight’s eyes nervously darted back and forth. “Um... w-well...”

“Oh don’t look so jittery, Twily. The bartender just needs to know if he should pop a cherry in your scotch. That makes the kids happy,” Briarthorn said with a mischievous grin, “That way, we know if your cherry has been scotch-popped. Gives it a nice fruity second aftertaste, after the first aftertaste, which is scotch.”

“Wait... they let foals drink too?!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Oh, of course not! Heavens, how socially unconscionable!” Though his pitch and tone matched Rarity’s moral outrage, Briarthorn was unable to stop himself from smirking. “As far as we know, no one has ever complained about their child dying of alcohol poisoning. I can call up the doctors again, if you guys need proof. Hey! Relax. The cherry in the scotch? It’s magic, by the way. Enchanted, so that if you’re below the drinking age, you vomit. Vomit is kinda our benchmark for ‘you’ve had enough’. Also clears out all the nasty stuff in your system so if you are underage, no harm no foul. We don’t exactly have identification around here, reminds everypony too much of the whole documentation crap back up in Pandemonium. Real mood killer. Besides! Everypony around here is responsible... mostly!”

“If we’re all done arguin’ ‘bout stuff that really don’t make no difference right here an’ now, can we just get inside?” Applejack huffed, “Tick Tock’s right, I dang well need a drink too.”

Briarthorn bowed apologetically. “Let it be entered into the public record, Applejack. We’ve basically got legal counsel in that sage advice of yours. Follow me!”

The gaggle of mares and two stallions entered the pub and were instantly greeted by the sight of dozens of ponies seated around various tables, enjoying drinks and exuding mirth and delight in all directions. Despite the seedy-looking exterior, the inside was extremely tame and orderly, if simultaneously loud and crowded. There were a few ponies here and there in the crowd that looked the part of a pirate as Pinkie had described them, but all of them looked genuinely jovial and reputable with their wide, sincere smiles and laughs.

The bar itself stretched across the entire west wall, manned by a single salt-and-pepper-colored unicorn with a short, stringy white mane, tail, and bushy mustache. He wore a button-up black vest over a red dress shirt and a pair of very tiny gold-rimmed glasses. He had a coconut half with a frilly umbrella and a bendy straw for a Cutie Mark. He looked every bit like an old-timey bartender that Applejack was of the opinion belonged more in a saloon than a port town pub like this.

Busily running between the bar and the wide variety of tables were a trio of unicorn mares. All three of them looked very, very similar, not just in dress but in coat color, body shape, mane and tail color. The only way they could be told apart were their slightly different mane and tail styles, and their Cutie Marks, though they were similar enough that on a first glance it would be easy to mistake any of them for one of the others. Their coats were light beige and had a bright luster, as if they’d been freshly cleaned and combed. Their manes and tails were dark golden brown. They each wore a very simple black blouse and a very short black skirt that showed off their Cutie Marks prominently. Two of them currently worked the bar itself, carrying multiple trays laden with empty glasses which they were busily placing on the bar counter and replacing with full ones that the bartender rapidly filled. Dozens upon dozens of tiny papers, each of which were covered with fine black writing, loaded down their white aprons.

Briarthorn eagerly led the gaggle of mares and Flathoof over to the corner, where a single, large empty table sat surrounded by a booth. On his way by, a few ponies here and there pointed in his direction and began to whisper, causing the mares and Flathoof to murmur amongst themselves as well in curiosity. In the opposite corner, a jukebox played some hard guitar number that kept the innumerable conversations in the room loud and jumbled. Briarthorn, to nopony’s surprise, took the seat opposite the booth’s exit between Twilight and Rarity. Tick Tock immediately sat beside Twilight and defensively scooted the other unicorn closer to herself and further from Briarthorn.

“Compared to the exterior, you’ve gotta admit that the place has some style, yeah?” Briarthorn asked with a giant grin.

Rarity hummed and looked around more diligently now that she was seated and had no need to worry about tripping over her cape. “Well,” she admitted, “I’ll admit, on the inside it certainly had a totally different level of class and sophistication than I guessed from the exterior. I was expecting a rough and tumble dive, Briarthorn.”

“We’ve got that, but you need to give me a little credit on picking my ambiance,” Briarthorn said as he gestured to the room in presentation, “I like to use a different room for each day of the week. The ‘Authentic Seedy Dive’ is Tuesday. Today’s Friday, and I typically do salty drinks with a pack of ladies - I mean Margaritas, jeez, you ponies need to stop giving me death glares, sometimes I let innuendos go! Subtlety for the obvious, remember? Anyway, ‘Ye Olde Pub’ would be my room for this evening, but I think we can all agree this is a special occasion! I’ll gladly stick with the ‘Friends and Family’ room. Appropriate, yes?”

He whistled, waving his hoof to get the attention of the waitress that was nearest their table. As soon as she saw him, she quite nearly bounded over to their table without a second of hesitation, her neatly braided mane and tail bouncing in her wake. Her Cutie Mark was a bread roll slathered with a melted square of butter accompanied by an oozing honey dipper.

“Well, now, if it ain’t Briarthorn himself,” the mare spoke above the din with a friendly tone, “What can I start ya wit’, shug? Am I puttin’ all yer friends on yer tab too? An’ jus’ look at y’all, an’ all yer fancy outfits! You brought a party wit’ ya tonight, shug.”

Briarthorn beamed. “Honey Buns! Sugar, sweetheart, baby doll! It’s been too long! So glad to see you. Had a dream... or three of you; at least one dream with three of you. Was reminiscing about old times. It’s just been such a tiring while since we’ve last crossed paths, Lady Buns rotund. How long has it been since we were last together? Yesterday, right? Yeah, sorry I left so suddenly. Duty called! To make it up to you, I’ve brought you a crowd of shiny new faces! But let’s be gentle. Start off with a round of Beginner’s Lucks. I gotta gauge how light these weights are. After that, who knows?”

Honey Buns laughed as she jotted down his order, “You got it, shug,” 

As she walked away, Briarthorn’s head tilted side to side in tune with her very pronounced sashaying backside. He suddenly perked up. “Ooh. Wait, you guys remember Cutlass? He wanted a ‘good word’ with that well-endowed mare. Pinkie, Tickety, anypony really, help me out here at some point. Think of a good one. Not yet, not yet, but I’ve gotta see to it to put in a ‘good word’ with her for Cutlass. A really ‘good word’. Remind me at some point. I promised I would, and I keep my promises. That’s at least one thing to fit onto the sticky note of things I can be reliably relied upon for.”

“I thought the one thing you were reliable on was hitting on everything that moved,” Rainbow scoffed.

“Several ponies past their drink limit go into stupors that makes them seem like they’ve had terrible body-seizing strokes. Frozen solid. Doesn’t stop me,” Briarthorn shrugged, “Just make sure that as you drink, keep being sure to be as disgusted with me as I can tell you are. Keep that focus up, or otherwise, who knows how you’ll wake up, my dear, lithe, and lovely Rainbow Dash.” His grin spread across his face, making Rainbow Dash tense up in anger. As she was about to interject, he looked at her very sternly. “But seriously, keep your focus. I can tell you guys aren’t exactly... old pros. I mean. Body language that I can interpret? Yeesh. I know some of you know your way around a bar, but still! You’re lucky the Queen’s in a bad mood and that she’s like the only pony I know that doesn’t drink when she’s in a bad mood. If she’d come down here today, she’d already be pissed and laughing at you from the looks on your faces, and you wouldn’t know to treasure the rare gift of Her Royal Highness’s drunken giggles when she’s completely face-plowed by her baker’s dozenth ‘Gunpowder’s Guzzler’. If you’re curious, don’t be. I have no idea why she likes the stuff. That’s coming from me, folks.”

“These folks don’t seem so gung-ho about giving you problems over a tab,” Tick Tock noted dubiously.

Applejack nodded. “Y’all even threw all o’ us on yers like it was nothin’, and that there waitress didn’t even bat an eye at it. What gives?”

“That’s another thing the Queen does right,” Briarthorn said fondly, “As a pilot, Her Royal Highness herself ensures that I get free drinks. Part of the perks of the job, y’see. Us pilots? We like to celebrate with a couple dozen drinks every time we come back from a mission not dead and not undead. Her Majesty’s seen some of the scraps we’ve been in, and so she keeps us happy on the alcohol front.”

Moments later, Honey Buns returned with the drinks they’d ordered, placing them all around the table at once with all the practiced dexterity of a unicorn waitress. The dirty brown liquid made a few of the ponies look on in dejection while a few others looked on in anticipation. Rainbow Dash grabbed her glass with both hooves and was rewarded with a huge elbow to the side from Pinkie for her trouble. The pink pony gestured towards the rest of the group subtly with a tilt of her head to show that nopony else had even picked up their glasses, even Briarthorn. 

Rarity looked particularly dismayed at the sight before her. “Um...” she coughed, “If I may trouble you, my dear? So sorry to make you take this back, but this sort of drink really isn’t me, as t’were. I prefer wine, if you have any?”

Honey Buns, her face completely professional and not at all upset, was about to take Rarity’s drink back when Briarthorn grabbed it first. “Yoink! I’m gonna need more than a few of these anyway. Babby’s first swillwater,” he chuckled, “Go ahead and take the lovely lady’s order, Honey. I guess I didn’t consider that some of my guests would have more refined tastes,” he added with a sly grin.

Honey Buns shrugged and took out her notepad. “Well alrighty then, what’ll it be, ma’am? We’ve got red grape, white grape, orange, blood orange, cranberry, raspberry, boysenberry, cherry, black cherry, grapefruit, strawberry, blueberry-”

“Goodness, that’s one heck of a wine list,” Tick Tock whistled.

“Purpleberry, trillberry, snozzberry, mapleberry, aaaaand honey fruit, my personal favorite. Whew! Golly I love goin’ through that whole list. We’re awful proud o’ our selection.”

Rarity looked disappointed. “Oh... no magmaberry?”

Honey Buns clapped herself on the forehead. “Dagnabbit, I always forget that one! Not a very common order, see? Most ponies can’t stand the taste, it’s a lil’ bit on the spicy side. Would’ya like some? I can’t say we’ve got much, an’ there’s a limit on how much we allow ya ta have, too.”

Rarity excitedly clapped her hooves. “Oh, magmaberry, most definitely! I’ve been so eager to try it for myself, and seeing as we lost all of our seeds back in Goldridge, I’ve lamented that I’d never get the chance.”

“I’ll take some of the snozzberry, please.” Everypony turned to Pinkie Pie as she spoke. She looked around and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re not gonna drink with us?” Applejack balked, “Y’all’re stickin’ with the prissy drinkin’ like Rarity? I... no, who are ya and what have y’all done with Pinkie Pie?”

“Oh come on, you guys! I’m a social drinker!” Pinkie giggled, “Just ask Dashie, she knows I don’t drink at parties except for the very light stuff. I’ve got a pretty high tolerance for wine, see. Love the stuff.”

“That’s... no, that makes no bleedin’ sense whatsoever,” Tick Tock said, “You? The party animal? You don’t drink?”

“Exactly!” Pinkie said pointedly, “I’m the party animal at your average shindig, but when alcohol is involved? I don’t need to be the party animal. Everypony else takes care of that just fine without me, it’s more fun to be sober-ish and watch everypony else act like goofballs than to join in myself. Now Dashie, that’s not her at all,” she added with a wink as she slid her drink to Rainbow, “She’ll drink anything. This one time, I swear, she spilled her cider on the floor and-”

“Whoa, hey, t-that was a one-time thing, Pinks,” Rainbow nervously chuckled, “It’s not like I spilled it on-purpose or anything, right? C’mon, nopony wastes Applejack’s famous moonshine cider!”

“I’m going to turn mine down as well,” Flathoof said, pushing his drink aside to Applejack.

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “Wait... what? Y’all ain’t drinkin’ neither?”

“Nnnnope,” Flathoof said with a proud grin.

Briarthorn looked surprised as well, even as he leaned out over the table, sliding both Pinkie’s and Flathoof’s mugs to himself with his wings before either of them noticed. “You want wine, too? Big guy, you look like you could pack down an entire keg and not even start sweating booze. Come on, what’s your poison? Any weird tastes we should know about, Buff Drinklots?”

Flathoof chuckled, “See, now you know why I took offense to that one. I’m a teetotaller.”

“That’s a rare order, but we’ve got it! One brandy-laced tea, coming up,” Briarthorn laughed, pointing at Honey Buns in preparation to order.

“No... that’s... what? That’s not what a teetotaller is,” Flathoof said quickly, “It means I don’t drink alcohol. At all.”

The entire room went deathly silent. This included the jukebox, which just happened to skip at that exact moment with a very loud screeching sound. A glass could be heard breaking somewhere near the bar area; the bartender had dropped a glass he was polishing with a rag. Flathoof nervously slinked back into his seat as everypony in the room turned to face him.

Briarthorn’s jaw dropped. “You... don’t... drink? Can that...? Can that sentence happen? I... I always knew that those three words were words... I just never thought you could put them together, like, in that order. Like ‘I am asleep’, or ‘I just died!’ You... don’t drink anything? At all? Ever? Nothing? Nada? Zilch?”

“Nnnnope.”

“You... poor bastard. And... you don’t want to start?”

“Nnnnope. Why is this so hard to understand?” Flathoof nervously asked, as the entire bar was now staring at him like he was from the moon.

“Are you from the moon?” Briarthorn asked very seriously, reaching towards one of his pockets.

“What? No!” Flathoof huffed.

“Dark wizard curse?” Briarthorn’s hoof now moved towards a different pocket.

“No.”

“Obscure liver disorder?” A different pocket yet again.

“No!”

“Did booze rape yer paw and shewt yer maw?” he asked, earning an annoyed look from both Applejack and Honey Buns, the latter of which used the offense to slide away from the table momentarily. 

“By the stars boy, no!” Flathoof exclaimed, “It’s a conscious decision!”

“Yeah, technically speaking. Technically. Like-” Briarthorn made his forehooves and wings assume right angles, and began turning back and forth with a deadpan expression. “Beep boop bop I am a ponybot. I don’t drink. Error! Error! Does not compute! Does not compute!”

Honey Buns interrupted the back-and-forth by returning with two glasses of wine for Pinkie and Rarity. “Here you are, dears. Um... and here’s a glass of milk,” she chuckled nervously as she floated over a glass to Flathoof, looking like she was feeding a wild, rabid, pregnant Gargantuan, “Y’all seem the type ta want milk over water, shug.”

“Well thank you, ma’am,” Flathoof nodded in approval, “Sorry if I got everypony riled up...”

By now the rest of the room had returned to normal as well, including the jukebox which was now playing an upbeat pop tune. Shaking off the stupor, Briarthorn lifted one of his now four glasses into the air. “Despite having some kind of superfreak, superfreak, he’s superfreaky dude at the table, he’s still got a glass, which means we can still all toast! To Lockwood’s health, and to the wonderful, lovely mare that he owes so much to, Twilight Sparkle!” 

“Cheers,” Tick Tock added.

He tucked a wing around Twilight to pull her into a hug and clanged his glass with hers. The others followed suit with whoever was closest with them, leaving a very disgruntled Tick Tock all alone as her toasting partner had been snatched away. Toast complete, Fluttershy, Flathoof, Pinkie, Rarity, and Twilight all took small sips of the drinks they had in front of them. Briarthorn, to nopony’s surprise, chugged all four of his down in quick succession, not stopping once as he slid them along with both forehooves and wingtips like a drunken conveyer belt, barely shuffling the wing that had Twilight pressed into him as he went. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were just behind him, but the two both turned in surprise just before they finished theirs to see Tick Tock slam her glass on the table, having finished ahead of them almost as quickly as he had.

“Bloody hell that is the weakest damned bitter I’ve ever had!” Tick Tock snorted, “Oy, Briarthorn, I thought you said we were going drinking, not swimming in the kiddie pool. Seriously mate, this tastes like ruddy Utopian beer.”

The pegasus belched in reproach. “What did I call this brew again? Beginner’s Luck. You’re seasoned, huh? Like a bad pasta, too much paprika. You some kinda old-thymer? Heyo! Let’s kick it up a notch, then! Buh-Bam!”

Fluttershy nervously slid her glass forward after finishing it, and hiccuped into her hoof quietly. “Oh... um... I think I’m going to stick with these, if that’s okay? I’d like to try and keep an eye on the clock, if you don’t mind?” She turned her head to face the clock on the nearby wall, watching it intently. Only a few hours to go.

“You don’t need to continue, darling,” Rarity said sweetly, “Join Pinkie and I in some of the lighter side of drinking, hmm? Or maybe dear Flathoof’s style is more your speed?”

“Oh... n-no, I want to participate just like everypony else,” she quickly dismissed, “I just don’t want to switch to the stronger stuff.”

Twilight placed her glass on the table too, and immediately turned against Briarthorn and slurred in his face, “Oh wow, dish ish good shtuff! It hash a weird aftertashte to it. I don’t tashte a cherry dough.” Her eyes were already a little glazed.

Tick Tock immediately put a hoof to her face. “Bloody lightweight...”

“Oh, that’s right! Young lady, we’ve gotta make sure you’re allowed to have this!” Briarthorn said, like he was almost seriously attempting to be stern with the unicorn at his side. He let out a whistle and Honey Buns was immediately back over to the table.

“You called, shug? Say! I figured you’d be done, but land’s sakes, everypony at the table’s well along too! I’ll getcha another round, an’-” She stopped when Briarthorn pulled himself up, and Twilight with him, so that they were almost standing on the table.

His voice cut across the noise, addressing the room with a sudden surge of command. “Honey Ba-ba, ba-buns, my dear-dear-dear, we have to check this suspicious young filly! I need a Youth Ticket, stat! If she pukes, she’s goin’ home! Ladies and gentlecolts, we might have a social climber in our midst! Let’s see if she’s all she’s cracked up to be, or just a big lying baby!”

Cries of “Test her!” quickly became a chant from the nearby bar patrons, and spread until it had filled the entire bar. The bartender, from across the room, magically tossed a cherry towards their table in an expert long-cherry-bomb pass that he’d clearly practiced many times. Honey Buns expertly swirled around a drink that was slid to her across simultaneously, landing it in front of Twilight just as the cherry landed with a splash into the stein. A golf clap spread throughout the crowd.

“Kerplonk! All in one go!” Briarthorn grinned. He signalled Honey Buns for a new round of a stronger brew for himself, Rainbow, Applejack, and Tick Tock and another Beginner’s Luck for Fluttershy and Twilight with a surprisingly elaborate hoof-gesture, pointing them out separately from the group even as he pat Twilight on the back with his other, like a practiced stage magician.

Twilight nervously took her glass into her hooves, having lost all confidence for magical control. She tilted the glass back, back, back, and downed the entire contents, then swallowed loudly. The bar grew quiet. Twilight looked queasy for a moment, opened her mouth...

The burp echoed through the room

The crowd began to cheer, “Legal!”

Briarthorn held up one of Twilight’s hooves as the bartender, across the room, hit a large bell twice with a tiny hammer. “We have a winner! A round for the house from me to you for her! Let’s hear it for Twilight Sparkle!”

Another cheer erupted throughout the bar. Honey Buns arrived at their table with another set of drinks for those who were moving up through the bar’s selection and another of the weaker brand for Fluttershy and Twilight, who was quite eagerly still participating in the cheering. The liquid in the glasses placed before the four stronger drinkers was a reddish-brown with what looked like bits of dirt floating in it. Rainbow sniffed hers warily and her lips curled in revulsion, but Applejack simply took hers in hoof while Tick Tock followed suit with her magic, and raised them along with Briarthorn. Rainbow hastily followed suit, giving a nervous look to Pinkie that disappeared the second the other three lifted their glasses to their lips. All four of them drank them down in one go, though Rainbow barely kept up and had to cough a little into her glass to keep the others from seeing it. The booze tasted like somepony had left some grapes out a little too long in the sun, tried to make beer out of the result, and, just for good measure, threw a handful of sawdust in the mix thinking it would somehow soak up the terrible taste. It didn’t.

“Makes you hate yourself a little bit, doesn’t it? Isn’t it spectacular?” Briarthorn sighed over at the mares partaking with him, clicking his tongue along his lips with satisfaction.

“Now that, is a pint,” Tick Tock breathed, “My dear mentor Zenith always said, ‘the worse a beer tastes, the better it makes you feel’, and I tell ya that old bloke knew what he was bloody well talking about. That went straight to my brain, it did.”

“Kinda fruity, in a bad way,” Applejack commented, “I dunno, I’m more fer the stuff that goes down smooth. I figure if’n y’all had a hard day, the last thing ya want is fer yer beer ta give ya a hard time goin’ down.”

“I suppose,” Tick Tock shrugged, “Some ponies just can’t stomach the rougher brews. No shame in it, it’s an acquired taste after all.”

“Oh... y-yeah!” Rainbow hastily added, “Yeah, this stuff... wow, yuck, tastes like dirt raisins.”

Briarthorn chuckled, “Oh, do the little rainbow and miss southern comfort want smooth? Humour them, Tickety. We’ll give ‘em smooth.” 

Briarthorn whistle-gestured again at Honey Buns, who instantly headed back to the bar and placed their orders, as well as ordering another for Twilight and Fluttershy who, despite drinking the weaker stuff, were still actively participating in the rounds. Twilight giggled and snorted after she finished hers, giving a loud cheer after placing her empty glass on the table.

“I am astounded at what I am seeing,” Rarity said pointedly as she took her third sip of still her first glass of wine, “Applejack and Rainbow Dash I expected to be heavy drinkers, but you, Tick Tock? I honestly never pegged you for the drinking type whatsoever.”

“There’s more to me than meets the eye,” Tick Tock smiled, “Bit of a Chronomancer slogan. If there’s one thing I miss about being in the city, it’s being able to get sloshed whenever I want. In fact, before I met all of you I’d just gotten off a tough job and planned on hitting this one pub up in the northern Outer District I’m quite fond of, getting bloody piss-faced, then coming home and passing out. I’m bloody well owed a night like that, and damn it all if that night isn’t tonight!” She saw Briarthorn staring at her, both hooves on his chin, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically. “What?”

“You’re all invited to our wedding,” he said with a dreamy sigh, causing the whole table to rock with laughter. Even Tick Tock herself joined in, despite her eye-rolling.

“Heavens, you are just full of surprises, aren’t you dear?” Rarity said, her tone a bizarre mixture of fondness and disappointment. She took a sip of wine from the new glass Honey Buns had just provided seconds earlier, her second. “My, and the service here is just exquisite. This is better than most restaurants I’ve been too.”

“The Buns sisters are the best in the biz,” Briarthorn said fondly, “All’s lovely mares, who shows thats they cares. I’m a solid customer, as surprising as that is to none of you, so they’re always sweet on me. You can’t ask for much more in a bar. Y’know, aside from the alcohol of course.”

“I’ll be honest, off the bat I can’t really tell the difference between her and the other two...” Flathoof admitted, “They’re triplets, aren’t they? They certainly look related.”

“Come on, that’s not hard: you’ve just gotta watch their backsides,” Briarthorn said piously.

“Ah, right. Cutie Marks,” Flathoof nodded, “I suppose that makes-”

“Sure! I guess that works too,” Briarthorn shrugged, “Honey Buns has just the most gorgeous rear I’ve ever seen on a pony. I’d adore getting her in and out of those nice applebottom jeans, y’know, the kind of which our dear Applejack is so fond.”

Applejack snorted, “Jus’ keep yer eyes ta yerself there, wingnut.”

Briarthorn stared into her eyes for a moment, and then continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “Her sister over there,” he said, pointing at the mare currently speaking with Honey Buns at the bar, “That’s Cinnamon Buns. Her game is her horn. A little bigger than your average unicorn. Generally, that’s a unicorn thing, but if you’ve got protection... she can make ponies sing. She’s not really a go-getter, though, so it’d be a rare treat to get her into a nice pony pile.”

Briarthorn pointed unerringly before he even looked through the filled tables at the third sister. “And that’s Saffron Buns. She’s a peach, a real dynamo, but her special something isn’t something you look at. You need to talk to her to figure her specialty. But that’s enough talk on the rooms’ Buns-in-the-round. We’ve got our own round incoming!”

The next round came through, and as before, the five mares and one stallion grabbed their glasses and pounded them back without hesitation. Rainbow let out a sigh of relief. She was a lot more comfortable this time with joining in alongside Applejack, who’d always been her drinking partner, but Dash never knew the cowpony was so much better than her at this. The beer had been bright gold, and as Applejack smacked her lips greedily it was clear that it had probably tasted like gold too.

“Hoo-wee, that hits the spot!” Applejack chuckled, “That dang near tasted like cider, I tell ya what. Closest thing I’ve had to an apple since we got ta this dang hellhole continent, pardon mah language. Don’t that just go down smooth-like, Rainbow?”

“It’s not as good as your cider though, AJ,” Rainbow nodded appreciatively, “But yeah, I could handle drinking more of these.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “To each her own, I suppose. It tastes fine, yes, sure, but blimey, where’s the bloody kick to it? If I wanted tasty, I’d be drinking tea. When I’m drinking, I like to feel a little sorry for myself when I’m done.”

“With all that braggin’ y’all’re doin’, ya’d think y’all were tryin’ ta flirt with Briarthorn,” Applejack chuckled. Tick Tock shot her an incredibly sour look, ignoring the bright smile coming from the aforementioned pegasus.

Briarthorn reared back with an amicable whoop. “You girls aren’t just trauma-drinking yourselves, I think you might actually have a tolerance! That’s a beautiful thing, when a lady lets her make-up run from the beer coursing in her veins. Here I was, thinking that when we’d get here, I’d have to pace myself better and tell you stories for the first six hours. I gotta say that, honest to stars and skies above, I thought it’d be the big guy and me bonding over a nice pint or four, but whoo! We can’t be right all the time. If even a broken watch can be right twice a day, I’m allowed to be wrong twice. The right mistake was the only one left though, wasn’t it, Tickety? I still can’t believe that horse crap.” He took a deep breath in an attempt to say the offending words, “‘I don’t...’ Man! Let me try again. ‘I... don’t... d-d-d-d-’dammit! Yeesh. I just. I just can’t get it out. Those are words I just cannot parse together.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Flathoof snorted as he downed his second glass of milk. With a contented sigh, he placed it back onto the table where Honey Buns diligently refilled it along with Rarity and Pinkie's drinks.

“Shay, Briarshorn?” Twilight slurred from under Briarthorn's wing as she leaned into him heavily, “I wash jusht shinking of shomeshing. Now dat Lockwood ish better, can we go shee da Queen tomorrow?”

“Leave it to Twilight, still able to keep a clear head even when totally out of it and slurring her tongue off,” Pinkie said with a shake of her head, taking a sip of her second glass, “Another reason I don’t drink: Can’t talk worth a darn. How am I supposed to tell funny jokes when my words are all incoherent?!”

“By planning on how you’ll be incoherent!” Briarthorn gently chastised with a grin, before Twilight began poking him with a hoof. He sighed dramatically and pulled Twilight into his wing more firmly. “Now, Twily, I can take you to visit the Queen and soon, certainly, but I doubt that you, me, and most everyone else here will be really wanting to go through that, especially tomorrow, what with the hangovers some of you will be getting. The Queen’s really busy lately with events in the past week or so, it’s been tough getting anypony in to book passages out across the Belt. I was gonna wait at least another day before I called us in for her.”

“If we could, I’d like to leave ash shoon as posshible,” Twilight giggled against the smuggler. Briarthorn grinned at Tick Tock again, wiggling his eyebrows in a plain dare. “Oh wow, dose drinksh were yummmmy. Hee hee, I’m gonna hafta write a letter to da Prinshesh when we get home... ‘Dear Prinshesh Celeshia: Drinking ish fun!’ Hee hee...”

“Twilight, you are the worst drunk ever,” Tick Tock said frankly as she pulled Twilight out of Briarthorn’s wing and back over to lean into her instead. Briarthorn merely stretched the wing out over the back of the seats, so that Twilight and Tick Tock were both demonstrably in its reach. He flicked Tick Tock’s ear with his primary, teasing her. She stuck out her tongue at him.

“Despite Twilight’s... inebriation,” Rarity coughed loudly, attempting to keep the conversation on topic, “She does have a point. The sooner we leave, the better. If I may make a long story short, we only have, at best, another seven days before we have to be home. Isn’t that right Tick Tock?”

“Assuming that all the readings are still accurate and nothing has changed, yes, seven days sounds about accurate,” Tick Tock agreed, batting Briarthorn’s feather away as it attempted to flick her again.

Briarthorn pulled away from teasing Tick Tock and leaned towards Rarity. He gave her a half-lidded, unruffled look. “Am I allowed to know yet why you guys need to get out of here so quickly that you want me to go rushing headlong into dealing with my boss, who is eager and willing to chew on my head a while before biting it off and spitting it out?” he said, crossing his hooves. He leaned back, still occasionally flicking Tick Tock. Her eyes narrowed as she mimicked him, crossing her hooves and leaning back heavily on the wingtip, earning a grunt of dulled discomfort. Twilight began giggling, and Tick Tock giggled a bit with her.

“Is it... alright if we don’t, just now?” Rarity chuckled nervously, still trying to keep the table focused, “It’s a rather long and unbelievable tale, and we’d rather not have to go through it multiple times. If you’re able to get us audience with your Queen, we’d likely have to explain it to her anyway, so why not see to it that we see her quickly so you can hear the story for yourself? And besides, it’s not exactly a pleasant story, certainly not something we should be bringing up while trying to celebrate.”

Briarthorn hummed and flicked Tick Tock on the horn before quickly pulling the wing back against his side. “Eh. Eh. I suppose, I suppose. She’ll get it out of you, I know that. I just wanted to, y’know, help you deal with her. But sure! If you want to go it alone, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I like a little mystery anyway,” he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He paused then pursed his lips. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not curious, and it’s going to take all my efforts to get her to see you tomorrow. I just can’t think...” He suddenly got a very bright, mischievous look to him. 

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow. “Um...?”

Briarthorn shot a hoof skyward. “I think I know what I can do to get you all to her faster. The conditions are perfect for a little feather-ruffling. Now, I know I can’t get the Queen to see me so soon given all the crap I’ve pulled under normal conditions, and frankly I think she needs a day or two to cool down given what I’ve been doing. Buying you food, lodging, clothing, all on her bankroll? I’m not looking forward to it. She’ll bitch at me for undermining her authority or something, which you all know isn’t true, what with my stellar praise of Queenie’s work with and around the city. But... with Lockwood showing up near-dead, and furthermore miraculously not dead nor undead, which I believe I’ve mentioned is something we pride ourselves on all because one of you,” he added with a fond pat on Twilight’s shoulder, “One of you saved his life, which will earn you more points than I think she’ll want to admit... I think... I think, I think, I think... I can invoke one of our most sacred rites, and ancient customs, and legal traditions that will... if not trump her authority outright, should at least impress her enough to hear us out. It’s probably the best way to demonstrate sincerity amongst us, this particular custom. We can start immediately.”

Pinkie and Rainbow looked at each other, to confirm the others’ suspicions. Applejack’s eyebrow perked up to match Tick Tock’s. Rarity, however, was completely lost.

“What? Right now?” she blinked rapidly, “What manner of tradition are you talking about that we’d do right now?”

His face was dead serious, and once again he spoke loudly, above the din, “We’re going to have ourselves... a drinking contest.”

The entire bar went silent once more.

“A... drinkin’ contest? Seriously?” Applejack balked, “That is the most danged fool idea I ever heard. Y’all can’t be serious.”

“Extremely, miss southern comfort,” he laughed, “Honey Buns!”

The waitress was already dashing over as quickly as she could, fumbling with a small datapad that she’d procured from behind the bar. “I heard ya shug, I heard ya. Gimme a sec, ‘kay? This newfangled doohickey always gives me trouble. Why can’t we stick ta pen ‘n’ paper fer this, huh?”

“What’s she doing?” Tick Tock asked.

“Why, she’s going to be our judge,” Briarthorn explained, “She’ll keep tabs on the whole thing, make sure it’s all legit and official. Honey Buns, dear, sweetheart, love, would you mind explaining the rules for my dear opponents, please?”

“Sure thing, shug,” Honey nodded, “It’s like this, y’all. The competitors in an official drinkin’ contest keep on drinkin’ ‘til they can’t drink no more, that’s the first rule. Last pony standin’ wins. Second rule is, ya gotta down yer whoooole drink in order ta count it. If ya spill any, if ya spit it out, an’ ‘specially if ya puke it all back up, ya lose. Simple rules, right? As fer what happens when ya win, well, winner takes all. Briarthorn, shug, what’s the ante here?”

“Oh, we’re not playing for money,” Briarthorn grinned widely, “Loser has to do whatever the winner wants, simple as that. No cash, no rash, just flavors of favors.”

Honey laughed, “Ah, the good ol’ ‘Slave fer a Day’ ante. Popular choice wit’ the younger crowds, not usu’lly wit’ ponies o’ yer persuasion, Briarthorn.”

“Not many opportunities to get a whole bunch of day-longs in one go,” Briarthorn said, wiggling his eyebrows at Honey Buns, who began to giggle behind one of her hooves.

“Hey now,” Applejack said nervously, “Um... that sound mighty shady ta me. We gotta do whatever he says if he wins?”

“An’ he’s gotta do whatever y’all want if y’all win,” Honey continued, “Sound simple ‘nough?”

“Piece of cake. You already know what we want, Briarthorn,” Tick Tock said firmly, “What about you? What do you want from us? I mean it doesn’t take much to guess, but I’d like to have an idea first.”

Honey interjected, “Rules say he don’t hafta let ya know until the contest is over an’ the winner is chosen. If’n y’all can’t stomach goin’ inta th’ unknown like that, then this sorta contest ain’t fer y’all.”

“They might have an idea of what I want. But let’s make it fair for them.” Briarthorn’s typical conspiracy look sat on his face, and despite the drinks he’d already had, his eyes were bright and clear. “As many of you as you want as a team, against just me. I only win if I’m the last one up. If any one of you outlasts me, your team wins. Sound fair?”

“Fair?” Applejack laughed, “One o’ y’all, ‘gainst as many o’ us we wanna put in ‘gainst ya? I dunno, that sounds like y’all’re settin’ yerself up... fer... why is everypony smilin’ at me like that?”

Honey Buns, who could barely contain her laughter, pat Applejack cordially on the shoulder. “Don’t take offense here, shug, but y’all’re lucky Briarthorn here is givin’ ya a chance ta do somethin’ like that. Rules say he gets ta pick who he wants ta compete ‘gainst in a group like this, but he’s lettin’ y’all pick who y’all want, and as many as y’all want wit’out any consequence if some o’ ya aren’t up ta snuff.”

“I still don’t know how that’s funny,” Applejack stared.

Honey Buns tilted Applejack’s head towards the wall behind the bar, and pointed to it so that the rest of her group would direct their attention there as well. Applejack’s jaw dropped at the sheer amount of gold plaques displayed proudly along the wall like esteemed awards, each of them given for the same thing: “Drunk of the Year”. She could see Briarthorn’s name on the five most recent plaques, as well as photos of him doing assorted absolutely outrageous activities on a bar table on each one. The most recent one, only given out three months before, had him dancing on the table with a lampshade over his head. In fact, he had that same lampshade over his head in at least half the photographs. Applejack could see said lampshade on a lamp just near the bar, and Briarthorn’s name was one of many signed upon it, like a trophy.

Briarthorn chortled very slowly. “So you see, I’ve got a bit of a reputation. Figure I’d give you all a fair chance at it though. Still up for it? It’s the only way I’m gonna hurry that passage request along tomorrow.”

“I suppose we have little choice then,” Tick Tock hummed.

“You’re not actually considering going through with this, are you Tick Tock?” Rarity asked, aghast, “Darling, if you lose, he’ll-”

“Why the bloody hell not?” Tick Tock huffed, “I said I’d get you all home as soon as possible, and I aim to make good on that promise. If I lose, I lose. I assume that only the participants are affected by the contest, yes?”

Briarthorn nodded. “Correct-a-mundo, my sublimey. If it’s just you and me and you lose, I can’t, say, make Rarity take me out for a night on the town. Though, I figure I’d be able to get that without having to force her through cultural mainstay,” he smiled as he pat Rarity’s hoof. She stared at him expressionlessly, and very slowly pulled her hoof away to replace it on her near-empty third glass.

“Cheers! I can handle it. No harm in trying to wipe the smug little grin on this blighter’s face right off, right?” Tick Tock boasted.

“I’m in,” Applejack suddenly interjected.

A few of the others stared at her. Flathoof was the first to speak. “Applejack, you don’t have to-”

“I said, ‘I’m in’,” she said firmly, “Heck if I’m gonna let our whole chance ta get home sooner ride jus’ on Tick Tock. No offense, sugarcube, but we done gone down that road too many times already and had it blow up in our faces. I think it’s ‘bout time we take some o’ the effort ourselves ta do what it takes to get home.”

“Well spoken, Applejack,” Tick Tock agreed, “Glad to have your support.”

“I’m in too!” Rainbow blurted, “This sounds like a competition, and you all know I never back down from a competition, and that I never lose. We’ll have this in the bag, no problem!”

“Yeah, you tell him Dashie!” Pinkie cheered, “You’ve got your cheering section all prepped and ready, you’re gonna whup some flank!”

Briarthorn beamed. “Most excellent! The competitors are set. The terms are set. Let’s make sure everything else is on the up and up. First, sorry to those of you who aren’t partaking in this event, but you’re going to have to take seats elsewhere.”

“Awww... but I-” Pinkie pouted.

“Sorry, but he’s absolutely right,” Honey nodded, “Rules say that only competitors are allowed at a contest table ta avoid any possiblity o’ cheatin’ ‘cause somepony passed their drink ta their neighbor wit’out anypony seein’ or somethin’. Don’t look at me, I don’t make the rules, they’re only there ‘cause somepony actually tried ta do it and got in trouble fer it. Don’t y’all worry none, y’all get reserved seats since ya had ta move. Come wit’ me.”

The non-contestants got up with assorted grumbles, and Honey Buns ushered them over to a nearby table, luckily not having to move anypony to get any seats. They were close enough that they could still watch the contest without worry, and at least now they had more room to sit without crowding in. A rumbling crowd had begun to form around the table they’d just left, leaving a divide for Honey Buns to get through to serve the table drinks.

Briarthorn spoke again, and with a flourish, spread his wings in a grand display of poise. “Well then, while our fantastic bartender prepares our first round, we shall open this contest officially. Honey Buns, doll, dearest, if you would please lead us in tune to sing the ceremonial drinking contest anthem? It’s an open and honest tribute to the most lucrative work we do around here. You girls don’t need to join in if you don’t know it,” he added, looking down at them apologetically, “Everypony else in the bar, though! Let’s hear some singing here! Up up! Aaaand-”

Honey Buns had taken out a flute from a small box the bartender had slid over to her, and played just a few dozen notes as Briarthorn cleared his throat. When he signaled to her that he was ready, she started to play a tune, and Briarthorn and the crowd sang along.

“♫Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's-”

Pinkie suddenly jumped up and waved her hooves in a panic. “Whoa whoa whoa, guys! Do you wanna get sued?! Ex-nay on the Isney-day! You’ll need a team of lawyers to get through that kind of trouble!”

Briarthorn blinked in stunned silence, then gave a deep, booming laugh. “Lawyers? Lawyers?! We’re pirates. A good third of us are at least paralegals if not practicing attorneys in either or both New Pandemonium and Utopian law firms, not to mention our very own local Hope’s Point legal system, which, if you can’t tell by the use of a drinking contest as a legitimate legal wager, is way messier. Not to mention the place being a hereditary monarchy only two generations old. I myself practice family law when there aren’t a lot of goods to be shipped. My specialty is specifically divorce proceedings.” Pinkie stared at him, still openly nervous and plainly unconvinced. “Yeesh, okay, okay, okay. Here, look.”

He reached out a wing and grabbed a nearby pony, a very large pegasus stallion. His coat was red and his mane and tail and massive beard were all dark black. He was wearing what could only be described as ‘stereotypical pirate garb’, right down to an eyepatch and a false peg leg. On his shoulder was a small stuffed bird made out of paper-mache.

Briarthorn introduced the burly pegasus. “Ol’ One-Eye here is a lawyer, ain’t ya One-Eye?”

The big pony, in an incredibly deep, gruff voice, replied, “Aye. Passed the Barrrr exam ‘n’ errythin’. Lost me eye in me first case, yarr. Tragic and pro bono, loik all the best cases arrrrre. But while Oy lost me eye, Oy won me case.”

Briarthorn bowed his head in respect. “See? Now Ol’ One-Eye’s specialty is copyright law. One-Eye. Our official song.”

“Aye, ‘tis a mighty foine song, ‘tis.”

“We’ve got this nice pink lady here saying its origins aren’t public domain, and thus we should live in fear of the owners of that song!”

One-Eye glared with his eponym. “Yarr! Now see here, Miss Pink-Mare, this ‘ere drinking shanty-tune be bein’ used in spontaneity, with no clear indicaterrrs as ter an intent on establishin’ any profit through use of said song, yarr! Therefore! With no clear profit motive, ye use of yon song, despoite yer claim to purportedly copyroighted origins, if Oy be recallin’ me jurisprudence theory fer interlecteral property, such a use falls under yon jurisdiction an’ protection of yer Fair Use and Parody Law-rrr!”

Briarthorn nodded sagely as Pinkie acquiesced with a sincere and thoughtful nod of her own. “A fair and useful point! I mean, where would I be if I thought I’d get in trouble for everything I do? Still, I’d recommend we only really use one line, that makes it more obvious it’s homage rather than plagiarism.” Noticing everyone staring at her, she coughed into a hoof. “Never mind me. Go ahead and sing!”

Briarthorn hopped back to the table and gestured for Honey Buns to starting playing her flute again. “Now! Where were we? Oh, right. We didn’t really get to start. Ahem...

♫Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me-”

Applejack leaned over to Tick Tock. “What in the hay have we gotten ourselves inta this time? Songs? Judges? Rules? This don’t sound like any drinkin’ contest I ever been ta. Sure okay, that there first rule is right on the money - drink ‘till ya drop, last one standin’ wins. But the rest o’ this?”

“Just humor the bloke,” Tick Tock shrugged. “If wiping the smug out of him gets us across the sea faster, we’ll play his little game. Don’t tell me you’re worried, Applejack?”

Applejack snorted, “O’ course not, I’m just mighty weirded out, is all.”

Briarthorn continued the song for a few moments, each other line making the three mares competing against him look at each other with concern. A drinking shanty bragging about looting, pillaging, igniting, extorting, kidnaping, and other unscrupulous activities, did not seem to be very uplifting for decent, mostly law-abiding citizens like themselves. When Briarthorn and the crowd finished, he took a flamboyant bow amidst applause from the crowd around them, and as he took his seat, Honey Buns provided the table with four small shot glasses filled with a bright gold, faintly glowing liquid. Without even having to put their noses down to the stuff, Applejack and Rainbow Dash jerked their heads back in disgust at the smell, and Tick Tock wrinkled her nose in repulsion.

“By the stars, what is this stuff?” Tick Tock murmured, eyeing her glass warily, “I know I was talking about getting piss-faced, but moving on to actual piss seems a bit of a joke. Ha bloody ha.”

“This is the house’s most special of special brews, unique to Wyrm’s Head. The only pub in the world to have the nerve to serve. A real crowd pleaser,” Briarthorn explained, taking his glass between his hooves and looking into the liquid cautiously but not showing any sign of being affected by the smell, “Hmm... good, good, good. All golden. Not a hint of green in it.”

“What is it?” Applejack asked, still worried about putting her hooves anywhere near the glass in front of her.

“‘Gargantuan Venom’,” Honey Buns said with a pleasant smile, “It’s our strongest home brew, really packs a wallop. Tradition dictates that we serve our strongest stuff fer drinkin’ contests, y’see, so here y’all are. If’n ya wanted somethin’ lighter, well, y’all shoulda gone ta some other bar.”

“‘Gargantuan Venom’? Ha, clever name,” Tick Tock laughed, “I’ve never been a fan of naming drinks in the same manner one names hot sauce. All ‘Dragon Piss’ and whatnot.”

“What’s in it?” Rainbow asked, finally getting the gumption to pick up her glass, very carefully making sure she didn’t spill a drop. She wasn’t so much concerned about losing at this point, more about getting any of the stuff on her coat.

Briarthorn blinked, and winced at them incredulously. “What do you mean, ‘what’s in it?’ Gargantuan venom.”

All three mares looked at him for a moment, hoping he was joking. But the expression on his face clearly showed that he wasn’t. Applejack spoke first, desperately hoping he still was. “Y’all’re jokin’... right?”

“He doesn’t look like he’s joking,” Rainbow muttered, “This stuff really has Gragantuan venom in it? No way man, you’re pulling our legs here. That stuff is... deadly, isn’t it? What kind of idiot puts poison in a drink?”

“Yup, sure does, sure is, and just the kinda idiot that made a mint off the purification process!” Honey smiled broadly, “Passed down through the bartender’s family line fer seven generations, and we’re awful proud o’ makin’ the stuff potable, that we are. Even prouder that the doctor folk down in the medical center bought one o’ our distillers to use it fer makin’ that fancy anti-venom they all use.”

Fluttershy, from the table nearby, turned white. “Y-y-you’re j-j-joking... y-you have t-t-to be... you can’t p-p-possibly be using that horrible stuff in a drink...” She fidgeted away from the drinking table, horrified that any of the stuff they were drinking would get anywhere near her. She wasn’t sure if she was still immune to the stuff.

“I assure you, we use one-hundred percent authentic Gargantuan venom to make this here stuff,” Honey said, somewhat hurt that she was being doubted, “Don’t you worry yer lil’ head none, shug, it’s perfectly safe. So long as yer liver’s workin’ right, o’ course. Drink at yer own risk, that’s the warnin’ label on the bottles. The worse it’ll do is what any other brew’ll do if ya drink too much.”

“You’re not scared, right?” Briarthorn snickered, sliding his glass around the table between his hooves without spilling a drop, “If you all want to quit now, go right ahead. Contest has already started though, see? Be a real shame to forfeit before we even had the first round.”

“I don’t even want to know how you manage to collect the special ingredient,” Tick Tock sighed, lifting her own glass, “Let’s just get this over with, do what we came here to do. Bottoms up, ladies.”

Applejack watched as Briarthorn and Tick Tock lifted their glasses to their lips and waited for the others as a show of courtesy. She grunted and followed suit with her own, ignoring the pungent odor that flowed into her nose like an unwelcome houseguest. “Like I said, hay if I’m gonna leave this whole dang thing ta Tick Tock alone. Let’s do this, flyboy. Y’all picked the wrong mare ta mess with here.”

Rainbow mirrored the other two mares, lifting her own glass with a slight shake. “Yeah... yeah, let’s do this! Woo! Yeah...”

All four downed their tiny glasses and slammed them on the table. All four of them visibly shuddered in disgust at the flavor. Rainbow’s trembling was slightly worse as she coughed and sputtered, but she managed to get it all under control after a moment. She cringed and closed both eyes. She peeked one open to look at Pinkie. Pinkie smiled sweetly and cheered, waving encouragingly. Once she saw Pinkie’s smile, Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

“Bloody hell,” Tick Tock breathed after a moment, lolling her tongue out in revulsion, “Potable? I’ve smelled piss more potable than that garbage!”

“I said it was potable, not that it tasted good, shug. That’s what really makes it a contest,” Honey snickered, “Next round, comin’ down!”

Four more glasses were placed in front of the contestants, who all eagerly grabbed them and stared at one another with determination. “Hey!” Briarthorn said with a wide smile, “You survived! Guess you’re all actually serious about this. I never dreamed something like this might happen. Though I did have a dream involving you three last night. We weren’t drinking though - ha ha haaaa, it’s like I’m a prophet. You were all actually giving me the stink-eye in my subconscious, too, despite your compromised positions in that wonderful little vision. Ooh, those looks might be worse. But hey! Don’t get too upset. You might break the rules and lose on a technicality. On that note, here’s something else I said in my dream that pertains to the contest, bottoms up!”

*****

Hours had passed, and by now the table had become literally covered in shot glasses that were now being slowly cleaned out by Honey Buns to make room for new ones. Briarthorn sat on one side of the table, his body swaying slightly and one of his eyes drooped a bit, but otherwise, he was still lucid enough to smile broadly as his next glass was placed in front of him. His eyes tilted to his left, where Honey was carefully setting down another glass in front of Applejack, whose messy mane kept falling into her eyes and had long since been taken out of its neatly-tied style. To his right, a glass was placed in front of Tick Tock, who lazily fumbled with her bow tie to try and get some air. Honey Buns then casually stepped away from the table to allow the competition to continue, giving Briarthorn a clear view of the table where the others were all still seated, minus two.

Rarity, the only semi-sober one left aside from Pinkie, diligently did her best to keep Twilight upright. Fluttershy and Flathoof were long gone, having left the bar as soon as the clock neared eight, signalling their visit with Lockwood. Fluttershy had dashed out of the bar in the process, but not before downing one quick, final drink before she did so, to Flathoof’s confusion. Pinkie Pie, of course, was completely unable to be of any assistance, as she was desperately trying to keep a very, very drunk Rainbow Dash from doing anything stupid.

“I *hic* I tell ya Pinksh,” Rainbow slurred as she leaned into the pink pony, “It’sh not faaaaaiiiiirrrrr. Dat Briarshorn, he totally bumped me under da table. Made me shpill my drink, I shwear...”

“Dashie, we all saw you fumble that glass. Above the table. Besides, Briarthorn was across the table. He’d have to go under the table and lose to bump you, Dashie. You really should’ve been cut off like eight rounds ago,” Pinkie sighed as she helped Rainbow back into her chair for the third time in the past five minutes, “Look at you, you spilled it all over your brand new jacket.”

“It looksh good dough, don’t it? Eheh. Heheh... Heeeeey... hey. Hey Pinksh...” Rainbow garbled with a dumb grin, “You know... you knoooow... your hair ish... soooooo... poofy... poofy-woofy... hee hee...”

“Good heavens, I can’t believe we have to handle two of them now,” Rarity huffed as she rubbed Twilight’s back, “At least dear Rainbow has a higher tolerance, but still! I just knew this was a bad idea, I just knew it. Twilight here is absolutely out of it, and Rainbow... Rainbow is making a total foal out of herself...”

“Hey! Hey!” Rainbow stammered, pointing at Rarity, “You... mmm! Mmm! Wash your name again? Um... Rarity! You... fanshie... panshie... jealoush horny shing. You jusht... shushushush!”

“Don’t you shush me!” Rarity exclaimed indignantly.

“Rainbow Dash, I think I should get you back to the hotel before you do something really goofy,” Pinkie sighed. 

Rainbow brightened immensely, but her smile was still unsteady. “Hotellll...? Ohhhh, oh I get it. I get it! That’sh a good idea. Hee hee, you’re right Pinksh, it’sh been a few weeksh now huh? Sinsh we’ve had any real fun... oh Celeshia you have noooo ideeeeea how much I need to jusht grab you... by your poofball tail and then-”

Pinkie turned bright red when the pegasus started whispering in her ear. She abruptly stopped when Rainbow leaned down and started nibbling at her neck, causing quite a few of the ponies in the bar to look their way in eager anticipation. Briarthorn in particular, who saw them during a lapse in-between rounds, leaned forward and gave a wolf-whistle. Pinkie had to put in a lot of effort to separate her neck from Rainbow’s relentless kissing.

“Hey! Whoa now, Dashie, calm down. Dashie? Dashie!” Pinkie grumbled, and pulled a squirt bottle out of her mane and started squirting Rainbow with jets of cold water. “Bad!” *Squirt* “Bad Dashie!” *Squirt squirt squirt* “There are strangers watching, Dashie, not cool.”

“Heeyyyy, come onnnnn Pinksh,” Rainbow complained as she shook water out of her mane. The dumb grin from before returned in earnest. “Hee hee... oh hey, I jusht realized... hey... hey Pinksh...” She leaned in and whispered, “You got me... *hic* hee hee, hold on hold on... you got me... all... wet... ha haaa...” Rainbow then slumped forward and started giggling madly into her hooves.

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “See, this is why I don’t drink.”

Briarthorn, Applejack, and Tick Tock slammed down another set of glasses onto the table, and as they’d done after each round, they stared at one another with the intensity of a raging inferno, each trying to will somepony else into submission. Tick Tock and Applejack even did so to one another, despite being teammates, sizing one another up and daring the other to give up and leave the whole thing to them.

Briarthorn gave a loud laugh. “Man! I’m surprised. It’s been a while, lemme tell ya. Getting thiiiiiiis drunk, a rare treat. You ladies are something else. I’m going to enjoy winning.”

“Heh... *hic* y’all think ya still... *hic* got a chance there, wingnut?” Applejack slurred, “I’ve got plenty more... *hic* game in me. Y’all ain’t gonna *hic* gonna beat me that easy...”

“Yeah! You... you tell ‘im AJ!” Tick Tock cheered, patting the earth pony on the back, “This bleedin’ wanker ain’t beating us, no sir, no he isn’t. I just... wooof... wow, I haven’t drinked... drunked... dranked this much in years...”

“Yep, you’re definitely a special bunch,” Briarthorn murmured as he scooted in close to where they were sitting, putting Tick Tock between himself and Applejack. “I... I’ve got just the thing to ask of you, sublimey...” He put a hoof to her ear, mimicking Rainbow Dash’s gesture to Pinkie, and whispered intently for several seconds before pulling away.

Tick Tock guffawed. “Oh... oh that’s rich, that’s a good one. Bloody good show mate, yes, right. I’d like to see you try and make me,” she said with a loud hiccup, putting her hooves up in a taunting gesture.

“Rules are rules, Tickety!” Briarthorn teased in a sing-song voice.

“Maybe... maybe...” Tick Tock shook her head, “But I’ve got you... allllll figured out, you tosser. You’re this great big flirty thing, don’t care if it’s a bloke or mare whose tail you’re chasing, yeah yeah, I get that...” She smiled brightly, “But, but, BUT, I know you’ve got a little bit of heart in you...”

“A little bit?” Briarthorn raised an eyebrow, “If I didn’t have a decent heart, my liver would’ve shriveled like a year ago.”

“Yoooou knooow what I’m taaaallking about,” Tick Tock slurred, “My guess is, you don’t mess around with ponies in monoganm... monogram... single-pony relationships, right? You know when some ponies are ‘off-limits’, eh right?”

Briarthorn hummed, then shook his head. “‘Off-limits’? Heh, heh. Heh-heh. That’s goofy, Tickety. It’s a bit hilarious just how wrong you are, miss sublimey. See, the thing is, I’m not picky in the least bit, but my grand logic-” He steadied himself and held up a hoof shakily. “My grand logic! Works on a whole ‘nother level. Okay, I’ll grant you one thing. I don’t really prod one part of a relationship... much. It ain’t really fair. But why? Simple. The way I see it, a couple counts as one unit. That’s why it’s got its own grammadi... grammakit... syntax appropriation. Two ponies together is ‘an item’, yeah? Here, watch this-” He whistled, “Hey! Heeeyyy Pinkie! Rainbow! Question for you two!”

The pair, who were busy wrestling, with Pinkie trying desperately not to get pinned by an increasingly aggressive Rainbow Dash, turned their attention to him. Pinkie called back, “Yeah? Little busy at the moment! Drunk girlfriend and all!”

“I can help you fix that! What say you two, when we get back to the hotel, we engage in a little, how does the Romantique saying go? Ménage à trois? I could help Rainbow stop getting angry at stallions!” His answer came when Rainbow Dash threw Pinkie’s half-empty wine glass at him, which he barely tilted his head to avoid, having it smash on the far wall behind him. “Okay, I’m taking that as a ‘maybe’!” He turned back to Tick Tock and shrugged, but with a huge smile on his face, “Ya see? Lotta ponies like monogamy. Ya gotta ‘right place, right time’ ‘em to get the double-time going. I’ve had my fair share of being a benefit-friend for a long line of couples, Tickety.”

Tick Tock flustered, but regained her composure rather quickly. “Well then, what about Fluttershy? Why else weren’t you hitting on her if it wasn’t because of her and Lockwood?”

Briarthorn nodded sagely. “That’s tricky, I grant you, but think about it. Me getting my mack on with that lovely little buttercup when Lockwood is not only not present, but hospitalized? Come on, do you really think my tool is my primary radar? That’s just bad form, see? Sheesh.”

“So... you have no problems hitting on ponies in relationships if both are present and if you treat them as one item...” Tick Tock hummed. She suddenly looked very proud of herself and pointed at him, “Ha! Then, I regret to inform you that I am in a relationship.”

Briarthorn laughed. “This is gonna be good. I want to hear a really plausible name. Remember, I know Lockwood. He knows damn near everypony. Who’s the ‘bloke’ you’re romping? Or... hey! Is it a mare? Don’t tell me it’s Twilight.” He grinned at Tick Tock’s sudden turning-pink. “That’d be a dream come true. You know I’d have no trouble with her, and enough pestering with you? I’m not that terrible, and you know it. And I wouldn’t be that terrible if the deed were done. Hot damn, if I could manage that one, I’d cross that right off my bucket list. Ka-chow! But go on, I’m all ears here. On pins and needles and the edge of my butt.”

Tick Tock quickly recovered and chortled, “His name is Pewter.”

Applejack stared at Tick Tock with disbelief. Briarthorn blinked, and laughed, “‘Pewter’, huh? Where’s your main squeeze gone off to, then, huh? Ain’t in Hope’s Point, that’s for sure.”

“You’re right, he’s not,” Tick Tock shrugged, “He maintains the checkpoint to the northwest.”

Briarthorn raised an eyebrow. “Wait... the Goldridge Pass checkpoint? He’s not related to Obsidian, is he?”

“He’s his son.”

Briarthorn laughed louder. “Really, now? The mountain stallion had a foal, huh? I wonder who the lucky mom was. Obsidian’s quasi-famous around here, at least to the ponies working in Queenie’s palace. His dad was good friends with the first King, you know? And he was friends with the last King, our dear current Queenie’s daddy. They were drinking buddies, appropriately. How is that old so-and-so? You know what, nevermind, you say you and his son are doing the deed huh? Sure. Okay. Alright. That’s a nice plausible-sounding idea. I’ll buy it.” He waved over to Honey Buns for the next round of drinks. “It’s not going to stop me entirely, you know. I’m just going to pick apart his tastes through you, to make sure we both keep being honest.”

While he was distracted, Tick Tock leaned in close to Applejack and whispered, “I think he bought it...”

“Well yeah, he *hic* he said he bought it. Y’all should *hic* tell ‘im *hic* tell ‘im the *hic* the *hic* truth,” Applejack whispered back.

Tick Tock chuckled quietly, “No thanks, I’d rather not have him keep trying to shag me because he thinks I’m single. The flirting, I can deal with. The propositioning, not so much. I feel bad throwing Pewter in there, but he wouldn’t mind. I think.”

Applejack continued to stare, then shook her head and tried to process the information. Tick Tock wasn’t together with Flathoof? Well now, it all made sense, didn’t it? Despite Rarity’s words all those days ago back at the checkpoint she’d almost never seen the two of them talking together, but she assumed it was because the two were trying to hide their relationship, which was the main reason she disliked the whole thing. Then there was that whole business in Haute Couture’s shop; she assumed that Tick Tock was having a laugh as a further attempt to keep their relationship hidden; of course, knowing that that wouldn’t have stopped Briarthorn in the least actually made Applejack wonder what the point of that would’ve been. Now Tick Tock was saying quite plainly that she was single, but Rarity had said she was with Flathoof. What was the truth?

Applejack took a deep breath as the next set of glasses came to the table. She’d have to find out what was really going on another time.

***** *****

As Flathoof and Fluttershy were escorted through a hallway by a helpful member of the hospital staff, they were glad that the ponies here were so helpful and polite. It was just after eight o’clock, and as they came around another corner, the staff pony gestured towards the third door on their left, allowing them to make the rest of the way there themselves. They found the door just fine, what with Lockwood’s name appearing on the label upon it. It was open a crack and they could hear a television quietly playing from the other side. Flathoof smiled and pushed the door open, gesturing for Fluttershy to enter first. 

She gasped loudly when she saw him, “Oh! Lockwood!”

Lockwood was laying on his back lazily tapping at the remote control on the side of his hospital bed with his hoof. His good wing was tucked neatly in at his side, while his damaged wing was kept in a tight splint just off to the side of the bed so that he couldn’t move it himself. A very dull green glow covered him, which was generated by a techno-magic machine attached to the ceiling above his bed. Fluttershy’s hooves went to her mouth when she saw that he was wearing a large piece of gauze over his right eye. He was otherwise wearing a clean hospital gown colored a dull pink, opened at his left side to allow his disabled wing plenty of breathing room.

Lockwood brightened immensely when he saw them enter and clicked the television off. “Oh, hey there you two! Thank goodness, I needed some visitors and soon,” he smiled, “This hospital doesn’t get cable, so I can’t watch my favorite show. Rotten luck, eh? I’m missing the season finale!”

Fluttershy rushed forward and embraced him, careful not to jostle him and hurt his wing. “Lockwood... you’re okay! You’re okay...”

“Well of course I’m okay, I had the best medical team this side of Pandemonium,” he laughed, returning the hug delicately, “Which reminds me, give Twilight a big ‘thank you’ from me if you see her before I do, which no doubt you will. I’ll still thank her myself, but I want her to know how much she’s done for me. They told me she passed out after my surgery was all over. Is she okay? She didn’t over-exert herself, did she? I haven’t heard anything new about her condition.”

“She’s fine, Lockwood. Just a little anxiety attack from finishing up what I’ve been told was a very complicated surgical procedure,” Flathoof smiled, “More importantly, how are you? That’s the whole reason we came down to check on you. You look great by the way, like you could take on the world.”

“I feel like a million bits, give or take,” Lockwood laughed, “Doctor Sugarcane says I’ll be ready for release by tomorrow morning. They’ve had this little techno-magic thing running since I got here, and I guess it’s accelerating the healing process? Nifty stuff, nothing like I remember in Pandemonium’s medical centers.” He looked between the two of them and grinned broadly. “And hey now, you’ve got new clothes too! Good good, glad to see things are being taken care of without me out there.”

“We got everything sorted out all nice and neat,” Flathoof grinned, “Minus a little... uh... mix-up with a few things. You wouldn’t happen to know a Haute Couture, would you?”

“The name doesn’t sound familiar. But hey, just look at you, big guy!” Lockwood chuckled, “You and Applejack look like you’ve got the same tastes, huh? Assuming that she’s still wearing what I remember her wearing. And hey, my jacket! You got it all fixed up for me Fluttershy, that’s wonderful. Don’t worry, you can hang onto it as long as you like.”

“Oh... th-thank you,” Fluttershy sniffed loudly, “Mister Briarthorn helped us get them. He’s very nice.”

“Nice, yes. Eccentric would be more accurate,” Lockwood laughed, “Speaking of Briarthorn, he’s not giving you any trouble is he?”

Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Trouble. Right. By that do you mean trying to get into bed with every dang mare in the group, oddly enough except Fluttershy? Don’t know what the deal with that is. Oh, and he’s been after me too. I thought you were bad about it, but at least you’re kidding.”

Lockwood snorted in mock offense, “Kidding? Oh Flathoof, what a thing to say! Well you’re right, that scoundrel has a bad habit of that kind of thing. It took me two months to get him to tone down attempts to jump my bones.” Fluttershy nervously gulped and tried to keep her wings from flaring as best she could. 

Flathoof chuckled, “He’s got your sense of humor, but none of your sense of timing or subtlety.” He then let out a heavy sigh. “Which reminds me. Secret’s out, Lockwood. They know all about you and me.”

Lockwood guffawed, “Fantastic! You finally came out of the closet, huh? Glad to have you here with me, now we can stop hiding and be a little more open about it.” Fluttershy’s wings started flaring again and she nervously squeaked as she tried to press them back down. “Are you alright, dear? You’ve been awful fidgety.”

“Oh d-d-don’t mind me,” Fluttershy awkwardly laughed, “I... n-nothing’s wrong here, n-no sir...”

“Lockwood, enough,” Flathoof said, holding up a hoof, “I meant about the other you and me, little brother.”

“Oh, that,” Lockwood smirked, “Briarthorn must’ve really gotten under your skin to make you let that little secret slip. Does that mean I can start calling you my big brother best friend forever again? Or would that just make things weird?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Flathoof balked.

Fluutershy sniffed loudly and interjected. “Lockwood... um... w-what’s the thing over your eye? Are you hurt? Oh no, it’s not something we need to get taken care of is it?!”

Lockwood frowned for a second, then smiled to hide it. “Oh, don’t you worry about it. just a little side-effect of the recovery process, it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing!” Fluttershy squeaked, “They d-don’t put that sort of bandage there for no good reason. That’s the same eye that... oh... Lockwood...”

“Relax, it’s perfectly fine,” Lockwood nervously chuckled, “You don’t want to see-”

“Don’t you hide anything from me!” she exclaimed.

“Hey now, Fluttershy, take it easy,” Flathoof said gently, “Lockwood’s probably got a good reason for not wanting to show us, don’t you buddy?”

Lockwood frowned again. “Well... if you really want to see, I guess it’s okay. Just... just don’t get all in a panic, alright? It’s not that big of a deal.”

He sighed and lifted the bandage. Fluttershy gasped, her wings drooping back down to normal, and even Flathoof had to step back in surprise. The white of his eye was now a dull red, and his iris and pupil had shrunken down to a small, black circle. Seeing their shocked faces made him frown again, so he replaced the bandage.

“See? Nothing,” he said with a small smile, “They got everything out of my body with Twilight’s help and repaired what damage they could, but some parts of me were... too far damaged to fix. They asked me what I’d like to do about it as far as covering it up. I’m torn between the traditional eyepatch they’ve got in abundance here, weird things look like part of a pirate costume by the way, or just going without.”

“Oh... Lockwood...” Fluttershy sniffed again, “All these terrible things have happened to you...”

Lockwood sighed, “I suppose they told you about my little... disability too, then?”

Fluttershy began to cry and buried her face into his chest. Flathoof took it upon himself to speak for her. “Disability... right. You really know how to downplay everything, don’t you? They told you that you’re never going to be able to fly again. That doesn’t bother you at all?”

“I was never much of a flier anyway,” Lockwood shrugged.

“How do you do it, Lockwood? How do you always stay so damn calm?” Flathoof sighed, “Nothing fazes you. I know of things that happened to you in the city that would make a normal pony spiral into a depression or go mad with anger, but you just shrug it off. Now you find out you’ll never fly again, you just barely survived a near-death experience, and your eye looks like some horror show, and all you can say is ‘oh, I’m fine’? How the hell do you do it?”

Lockwood smiled lightly, “I’m just looking at the big picture here. Okay, sure, I can’t really fly anymore. That’s terrible. Okay, yes, my eye looks like I should be in the next big horror flick. That’s just gross. And yes, alright, I almost died out there, fine. But I’m alive now, aren’t I? I’m alive, and you and all the others are in good condition again. We’ve gotta start looking up, Flathoof.”

Flathoof strode forward and gave Lockwood a big, tight hug, wrapping Fluttershy in it as well. “We were so worried about you. Everypony was. Do you have any idea how much everypony was scared for your life, Lockwood?”

“I appreciate the concern, old buddy, but as you can see,” Lockwood said, gesturing to himself, “I’m fine.” Fluttershy gave another loud sniff. He sighed, “Okay, I’ll admit, I am tremendously sorry that I’ve made you all worry about me as long as I have, but that’s in the past now. It’s not important anymore. What is important, what really matters to me, is how are all of you? I do hope Briarthorn took good care of you all while I was out? I’m afraid I don’t know much about the city layout, but he should’ve given you all a real whirlwind tour.”

Flathoof nodded. “He took us out for a feast at a place he said was owned by a friend of yours? Buns ‘n’ Stuff? The owner was very polite. We went back there for lunch today, even. Didn’t have a feast though, just regular meals. It was wonderful, your friend has a real talent for the stuff.”

“I knew he’d take you all straight to Cookie Dough,” Lockwood breathed in relief, “A feast, huh? She making good with all the Dolor brands I helped her get? Glad to hear that mare is moving up in the world. Owning her own restaurant and all... that was her dream.” He sighed contently. “I’m glad I was able to help. How about you, Fluttershy, did you enjoy everything? How do you like this place?”

Fluttershy sniffed and wiped away her tears. “W-well, it’s much nicer than... than Pandemonium. Um... everypony here is really... nice. I didn’t know you had friends all the way out here Lockwood.”

Flathoof added, “There are so many friends of yours I don’t know anything about, though I suppose after hearing about that Keeneye mare and seeing this Briarthorn fellow, I can see why you’d keep a few things here and there from me.” Flathoof looked very stern for a moment, before his smile betrayed his insincerity. “Associating with counterfeiters and smugglers, huh? What else are you keeping from me? You know I’d never turn you in, Lockwood.”

“I was never worried about that,” Lockwood laughed, “I just didn’t want you keeping secrets for everypony, least of all me. I’m sure you’re just burning up inside that you can’t tell anypony around here that you’re a you-know-what?”

Flathoof grumbled, “Yeah yeah, you know me too well. I’m proud of my career, despite how everypony here feels about my other coworkers. The sort of thing they’re worried about isn’t my style. But I have to hide it, you know? I feel like I’m being watched constantly. Like somepony’s gonna find out and I’m gonna ruin everything.”

“Don’t worry so much, Flathoof. How many times do I need to tell you you’re a worrywart, huh?” Lockwood said dismissively, “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I may not live here, but I still have my fair share of connections around this place. So don’t worry about it. Okay?”

“Considering that your friend Briarthorn was ready and willing to jump the gun until Tick Tock thought of an excuse for my Cutie Mark, I’m not exactly relieved.” Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Turns out I’m a career criminal now, a terrible one too. How about that? Really glad I was able to remember a few punks I’ve arrested over the years having a similar lifestyle. But enough about that, is there anything we can get you?” he asked with a smile, “Pillow? Water? Anything at all?”

Lockwood was about to decline, but noticed Flathoof’s eyes subtly dart to Fluttershy and back again. He sighed, “Actually yes, I could use an extra pillow to place under my wing. This one here just isn’t fluffy enough. Be a good big brother and find a nurse to get one for me, will you? Thanks.”

Flathoof nodded and winked. “Certainly. I’ll be back in a flash.” 

With that, he left the room and turned down the hall, leaving the two pegasi to be alone. After a few moments of awkward silence, only broken up my Fluttershy’s sniffling, Lockwood brushed Fluttershy’s drooping mane out of her face. 

“Hey... hey now, Fluttershy, you don’t need to keep that up, okay? Crying like this doesn’t suit a pretty face like yours,” he said, lifting her chin so she’d look at him.

She sniffed loudly and shook her head. “How can I not? You almost died because of-”

“Now, I thought I asked you to stop doing that?” Lockwood sighed.

“No! No! I’m not going to stop, not until I make amends for it!” Fluttershy blurted, “All of this-” she said, gesturing at Lockwood’s wing and eye, “Is because... because I was indecisive, because I wasn’t assertive enough. Well... well I don’t care what Rainbow said about those other mares trying to trick us! Havocwing taught me that I shouldn’t be a doormat anymore...”

“Hey now... I’m not-” Lockwood started.

“You don’t understand...” Fluttershy sniffed loudly, “If... if you hadn’t made it... I would never have been able to forgive myself. It’s my fault you got hurt in the first place, because I wasn’t strong enough. Well... no more! No more! I’m not going to be a weak little pegasus anymore... I’m not going to let the ponies I care about get hurt anymore!” Fluttershy stood up, proudly flaring her wings and pointing a hoof into the air. “Starting right now... starting right now... I’m going to be more assertive. I’m going to protect my friends. I’m going to protect you, and repay you for protecting me.”

Lockwood smiled lightly, “It’s good of you to want to be stronger, Fluttershy. If that’s what you want, then I’m sure your friends will support you. I know I do. But you don’t need to go through all that on my part. I’m not that important.”

“To Flathoof you are. To me you are,” Fluttershy choked.

Lockwood sighed, “I appreciate all the concern you and your friends are giving me. I’m really not used to be doted on so much like this. Not a fan of it, really.”

“Um... w-well,” Fluttershy gulped, unsure if she should tell him, “Flathoof... told me all about that...”

“He did, did he?” Lockwood nodded, “Figures. There’s more to it than that though. Still, I hope you don’t think any less of me for the things I’ve done, or for the way I feel about... certain ponies...”

Fluttershy quickly shook her head. “Oh no, of c-course not! You... you have to live with the upbringing you were given. Not everypony can have a happy childhood. I don’t pity you, though... you’re a strong pony, Lockwood. Flathoof’s right... you just shrug it all off, like... like it was nothing. I wish I could be like that...”

“It’s all a matter of perspective, Fluttershy,” Lockwood smiled, “If all you do is worry about the past, the present will just pass you by.”

“That’s why... that’s why I... I...” Fluttershy took a deep breath. Now or never. “Lockwood... I... I... l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-like you...”

Lockwood turned pink and gave her a very small, hesitant smile. “Oh? Oh. W-well, I... I... like you too, Fluttershy. Um... b-b-” She smiled brightly and hugged him again, sniffing back tears. He chuckled nervously and softly returned it after a second of hesitation. “I... I really don’t know what else to say... right now. I’m touched, Fluttershy... I really am...” His voice dropped, becoming sad. “But listen, there’s something very important you should know about me before you start thinking-”

“No... no, I know what I’m doing...” She pulled her head away and sniffed again, rubbing her eyes and drying her tears before looking into his. “Um... w-w-well, this is... d-difficult for me to ask but... I... I really do want to make up for everything that’s happened to you, because of me. I want to give you something to help makes up for all that I’ve done...”

“Fluttershy...” Lockwood breathed as she moved in closer.

“Yes?” she responded, her lips inches from his.

“You’ve been drinking,” he said flatly, wrinkling his nose and pulling away a little.

Fluttershy pulled back in surprise, her face red from embarrassment. “Oh... um... y-yes, but... only a little. J-just enough to... to g-give me the confidence I needed...” she admitted, “We were celebrating your recovery, and I didn’t want to not be a part of it. I w-w-wanted to celebrate so much! You’re okay, Lockwood... and I was so happy... so happy that I... w-well, um, I didn’t have that much...”

“Well you’re not drunk, that’s for certain. Briarthorn... that idiot...” Lockwood sighed, “Still, my dear, I have something important to say, and after I say it you might not want to do what you’re thinking about doing right now. It might be best for you rethink this once you’re completely sober and heard me out, okay?”

Fluttershy was taken aback, and she looked genuinely offended. “You... you th-think... that I’m doing this b-b-because of just a little drink? That I’m n-not in my right mind?!”

Lockwood frowned. “No. No, of course not. I can see that everything you’re saying and feeling is real... but... I wouldn’t want you to do anything too, uh, forward.”

“Forward?” Fluttershy huffed, her wings flaring, “Forward?! I’ll show you forward!”

***** *****

Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief as Rainbow Dash finally slumped forward in her seat, totally exhausted from her repeated attempts to get Pinkie’s armor off. Rainbow now began to snore, so Pinkie knew there’d be no more need for her spray bottle; she put it back into her mane exactly the same way as she’d taken it out. She turned to Rarity and was about to ask her a question about Twilight, who was also slumped forward in her seat, fast asleep, when suddenly her mane let out a small sputter of sparklers, all distinctly colored yellow and pink.

Rarity nearly leapt out of her seat in surprise. “Heavens! Pinkie really, you need some way to turn that ridiculous... thing... off?” She suddenly stopped and raised an eyebrow. Her eyes drifted to the snoring Rainbow Dash, then to Pinkie Pie, then back to Rainbow, then to Pinkie again. “Hold on a moment, this seems a little... misplaced. Pinkie dear, if Rainbow Dash is unconscious, how is that Pinkie Sense happening right now?”

Pinkie crossed her hooves in front of her. “Now see, that’s the bit about my Pinkie Sense I don’t like. When nopony’s around to see it the first time, they don’t know how it works, and of course nopony bothers to ask. Sheesh. You know what the fireworks mean, but you don’t know what they represent, see?”

“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow, dear,” Rarity hummed.

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “And that’s what asking questions fixes now, doesn’t it? Well, the fireworks carry a very specific color scheme to them,” she explained, pointing at the dwindling yellows and pinks, “So I’ll ask you a question, and you can follow along. Whenever you usually see them, what color are they?”

“Multi-colored,” Rarity said simply. She then corrected herself with a wave of her hoof. “Rainbow-colored, to be precise, I suppose.”

Pinkie nodded her head rapidly. “Precisely. And, when you usually see them, what’s happening?”

“You and Rainbow Dash are... engaging in a rather public display of affection, if I may say so,” Rarity answered, rolling her eyes, “Really Pinkie, all the fireworks do is attract everypony’s attention. Ponies can see it for miles around Ponyville. If you’d just keep yourselves inside when you two were doing it, there’d be no issue.”

“Well that’s sort of accidental, I can’t exactly help when Dashie or me feels... uh, affectionate. Dashie’s been real fidgety about showing it lately, but I guess that’s because she didn’t want to announce to our new friends that she and I are... y’know, together. Back at home, she’s much cooler about it. So yeah, public smooches and that’s what happens,” Pinkie continued, “The sparklers are rainbow-colored because Rainbow Dash is smoochin’ somepony she likes, me! If she were smoochin’ somepony she didn’t like, I wouldn’t get the fireworks. I don’t know what I’d get, actually. But I know that if she were smoochin’ somepony else she liked a lot and it wasn’t me, there’d be fireworks, but they’d make me super sad. But I’m not worried about that one little bit. Dashie’s one-hundred- no, two-hundred percent loyal! Ahem... but the point is, the fireworks mean that somepony really super important to me is smoochin’ somepony they really really like, and the colors tell me which of those super important ponies it is, and the amount tells me how big of a smooch it is. I never get pink and pink though, because that would be me, and I already know when I’m smoochin’ somepony I like. Duh.”

“Is that so?” Rarity hummed. She stared at the dying fireworks, and her eyes went wide. “Hold on, yellow and pink... Fluttershy!”

Pinkie poked her own nose. “On the nose-y, Rarity. No guesses as to who she’s smoochin’ either. Kind of a small display though. Knowing her, it probably just a little peck.”

Rarity suddenly looked very flustered. “I... I don’t... she actually... but... oh my goodness. Amazing, I didn’t think the poor dear had it in her. And she did it without any coaching or prodding from me either.”

“Coaching? Like what, you were gonna stand there and tell her how to use her-” Pinkie started.

“Not what I meant!” Rarity hastily interrupted.

“Well, good for her I say!” Pinkie shrugged, “Though... I’m kinda worried about what’s gonna happen when we have to go home. Can Lockwood even come with us? Will he... want to?”

Rarity frowned. “Yes... I’ve begun taking that into consideration recently as well, and have regretted that perhaps it was... unfair of me to try and spur them along. I’m certain they’d have come to this eventually all on their own, but... I haven’t been helping matters any. Sometimes this generosity is a curse. Ofttimes when I want to help somepony dear to me, I think more about whether I could rather than whether I should.”

Pinkie clapped Rarity on the back reassuringly. “Relax, Rarity. Like Briarthorn said, worrying is for warts, and you’re not a wart, silly! We should be glad for her, right? If she’s with somepony she really really likes, then we should support her in her decision, no matter what happens, right? That’s what friends do!”

“Right... right, I suppose so...” Rarity sighed. She shifted her gaze over to the table in the corner where the three ponies there had taken another swig from another set of glasses. She blanched and rolled her eyes. “Goodness, are those three still going at it over there? How are they even alive with all that horrible liquor in their bodies! They’re killing themselves, surely!”

Tick Tock messily slammed her glass on the counter, burped, and slumped into Applejack. “Oy... oy Jackleapp... Acklejapp... oy you, earth pony. I... I think I’m seeing triple over here, eh? Seeing triple, not good. Double, okay; triple, bad.”

Applejack gently tried to push Tick Tock off of her but ended up doing it pretty roughly, almost pushing the unicorn into the cushion of the booth opposite her. “Ya... *hic* ya keep yerself... on *hic on yer own side o’ the *hic* the table there Tick *hic* Tick *hic* Tock.”

Briarthorn chuckled, his voice terribly slurred, “Ladies, this has been a... has been a pleasure. It’s a good one. I mean, the contest. And you gals. You’re a good one. Good ones. This is probably... this is... this... it’s a highlight of my year so far. Since last month. And it’s not even my birthday. Wait. Is it? What’s today again? It’s still Friday, right? Nope, not my birthday.” 

Another round was brought over, and Briarthorn and Applejack took theirs in hoof. Tick Tock tried to do the same, but decided against it.

“Oy...” she slurred into Applejack’s side, “Oy you... I can’t go on here. Seeing triple, that’s when I know I’ve hit my limit. You... you’re a... a bloody swell gal. You finish this up eh? Show this bloke who’s boss, eh? You gotta... gotta do it for me and Rainbow...” Tick Tock slumped into Applejack, curled up in a ball, and began mumbling to herself.

Applejack beamed. “Well now, don’t that *hic* beat all? I reckon... *hic* I reckon that’s mah cue... ta *hic* ta beat this here flyboy inta *hic* inta *hic* inta the dirt... metal- *hic* meaty- *hic* matadorically-speakin’, o’ course...”

Briarthorn lifted his glass to his lips. “Yo, Applejack... y’alright? You ain’t... tired yet, are you? Because. See, I have just the idea. You’ll probably hate yourself. Heh. It’s not even that kinky, southern comfort. Yeah. I think... hold on hold on, yeah, it’ll be me, and you, and Flathoof. I know we’ll need real cuffs. You can’t just... kiss his Cutie Mark and wish for those.” He downed his glass and choked down the liquid just as Applejack started to slowly drink from hers. “But I bet I’d do that first. I bet you’d love for him to get out those cuffs on you. Hold ya down-” He took on what would be a fairly accurate imitation of Applejack’s voice, if he didn’t keep over-emphasizing her accent. “‘Oh, Flathoof, yew big sta-rong mayn, puh-lease, be gentle, Ah’m so del-ee-cate. No, don’t stop, tee~hee~’ Tha’s... Tha’s you, see.”

Applejack nearly spit out her drink, but managed to keep it in just barely. She stared at Briarthorn, who was giggling like a schoolfilly into his hooves. She swallowed her mouthful, and for good measure slammed her glass on the table harder than ever.

“Y’all... *hic* can’t take anythin’ *hic* anythin’ seriously, can *hic* can ya?”

“You... you think I’m not bein’ serious?” Briarthorn smirked, “That big studmuffin’s gotta... gotta be packing a whole... a... a bunch, and you... back there, you... there, you... were all but tail-lifting back in the boutique.” He suddenly barked out a single laugh. “Whew, Bold Bigflank, that was a good one, wasn’t it? I’m... generally a director in a good hay-roll, but I dunno. You’d be... you’d be competing with me, miss ‘Mine For A Day’. For the meat of the sandwich. Whaddya prefer, southern comfort? You wanna be... cowcatcher? I mean. The engineer, or the passenger car? Choo-Choo! Love train... coming through the tunnel. Who gets to be Lucky Pierre, huh? You or me. Flathoof doesn’t seem like... like seem he’d... Well, just in case, I’ll ask. You’ve got... room, right? For both of us? You aren’t.... you... back door, against it, right? Heh. Not if I win, you’re not. Heh... heh... y’know, I’d watch that. Hell, I’d pay to watch that.” His smile widened immensely. “Oh, but if I win, I’ll get to do it for free.”

Applejack’s face fought between green, white, and red, and she tried to push them all down with a fierce glare. “Y’all said *hic* said that... that if’n they weren’t in the *hic* the contest, they wouldn’t be... *hic* they wouldn’t hafta be involved in any o’ yer *hic* o’ yer weirdo schemes.”

“You’re right, Aaaapplejaaack, I’m asking you to seeeduuuuce him,” Briarthorn slurred with a burp and a snicker, “I was ...you gonna... I gonna... make you... to... watch me seduce him, buuuuut, no, no, no, this seems waaaayy more fun.”

“Ain’t gonna *hic* gonna *hic* ain’t gonna happen there, featherbrain,” Applejack snorted, grabbing the next glass as it appeared, “I ain’t *hic* losin’ no... drinkin’ contest ta no... *hic* no lightweight pegasus, y’hear?”

Briarthorn lifted his next glass, and the two of them chugged them back, slamming them back down on the table and staring at each other with fierce determination. “Wight... late? Wash those... those, watch... your insults, comfort southern, they just... mum kite.... just might come back to... bite. Bite you in the behind,” he chortled, “Now... where. Where. Where? Where... were we?” He laughed heartily. “You know... I really do... think do... really you think you guys... you guys are a fun... bunch. Even... your prude... I mean, if even. I mean, even if your prudence is a bit... yo-yang, I mean, terra-eating, I mean vexing.” He looked curious for a moment, and then burped loudly. “Oog. I think,” he said, very slowly and carefully, a look of intense thought and concentration on his face, “I think... that the one... before this one... was the one... I wanted... you to... explore. Because... that one... is... the most...” He suddenly slumped forward on the table. “Fnnnnnnnnnnnnn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...”

Applejack blinked in surprise. Honey Buns trotted over slowly, and nervously poked Briarthorn in the nose, eliciting nothing more than a weak murmur from him. She looked at Applejack as if the earth pony had just shot him to death. 

“Ya... ya beat ‘im...” she muttered.

Applejack nervously looked around herself, as the other patrons that had been watching the contest now all stared at Briarthorn as if he really had suddenly collapsed and died right there on the table. 

“Um... *hic* hooray?” she awkwardly chuckled.

Honey Buns suddenly grabbed Applejack’s hoof and lifted it into the air triumphantly. “A winner! We have a winner!”

The bar erupted into cheers.

Rarity and Pinkie both let out relieved sighs. “Phew...” Pinkie breathed, “Well, I guess that means all’s well that end’s well, right? Now we just have to find some way to get everypony back to the hotel. Where’s Flathoof when you need him, huh? With your help, I bet that big ol’ beefcake could carry everypony all by himself.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, “I imagine poor Applejack is going to wake up with a wicked hangover tomorrow. C’est la vie... but it was worth it, right? I do hope she doesn’t suffer any ill effects in the long term from this.” She watched as the crowd gathered eagerly around the contest table, several of the ponies shoving papers and pens forward in demands for Applejack’s autograph. “Well I suppose when all the excitement dies down, we can get back to the hotel and call for room service. I’m feeling a mite peckish, how about you Pinkie?”

“Hungry, yes,” Pinkie nodded appreciatively.

A cheery voice from nearby drew her attention. “Oh my heavens, would you just look at that cape!” 

Rarity turned to face the voice and saw a peach-colored pegasus mare approaching her. The mare’s mane and tail were lime green, styled in short waves and highlighted with streaks of yellow. She was wearing a very plain blue blouse and skirt, and had a little gold ribbon in her mane that circled around her ear

The mare put a hoof to the silky material of Rarity’s cape and cooed, “Oooh, this is absolutely beautiful! The faux-ermine looks simply marvelous! And it even feels like real fur. Lovely!”

“I... well, thank you!” Rarity gleefully smiled, “I had a hoof in designing it myself, actually. One of my best designs yet! Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” the mare smiled, shaking Rarity’s hoof, “Oh you simply must tell me where you got it! What’s your name, dear?”

“Me? I am Rarity, of course,” Rarity laughed, “As for where I acquired it, it’s a little hole-in-the-wall boutique just a few blocks south of Buns ‘n’ Stuff, La Boutique des Miracles? The owner, a Mister Haute Couture, is a very friendly and extremely talented tailor. I highly recommend him, he’s easily the best tailor I’ve ever had the fortune with which to work. Why are you so interested in it, dear... oh, I didn’t get your name, darling.”

“Peach Fuzz,” the pegasus said with a nod. She sighed despondently, “As for why I’m interested, my girlfriend and I are having a bit of a spat right now. I thought I’d surprise her and come home wearing something that made me look really stunning, see. Get her... excited? This cape looks stunning enough to knock her right off her hooves!”

Pinkie giggled, “No offense, but if that’s what you’re looking to do, maybe you should try something a little more... exotic?”

Rarity nodded, “I have to agree with Pinkie Pie here, strangely enough. If repairing a broken love is what’s troubling you, then nothing helps mend those wounds better than desire. Make that mare want you! Something enticing, perhaps some lace? Hmm... with your coloration, I’d say that perhaps... black lace would work best, though you may also consider pink. I’d still recommend the same shop for that though, dear. He has quite a wide selection, and I noticed in his back room a few photographs of ponies wearing more... provocative wear. I was tempted to have Mister Couture slip one on the tab to bring home with us.”

Pinkie smiled slyly. “Oooh, Rarity, is there somepony you’re not telling us about? Who do you want to look sexy for, huh? Huh huh huh?”

“None of your business, Pinkie,” Rarity said, sticking out her tongue, “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell. Or... not kiss, and tell, in this case I suppose.”

“Oh, are you not from around here?” Peach asked.

“Afraid not, dear. We’re actually from... Utopia,” Rarity said warily.

“Utopia...?” Peach blinked.

“A rather obscure little town, all sorts of bizarre accents,” Rarity hastily added, “Our friend over there, Applejack, she’s actually from Utopia proper though, hence her rather normal accent. The rest of us, just so bizarre, see? Ah ha ha...”

“Ah, okay,” Peach nodded, “I was wondering about that. The accent, I mean. I’m from Pandemonium myself, see, but I visit Utopia and Hope’s Point often, so I hear a lot of different accents and dialects. If I were to venture a guess, I’d say your pink friend... Pinkie, was it? She sounds like she’s from west Pandemonium, probably Mid-West, North Plaza. My girlfriend is from Mid-West, West Plaza and you have a little similarity there. And you, Miss Rarity... hmm... definitely Inner-District. Probably from the Whiteworth Heights sector. But of course you say you’re all from Utopia, who am I to question it?”

Rarity nervously tugged at the collar of her cape. “Yes, well... um... you say you do a lot of traveling? What brings you to Hope’s Point today, darling?”

“I’m here in town visiting my brother, actually. He works at the power plant, but heavens, I just don’t know where it is. I couldn’t find it anywhere around up here, and maps aren’t helping me find it either.”

Rarity smiled. “I believe our guide said there was a power plant on the second underground level, didn’t he Pinkie Pie?”

“And the third,” Pinkie added, “A whole bunch of ‘em! Said they power the shield and everything, super cool.”

“Oh dear, it might take me awhile to find which one he’s at...” She shrugged. “Oh well, I have plenty of time. Thank you so much for your help, girls. And thanks for the advice on where to find that outfit. I really must be going though - ta ta!”

Rarity and Pinkie waved as the mare left, then looked at one another. Pinkie chuckled, “Well see, this city really does bring out the best in everypony. She didn’t seem like she was from the Pandemonium we remember at all, does she?”

“Quite a polite mare, yes. She seemed to have a lot on her mind though, poor girl,” Rarity agreed. Twilight, next to her, gave a very sudden and very loud snore. Rarity sighed, “Though I can’t say we’re in any better shape. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be quite eventful...”


	29. Invasion

“Urggh... Rarity, when we get home, remind me to make an addendum to that letter I’d planned on writing to the Princess.” Twilight grumbled and held the side of her head with her hooves. Her eyes were still slightly bloodshot, and even with her tall, pointed hat in place it could be seen that her mane drooped with sweat. “Scratch that. Remind me to write a treatise.”

Rarity smiled lightly and took a sip of her coffee, not a single hair out of place on her own spectacularly-styled mane. “Why certainly, dear. What ever will it say, I wonder?”

Twilight rubbed her temples and grumbled, “I was thinking of starting with, ‘Dear Princess Celestia: Drinking is fun, but hangovers are the pits’. Does that sound like a good title? I think it sounds like a good title.”

Tick Tock patted Twilight gently on the back and helped straighten the other unicorn’s hat with her magic. “Don’t you worry, Twilight, this will all be over soon enough. There’s a first time for everything, they say, and I think your very first hangover should be treated with no small amount of fanfare! Look at it this way: you didn’t do anything enormously stupid, and thanks to yours truly, you at least ended up in your proper sleeping place. Why, I fondly remember my first hangover. Woke up in my bloody bathtub, covered in toothpaste and shampoo. At least I smelt like lavender and mint for the next three days.”

The hotel dining room waiter, a short, gray-coated, blonde-maned unicorn stallion wearing a smart tuxedo, brought over a tray loaded with mugs of complimentary black coffee and one small cup of tea, and set them all out on the table. This happened to be the third tray brought to this table alone, which was strangely the only one in the entire dining room still occupied.

“If that is all, ladies, I believe I must be going,” the waiter stated in a cordial tone, “I’ve got to beat the rush. Best of luck to you, don’t dilly-dally now. Cheerio.”

“Oh... thank you?” Rarity blinked as the stallion hurried past them and out the dining room doors. “Well now, that certainly was odd, and I don’t see a replacement waiter either.”

“Well if we need any more coffee I’m sure we can get some at the palace,” Twilight mumbled. She eagerly took her newest cup and chugged it down in three very loud gulps, then exhaled loudly and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Oh thank goodness... thank goodness that coffee exists in this universe. I know I say that after every cup, but blast it if I’m not jumping for joy inside right now.”

Tick Tock chuckled, “A real coffee pony, are you? I’m more of a tea pony myself. Haven’t had a good cuppa in a week.” She gingerly took a sip of her cup, smiling in appreciation after she swallowed. “Ah... and they’ve got good stuff here too. Damn fine town, this is. Good beer, good tea, good eating. No wonder everypony wants to come all the way out here, eh? Maybe I should think about finding a flat out here.”

“The coffee ain’t half bad neither,” Applejack noted, drinking hers more slowly and grinning with every sip, “Heckuva lot better’n what they served back in the city. This here tastes like genuine brew, not none o’ that there Dolor stuff. I’ll admit that Miss Cookie Dough did a fine job at makin’ that stuff taste good, but coffee’s somethin’ special. Ain’t nothin’ compares ta what mah Granny Smith makes, but dang if this ain’t almost as good.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Rainbow chuckled, taking another sip of her own mug, “Better than the stuff I’ve got at home, that’s for sure.”

“Then again, you usually drink the Cakes’ stuff,” Pinkie added with a playful grin, “I’ve never heard you complain about their coffee.” She took a sip of her own and frowned. “My only complaint is, this needs more sugar.”

Tick Tock looked around the room in curiosity, her mouth quirked as she tried to figure out why they were now literally the only ponies in the room. She turned towards the dining room door expectantly. “Hmm... Briarthorn is running late. Very late. He should’ve been here an hour ago to take us to lunch before we went to see the Queen. I don’t know how much longer those waffles are going to last, good as they were.”

“Speaking of Briarthorn, he’s probably just recovering like the rest of us,” Rainbow chortled, “Ol’ Applejack here drank him straight under the table, like a pro! We still owe you big for that one, AJ. Me and Tick Tock, I mean.” She shuddered a little. “Oh man, just thinking about what that bozo said...”

“T’ain’t nothin’ at all, Dash,” Applejack smiled, “This here headache was worth the look on everypony’s faces, I tell ya. Only thing that would’ve made me happier is if he had ta do a request from y’all ‘n Tick Tock too, seein’ as y’all were on the winnin’ team an’ all. We’d’ve made ‘im take us all ta see the Queen, an’ I think maybe he’d hafta do it while wearin’ a frilly pink dress, an’ he’d hafta talk the rest o’ the day in rhyme, or somethin’. Make him think twice about tryin’ ta get me... ta...” She trailed off and hastily averted her eyes from Flathoof, who was seated next to her.

“That last one sounds too easy for him. He rhymes half the time anyway,” Tick Tock chuckled, “Maybe he’d have to go a whole day without flirting with anypony. Period. Though then again, I suppose there would’ve been a rule against asking for impossible tasks like that. May as well ask the bloke to eat the bloody sun.”

Rarity prodded Fluttershy tenderly on the back, as the pegasus was staring off into space with a dreamy smile on her face, her mind miles away from the discussions circling the table. “Fluttershy, darling, you really must drink your coffee. It’ll help get rid of that dreadful headache, and it’ll wake you up. Hangovers are certainly not ladylike, dear. Not in the least.”

Fluttershy shook her head and gave a content sigh. “I’m okay, Rarity, really. I’m just... thinking. My head is fine...”

Rarity smiled knowingly and rubbed Fluttershy’s back again. “Oh really, darling? Because to me it appears as if your head was in the clouds. I wonder... if you weren’t thinking about a certain gray-coated pegasus?”

Fluttershy turned pink and giggled under her breath. “Um... w-well... I guess I was, yes...” she said back happily.

Rarity beamed. “Well, darling, you can tell me all about it later, if you-”

Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no... if it’s okay, I... I’m fine talking about it. Now, I mean.”

“You’re certain, dear?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “I think... everypony should know.”

“Shoot, t’aint like we don’t know ya like that Lockwood fella,” Applejack chuckled, “Y’all been givin’ ‘im googly-eyes fer days an’ days. Few more days o’ that an’ we’d’ve had another Spike an’ Rarity thing on our hooves.”

“Go on, Fluttershy!” Pinkie cheered, “Spill! Spill! All the juicy details... unless there were some juicy details, in which case save that for... not-public discussion.”

Fluttershy giggled again, “I feel a little silly, but... I sort of... um... passed out almost right after I... um... k-k-kissed him...”

Rarity gave a knowing smile to Pinkie Pie. “So you did- wait...” She raised an eyebrow. “You... passed out? Darling, what-”

Fluttershy’s blush went from pink to red. “W-well, I... I suppose I did have too much to drink after all... sorry. I d-don’t remember much of what happened after... and some things are kind of fuzzy...”

Rainbow had to resist the urge to spit out her coffee. “I knew it! That jerk-”

“Rainbow Dash, please,” Rarity snorted, “Nothing of the sort you’re thinking of could have possibly happened.” She looked tenderly back at Fluttershy. “Go on darling, you were saying?”

Fluttershy smiled. “W-well, I woke up here, in the hotel. So... n-nothing else happened, as far as I know. Still... I’m really happy, everypony. Really, really happy. I t-told him I liked him... and he said he l-liked me too.”

Rarity earnestly returned the contagious smile. “And I’m... we’re happy for you, darling. You deserve to have a special somepony...”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Fluttershy smiled, “I... I’m sorry about yelling at you the other day. I know you were only looking out for me... b-but...”

“Don’t you worry about that, dear,” Rarity said softly, “Things worked out, didn’t they?”

Fluttershy turned to Flathoof, who sat on her other side between her and Applejack. “Oh... and I wanted to thank you too, Flathoof. For... for carrying me all this way by yourself last night. And for... giving me a chance to be with your brother...”

Flathoof waved a hoof in dismissal. “Not a problem at all, Fluttershy. The least I could do for a friend, and for making my...” He sighed, “Little brother happy. Shame the staff wouldn’t let you stay there.”

“Oh dear, they didn’t? Why ever not?” Rarity pouted, “Surely even doctors know that true love is the best medicine?”

Fluttershy sighed in mild disappointment, “Flathoof said they told him something about ‘post-recovery treatments’. They wouldn’t even let him stay, and he’s family. I hope he’s okay... I actually wanted to go visit him this afternoon, but... well, we have to go see Her Highness and all, and I know we all have to be there. I’m sure we’ll have time afterwards... right?”

“Well certainly, dear, I don’t think they’d make us leave the city without Lockwood,” Rarity said sweetly, “Everything will be okay, you’ll see. We’ll pick him up after we’re all done meeting with Her Highness.”

The party continued to talk and laugh over what remained of their brunch and coffee for several more minutes before, at last, Tick Tock pointed out Briarthorn entering the dining room from the far side. “Ah, finally. About time he showed up. Bleedin’ idiot’s late as all get out.”

Briarthorn trotted over to them with an odd, almost pensive expression. He didn’t bother taking a seat in the chair provided for him, and instead glanced over the table with an almost-apprehensive frown. “Hey, folks. Good sleep? Drinking coffee, eh? Good, good, smart move there. Let me guess. Applejack’s idea, or Tick Tock’s?”

“Mine, actually. Fixes up a good hangover right as rain back at home. Far as good sleepin’, we got as good as we were gonna get after all that happened las’ night,” Applejack chortled. “How ‘bout you, flyboy? Yer head hurtin’ or anythin’?”

“Slept like a foal. A log. A log’s foal, even,” Briarthorn shrugged. “I don’t really get hangovers. Few of the pilots still do. It’s part of what makes us convenient and reliable,” he said blandly, making the others look at him in confusion. He exhaled slowly, his voice quiet. “I hate to rush, but we’d better get going soon. Finish up your drinks.”

“What, already?” Rainbow groaned.

“Eh? What’s the big hurry?” Tick Tock asked.

Flathoof added, “Yeah, I thought we had all day. We’d planned on getting lunch before-”

“No, no. No time for any of that,” Briarthorn’s interrupted quietly, “Come on everypony, up, up, up. We’ve gotta get going. Seriously, come on.”

The party all looked at one another, shrugged, and finished up their coffees. They stood up and followed him out the door of the dining room, through the hallway of the hotel which they noticed was completely empty even out here in the lobby. There weren’t any bellhops, doorstallions, or desk clerks in sight, nor any tourists like they’d seen in droves since the day they’d arrived.

As they left the hotel proper and went out into the streets, they found that the city was a different sight than what they’d seen the past two days. Nearby businesses had been locked up and all displayed “CLOSED” signs. The roads were mostly empty, and the ponies they could see were all hastily making towards the south, where just a few blocks away they knew one of the many underground entrances was located.

“What’s up with everypony?” Twilight asked as she watched a small family rush by in a panic, “Where are they all going in such a hurry?”

“Underground,” Briarthorn murmured, his face blank, visibly unnerving Tick Tock and Flathoof, “Everypony’s scared. No, wrong word. It’s not enough. Too fast for dread, or anguish. It’s widespread panic. Everypony’s panicked. Yeah, that’s the right word.”

“Panicked? What? Why?” Rainbow asked.

Briarthorn bowed his head, but lifted a wing to point skyward. “Those.”

The others followed where he was pointing, and their jaws collectively dropped at the sight of a massive thing floating high above the city. An elongated construct nearly a half-mile long, with a thick, cylindrical shape, all black with the exception of a large emblem emblazoned on the side: a flaming red sword thrust downward through a golden disk. One end of it had a blocky structure attached to it, at the rear of which were a series of small conical attachments that each glowed a dull blue. Several more of these were attached to the bottom of the thing, smaller than the ones at the rear and glowing white. Behind it in the distance, the party could see two more approaching from the north.

“What in the name of all things cinnamon swirl is that thing?” Applejack blurted.

“Whatever it is, it’s with the NPAF,” Flathoof observed, “It’s got that big New Pandemonium emblem on it. I’d recognize it anywhere.”

“A Gargantuan-class battlecruiser,” Briarthorn explained dully, “One of the biggest attack cruisers in the NPAF’s arsenal. Those are for the big shows, the real shows. Not a family outing. Not one of the street vendors’ good days. In a normal, what, a decade? We see maybe one if we’re lucky. Like a blue moon, or a shooting star. A really shooting star, and hey, just like the real thing? Lots of wishes get made. Mostly that the shield won’t fail. A very rare sight, usually means they mean mean business.”

“Yeah. And there are three of ‘em,” Rainbow gulped, “Holy moly... those things are huge...”

“That’s bad enough, but honest to stars and skies above, that isn’t the thing that bothers me,” Briarthorn said, his voice starting to shake, “I’m worried because today isn’t tomorrow.” He swallowed slowly as everypony began to take in the implication. He pulled out the device the recognized from the day they arrived. He looked at it in disapproval, shaking his head. “We were expecting a Phoenix-class. One Phoenix. Tomorrow. Not three Gargantuan-class battleships, which are all but officially flagships for the NPAF. Not three today.”

“Seems your information was incorrect then,” Twilight gulped, “Um... that makes me nervous. Your informants don’t seem the type to get things wrong, or at least not horribly inaccurate. What gives, Briarthorn?”

Briarthorn actually shuddered, causing Twilight’s face to scrunch up in confusion. “Twily, that’s the thing. We live by out-thinking that death-trap-opolis. Somewhere, something went wrong. Horribly wrong. Ponies might actually die today. I was going to the Queen to get her yelling done early, so she’d be fine talking to you after stomping my face in, but... with the sky filled up with Death From Above up there, I’m going to honor our agreement first, so I can live long enough to feel like I’ve done you right. Hey, not one of you gets to look at me like that this time. Not this time. I’m seriously worried here. I’ve told you I hate worry in general. Warts and all, right? You want to know how serious I am about this? I almost regret going drinking last night.”

“Well... what exactly is the plan, then?” Tick Tock asked, blinking at Briarthorn’s last sentence.

Briarthorn looked down the street where more ponies were flocking from other city blocks nearby, scrambling for the underground entrance. This turned his frown into a very slight smile. “Well, evacuation orders are already in full swing, so there’s that bit of relief. Some ponies are lollygagging but most are moving straight away. Not used to actually getting evacuation orders, see?”

“So that’s what all this is?” Rarity asked, “Thank goodness this is all organized, not just random panic.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, organized panic is much better.”

“Why aren’t we following the crowds?” Twilight asked.

“The usual way I’d take from here would be Tunnel Twenty-three, but it’s making Buns ‘n’ Stuff’s block-wrapping lines look like a damn express runway.” Briarthorn pointed ahead with a wing. “We’re going to take the pilots’ passage, Tunnel One, near the palace. It’ll cut down on traffic, but it’s a long walk from here.” He flexed his wings and increased his pace. “Come on everypony, hustle up.”

“If your Queen is so confident in the shield, why is everypony evacuating?” Rainbow asked.

“Easiest way to say it, for uh, Her Majesty,” Briarthorn murmured with an almost embarrassed shrug, “Would be, y’know, ‘safety measures’. Most ponies here haven’t even seen Gargantuan-class ships, in case I haven’t brought it up, and those that have remember one. Like, they saw an it. Not a them. And it was not, to put it politely, worth putting in anypony’s scrapbooks. Which you could probably build with real scrap. We all learned, that day, even the Queen, which is a shocker... the NPAF? They’re... more than we’ve given them credit for in the past. They’re all on biding time.”

“You’re acting like they’re capable of taking down the shield,” Twilight pointed out. Briarthorn’s sheepish frown caused her pause. “You’re not... serious about that... are you?”

“Hey, for you, Twily, I’d sit down and prattle it out, with all the technical stuff you’d probably blush over, and it’d be a real treat, but really. All this talking is making it harder to keep pace,” Briarthorn said as he shuffled forward, antsy and apologetic all at once, “We’ve still got some town to pass, so let’s get going, yeah?”

As they passed through several blocks of the city, the flow changed directions towards other underground entrances to the east or west, but not once did they ever find themselves following anypony, not until they were almost at the northern edge of the city anyway. Here, they finally found themselves trailing a scant few goggled ponies heading the same direction as them.

The entrance they were looking for came up after several more minutes of walking at a rushed pace, this one quite different from the one they remembered using the day before. It was a large metal door with a very large station next to it that seemed built for the express purpose of holding a much smaller device that looked like a keyhole. One pony that got there ahead of him used his key, opening the door. He got in alongside as many of the other pilots as he could, then the doors closed behind them and the light above the door glowed red. A few minutes later, it flashed green, and the next herd of ponies was able to board.

At last it was their turn. Briarthorn used his key just as the others had done, then led the rest of the party in with him. They followed him and boarded the glass elevator inside, which took them down towards street level at a brisk pace. As they descended, they got a good look at the crowds of ponies coming in from the other entrances nearby, and could even see a crowd forming down below near the gated entrance into the palace grounds. Their elevator came down just on the other side of the large west wall of the exterior of the palace grounds, in a clearing surrounded by ponies decked out in reds and golds. They could see the herd of pilots that had gone before them quickly ascending stairs towards the palace ahead.

As they disembarked, they were greeted by the sight of two barreled weapons pointing straight at them, wielded by a pair of guard ponies. They both had bright blue coats, though the one on the left, an earth pony stallion, was a slightly darker shade the pony on the right, a pegasus mare. They both wore light, metallic armor colored a dark red and accented with golden trims, but no helmets. The pegasus mare also wore an eyepatch over her left eye.

“Halt! Who goes there?!” barked the one on the left.

“Ah-ha-ha, whoa, now, Boltstorm,” Briarthorn attempted a half-hearted chuckle as he pushed the weapon to the side, “How are you and Stardust doing? Any nice evenings? Better be careful with pointy objects. You might end up putting somepony’s... ooh,” he said with real remorse, noticing the glare the pony on the right was giving him. “Ooh. Stardust. Stardust, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please believe me. But hey, the patch look on you has always looked good, though! Both Boltstorm and I can attest, am I right?”

Boltstorm cleared his throat. “Briarthorn,” he said, lowering his weapon, “I guess you’re here because of the trouble upstairs too, eh? What’s with the ponies behind you? I don’t recognize any of them. Look, there’s a big pilot meeting starting in only a few minutes, to see about what’s going on upstairs. Didn’t Twister get word to you? You’ll be late!”

“He did, but I’m going to the Queen first,” Briarthorn clarified, “I’ve got some ponies with me that need to see her muy pronto, comprende? Very official royal business and all that jazz.”

“You’re kidding,” the pegasus mare balked, “You’re gonna try and get in to see Her Highness now? With all that’s going on? She’s got more important things to deal with without you bringing a party upstairs. You have a lot of nerve. This better not be you up to your usual antics again.”

Briarthorn looked softly at the pegasus guard. “Stardust, dear. I’m sorry. I really am sorry that your instinct calls to ‘usual antics’. But sweetheart, there are three death machines above us. I’m not going to make the day worse by insisting on ‘end-of-the-world’ sex, when it might not even be the end of the world.” His smile and voice were still quiet, but he wiggled his eyebrows just a little bit at the guards as he continued, “Besides, those ‘usual antics’ helped you and Boltstorm here finally have an excuse to stop avoiding yourselves and-”

Stardust quickly cut him off, “Hey! That is a private matter between Boltstorm and me-”

“Aaand me and my ‘usual antics’. That is, if I am thinking about the same absolutely lovely, lovely, lovely night?” Briarthorn’s voice was still quiet, making what was his normally typical candor sound more subdued, almost compassionate, “I think I was almost jealous, even being right there with you, Stardust. I might not have even needed to help after that first push, you know. You handled Boltstorm like a champ-”

Boltstorm cleared his throat again, his face immensely red. “Yes! Right! Um... Stardust dear, would you please check the logs and double-check that Briarthorn has a scheduled meeting with Her Highness? Standard procedure, Briarthorn, otherwise we’ve gotta send all your friends back upstairs.”

Stardust quickly turned away, but not before the group noted that her face was also turning red. Briarthorn turned back to the group at large with that same brief and gentle smile... just as he slowed the infuriating eyebrow wiggle to a stop. She grumbled, and proceeded to fiddle with a datapad she procured from a strap at her side, glancing through it briefly.

With a roll of her eyes, she announced, “Yeah, he’s on here. Totally legit and everything, like he said.”

As she spoke, Briarthorn’s smile dropped off and he faintly sighed with dismay. He slid his wings along both guards’ backs as he passed between them. “See? All squared away. Stay safe, you two.” He tilted his head back to the group. “Remember, don’t say I didn’t warn you. She’s going to probably break a few of my legs, and I honestly care about her, and she knows that. You guys? Total, total, total strangers? We’re just gonna have to chance it. Hopefully you’re all in one piece when we’re all done.”

The two guards stepped aside and let those following the pilot through, sending the elevator back up at last to collect the next set of pilots coming down. The group moved forward towards the grand stairway that led up to the palace proper, ascending the great silver steps one at a time despite their hurry, simply because of how large the steps were. They continued following him through the giant, gem-encrusted golden doors that marked the main entrance, then through the banner-strewn and elegantly-carpeted main hall to the central stairwell, then up the stairs towards the east wing of the palace.

All the while, they got the opportunity to view the interior of the palace and get a feel for how different it really was from the Royal Palace back in Canterlot, despite the short amount of time they’d actually be here. While the main hall and entrance and all that certainly appeared similar, the east wing was certainly not decorated to give off a regal air. It seemed more to them like a military base of some kind, loaded with techno-magic displays and machinery of all shapes, sizes, and styles rather than decorative banners, fancy paintings, and lavish carpets and rugs. Ponies of all kinds frantically passed through the halls, most of them carrying either datapads or techno-magic devices similar to the ones they’d had pointed at them just moments earlier. Lines of armored guards wearing the same colors as the two they’d met outside streamed past them through the halls on their way to the Queen’s chambers, only these ones were also wearing helmets that hid most of their faces.

“They’re definitely preparing for something big,” Flathoof observed, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“This place is hectic,” Rainbow agreed, “And all of this because of those three cruisers outside? What are all these armored guys supposed to be doing against those? I can understand you all having a pilot meeting, but this?”

“The Hope’s Point Militia,” Briarthorn explained, “Let me make a long story short - I know, shocking, right? - and say that the larger cruisers tend to employ ground forces. Of... sorts. The Queen is preparing for the worst case scenario: anything making it through. At all.”

“I certainly hope this won’t put a kibosh on our attempts to leave,” Rarity frowned.

“Oh Rarity, it will. But you won’t hate it when it does,” Briarthorn said piteously, patting her cheek with the tip of his wing gently. She looked at the appendage with dismay, not for him but for what he was saying. “Considering that you’d be leaving the city with those things gunning for you, sticking around just a bit longer may just be the better idea. There’s only one pilot around here crazy enough to try that and actually succeed.”

“And let me guess: it’s you?” Rainbow scoffed, “No offense, Briarthorn, but even though I’ve never seen you fly, I can’t say I’m confident.”

Briarthorn looked almost sad, even sheepish as he smiled at Rainbow, “Ahhh, hoo... well! Maybe under different circumstances, Dash. You’d be right that I might be able to fly a good ship out, but my ship? It’s not exactly supersonic. Those cruisers’ firepower, though? Yeah, I’d blow up, to your satisfaction I suppose, though since you’d all be with me I doubt it’d be a lengthily-appreciated satisfaction. No, no, no, I’m talking about somepony else entirely.”

They came to another hall that ended at a large door. Unlike the rest of the east wing, this hall and door resembled the main parts of the palace in its decorations, with great banners along the walls and the door itself covered in emblems made of jewels of all colors. Briarthorn led them to it, hanging his head low as he tapped the door one time, so light they could barely hear it over the noise of the halls behind them. They only waited but a second before the door opened just a crack.

Briarthorn sighed, “Well... here we go.”

As he spoke, a small, pale pink unicorn mare, barely tall enough to touch her horn to Briarthorn’s neck, pushed her way out of the doorway. Her magic held a smaller techno-magic device than the ones the party had seen before. She lifted it until it was almost touching Briarthorn’s nose. Her long mane and tail were bright orange, and her mane was kept out of her face by a large pair of safety goggles with metallic blue frames. She wore a dark purple jumpsuit covered in black and green grease stains over a simple white shirt. Affixed to her face was a small device attached to her ear that carried what looked like a piece of colored glass, adjusted such that it wasn’t in front of her face.

“Oh, it’s you,” the unicorn said icily.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Briarthorn murmured, trying to sound enthusiastic. The little unicorn cocked the techno-magic gun and pressed it against his forehead. “Hey, new gun. Nice, Gadget. What’s this one do? You’ve been doing a lot of zappy stuff lately. At least, that’s the buzz. Got it shooting lightning? If it does, I bet you’re happy to see me.”

“As a matter of fact, yes, my new Hyperstatic Penetrator prototype does shoot lightning! At least, it should,” Gadget said with a wide grin, “Technically, it fires off a precisely-charged burst of electromagnetic energy that looks like lightning and works like lightning, but for all intents and purposes isn’t actually lightning, but if you want to call it lightning that’s just fine with me!” She cleared her throat and waved a hoof dismissively. “But I digress! I was just putting on the finishing touches this morning and was hoping for some target practice all the way until we got ourselves a very unfriendly wakeup call.

“Soooo,” she said with a shrug, “Target practice is going to have to wait, and it’s not gonna be you... well, not just yet. Her Majesty gets first dibs on your keister, mister, and golly, lemme tell ya, she isn’t gonna be glad to see you. She’s got a lot on her mind, Briarthorn. You really should’ve given her an extra day. But since you came all this way, maybe she’ll give me a chance to test my new toy! I’ve been looking for a chance to try out my Target Painter 5000 too. I’ll put a biiiiiig ol’ bullseye right on your butt.”

Briarthorn deflated a bit, slowly pressing his head down onto the barrel of the gun and leaning his weight into it. He rolled his eyes straight up like he was looking for a miracle. “I know... I know. She’s mad at me. I’m going to lose something for at least a month. My ship, my apartment, hell, maybe she’ll give me a height limit for flying, just to make me feel literally low for this one. Let’s just get my ass-kicking done, everypony,” he said, addressing the mares, and Flathoof, behind him, “I’m going to get it first, you know, so take mental notes as fast as you can. She’ll take more about you faster regardless, but any little bit that helps you stay on your hooves helps you in the long run. If I still have my wings after this is all done, we might just get you flying out of here tomorrow.”

The others warily looked at one another and followed him and Gadget into the Queen’s observation chamber. The room was incredibly dark, and amounted to one long hallway with its most prominent feature being a large, circular hub in the middle of the room, from which they could see the figure of a pegasus watching dozens of small television screens at once. The figure was mostly obscured by the glare of the screens and only appeared as a silhouette, but it was easy enough to see the figure’s head tilting ever so slightly as it changed its focus to screens on opposite sides of the panel. Mounted above the hub on a mantle and plaque was the distinctly recognizable shape of a young Gargantuan’s head.

All around the room were more, smaller monitoring stations manned by multiple ponies, all hustling about in a frenzied state and delivering datapads to and fro between the stations. They couldn’t quite make out what was on any of the screens, but it was easy enough to see that they were observing the city outside and above, especially the trio of ships in the sky. If anything happened in the city right now, somepony in this room would know about it.

Just beside the hub looking in at the screens, was Lockwood. Fluttershy was barely able to contain her surprise and elation as Gadget led the group of ponies to stand before the hub in a row, with Briarthorn at one end and Fluttershy at the other. Gadget approached the hub itself, giving Lockwood a small nod that he returned before turning to the others and giving a small wave. He was fully clothed again, sporting a white button-up dress shirt, a brand new brown fedora, and a simple black eyepatch over his right eye. As he caught sight of Fluttershy, his smile fell ever-so-slightly, and his wave became less enthusiastic, almost apologetic.

Gadget bowed to the metal floor first, with Briarthorn doing the same soon after. Twilight and Rarity hastily bowed as well, as they remembered doing before Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence on formal occasions, even when often asked specifically not to do so; Tick Tock bowed with them in unison, for the same reasons though not the same experiences. Flathoof, Applejack, and Fluttershy followed the two unicorns’ lead, followed by Rainbow and Pinkie, who’d been distracted looking about the room.

“Your Majesty,” Gadget announced, “Your guests are-”

The Queen turned her head ever so slightly and interrupted, “Early. Door opened, ten hoof-patterns. First, you, Gadget. Following: three with even steps, even weight, one with slightly wider gait. Unicorns. Followed by light steps, low sound. Three pegasi. Three thumps, three earth ponies, one wearing some sort of metal on their hooves. Of the pegasi, one slightly heavier. A pilot. Only one pilot with that particular entourage: ‘Captain’ Briarthorn. Ah, excellent, he’s walking slowly. Good. No resistance. Will keep this quick. Too occupied with potential occupation,” she hissed through her teeth.

“Cruisers just overhead... things could go well. Monitors on full. No current movement. The city is moving right. The cruisers, so far, are not. Tolerable. Tolerable, wasting time with my very best moron here. The city can allow it. Worth it to browbeat him a bit. Broke my stress-press yesterday. More money to replace that, too. Hmm. The cruisers... circling. Blockading. Siege positions. No primary weapon systems engaged. None even visible. No reason not to, as usual, test shield polarity. Thus, unusual. Waiting for a signal. No aircraft reports from the cruisers... hmm. Crossfire’s evacuations done. Gadget: you will confirm?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Gadget quickly agreed, “Phase One-”

“Not my question. It is not complete, even if divisions are ahead of schedule. Appreciate your work, Gadget,” the Queen’s voice changed subtly as her silhouette shifted, regarding Gadget fondly for a moment through her spitfire, “For now, focus on comprising preparations for Phase Two.”

Gadget nodded and took a small datapad out of the front pocket of her jumpsuit, which she started to read from. “Right... yes, that’s on schedule as well. We did a count of evacuees, but-”

The Queen’s voice resumed its harsh timbre. “The ‘glitch’.”

“The...? Oh!” Gadget blinked, “Golly, we only got the population report a minute ago. Just finished going over it, myself. Apparently there was a misreading-”

Blackburn interrupted again, her voice even, as she turned slowly. She tapped her hooves in front of her, and several monitors changed views with clicks of confirmation. “‘Misreading’? No. Tomorrow, one battleship? No. Today, three cruisers. This is no misreading. There are two new ponies in the city, illegally. No visuals; no chances. Bolster the shield guard, triplicate. Choice squads: four-two-nine, three-seven-two, eight-oh-four. They handle the tight corridors best. Send the order now. Infiltrators attempting a shield break.” Her voice, already hard, became steel. “That does not happen. Keep sweeping the exterior levels, too. Faster: ten minute intervals, no coverage gaps. Earth pony squads only. Can’t trust unicorns nor pegasi to keep pace: no stamina for pursuit in the former, no patience in the latter. Keep squads moving before we seal the exterior. I do not. You will not, consider Phase One complete until the exits are sealed. Tell squad leaders when the two minute warning is given, they go below ground. Any stragglers volunteer to stay outside. Move double-time until the seal. Seal closes, you submit the datapad for Phase Two logistics. Then. Only then. Dismissed.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Gadget said timidly with a deep bow, almost touching her face to the floor, before fiddling rapidly with her datapad again.

Queen Blackburn stepped out of the glare of the hub station and into full view of the ponies in a row before her. Her coat was an smoky black color that didn’t change much from the shadow of the monitors’ glare. Her mane and tail were a brilliant almost-neon turquoise, which she wore in a long, erratic style; her mane fell past her side nearly to her hooves, and her tail was still in the raised hub platform despite being about two feet away. She loosely wore a white, high-collared jacket that covered almost all of her torso, a tight brown skirt that covered her flank, and a long gold and green striped scarf that rested over a small saddle bag at her side. Starting at the top left of her face all the way across her nose to her right cheek was a deep scar; it just narrowly missed the underside of her right eye by an inch. She stared at them, her blue-gray eyes locking with each of theirs in turn for a brief instant.

She turned in Briarthorn’s direction and stepped over to him briskly. He sighed and sank down on his back legs before she was even halfway to him. “I know, Queenie. Your tab. As ‘tolerable’ as it is to ‘waste time’ on me, you said you wanted this over quick, right?”

Blackburn’s tilted her head when Lockwood started to speak. “Please, don’t be-”

Blackburn grabbed Briarthorn by the collar, and flapped once, flaunting her impressive wingspan. Not as outright long as Briarthorn’s wings, which were tucked tightly to his sides, but heavier, and much thicker. They were clearly built for power. With this one gesture, she pulled him just off the ground, shaking him so roughly that he couldn’t help but let out short, throttled gasps. She threw him the few inches to the ground, causing him to grunt on impact, and then stamped the floor heavily next to him he almost bounced again from the vibrations.

“Too hard on him...” Lockwood finished with a sigh.

“Half-right, idiot,” Blackburn spat, raising her head and letting her eyes move across the group.

Some of the group, Rainbow and Tick Tock in particular, were trying not to watch the display for fear of showing amusement at Briarthorn’s apparent plight. Rarity and Fluttershy kept their eyes on Blackburn herself, worried about what she was going to do to them and their friends. Twilight bore a look of honest concern for Briarthorn’s well-being. He remained unmoving on the ground apart from his slow breathing. The Queen’s gaze remained even as she continued to revile the pegasus on the ground in front of her.

“Half-right. I wanted it quick, yes, Briar. Not over quick. You... you... colossal, intolerable, asinine...” She paused, breathing harshly for a moment. “Like you don’t want to learn. Like you are before the city.” She inhaled sharply. “Third time, Briar. Third.”

Briarthorn didn’t even move his head from the floor, still breathing raggedly as he croaked out his reply. “N-not second, huh? I... I wondered about that, Queenie. I almost thought I’d actually got it past you. Three hours with-”

“One ‘Jackpot’ at one ‘Lucky Dice Room’, One month, three days, seven hours ago,” Blackburn said with a scowl, “Rather disgusted with the itemized receipt.”

Briarthorn coughed, but still didn’t get up from the ground. “Why... why didn’t you say anything, Queenie? Why didn’t you get mad on strike two, huh?” He rolled his head back, and slid the eye facing the group around, noticing the half-lidded, disgruntled looks he was getting from everypony to his left, apart from Twilight, who was looking at him with simple concern. He almost smiled. “I knew I didn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t get away with it. I never can.”

Blackburn rolled her eyes. “You’d just finished getting a crucial shipment of mana batteries. Necessary component for the main generator, current battery coming close to half-life. Risked life and wing. Only one who could have, only one who did. Figured you needed a good celebration. Let it slide, for once. Now? Inexcusable. Punishable. If you weren’t you, you’d get the honor of emissary. Let you go talk to the nice ponies in the cruisers out in our skies right now, personally. But they would just kill you. Waste of a perfectly good pilot, perfectly good and only single-pony flight team. Friend, when not ‘accidentally’ abusing my lenience. New ‘friends’ here?” She quickly swept her gaze back across the group. “You don’t usually have a taste for unicorns. Which is it? Purple? White? Hmm... same time maybe?”

“That mean I can get up without you hitting me again?” Briarthorn murmured, eyes looking up at the ceiling for a miracle again.

“Until you start visibly bleeding? Maybe. A little hemorrhage. Perhaps two. Wouldn’t keep you from flying. Keep it in mind. Tell me about this little party, Briar. Now, if your bruises are done forming.”

Briarthorn pulled himself upright, but still sat on the ground, his wings sliding down from his sides and splaying purposelessly on the ground. “Queenie, I’m not that lucky. No ‘jackpots’ this time.” Briarthorn rolled his eyes and pursed his lips at Blackburn’s fierce gaze. “Your Grace, nothing interesting happened. Sorry. I’d give you all the details unintentionally, anyway. Why even ask the question?”

“To make your some of your new friends hate you less. You’re welcome. Why help, then?”

“I did everything for-”

“Lockwood’s sake,” Blackburn interrupted, “Only natural. Good business partner, valuable asset. Not the point. You didn’t ask for permission. Tried to be sneaky, just like last time.” She turned away from him to look at the monitors again with a sigh.

Lockwood hastily looked towards the monitors. “Are the cruisers moving? Do we need to leave?”

“No. Not yet. No response from patrols, infiltrators not moving. Didn’t need this today, Briar. You should have asked, Briar. You should have asked. Expected denial? For Lockwood? Idiot. Moron. Fool. Foal-brained. Irresponsible. Reckless. Typical. Need a different punishment this time.”

Briarthorn nodded dejectedly. “I should have asked. You’re busy, though, Queenie. Always so busy. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t want to keep bothering you. I’m double-super-sorry. I really wish at some point I’d be trusted to do the right thing when I’m not actively risking my life for once... but then I’d have to not be me, right? So, hey. Until it resonates with you and your clockwork brain: I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being me. The gate was an emergency. I went too far there first, and it’s that I want to make sure you get that I’m sor-”

She turned and jabbed a hoof into his chest, making him wince. “Had to waste time finding a new hiding place for Hundred-Year Burgandy. You should be sorry. Not worth the risk leaving it where it was. Definitely adding that to your list of transgressions. Appropriate punishment fits the crime, after all. Hmm. Your bar privileges, revoked. One month.”

Briarthorn looked down at the ground. “That’s what I get. A lack of booze for a threat of booze. I’m sorry, Queenie. I’m not trying to get out of this, by the way, but you keep looking at me like you don’t believe me. I’m sorry. I thought you’d figured it out at the gate.”

“Was busy, Briar,” Blackburn said with an unpleasant, tight-lipped smile. “Was busy. Seem to think you know how busy. Am threatened something that is effectively one of grandfather’s last gifts? Am busy. If you’d been in the room... your wings would’ve been broken.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Shut up about being sorry. Wastes even more time.”

Lockwood coughed and very suddenly drew Blackburn’s attention to him. “I think you might be-”

“Never can be too hard on him,” Blackburn replied shortly, “Does stupid things. All the time. Needs to learn a lesson.”

Briarthorn sighed, “So I’m on public, floor-one booze for the month, right? Even if I-”

“Need it for ‘work-related’ recovery; regularly in your case, progress. So, scraps,” Blackburn tutted, “‘Work-related’ applies only if you actually work. You want to drink; you use the pilot stash; you know the rules. Thirty days. Starting now.”

Briarthorn still hadn’t stood up, and leaned his head down again. “Right, right, right. The cheap crap. The barely-above Dolor Brown-quality stuff. Great.” He sighed. “Guess I’ve gotta go and outdo everyone again,” he said with the tiniest smirk, making Blackburn turn sharply to look at him again. They glared at each other for a moment. When he spoke again, Briarthorn said it fiercely. “I’m sor-”

“You’re sorry. You’re sorry. You’re so sorry. Tired of hearing it. Already believe you. Apology keeps you honest. Also,” Blackburn added with another hard poke to his chest, “You wasted time. Effort. Hate wasting time, hate wasting effort. Lockwood would have been enough to get you here. He already took effort to arrange it. No need to throw that drinking contest.”

Briarthorn winced and his eyes darted quickly back and forth between Blackburn and Applejack, the latter of which was glaring at him. “Queenie, look, she... that Utopian powerhouse over there, she straight up clocked me. It was all fair!”

“If I may-” Lockwood interjected.

Blackburn’s reply was short, curt, but not angry. “No.”

“But-”

“No.”

Lockwood shrugged and sighed, “Sorry, Briar. I tried. You know how she gets when she’s upset.”

Briarthorn looked at Lockwood sadly. They exchanged looks of deep sympathy. “Right... yeah.”

Briarthorn quickly leaned in and whispered something to Blackburn, causing her to shake her head in disappointment. “Why bother? Trying to be Lockwood again? Almost like you’ve forgotten who we are. Forty rounds of Gargantuan Venom?” She laughed mirthlessly, a harsh single note of derision. “Needed more than that to be ‘Drunk of the Year’ five years running. Seen better out of lesser drunks. Lost on my sixty-eighth to you, three years ago. Forget that? ‘All hail King of the Sixty-Nine?’ Forty rounds. Out? Don’t keep insulting me. Always end up regretting it, don’t you?”

Briarthorn’s face actually turned red as she went on about drinking, from looking like a blush to looking like he was as drunk as she was explaining, but as the last syllable left her mouth, he nearly exploded, making her smile cruelly at him. “Damnit, Queenie! Why do you want to make these ponies feel worse? I do a favor for Lockwood and his new friends, but at the same time threatened your Burgundy. That’s worth making them have another loss etched in their heads? They beat the sleazeball, he stops being a jerk, backs scratched all around-”

“Following, they lay on theirs for you? Not the first time you worked a favor for a rodeo. Wouldn’t be the last, horndog. Is quite clear Applejack doesn’t appreciate lying by now, Briar. Personally don’t either, if unclear,” she added acidly. She walked a few paces away from him and gazed out through the group again, not really focusing on anypony in particular, letting her eyes drift above them. “How many times did you feel them up before their feast?”

Briarthorn curled his lip as the group’s sour looks came his way again. “Queenie, come on... come on. Come on, you can’t just put it like that. You’re-”

“Upsetting them. Rather, enlightening them. Probably said you weren’t subtle at all. Maybe they even believed you, too. Your typical response: subtlety to obviousness. A little hard to pick up on for ponies you’ve known a day. Called-out on it, then. Not at the feast... too early, too distracted by food. Not at the hotel, long day, tired, eager to rest. Would guess Couture’s shop then. Probably the stallion. Perhaps the rainbow mare. Stop playing games, Briar. You’re subtle when you want to be. How many times? Now.”

Briarthorn sighed weakly. “Like I keep track of every feel... oh, great, Queenie, you’re looking at me like that, and I can feel the rest of them looking too. Okay, okay. Okay! I dunno, like, a solid six-pack of taps. Their story checked out physically. They felt like they hadn’t eaten in days upon days. Their joints were all stiff, their coats were matted, dusty. Their duds, or what was left of them, had about the same amount of dirt. Bags under their eyes that made me feel really bad every... what? Fourth sex joke? Unless that was some really fancy illusion magic or something, but Twily here certainly seemed really out of it. They couldn’t fake that unless they knew we knew that Twily was a master magician, which we didn’t know until we did... which was after.”

“A little more detail? Something not at all on the cameras?” Blackburn said quickly, after a brief facehoof.

“Uh...” Briarthorn muttered dejectedly as he scratched the back of his head, “Well, they smelt like sand, not the nice beaches, either. Stagnant, like a sort of wetness. Weird for sand, so I would figure that means-”

Blackburn nodded, satisfied. “The Bonesands. Wonderful. Most likely direction for real travelers.” She beckoned Briarthorn to follow her, and her voice became less callous instantly as she looked at his tired face. The vice dropped from her voice was small, but compared to her previous frozen fury, it seemed almost gentle. She even nodded at him. “Very well. Punishment delivered. You’ll carry out your sentence. Briar. Briar, look at me. All forgiven. Come along, captain. Need confirmation on things. Speak up if you hear contradictions.”

Briarthorn nodded, but his his face still gloomy as he followed Blackburn, getting to his hooves unsteadily if quickly, but his wings dragged for a long moment before he picked them up. The two of them walked over to Twilight Sparkle first. Twilight gulped nervously but remained bowed low, quickly turning her eyes firmly to the ground until Blackburn gestured for her to rise, as she remembered from her encounters with Princess Celestia upon their first meeting. Once Twilight had risen, Blackburn briefly circled around her and nodded her head in silent approval. She used her wing to readjust Twilight’s hat so that it was straight, as it had gone lopsided during the bow.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Blackburn said, though by now she was back to facing the monitors, “In the flesh. Well met. Talent around here recognized. Built up reputation already. Well-versed... no. More accurately, naturally apt in not merely magical discipline, but magic itself. Strikingly powerful spellcaster. At this point, common knowledge.” She took a short breath. “So an uncommon question, Twilight Sparkle. Thundercracker the Prodigious, or Skyfall the Wanderer?”

“I... I... beg your pardon, Your Majesty?” Twilight blinked at what she could only see as a non-sequitur.

“The cloak. The whole outfit. Distinct feel of both figures in its appearance. Which of the two do you prefer?”

Twilight hesitated for half a second, and began to chance a glance sideways towards Tick Tock.

“Eyes forward, Twilight Sparkle,” Blackburn quickly said. Twilight nearly jumped, snapping her head back to look straight ahead, where Blackburn was still very much glued to the monitors. “Your friends? Not here for you for such a question. Not our policy. Not my policy. Not for a simple question only you could, should be able to answer. So, answer.”

Twilight gulped and played along, “Um... well, I’m a big fan of them both. I guess if I had to pick which of the two I prefer... I’d go with Skyfall the Wanderer. He was a very... influential mage.” Tick Tock subtly slid a hoof to her face in her bow.

Blackburn nodded, and tilted her head to look at Briarthorn, who was using his wingtips to massage his temples in distress. Another tight-lipped smile, eyes cold, but not malevolent. Almost clinical. “Wise answer. Old vest was tacky. Surprised the gate surveillance cameras didn’t break. Brought to mind a stage magician, and an arrogant one at that. Underwhelming. Ill-suited for real talent. Which court in Utopia do you serve?”

Twilight visibly trembled as she stammered, “Which... court, Your Highness?”

“Breath, tone, heartbeat. All fast, Twilight Sparkle. Not to be picked up and dropped like your ‘tour guide’. Speak plainly. Calmly. Your ensemble. Court mage garb. Precise knowledge of etiquette when addressing and presenting oneself to dignitaries. Which court in Utopia do you serve? Several noble houses, no outward distinctions on you.”

Twilight half-lied, “Oh... right yes. Which court. I... I serve House... Celestia.”

Blackburn nodded subtly and turned to face Twilight again, taking a step towards her. Twilight was put-off by how the Queen didn’t seem to look at her, but through her. “No knowledge of the Red Death curse. Your court would be a small one. No cares about ancient plagues half a world away. Understandable. Never had to deal with it, never bothered to learn about it. Competent about curses regardless. Impressive. Such silly things, curses, you would agree?”

Twilight nodded carefully. “Well... until recently, I had little need to study them. I’ve come to realize my folly-”

“Vowed to make amends for it. Wise decision,” Blackburn said fondly, this time letting her lips, and more importantly her eyes, relax. In turn, Twilight’s breathing became less harsh as the Queen continued , “Despite admitted lack of experience, treated Lockwood’s injury. Been told that you did ‘exemplary work’, even without formal Restomancy training.” Twilight didn’t make to speak, but her eyes drooped considerably. Blackburn’s small smile grew a fraction. “Don’t worry about getting all the credit. Am just ensuring accurate portrayal of events. Exaggerations, misinterpretations come about when one pony speaks highly of another,” she added, glancing briefly in Lockwood’s direction and making Briarthorn start, as he’d winced on the sentence, clearly expecting to be the example used. “Such gratitude owed for what you did, Twilight Sparkle. Never had opportunity in the emergency room. You have anxiety issues when under pressure.”

Blackburn snapped out a hoof and offered it for Twilight to shake. Twilight took it gingerly, and was immediately yanked close in the midst of the hoofshake, much to her surprise. Blackburn leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Your group considers you their de facto leader. Yes? Do not panic.”

“How did you...?” Twilight said immediately, her voice considerably less scared, but still clearly and insatiably curious.

Blackburn grimaced, making Twilight gulp audibly. “Everyone always asks ‘how’. Simple: you don’t just watch. You see. Entering into this room, you put yourself at the front. Near Briar, who walked with execution pace... yet nopony argued it. Likely two choices? You and Briar are intimate-” Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked at Briarthorn, who had a surprisingly faraway look in his eyes. “Or, you naturally fall to organization. In meeting a queen, you felt organized. You led. Literally. A leader. What your group needs, by if nothing else their poise. Small looks to you. Deference, perhaps?”

Twilight shook her head. “Leader...? Well... yes. Yes, I suppose they do look... uh, to me. At times. Though I’m-”

Blackburn looked at her with an expression that was a strange mixture of pity, understanding, and deadly seriousness bordering on her previous irritation that made Twilight’s heart leap into her throat. “Not sure? Twilight Sparkle. Trust in yourself. Your friends? Clearly, they have seen what you can do. Anxiety issues won’t suit you. They trust you. Trust you to lead them. Prove you are capable. Lockwood has faith, so I share that faith.”

Twilight nodded, feeling briefly a glimmer of familiarity in the laconic “lecture” she was receiving. She had to resist looking up, where Celestia’s face would be. “I... yes, I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Blackburn broke the shake, and Twilight bowed deeply to her. Blackburn then stepped over to Tick Tock, motioning for her to rise. She gave her a quick scrutinous look, sizing her up, then stepped away from her and back towards Twilight and Briarthorn, adjusting her collar slightly as she did so.

“A uniform. Very prim and proper. Neat. Tidy. Hmm...” She chanced a half-lidded look at Briarthorn, making him look away. “Almost... posh.” Briarthorn’s surprised, tiny smile made Tick Tock’s eyebrow twitch, and this made Blackburn sharply turn her head back, eye-to-eye with the unicorn. “Almost. Not posh. Bow tie is misleading. Foul-mouthed alcohol enthusiasts are hardly ‘posh’.” She turned towards the monitors again. “Appreciate the sense of duty that comes with uniforms. You wear it well. Proud. Do you often brave the Wastelands?”

Tick Tock blinked. “Do I... w-well, yes, certainly, Your Majesty. But... how did you know-”

Blackburn ground her teeth for a moment. “Always ‘how’. Always. Fine, the easiest piece first. Your gait. It suggests you’re used to endurance when you run. Not often enough to be a hobby. Not enough definition in your muscles to be a calling for running. Often enough to be a job. Can’t be a postal worker. Different uniform. No military rigidity, no pragmatism to avoid bad steps like your typical police officer, corrupt or not. You still venture out of New Pandemonium regularly. No, frequently. Maybe you would tell me about ‘Chronomancy’?”

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. “I... what are you - how are you - talking about-”

“What and how are clear. Chronomancy is obscure, but it is clear you know something,” Blackburn said, “You had a hoof in Lockwood’s recovery. Not called in to assist Twilight Sparkle? You don’t know much Restomancy. Perhaps you know none at all. Twilight was also an amateur. Her aptitude was Lockwood’s understanding, so she was his request. So, two schools of magic left. Considering the Red Death? Chronomancy most likely candidate, slows down infection of Red Death. A few others, but none really worth investigating given the curse. Implies time spell, or jerry-rigged Barrier spell. Latter, unlikely. Too strenuous. Imprecise. Unreliable.”

Tick Tock nodded shakily. “Yes... that’s... exactly. But, still... how, how-”

Blackburn inhaled, closing her eyes briefly. “‘How.’ Again. Again. Alright. Six-day journey from Blood Mire to Hope’s Point. Five? Four? Fully-rested, perhaps. You were starving and had many injured. Red Death curse kills in two or three without proper treatment. Only possible options were Restomancy, Chronomancy, or complex Barrier magicks. Lockwood should be dead.” She suddenly offered her hoof to shake. “He’s not. As with Twilight, gratitude owed. Sizeable gratitude.”

“Oh... well...” Tick Tock meekly mumbled.

Tick Tock took Blackburn’s hoof and shook it and, as with Twilight, Blackburn leaned in and whispered, “Congratulations in order. You brought new information. Very hard to surprise me.” At Tick Tock’s confusion, Blackburn smirked. “Obsidian’s son, Pewter. Didn’t know about him.”

Tick Tock nodded lightly. “Oh...?”

“Your story at Wyrm’s Head. Briar’s habits. An interesting little trick. A ruse well appreciated. Smart thinking, decent observation.”

Tick Tock looked warily at Briarthorn, making sure he wasn’t able to hear them. “How do you know for sure I’m-”

Blackburn matched Tick Tock’s volume, shaking her head lightly. “Briar is not the only pony who comprehends intimacy needs, Tick Tock. Attitude and speaking habits suggest you haven’t had a good lay in years.”

Tick Tock turned bright red and stammered, “I... excuse me?!”

“If you’re not careful, you’ll confirm it now, realize that. Lid it. Go off? Your dignity will be, through solely your own actions, rather diminished. Understand? Good. Quiet. Recognize, not attempting to insult you. Perfectly understandable. Travel the Wastelands often... don’t get to be at home much. Not in the proper position to find a nice bedmate.” Tick Tock visibly flustered again. “Pewter is convenient. Middle of Wastelands. Few visitors. Plenty of ‘alone time’. Always liked Obsidian, confident his son is a good stallion.”

Tick Tock nodded subtly, still blushing madly. “He’s... a very close friend.”

“When all this is done, would make for some peace. You won’t regret it. Middle of Wastelands. Few visitors. Had he a ‘good friend’ be a mare with his father’s tastes? Very-” Blackburn murmured quietly, “Sweet. Though right now, must have balls bluer than your hair.”

“I... he... no... what,” Tick Tock said flatly.

Blackburn pulled away and left Tick Tock in a stupor, patting her gently on the shoulder as she walked away, then kept moving down the line to Pinkie Pie, who didn’t wait for the signal to rise. Blackburn didn’t waste time either. “Pinkie Pie,” she said, turning towards the monitors again.

“Yep! Hiya, Queenie-” Pinkie started happily.

“Keep quiet,” Blackburn interrupted. As an afterthought, she added, “Please.”

Pinkie’s mouth scrunched up, and her eyes grew big. Rainbow grit her teeth. 

Blackburn sighed. “Another ‘how’, though you’re calling it a ‘why’. Heard enough out of you already from Briar. He likes you, he’s like you. By your similar natures, good at what you do. Partially infuriating, though necessary. Credit given, you possess at least some degree of tact where private matters are concerned in the minutes you’ve been here. Keep quiet. You’ll prove yourself better by every word you leave unsaid.”

Pinkie raised a hoof silently.

Blackburn rolled her eyes and turned to face Pinkie. “Go ahead.”

Pinkie started frantically miming out various actions in quick succession, causing Rainbow and Tick Tock, who could get a very clear view, to both look on in awed confusion. Briarthorn chanced another smile, and gestured to Blackburn; she merely nodded a moment, and held her hoof to her chin until Pinkie was finished. Then, she shook her head.

“Respectful of you. Was clever the first time Briar did it. Got irritating.”

Pinkie’s eyes grew bigger, and Rainbow snorted.

Blackburn rolled her eyes. “Alright. Alright. Actually seeing it again as a genuinely new attempt? Appreciated. However, not really interested,” she shrugged, “Armor’s fine as-is. Stick with it. Crossfire might like you. No offense intended. Thank you for keeping quiet.”

Pinkie beamed.

“The hell did I just see?” Tick Tock muttered.

Pinkie started to repeat her previous mime. Wordlessly, Blackburn approached, and tapped her hoof to stop her. “Unnecessary, thank you.”

“Something about her armor?” Briarthorn suggested, “And... stuff with pirates? Really, Queenie? Not interested? I thought you’d want Gadget all over that kind of stuff.”

“Gadget prefers ground-up puzzles. Regardless, all that was asked was if she needed to demonstrate,” Blackburn frowned, “Have always hated charades. Annoying game. Rainbow Dash,” Blackburn added sharply, not bothering to turn her head, “Death glares don’t work. Not intimidated. You can stop anytime.”

Rainbow stood tall, despite Briarthorn frantically signalling for her to stop. “Yeah? Well, you can stop giving Pinkie a hard time for no reason like that, Your Highness. She didn’t do squat to you, you’ve got no reason to be a jerk to her.”

Blackburn faced Rainbow down, giving her a brief once over as she did so, then dismissively waved a hoof and turned back towards Pinkie Pie, addressing her instead of Rainbow. “The goggles. Practical for a flyer. Your girlfriend’s jacket fits well. It’s an old jacket, too. Only reason Cutlass and Barnacle let her try to guess the password. She looked just a little bit like one of us. Irritating that the password is getting an overhaul, because of her ‘almost’. Disappointing that she didn’t make it the whole way, personally. A real shame.” 

Finally she turned to Rainbow, with a rather dark smile on her face that made Lockwood and Briarthorn cringe, “By the way, Rainbow, why do you hate stallions?”

Rainbow was seething, and narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Your reaction to Cutlass’s proposition. You weren’t just disgusted by the idea. You were disgusted by who was giving it. Cutlass is not handsome. Not ugly, either. He’s not intolerable. He might have been kind, had you considered. A mare from the dark pit of Pandemonium, down on her luck, desperate for help? Might have taken the time to consider his offer. You dismissed without hesitation.”

“What’s she talking about, Dashie?” Pinkie asked quietly.

“Horseapples I’d do anything like that!” Rainbow blurted, giving Pinkie an apologetic look, “I might’ve been desperate for help, but-”

“You’ve got your pride,” Blackburn interrupted. Rainbow stared at her in disbelief, causing Blackburn to smile. “Didn’t answer the question. Why do you hate stallions?”

Rainbow glared. “Like I’d really tell you-”

“Your friends don’t know either, then. Fascinating,” Blackburn said with a slight nod, “Pinkie looks particularly expectant of an answer. You won’t tell your lover or your friends. It runs deep. Almost sorry for you... am fairly certain of the answer, of course. Won’t tell them. You don’t need to worry. Won’t tell them what happened here, or what happened first.”

Blackburn then immediately started heading down the rest of the line. Rainbow spat, “Hey! That’s it? Huh?! You just gonna walk away like that, after treating-”

“Admirable, defending the pony you love so much. ‘Cool’, right, Briar?” Blackburn said simply without turning around, but flicking her tail once. “Heart full of passion, head full of fire. ‘Radical’. Not ‘awesome’. Nomenclature accurate?” She turned her head to Briarthorn.

He only nodded, looking almost embarrassed, and she went on. 

“Your reactions to those who slight her are hostile. You’re overprotective. Indignant. That’s not ‘awesome’. That’s... dangerous.”

Rainbow snorted, “Is that a threat?” Despite Briarthorn’s gestures for her to stop, as well as the worried looks Twilight and Pinkie were giving her, she continued, “If you’re looking to get into it with me, Your Majesty-”

“Rainbow, STOP! Right now,” said Briarthorn, of all ponies.

But as Rainbow continued moving, her right hoof, just a step forward, Blackburn turned sharply towards her, and looked, not at Rainbow Dash, but at the floor. Rainbow impulsively followed her head, and saw a tiny red dot appear just inches away from her. Both her and Blackburn’s gaze followed it as it began to move. It crawled its way up her leg slowly, and she lost sight of it as it moved to her forehead, making Rainbow lock eyes with the Queen. Blackburn held up one hoof, holding the unseen guncolt.

Rainbow turned her head very slowly towards Pinkie. She was beginning to sweat. The beads glistened under the red dot. Pinkie visibly paled, and waved her hands wildly.

Otherwise, the room froze. Ponies on the monitors briefly and covertly turned their gazes towards the situation. Rainbow’s Ponyville friends all stood like statues, pupils shrunk in shock and slowly growing terror. 

Lockwood spoke very rapidly. “Hold on, look- don’t, don’t- she’s trying to- she’s not a threat, she’s just- she doesn’t mean anything-”

Blackburn looked sharply at him, very briefly, then back to Rainbow. Her hoof slowly settled back down on the floor; the tiny red dot disappeared.

“Felt a little heat? Lockwood’s warnings... very pleasant. You owe him even more, now. Him not acting before you... perhaps would have been unpleasant. Might end with a messy stain in my room,” Blackburn snorted, “Clean-up assuredly unpleasant. Additionally, you need work on your death glare. Pay attention.”

Blackburn waved Rainbow’s gaze back from Pinkie slowly and almost comfortably, and then narrowed her eyes, unleashing a sudden tension. Rainbow Dash took more than two steps back in a second, sudden shock. The harshness in Blackburn’s eyes was easily in league with Fluttershy’s Stare. Rainbow shakily returned to her original position. Pinkie exhaled, and practically leapt onto Dash. 

“Please, D-Dashie. Don’t w-worry about me,” Pinkie said unsteadily, but sweetly, right in Dash’s dilating eyes. “S-some ponies don’t like my... me-ness, you know that. Just now... that wasn’t fun. Remember the Gryphon Ruins, Dashie...” Pinkie murmured it sadly. Dash said nothing, rubbing a hoof on her forehead, breathing harshly, but she did nod, and Pinkie hugged her tightly.

“Pinkie Pie,” Blackburn said, staring at the outburst dubiously, “You’re being imprecise. Here’s another how for you. That dot? Was not, is not, consequence of Rainbow Dash protecting you from... ‘not liking your ‘you-ness’. More exactly: matter of principle. Tiny pink Briar isn’t much more bearable than big gold Briar, thus far. Keep your tone down. You’re overcompensating. The Wastelands opened your eyes to danger? Relax. Your friends, your Dashie, they are all safe now... provided my discretion, and adherence to that discretion. Also... Gryphon Ruins? Intriguing. Needs explanation, gives explanation.”

Pinkie stared at Blackburn for all of a second, looking for all the world like she would cry, then nodded and smiled. Blackburn returned her smile, the least aggressive and angry yet. “Gadget.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Have Pinpoint return to his position. He is no longer needed here.”

“Right away.” Gadget tapped a button on her datapad, then stood back at attention.

Blackburn continued down the line to Rarity, who remained low until Blackburn gestured for her to rise. Blackburn then tediously scrutinized Rarity’s ensemble, humming all the while, before finally coming around full circle and turning to face the screens again.

When Blackburn used the word, it was almost pejorative. “Lady... Rarity... acceptable.”

Rarity’s jaw dropped. “Acc... acceptable?! Y-Your Highness, p-p-please, reconsider!”

Briarthorn chanced a deep, doleful sigh, and Blackburn actually grinned for a fraction of a second as he went on mournfully, “I warned you! That was me. That wasn’t Lockwood. I said ‘acceptable’. What a cad. What a loudmouth, idiot pervert.”

Blackburn snorted, and Briarthorn shrugged his wings. “She was all,” and everypony, even Blackburn started - if in her case very slightly - at the precise inflection and almost perfect imitation, “‘Oh, Briarthorn, you devilishly handsome rapscallion, you might be gorgeous beyond all belief, but I think I have an idea about taste, you charming if uncouth ruffian, so I think I can handle my fashion, thank you very much, darling.’ She was doing so well up until that little idea.”

“He’s got your number there,” Applejack whispered, “Best dang Rarity impression I ever heard.”

“Oh please, I do not sound like that at all!” Rarity scoffed, “And I certainly don’t remember saying anything of that sort, either. Hmph. Your Highness,” she pleaded, “Why is this only just... just... acceptable?”

Blackburn tilted her head, and murmured, “‘How’, not ‘why’, again.” She sighed and continued, “Outfit is a perfect fit. Your ideal ensemble. You like the fancy things in life. Self-indulgent, vain, self-conscious. Like a princess. Perhaps queen,” she said with plain irony, “That look has been captured precisely. An admirable effort at attempting to impress a fellow queen. Of which court are you a member, Lady Rarity?”

Rarity tried not to look in Twilight’s direction. “I am with... House Celestia as well, Your Majesty. But-”

“Manners of a high-class upbringing. At the very least an attempt to emulate it, with clean results. Outfit choice an attempt to fit in with high society. Too many quirks, design influences, choices of flair. No, not royal, not high-class. Social climber. Your parents? Tourists with cameras. Tacky shirts. Embarrassed. How to cope? Extensive knowledge of fashion sense, especially a sense appropriate for typical dignitaries. Inappropriate for the atypical. Is your fashion sense giving you a ‘typical’, Lady Rarity?” she asked, flaring her wings and displaying her own outfit.

Rarity shook off her stupor, and evaluated Blackburn’s outfit with the same intense scrutiny she’d had hers examined with, minus the pacing. “No... no, I suppose not, Your Highness. This outfit looks more like one of those ‘adventurous’ princesses that I’ve read about in some of my more... ‘candid’ novels.” She sighed, “And with the way this city looks, the way this whole continent looks and feels, I suppose I didn’t think you would be of the fancy persuasion either, but-”

“You wanted to look your best. An improvement over the tattered rags. What inspired you to use your old dress as a bandage?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes... well... it was a necessary evil. Lockwood’s life was on the line, and I needed to help Twilight. Nopony else had clothing long enough to make a suitable bandage. He’s very dear to us all... some more than others,” she added, chancing a quick glance over to Fluttershy.”

“Lucky that you are knowledgeable about fashion, then,” Blackburn added, “Dress was torn precisely right to work for your intended purpose. Didn’t expose body unnecessarily. Briar? All over you, otherwise. More than he had. You’re an attractive mare, after all. Wouldn’t blame anypony for... looking.”

“Pardon?” Rarity asked, tilting her head.

Blackburn nodded. “Your answer earlier? Good, until the end. However, not your fault. Stressing it now, when... the time is right. Never hurts to ask general questions rather than specifics, Lady Rarity,” Blackburn said it for the first time without a trace of depreciation. “Hope things work out. Again: not your fault. You couldn’t know.”

Rarity blinked in confusion as Blackburn walked away. “Couldn’t know... what?”

Blackburn came next to Applejack. Applejack eyed Blackburn warily as the pegasus circled her and nodded in approval all the while. At last, she took a step or two away from Applejack and looked at Rarity again, then back to Applejack, then back to Rarity, then back to Applejack, who she motioned for to rise.

“Lady Rarity, you designed these outfits,” she observed. Rarity made to speak, but Blackburn just kept talking. “With assistance, of course. Two designers, experts. Despite this, you missed a critical piece of Applejack’s ensemble.”

Applejack spoke up, her voice solemn. “Briarthorn said the same thing, Yer Highness. Mah-”

“Hat. Yes,” Blackburn interjected. She looked at Applejack for all of a second, then spoke again. “Hairstyle suggests you’re accustomed to wearing one. Don’t have one now, didn’t get one at shop. Attached to original. Sentimental item. Gift from a loved one. Remaining ensemble... suggests a stetson. Body tone of a hard worker. Utopian accent... hmm. Are your parents alive?” Applejack’s jaw dropped. This was all it took for Blackburn to continue. “My condolences. Family business, then. Took up the mantle, hardest worker in family. Beautiful place, Utopia. Friend of mine from the westside. Perhaps you are acquainted. Dialect suggests similar upbringing. Farm country?”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah... that’s right, I’m... from the farm country,” she answered, “Farmin’s in mah blood, y’see? Like ya said: family business.”

Blackburn nodded again. “Don’t know many ponies from the farm country. Vast territory, few settlements. You moved elsewhere. From same town as your friends. Very rare, country folk moving. Exceptions allowed. You tried the city proper, first, yes? Much more common. Didn’t like it, moved elsewhere. Relatives in the city?”

“Y-yup, that’s right, Yer Highness,” Applejack said warily, “I tried livin’ in the city wit’ mah aunt an’ uncle after...” She shook her head. “Didn’t much like it, went back ta farmin’. Thought I’d try mah hoof at some other crops though... like apples. How’d y’all figure-”

“Like Twilight Sparkle and Lady Rarity, you possess some knowledge of formal etiquette. Other crops, you say. These ‘apples’?” Blackburn smiled, “Curious. Never heard of one before. Another surprise. If there were no ships prepared to kill us, would go drinking with all of you soon. Even and perhaps especially you, Rainbow Dash. Apples... Rare commodity. Would be nice to try something truly new. Applejack. Consider shipping here. Excellent business venture. Head of family business suggests good business sense.”

“Yeah... yeah,” Applejack smiled, “I’ll see what I can do... Yer Highness.”

“Forgive Briar,” Blackburn said firmly, holding out a hoof to shake. Applejack warily took it, and was greeted with a very strong, firm shake in return. “Pseudo-sleaze. Most of the time. Image helps get him ignored. Useful persona. The drinking contest: disgusting terms of contract, correct? Wouldn’t have done any- well, most anything he may have said.” Briarthorn’s wings sagged to the ground again. Blackburn’s split-second grin once more reared and disappeared. “You were safe. Not in his character to force anypony. Hard to believe, yes. Intimidation tactic, nothing more. Think nothing of it. Not too terrible when he’s not trying to... un-win hearts and minds.”

Applejack nodded. “Right... I guess if anythin’, it’s mah pride that’s wounded. I actually thought I’d beat the jerk...”

“You had no chance. Best smuggler in the city. Drinking integral part of that. If no drinking were involved, might have a chance at being the best pilot,” she said with no small smirk in Briarthorn’s direction, who shook his head tolerantly, smiling but clearly in defeat.

Blackburn moved over to Flathoof next, and looked over him with a firm, scrutinous gaze. Flathoof kept his own eyes on her the entire time he was able, and whenever she was out of his line of sight he’d glance over at Lockwood expectantly. Lockwood just stood there, a thin smile on his face. After a round or two, Blackburn gestured for Flathoof to rise and, for once, stayed focused on her quarry rather than looking elsewhere.

“Claim one: Lockwood’s adopted brother,” she said with an eerie calm.

“Yes, that’s right, Your Highness,” Flathoof nodded politely.

Blackburn’s mouth curled in a very slight sneer. “Claim two: career criminal. Petty theft, nothing serious, all pointless. ‘Filching tellies’. That is what your friend told Briar.”

Flathoof gulped, “Yes, that’s right.”

Blackburn snorted and turned briefly towards Lockwood, then back to Flathoof. “One claim a lie. Lockwood doesn’t associate with pointless type. Impossible to believe. Which claim is the lie?”

Flathoof nervously looked between Lockwood and Blackburn, sweat trickling down his forehead. “Well... Your Highness, you’ve got to understand-”

“Answer the question,” Blackburn snapped, getting right in Flathoof’s face.

Flathoof calmly answered, “I’m... not a crook. That was a lie.”

“Good answer,” Blackburn said equally calmly, drawing away from Flathoof and using her wing to wipe off some spittle she’d gotten on his face, “Lockwood’s adopted brother indeed. Polite. Well-spoken. Well-mannered. Dedicated to family, even adopted members. You typically live with your family?”

Flathoof nodded tentatively. “Yes... we’re very close. Still live with them and everything, Your Majesty. If I may ask...” He waited. She watched him for a moment, then nodded. “Did... Lockwood tell any of this to you? If he did, he was just-”

“Trying to keep you out of trouble,” Blackburn interrupted, “Something he does. Hasn’t divulged anything. Told him to divulge nothing. More to ponder myself. You, Flathoof. You. Acknowledges authority figures. Cool-headed under fire. Suggests formal training of some sort. Old shirt standard issue undergarment for city workers. Not NPAF, minimal knowledge of NPAF Navy.” Flathoof gulped, just before Blackburn finished, “Is it Officer Flathoof, then?”

Flathoof let out a breath, and nodded. “Yes... that’s right, Your Highness.”

Blackburn nodded back. “Not one of the corrupt cops, either. Build suggests patrol officer. Firm voice and gaze suggests position of authority. Rank is... hmm. Higher than Sergeant. Either Lieutenant or Captain.”

Flathoof nodded again. “Captain, Your Highness.”

He was surprised when she offered her hoof for him to shake, and took it firmly, giving her the same strong shake she was giving him. She pulled him close to her with the shake and whispered in his ear, “Not many good cops out there. Rare commodity. Looking forward to knowing you better.”

She broke the shake and moved on down the line, leaving Flathoof to scratch his head. “Knowing me better?”

Blackburn turned to the monitors and took steps towards them. “Cruisers remain unmoved. Still no signals to them, from them. Gadget!”

Gadget perked up. “Yes, Your Highness?”

“Any updates from generators?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Gadget confirmed. “No reports of any kind.”

“Curious...” Blackburn mused.

Blackburn walked next to Fluttershy and, to everypony’s confusion, seemed to rush through her once-over with her and quickly gestured for her to rise. First, she reached out and grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof and lifted it up so that she could get a good look at the Bonding Bracelet. Fluttershy was nervous about the odd attention being given, which caused Ophanim’s orb within to bounce around haphazardly, ready to burst out and pounce.

“An odd relic,” Blackburn observed, “Markings are Runic in origin. Suggests affiliation with either gryphons or Harmony Guard. Physique and mannerisms do not hint towards either. Too frail and timid to be archaeologist or soldier. Presentation of jewelry resembles an engagement ring. Pretty. Stolen from the Gryphon Ruins, perhaps?”

Fluttershy meekly nodded. “W-well, Your-”

Blackburn continued moving as if she hadn’t even heard Fluttershy speak. She grabbed the collar of Lockwood’s jacket that Fluttershy was still proudly wearing, straightening it so that the jacket looked more presentable. “Lockwood’s... no, your jacket. Given as a gift, treated with care. Been cleaned, repaired.” She leaned her face in ever so slightly to the jacket’s collar, then frowned very slightly, then released her grip on the jacket. “No more traces of him. Keep it.”

Fluttershy looked at Lockwood for a moment, but suddenly Blackburn spread her wing, blocking Lockwood from view. Fluttershy very briefly appeared very annoyed and looked at Blackburn as the source of her annoyance, causing Blackburn to sneer at her. Blackburn then tucked the wing around so that she and Fluttershy’s faces were obscured from everypony’s view, and leaned in very close to Fluttershy’s ear. Nopony quite made out what was said, but when Blackburn tucked her wing back in and walked away, her stride strong and proud, she left a very bewildered Fluttershy in her wake.

Blackburn stepped onto the platform and turned to the group, gesturing for Gadget to approach her. Gadget passed her datapad from before to the Queen, bowing slightly as she did so and then rapidly backing away. Blackburn poked at the device a few times, and without even looking up at the group, began addressing them. Her tone was stern and condescending.

“This device contains all eight background checks performed on you,” she said, holding the datapad up just a little before bringing it back down. She read it again, then tossed it over to Gadget, who caught it with her magic and replaced it in her pocket. “Not exactly interesting, at first. Flathoof, a bit. Tick Tock, mildly engaging. You six, a departure. Very interesting. Suspicious, even without background checks.

“Six ponies all with same background information. Short, simple. Recently registered in New Pandemonium database. Stories collaborate, suggests interrelations. Possible conspiracy against Pandemonium government. Yet, all six leave city within days of arriving. Not suspicious to New Pandemonium, cover story bought hook, line, and sinker. New Pandemonium red tape often appears intentional. All six ponies from same town in Utopia. Ponyville. Very unusual name for a town. Curious. Doesn’t fit Utopian standards. At all. Utopian settlements: Utopia itself, capital city; Newhaven, shipping harbor; Deepgrove, mining town; Agora Gardens, agricultural center. All very concise, but lovely names. Ponyville. Blatant and bland. Uncreative. Should have tried... Stalliongrad? No. Too masculine. Perhaps Fillydelphia.”

Twilight and Rarity shared very nervous looks with one another, knowing full well those were real cities in their world. Twilight coughed, “Um... r-right. Yes, well... we were under pressure to think of a name quickly, and it was the first thing to come to mind. We realized our folly too late, but we were desperate. We sort of ended up in New Pandemonium rather suddenly and without any idea what to do. We’re not from around there at all, and never planned on going.”

“Brings to question why you would have even gone then,” Blackburn said with a shrug. “Don’t believe in miracles, but your story. Believed? Comes closest to miraculous as have ever seen. Never explained to anypony in the city how you ended up in New Pandemonium in the first place though. Not on your profiles. Curious. Might have cleared up some suspicions.”

Tick Tock cleared her throat. “Ah... well, Your Majesty, you see-”

Blackburn interrupted her, “A ‘teleportation accident’. Listen carefully, Twilight Sparkle: I know how you unicorns’ teleportation works. You? Even you? Can’t teleport across the Belt of Tranquility. Wonderfully ironic for what amounts to a magic nullification field. Requires very precise and delicate magic to get through. Teleportation not one of them, regardless of power. Very difficult to believe the one unicorn that could do it comes from some backwater village. Even more difficult to believe said unicorn had never been to New Pandemonium before. Same with unicorn’s other friends, barring one earth pony.”

Tick Tock gulped. “Oh... w-whatever do you mean, Your Highness?

“Speech patterns.” Blackburn pointed first at Rarity. “Rarity - Inner District accent, Whiteworth Heights. Some cultural traits from Moonlight Hills leads to misinterpretation, but distinct Whiteworth Heights dialect.” Blackburn imitated Rarity, nearly as well as Briarthorn had, “Puts too much emphasis on certain words.”

She pointed next at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash - Outer District, northside. Slight use of westside slang. Bizarre coloration suggests influence of Mid-East culture, but no Mid-East slang in use.”

Next, Pinkie. “Pinkie Pie - Mid-West, North Plaza... hmm. Perhaps West Plaza. Very similar, only separated by usage of slang. Haven’t heard anything to make proper distinction.”

Next, Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle - Inner District, Arcadia. Tone of voice suggests high education, minimal interaction with outsiders. Only other option Mid-South, Central Plaza, but formal etiquette suggests Inner District upbringing. Not much contact, yet multiple potential locales? Conspicuous.”

She pointed at Fluttershy, and her eyes narrowed. “You. Outer District, eastside. Unremarkable. Dull.”

Tick Tock again attempted to speak. “Y-Your Highness, I’m certain... amnesia!” She pointed briskly at Twilight. “Yes, they all suffer from... terrible, terrible amnesia. Poor dears may be from where you suggested but-” Blackburn’s half-lidded stare made Tick Tock chuckle nervously. “Perhaps... not. Um...”

Blackburn resumed speaking after a very slow roll of her eyes. “Yes. Perhaps not. Other oddities stand out. Suspicious answers. Twilight Sparkle,” she said, pointing a hoof at Twilight, “Thundercracker the Prodigious? Well-known as a fraud. Being a fan at all: highly unlikely. Your outfit, despite this, similar in design. Coloration is reminiscent of Skyfall the Wanderer. Incidentally a pegasus. Not a mage. Could still be a fan, though. Good guess, nice try.”

Twilight sheepishly rubbed her head, “Oh... um... eh heh, r-right...”

“Pinkie Pie’s gun,” Blackburn pointed next, causing Pinkie to excitedly reach for the mentioned weapon and twirl it about.

Gadget immediately pointed her own weapon straight at Pinkie’s face, having sprinted in front of her the second Pinkie had reached for her weapon. “Hey hey whoa! The heck do you think you’re doing, nutball? Don’t make me test out the ‘Disintegration’ setting on this baby! You wanna end up as a little scorch mark here or what?”

“You’re threatening the wrong mare there, kiddo,” Rainbow sneered, taking a step forward.

Gadget whipped around and the gun was now pointing right at Rainbow Dash. “You just try it! This baby can generate one-point-two-one gigawatts of electromagnetic energy in a concentrated burst. Imagine being struck by lightning twice at the same time.”

“Oh, I know allll about getting struck by lightning,” Rainbow taunted back, “How about you? Because I’d be more than willing to show you.”

“Hotheads,” Blackburn sighed, “Gadget. Calm down. Nothing to worry about. Neither would attempt anything unless provoked.”

“Yeah, c’mon, I’m not a bad mare,” Pinkie said with a bat of her eyelashes, “You don’t have to worry about me going all Killing Spree on you guys. It’s tempting though, since it would be my first Killionaire.” She giggled loudly at the confused looks both Rainbow and Gadget were giving her. “Actually, you really shouldn’t be worried because I made sure I turned ‘Friendly Fire’ to ‘OFF’. Because, well, sometimes I get an itchy trigger hoof and-”

In her focus on talking instead of on hanging onto her twirling gun, she suddenly lost grip on her rifle. It flew a few feet away, landed on the floor with a thud, and fired a spray of bullets directly at Rarity. Rarity screamed as the bullets careened into her, continued screaming as they harmlessly plinked against her body without a shred of force behind them, and continued screaming far after the threat had passed. The silence of everypony staring at her alerted her to the absence of danger, and she sheepishly chuckled in embarrassment. That didn’t stop her from frantically running her hooves all over herself to check for holes in her body and, just as importantly, her flowing cape.

A bright red dot suddenly appeared on the floor and started frantically snapping to everything that moved in the line. Blackburn rolled her eyes. “Gadget. Thought you told Pinpoint to return to post? Tell him: calm down.”

“On it, Your Majesty.” Gadget growled and rapidly tapped her datapad.

The red light stopped on Pinkie’s face, then disappeared. Everypony took a breath of relief.

“Um... oops?” Pinkie nervously laughed as everypony glared at her. “Well... like I was saying, sometimes I get an itchy trigger hoof, and I’ve got total butterhooves. I’m used to melee weapons, see? Still adjusting! I’m no team-killing bucktard, I swear! Well... not on purpose anyway. Heh heh...”

Blackburn blinked once, twice, three times. “Most... unusual.” She took a deep breath. “This at least returns to the matter of Pinkie’s gun, given this... demonstration of ‘Friendly Fire’. Pinkie Pie. Your weapon resembles techno-magic. Despite this, not of any make or model on any record in our databases. Not a prototype, from either New Pandemonium, or Hope’s Point. Our city primarily still armed with projectile weaponry at individual level. Ship weapon systems basis for prototypical, individual use.” She briefly smiled at Gadget before continuing. “Prototype protocols for replacement by personnel-equippable energy weapons ongoing. Real projectiles currently relegated to use by A.M.P Troopers, Militia, and... ‘enthusiasts’. You are not an A.M.P. drone,” she said with a tone bordering on amusement,” Nor are you Militia. Also, not an enthusiast if you are a... ‘butterhooves’. Pinkie Pie. Your weapon? Not a relic: gryphon techno-magic never designed for direct combat, much less precision weapon. No techno-magic in Utopia at all. Said weapon thus defies all current standards. As if... impossible. But-”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Pinkie suddenly shouted, “Ix-nay on the possible-impay!”

It was too late. As soon as the words had left Blackburn’s mouth, Pinkie’s rifle disappeared in a puff of logic.

“Weapon relies on inspiration. Magic. A school of magic. On belief? More surprises.” Blackburn smiled distantly. “As if an issue of imagination. Still. Keep your ‘Friendly Fire’ settings constant, Pinkie Pie. If manifested too obviously, too easily removed. Might consult with you on methodology. As it stands, unreliable. For now, only opinion? Bizarre,” Blackburn finished flatly.

Pinkie groaned and dropped her hooves in show of a dramatic letdown. “Aw shoot... well, guess I’m gonna hafta pick a new loadout. This one was kind of redundant anyway. Hang on a sec.”

Pinkie collapsed to the ground and stopped moving for several seconds. The other ponies nearby all looked on with intense curiosity, completely unsure what was happening, what was going to happen, or why they were even bothering wondering in the first place.

“Um...” Rainbow gulped nervously, “Pinks? Pinks, you okay?” She poked Pinkie’s body, causing her to roll a little. Rainbow leapt back in surprise at seeing Pinkie’s white eyes. “Pinkie? Pinkie?!” She rushed forward and grabbed Pinkie’s lifeless body and shook it violently. “Pinkie! Get up!”

“Calm down Dashie, holy cow,” Pinkie said from the entrance to the chamber.

She wandered over and kicked her corpse out of the way until it vanished. Her friends all looked at her with some relief, letting out their breaths all at once. They all, Blackburn and Gadget included, watched in confusion as Pinkie was now carrying two completely new weapons on her back: one, a rifle with a thinner barrel than the one she’d been carrying before, but still short and stocky. She also had a very small one strapped to her right flank, just by where her Cutie Mark would be if not under all that armor.

“There we go,” Pinkie chirped as she double-checked herself. “Sorry about the wait everypony: suicide delay. You know how it is. Figured I’d go for a more ‘long-range’ loadout this time. It should work better since we’ve already got so many ‘close-range’ fighters, like AJ and Dashie. Balance and teamwork win rounds, baby!” she cheered.

Blackburn blinked rapidly, then shook her head. “Won’t question: is the point, correct, Pinkie Pie?”

“Absotively Posolutely!” Pinkie saluted.

“Thank you. Quiet. Please.” Blackburn snorted, whipping her head to her next target “Moving on. Applejack?” she continued, “If not previously clear from city dialect discussion? Farm country ponies also maintain distinct accents. Yours, not even close to farm country. Close to Crossfire’s. That part most definitely true. Newhaven accent, west coast of Utopian continent. If attempting to pass off as pony from there? Best bet would be labor worker. More generic. Would encompass farming too, no lying involved. Honesty: best policy. You would agree?”

Applejack sighed, “Yeah... I would. An’, well, ta be honest, Yer Highness... what I said really was the truth, in a manner of speakin’. I really am a farmer. I wasn’t lyin’ ‘bout that... I just ain’t from Utopia.” Applejack shot a look at the disapproving Tick Tock. “Aw don’t look at me like that, Tick Tock, y’all knew we were gonna be found out sooner or later. I’m gettin’ tired o’ all this here lyin’ ‘bout everythin’. Puts an uneasy feelin’ in mah gut.”

Blackburn nodded and addressed the group as a whole, “All of you? Learn from Applejack’s example. Truth is not merely important. Paramount. Lies cloud vision, lead to trouble. No more lies. No more half-truths. Permission to leave only granted if you explain exactly what is going on. Not from around here. Stories inconsistent. Appearance spontaneous. You’re from parts unknown. When the whole world is well-known, only leaves one option: you’re not of ‘this world’.”

“That’s a... pretty sharp jump,” Tick Tock nervously chuckled, “What, like... aliens? You think they’re aliens? That’s simply bonkers. Heh heh... w-why would you-”

Blackburn stared at Tick Tock, her expression unchanging. “Possibility. When the impossible is eliminated, only leaves improbable. When only improbable is left, must be truth, no matter how improbable. Determination to keep the secret suggests obvious involvement and investment. Journey to send them ‘home’, your idea. Seeking help from ponies willing offer it. Knowledge of Chronomancy... hmm. Thought ‘Chronomancers’ were only legends.”

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. “What... what did he tell you?” she asked hesitantly, referring to Lockwood.

“Nothing. Wanted to tell me. Told him to say nothing. Easy enough to see through the deceit,” Blackburn insisted, “Lockwood would agree. Honesty? Best policy.”

Lockwood nodded. “Believe me everypony, it would be in your best interests to just come clean. Speaking of which-”

Blackburn shot him a very quick, almost pleading look. “Irrelevant. Not an option. Stop suggesting it.”

Lockwood sighed, “Really now, do you want to sound-”

Blackburn huffed, “Not hypocritical either. Irrelevant. Not an option. Discussion over.” She snapped her head to glare at Briarthorn, who tried to discreetly pretend he hadn’t been watching with interest. She turned back to the others. “The full story. Back to front. No omissions.”

Twilight took a step forward. “If I could, Your Majesty? I have a way that can save us all the time and give you the full story, back to front, no omissions. Exactly how you want it, right? I suppose if we’re going to come clean, we may as well give you the whole story with as much detail as possible. I know a little spell I learned from a very wise creature that he taught me specifically for this sort of situation. I’ve been waiting for a chance to use it, if you don’t mind?”

Blackburn paused for a few moments, then nodded. “A ‘memory’ spell. Complicated magic. Gryphon origin. Curious to see; curious to experience.”

Briarthorn cracked a grin on one side of his face. “Couldn’t agree more, Queenie. I’ve been looking forward to actually seeing our Twily here use some fancy magic instead of just seeing the admittedly impressive aftermath. Pop those pretty peepers of yours, Gadget, you might learn a thing or two from our wizard here.”

“Oh har har,” Gadget snorted.

Twilight stood firmly in the center of the group and channeled her magic through her horn, causing it to glow a brilliant white. It glowed and glowed until at last, a great burst of light came from it and enshrouded the ponies all in a sheath of light. Seconds later the bright aura subsided, and all the ponies swayed slightly as the spells’ effects wore off. A few of them blinked their eyes open warily, others rubbed them to clear them of light.

Briarthorn spoke first, his voice calm and collected as he looked out at the ponies not from Hope’s Point with sincere compassion. “Stars and skies above, ladies. And Flathoof. And Lockwood. I mean, I knew you were in the Wastelands. I understand that place is terrible. A real hellscape, but... but... geez, I just couldn’t have imagined that. Holy horse-crapples, I am sorry.”

Gadget shook her head in disbelief, especially at Rainbow, “Golly, no wonder you weren’t worried about a little electromagnetic discharge.”

Blackburn stood like a statue, eyes closed. The groaning and murmuring around the group wore off as they stared at her, unmoving. After several long moments, Briarthorn leaned over and reached out with a wing tip. As his wing neared her ear, he immediately jumped back, startled, as she cleared her throat, opening her eyes slowly, letting her gaze drift back and forth across the group. 

“Enlightening. Fascinating. Almost... wondrous. Answered questions, provided new ones. So many surprises. Not even my birthday. Six ponies. Alternate dimension. Trying to save their world. Affecting ours. Trying to save ours too. Full story. Back to front. No omissions. As asked. You need my help.”

“That’s the long and short of it,” Tick Tock nodded, “We truly are sorry for the deception but-”

Blackburn dismissed her with a wave of her hoof. “Part of your job. Acceptable excuse. Tolerable. Should have been forthcoming sooner, would have saved time. Cruisers overhead will make... trouble.” She looked back towards the screens and shook her head. “Still no movement. Still waiting for signal... or something else. Something... worse. All makes sense now... hmm. Need to move quickly. Twilight Sparkle, prepare yourself and your friends for departure.”

Twilight beamed, “Oh! So, you’re going to grant us passage right now? Oh, thank you Your Highness! We were worried we’d have to wait until the danger had passed.”

Blackburn shook her head subtly. “Danger not over until... hmm.” She took a deep breath, then began frantically pacing back and forth in front of the hub station, muttering to herself all the while with only Lockwood and Gadget paying her any heed.

“Twily, it’s only logic, and Queenie loves her logic. Saving the world is, when you get right down to it, probably one of the most logical things you can do. Especially if the world is terrible!” Briarthorn beamed at her and drifted sideways, wrapping a wing around Twilight with his typical light tone restored, despite visible bruises forming on his face. “We’d be pretty stupid to not try and help you. Not only do you get to save your world, but we get to save ours. That’s two worlds for the price of one! And hey, if her Royal Rough and Tumble is ready to give you the clear, how could I say no to a bunch of pretty faces? 

“Since I’m still vouching, I suppose I’m up for a tour of my ship. Gimme an hour, and we can blow this snowglobe. I figure it’ll be tough, but I figure her Worshipfulness here’s got a bang-up plan to stop us from getting banged up. And before you start with the looks again, have you noticed how many innuendos I’ve been skipping? That’s how exciting this is gonna be! I always love a good obstacle course.”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “And here I thought we’d be seeing the last of him. Fantastic.”

“Oh don’t be such a worrywart, Tick Tock,” Twilight smiled, “I’m sure we’ll all be okay. Briarthorn said he’s a good pilot, you don’t have to worry about this being the last we ever see of him.” Tick Tock blinked rapidly, then put a hoof to her face.

Briarthorn uncurled his wing from Twilight and started moving past the group and towards the door, Blackburn suddenly said, her voice low but strikingly clear as it crossed the room, “Briar. No order was given to you to prepare for flight.”

Briarthorn instantly stopped dead in his tracks, and raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Uh. Yes. You’re right, Highness. But... I am their voucher, right? I was the in. Now I’m not the out, huh?”

“‘Twilight Sparkle, prepare yourself and your friends for departure’. Exact words. Don’t recall saying, ‘Briar, prepare Twilight Sparkle and her friends to depart’. Wouldn’t advise it, the Thunder...” She smirked at Briarthorn, who took another eye-roll to the ceiling for a miracle that wouldn’t come. “Not exactly recommended. Not capable of an errand of simple magnitude. Requires a more suitable ship.” 

Briarthorn’s eyes went from a doleful drift upward to a sudden dart to Blackburn. Her face was almost blank. The smile was almost invisible. Briarthorn’s mouth split sideways in a huge grin as she continued. “Requires a more suitable pilot. More dangerous than you realize. Diffusion system must be optimal.”

Rarity spoke, “Your Highness, if you don’t my asking...” Blackburn nodded in allowance. “Well, if Briarthorn isn't taking us, then-”.

“Who is? Should be obvious.” She turned to Gadget. “Notify Crossfire of change in plans. Inform of rendezvous at main elevator.”

“Already on it, Your Highness,” Gadget confirmed, taking out her datapad and hastily tapping away at it. “Done. He is already en route. Shall I-”

“Inform the hangar bay? Yes. Make preparations for the Wyvern to leave. Triple-time it, want to leave as soon as we arrive.”

Briarthorn reared back on both hind legs, and pumped both his forehooves and wings all together. “Oh, hell yes. You’re taking them. And I get to run Diffusion on the Wyvern. It’s been years! Like old times, Queenie, like old times.”

Everypony’s jaw dropped slightly, except Lockwood’s and Gadget’s, though Lockwood did raise an eyebrow. “You are?” he asked, “This is... unexpected. Why?”

“You made a promise to these mares,” Blackburn replied simply, “Means you’re going along to ensure smooth transition. Would try to talk you out of it...” She took a sharp breath. “Waste of time. Wouldn’t have it any other way. Too nice for your own good. Nearly got you killed already,” she added, shooting a very sharp glare at Fluttershy. Fluttershy, to her own surprise, found herself returning the glare in earnest. “Need to-”

“Make sure I’m safe...” Lockwood sighed, completing her sentence to everypony’s surprise, again except for Gadget. Briarthorn settled back on all four hooves, and looked at them intently, narrowing his eyes even as he kept grinning. “So that’s why, is it? You’re taking us because I’m going? What if I-”

“Stuck around? Wouldn’t force issue. Know you wouldn’t do that. Can’t risk putting in you in others’ hooves again.” She looked sharply at Briarthorn, who was look an odd mix of intent curiosity, enthusiasm, and a brief pang of hurt as she’d emphasized the word “others’”. “Briar. Were this any other precious cargo, would be your assignment. Different scenario. So you run Diffusion. Ideal. You would agree?”

Briarthorn stood silent for a long moment, his grin fading as he began to very visibly think, tapping his chin and rolling his eyebrows. When at last he spoke, he pointed a hoof at her in an almost accusing gesture. “Your Majesty,” he said hesitantly, “‘Different’ is the word, I think. Ideal? Not yet. Something weird has been rolling around in my head these past few days- Hey! At this point, I’m beginning to suspect it’s you guys with the gutter minds, giving me those looks. I’m talking about Lockwood- HEY! That’s all on you, ladies. Women! ‘Men like two girls all the time, we don’t like two men!’ What a load of horsesh-” Blackburn leaned her head forward, making Briarthorn jump. “Aha-ha! Whoa, okay, no death glare. Right, on point: ‘precious cargo’? I’m not sure you’re talking just about our girls, and Flathoof, here, what with Lockwood talking like it’s him. And you know what? I don’t usually see you go to such lengths for a ‘business partner’...”

Gadget sharply interjected, “It’s none of your business, Briarthorn! Her Majesty can do as she pleases, don’t question her decisions! Must you always be so dang nosey?!”

“Oh, yes, Gadget, sweetie. I must, I must!” Briarthorn said through a new cracked grin on the side of his face. “That’s my typical job, isn’t it? I get to sniff out leads on jobs that make a stink? Wouldn’t want to find out I’m accidentally carrying a load of cargo with some sort of Pandemonium spy equipment. Or some new A.M.P. Trooper that can reassemble itself on a timer. Remember what happened to Crimson Sky? Remember that? Rest the poor guy’s soul, but we almost had a security breach big enough to drive my presumed ego through it. I’m just being respectfully cautious, and rightfully so, in the face of... some very suspicious turns of this little event. I’ve known Her Grace long enough to have picked up at least some of her fun little detective habits. She’s acting funny. Our Worshipful Majesty, Hope’s Point’s Shepherd, Her Highness Queen Blackburn doesn’t do ‘funny’.”

“Issue resolved,” Blackburn stated clearly, stamping a hoof, “Discrepancies should be directed elsewhere. Not interested in hearing them. You’re dismissed.”

“Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Now. Hey. I got my punishment. Am I breaking a new rule where I can’t make inquiry on debriefing? Are you amending my punishment? I’ll take it, if you want to add on to my disgrace, Highness. I’m not going to rally against your decision, Blackburn.” 

As he said her name without title or nickname, her lip curled, but her eyes were far from angry. Through her steel, there was the barest trace of something else. Briarthorn blinked at her, and now spoke with compassion, as he had after the memory induction spell. 

“Easy, easy, easy. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, Queenie. You know that. I just... I think it’s weird. What’s gotten your tail in a knot, huh? Besides the cruisers- and hey, seriously, the cruisers? This kind of threat? Right above our heads, wouldn’t you want to... y’know, be here?”

Lockwood sighed loudly enough that Blackburn turned to look straight at him. Her eyes widened and she grit her teeth when he tipped his hat at her. Without a word, she frantically gestured with one of her wings at him, then the other, before using one to discreetly point at Briarthorn, then back to her. Lockwood rolled his eyes and attempted to gesture with his damaged wing, then audibly winced. Blackburn’s eyes widened again and she bit her lip. He shrugged sheepishly at her, then tipped his hat again and smiled. She grumbled wordlessly and dismissively waved a hoof, which just caused him to fluster again and point rapidly at her, then again at Briarthorn, then at Rarity, then at Flathoof; the last in the chain he pointed at, Fluttershy, made Blackburn scowl again.

All of this caused the entire party present, sans Gadget, to watch them in utter confusion, and even more so that Gadget seemed completely nonplussed about the whole thing. Even Briarthorn was watching them with curiosity, nodding his head, slowly and intently every other second.

“You know pegasus wing language, don’t you? I only know a few very basic gestures, mostly... uh... not-socially-acceptable ones from Rainbow Dash,” Twilight whispered, “What was all that about? Please tell me you understood all that.” His disappointed grin made her frown. “Oh dear. Um... any of that?

“I’ve had to wing it, now and again, yeah. Wing language is good for some of the older pilots. Your hearing goes bad when you’re next to an engine for like thirty years. This is... this is a little precise, though. I’m not up to terms on a secret code version. This is something Her Majesty made up on her own... and told Lockwood. It’s an argument. I mean, you can kinda tell, right? But we just saw what happens when you argue with Queenie- well, you saw. I felt. It goes nowhere, right? The weirdness is cropping up again, because... if they’re arguing... She-” Briarthorn’s eyes suddenly got wide. “She looks like... she’s listening to him? But-” He suddenly stopped, mid-sentence. Then he made a quiet sound, a breath of a laugh. “No. No way. No. Way.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked in worry.

Briarthorn shook his head, like he was reeling. “Wow. Twily, I’m... I’m sorry, wow, okay... wow. Okay... I’m sorry, just. I need a minute here... oh. Wow. Man. Dude. Dude man. World upside down... just... just need a minute...” He sagged, and leaned heavily onto Twilight

“Oof.” Twilight looked at him worriedly as he fanned himself with one of his wings.

“Just tell them, please?” Lockwood asked sincerely, breaking the tense silence and surprising Blackburn with the sudden noise. “A lot of things could be made a lot easier if we just came clean. I’m in enough hot water as it is because I didn’t say anything. Even if it is because-”

“Asked you not too!” Blackburn hissed quietly, “Expected you to keep up your end, not surprised you did. Agreed that-”

“Until we were ready, we’d keep it under wraps. I know... I know, but... I think now’s as good a time as any,” Lockwood said firmly, “After all, I’m not going back to Pandemonium. Kind of a wanted criminal there now and all. Just tell them already. At the very least Briarthorn, Flathoof and... Fluttershy-”

“Deserve to know?!” Blackburn blurted, “Flathoof, yes. Family. Sensible. Briar, maybe. Looks like he’s figured it out now anyway. Thank you for that. Fluttershy? No. Illogical. Besides, she’d just-”

“Be mad at me... I know...” he sighed. He looked in Fluttershy’s direction apologetically again, then desperately hid his face behind the brim of his hat again when she gave him that expectant, hurt look. “But... I’d rather she be mad at me than leave this world thinking a lie. It’s not-”

“Fair? Fair?!” Blackburn spat, “No! Not fair! Not ready to tell anypony. Planned special occasion for unveiling. Final answer! No more-”

Lockwood spread his wings, both of them, with a great deal of strain, and tucked them forward in a sort of prayer-like gesture, bowing on the floor as he did so. He then offered one wing out towards her while tucking the other over his heart.

Blackburn’s eyes widened and her face reddened, and she flustered, “Y-You... but... b-but...” She looked hesitantly at Briarthorn, who suddenly looked very interested, then at Gadget, who just looked at her with a soft smile. She sighed, defeated, “Gesture always works. Fine. Will tell them, but only because I-” 

She interrupted herself and turned to the others, but addressed Briarthorn specifically as it had been his question. “Briar. Lockwood shows up at city doorstep half-dead, half-undead; loses ability to fly; can’t see out one eye, eye is... unpleasant to see; doesn’t tell me he’s coming; circumstances, i.e. three giant battleships, prevent giving proper welcome; also learned how this happened, learned especially who to blame,” she sneered, again glaring at Fluttershy. “Want answers for my behavior?”

Briarthorn curled a wing around Twilight again, leaning into her even further, pulling his head into his forehooves, visibly shaking on his back legs “Oh, no. No, no. You were right. I got it. I mean. I get it. I totally get it. Wow. I mean... just wow. I... I just need some time to let my mind wrap around this for a second. It’s like, you’re staring at a puzzle on a wall for five years and it made no sense, and then, kerpow!”

“What puzzle? What do you get? What kerpow? Wrap your head around what?!” Twilight blurted, her confusion reaching critical mass.

Blackburn snorted, “Lockwood is my fiancé.”

The entire room, from the ponies standing before the monitoring hub to even the ponies spread all around the room, went totally silent. Some ponies had stopped whatever it was they were doing mid-action, dropping datapads or running into things in a stupor, completely taken aback by the words they’d just heard. Blackburn looked not at all perturbed by all the reactions, and in fact, after a moment of tilting her head back and forth, eyes closed, opened them again and looked surprisingly proud and relieved to have finally said them. Only Briarthorn and Fluttershy did not look on in wonder and confusion. The latter’s eyes had widened, her bottom lip began to quiver, and she began to shake in place, shaking her head in utter disbelief. Caught up in his puzzle wall metaphor, Briarthorn could only nod sagely.

Rarity finally broke the silence. “I... I b-b-beg your pardon?” she flustered.

“Didn’t stutter, not repeating self. Should not come as surprise. Did everything possible for him under pretense he was Briar’s friend. Easy to keep true intentions hidden... hmm. Hadn’t planned on Lockwood wanting to tell everypony,” she admitted, looking behind her with a sigh, “Did you honestly believe it was all because he was Briar’s friend? Giant feasts. Shopping sprees. Lavish hotels. Free drinks. Complicated, expensive surgery, required a unicorn without medical license, vetoed ethics board’s decision to let her do what nopony else could? If that were the case, you might inspire extreme worry for the fate of your world. Captain Briarthorn? Influential, popular around city. Not that popular.”

“Well... we assumed that Lockwood had everything to do with it, so I guess we were right on that one, in a manner of speaking,” Twilight said nervously, “He’s shown us just how resourceful he is in calling in favors, so we assumed that Briarthorn, as Lockwood’s friend, would just tell somepony what happened and they’d take care of things.”

“His reputation certainly makes me believe that,” Tick Tock agreed, “I was somewhat hesitant at first, because you’re right. Briarthorn. But Lockwood really played up the idea that they were close friends.”

“This all makes a lot sense...” Twilight nodded, “That’s why you got me into that operation room, and why you wanted to observe the surgery, isn’t it? Even Doctor Sugarcane thought that was odd. I feel bad for not noticing it sooner...”

“And it would explain why he didn’t use her as his voucher, why she pretended not to know him even to Briarthorn,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, “If they were keeping it that secret, nopony would’ve believed him, least of all the gate guards. Hmph... I just knew he was keeping something like this from everypony,” she added with a glare, “Figures.”

“This certainly is quite an unexpected turn,” Rarity sighed, “I should’ve guessed why a cute mare like Keeneye wouldn’t interest you. The excuse Applejack gave me via Flathoof’s depiction of your tastes seemed odd... and now it certainly seems... ahem, odder. This is quite eventful, if I do say so myself.”

“Eventful?” Flathoof balked, “This is more than eventful! Lockwood... why didn’t you ever tell me? I mean okay, you didn’t need to say you were engaged to the Queen of Hope’s Point, but you never even told me you had a special somepony. My mom was trying to set you up with Pattycake for years, and here I thought the only reason you didn’t go with it was because it made the three of us feel really awkward. You really should have said something.”

“Yes, telling us the truth would have avoided certain...” Rarity trailed off, trying not to look at the Fluttershy, “Complications.”

“I didn’t lie to you, Rarity,” Lockwood sighed. “You... asked if I had a girlfriend. I said no. Which was true. I didn’t have a girlfriend, I had a fiancée. Two completely different things.”

“How long have you known her that you’re actually engaged, Lockwood?” Flathoof asked.

“Seven years,” Lockwood smiled.

Flathoof’s jaw dropped. “What?! You’ve... you’ve been seeing her since I was in the academy?” He shook his head despondently. “Now some things are starting to put themselves together. When did you-”

Lockwood sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “She popped the question, actually, five years ago. Look Flathoof, I’m sorry I never told you... or anypony, really, but she asked me not to and frankly, she had a point. If somepony in Pandemonium knew I was in a relationship with Queen Blackburn of Hope’s Point... well, technically she was Princess Blackburn at the time. But anyway, if anypony knew I was together with her, they’d probably do something to me to get to her, and she didn’t want that. Even then, they might do something to my family to get to me, knowing that I could be used to get to her. Word travels fast, so she had to keep it secret from ponies she knew too. Not worth an accidental leak.”

Pinkie swooned, “Just like in the fairy tales. A forbidden love, kept secret from everypony out of fear for the safety of one another. At least you two made it work... how romantic.” She twirled around in a circle until she caught sight of Fluttershy giving her a very nasty glare, causing her to instantly stop, squeak, and get back in line behind Rainbow Dash.

“I can’t believe that all this time...” Flathoof grumbled.

“I’m sorry, Flathoof,” Lockwood said sincerely, “It took a lot of convincing for me to agree to it, but... she made her point. It feels good to be able to say it now...” And he looked hesitantly at Fluttershy, who was glaring at him, her teeth still clenched. He sighed, “Even if I should’ve hinted at it sooner. I’m sorry...”

“Sorry? Sorry?!” Fluttershy blurted, “All this time, you... you lied to me! You told me you l-l-liked me too!”

“I do like you Fluttershy, just...” Lockwood trailed off, “Just not... like that. It’s my fault... I didn’t pick up the signals. I figured everything you were saying and doing this past week was... because you blamed yourself for what happened to me. I told you to stop doing it... I didn’t think you weren’t stopping because you felt that way about me. I’ve... never been good at reading signals from the opposite sex.”

Fluttershy glared at Blackburn. “You sure picked up her signals.”

Blackburn snorted, “Wasn’t afraid to tell him outright. Direct. To the point. Avoids constant wondering of other pony’s feelings. Wallflowers deserve to stay wallflowers. Assertiveness came too late. Claimed him before you met.”

Fluttershy glared back at Lockwood. “And you... you let me go through with all of it...”

“I tried to talk you out of it...” Lockwood sighed, “Fluttershy... I really am sorry, I-”

“Words wasted, Lockwood,” Blackburn said simply. She looked sternly at Fluttershy. “Rarely repeat things. Your case? Will make exception. Stay away from him. Enough time wasted,” she said quickly and dismissively, “Amusing to waste more. However, need to leave immediately, can discuss topic later. When past the Belt of Tranquility.” 

Blackburn stepped down from the hub and, with Gadget and Lockwood at either side, stepped towards Briarthorn. The gold pegasus was staring straight ahead, shaking his head. “Briar. Enough wasting time, need to move. Need an escort, you’re it. Sentencing over, stop being an idiot.”

Briarthorn snapped his head to Blackburn on the word idiot, and looked angry. Almost as angry as Blackburn. But then he withered, and sighed in defeat. “Idiot. Yeah. Blackburn,” he said, making the named freeze like a statue, obviously preparing a death glare, before he continued, “I really wish you hadn’t kept this under the table from me. Of all the ponies.”

Blackburn cut off Gadget, who had opened her mouth to interrupt, her expression stern. “Lockwood wanted to tell. Disagreed.” She tilted her head towards Gadget. “For Gadget and Crossfire, only knew because always with me. Grandfather entrusted my life to them. Swore them to secrecy.”

Briarthorn continued to shake his head. “Not my point,” he said weakly, “All these years? Years I’ve spent whiling at you? I spent them trying to make you feel better, with one of the the only ways I’ve ever really known how. So now I find out you were feeling just fine and dandy on a regular basis. I’d have liked to know you were happy at least once in a while, Your Majesty. It is my duty to serve, after all.” He looked dolefully at Gadget, who noticeably didn’t follow up with a comment on his personality.

A flicker of guilt passed through Blackburn’s eyes, but with a short breath, she pushed through. “Briar, you understand. No offense meant. Practical decision,” she explained, “Did not think you would be able to follow same request for long. Mouth too big, sometimes says things when too drunk. Still remember confession of attraction to Crossfire.”

“Always back to me saying bad things. Not like it wasn’t obvious. Huge surprise, right? What was it you said? ‘I can be subtle if I try’? Something like that, ” Briarthorn grimaced. He let his head drift back and forth between Lockwood and Blackburn for a long moment, the cruisers on the monitors still stock-still. He breathed in, the mannerism distinctly Blackburn’s own, and finally shrugged, with his whole body. “Yeah, Crossfire’s a fine trunk of hunk. But I’ve been searched before when on the job, and you never had a problem with me blabbing there. Those kinds of life and death situations are pretty similar, you know? Smuggling, and trying to get in your bed. I steal and cheat and lie for a living, and you trust me to do that, but stars forbid I know who your sweetie-poo is.”

Lockwood’s look of despondence caught Blackburn’s eye, and she looked down. She looked up sharply, about to speak, when Briarthorn cut her off with a half-hearted smile, and let his enthusiasm build, near breaking eye contact with her as he spoke, his voice intentionally bombastic and indignant, despite the sad look in his eyes. “The worst thing is? All this time, I’ve known you two and been trying to get with you two individually, when I should’ve been trying for a threesome?!” he exclaimed, “Years, wasted! Remember? No propositioning individuals within a relationship without both present. You two’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do.” His eyes now locked onto Blackburn with a look that seemed almost like a challenge. “Mostly your favorite positions, and how I snuggle into them.”

Blackburn stared at Briarthorn. It wasn’t a death glare; she was tracing the patterns of the bruises she’d given him. Finally, she turned and looked at Lockwood, who gave a conspiratorial wiggle of his uninjured wing in plain view to Briarthorn, and the Queen sighed dramatically. “And... back to normalcy, Briar? Not sure if situation improved,” she said almost fondly. With a half-lidded stare, Briarthorn actually gave her a formal salute with his wings, and stood at attention. 

The sudden display of legitimate protocol from Briarthorn seemed to reignite Blackburn’s ire: the Queen snorted, and stamped a hoof. “Alright, then! Expressed desire not to waste time; ended up wasting time anyway. Come, Crossfire waiting at elevator, preparations being made to depart. Time of the essence... hmm. Still nothing. More curious...”

Blackburn pushed through the row of ponies with Gadget and Lockwood firmly in tow, Briarthorn right behind them. Twilight started off after them next, and Tick Tock followed suit, then Applejack and Flathoof, then Rainbow and Pinkie, then Rarity, who waited up only for a moment before Fluttershy snorted loudly and followed as well, though she made a visible effort not to catch up to Rarity in the least.

The dozen ponies wound their way through hall after hall, stairwell after stairwell, passing by dozens upon dozens of ponies that all instantly stopped whatever they were doing to bow before Blackburn, who nodded in approval as they went along.

More and more of the ponies they saw were decked out in full suits of red and gold armor, a color scheme they felt more and more was Blackburn’s way of delivering a jab of sorts to Pandemonium, as the city’s emblem bore the same colors. The soldiers were represented by all three races of pony, each equipped differently and divvied up between formations of troops to keep either an even balance, or to compose entire squads of the same type. Earth ponies had large packs on their backs that were not only attached but seemed part of their armor, and to their sides they bore large, cylindrical attachments whose purpose was not quite evident. The pegasus wore techno-magic weapons on their fore hooves, one on each, and were able to walk while wearing them thanks to the flattened barrels. Unicorns, of course, kept their weapons strapped at their sides, ready to draw them with their magic and wield them with.

Fluttershy noticeably trailed behind the rest of the group by several dozen paces, only just barely close enough to be considered following. Rarity noticed this before they’d even gotten through the second hallway, slowing her pace enough to fall in step with Fluttershy while the pegasus was distracted and looking at the decorated walls.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity interjected. Fluttershy looked at Rarity for all of a second, then snorted quietly, turned her head to avoid looking at the offending pony, and slowed her pace to fall out of step. Rarity slowed her own pace again to stay with her. “Fluttershy... please... oh, I know it hurts darling, I know. But please, you mustn’t-”

“Just get away from me,” Fluttershy hissed, “I don’t want to talk to you. I should’ve never listened to you...”

Rarity frowned, but didn’t look offended, just sad. She sighed, “I know, dear... I... I should have found out more. But how could I have known? He wouldn’t have told me. I thought when I asked him about that Keeneye mare, his answer meant he was available. I just wanted to-”

“I said, ‘get away from me’,” Fluttershy hissed again, glaring right at Rarity this time, “Lesson twelve! Your enemies must be insane, if they think you’ll repeat yourself again!”

“Enemy...” Rarity echoed, “I... Fluttershy dear, please, I didn’t know he-”

“And you never asked either, before you got these little delusions that I needed or wanted your help. Just keep your nose out of my business, Rarity. Go ahead and ruin somepony else’s love life, just keep out of mine.” Fluttershy stamped forward to stay out of Rarity’s reach.

Rarity sighed and trotted ahead, past Fluttershy, to catch the others, while muttering sadly to herself, “Wonderful job, Rarity. You thought you were giving your friend somepony to help bring her out of her shell, but all it did was give her a broken heart. Stupid, stupid, stupid...”

They marched down the last hallway towards a large, rust-colored metal door flanked by two rigid lines of guards on either side. The guards all stood at firm attention as soon as Queen Blackburn and her entourage rounded the corner, placing their weapons, if need be, someplace to their side in a salute.

A light brown earth pony stallion paced in front of the door. His shoulder-length dark brown mane and tail had no distinct style to them other than “messy”, but he at least kept his mane mostly out of his eyes. He wore a heavy suit of bronze armor that covered him from neck to flank, only exposing his head just above a thick neck guard. The armor bore very large shoulder plates that connected to long cylinders at his sides, much like the earth pony soldiers they’d seen before, but much thicker and obviously heavier if his gait was any indication. Just behind his head, a plate of armor connected to the thick neck guard, with a thin green visor near his shoulder. As the Queen and her entourage approached, he immediately dropped to his knees in a deep bow before her.

“Yer Highness,” he drawled in a deep voice, “I got yer message, came as soon as ya called. The Wyvern’s rarin’ ta go, an’ I got the hangar bay all finished evacuatin’. Y’all jus’ give the word, and we’ll be ready ta get outta here. Jus’ waitin’ on th’ elevator ta get back up here - had ta make some stops to get evacuees out.”

“Crossfire. Always punctual,” Blackburn nodded appreciatively, “Already suited up as asked. Never can be too careful. Here,” she added, pushing Pinkie Pie forward hard enough that Crossfire had to catch her rather brusquely, “This one has skill with techno-magic weaponry. Still using projectile rounds. May yet be of some use. Sync up.”

“You got, Yer Majesty, always good ta have one o’ them there... prota... faberge...?” He tapped the side of his head in thought.

“Protégé,” Gadget said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, one o’ them,” Crossfire agreed. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. Right, down ta business. Well howdy there lil’ pink mare! Mah name’s Crossfire, what’s yers?”

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie chirped. She then tapped herself in the head as if she’d forgotten something, then dramatically cleared her throat and sprung away, reaching back and donning her helmet. Her voice instantly became distorted. “I mean, my callsign is Pinkie-245, sir! Reporting for duty, Crossfire, sir!”

Crossfire laughed and flipped his own helmet on. Like her, his voice became distorted behind it. “Aw shucks, ain’t that cute? What kinda weapon know-how y’all got there? Them’s some awful small toys, if I may so bold as ta say so.”

“Welp, my current loadout is designed for long-range combat and support,” Pinkie said very seriously, “Equipped with one Designated Marksmare Rifle-” Here, she presented her bigger gun, holding it firmly for Crossfire to see before returning it to her back. “And one Personal Defense Weapon System.” And here, she removed the smaller device from her flank and showed it off to him with one hoof before returning that as well. “Expert Marksmare Pinkie, all locked and loaded, Crossfire sir!”

“Pinks, when did you decide to get all serious?” Rainbow balked.

“Well, if my Pinkie Sense is right,” she said worriedly, “I think we’re going to be getting into some pretty scary stuff pretty soon. Not the same stuff like with Red Velvet and those other wackos, but like... really real danger. Not that those weirdos weren’t really real danger, but they said like, eighty billion times that they weren’t going to kill you or me or Twilight or Applejack or Fluttershy or Rarity. I dunno... just got a feeling is all.”

“Well, Her Majesty may not have this ‘Pinkie Sense’, Miss Pie,” Crossfire said reassuringly, “But she sure as shootin’ is preparin’ fer anythin’. She wouldn’t’ve had me get all suited up if’n she thought this were some joke or drill or whathaveya.”

The elevator gave hissed as it finally docked with the boarding platform, and the great door opened wide to let the ponies in. Blackburn entered first and everypony else followed in, each taking seats around the edges of the elevator car.

“What exactly are you preparing for, Your Highness?” Twilight asked as the elevator doors began closing, “I thought the shield was impregnable? Briarthorn told us that if something should happen, you’re expecting-”

“Ground forces... Hm. Always a possibility. Through gateways, though. Shield? Impregnable. Pride of Hope’s Point techno-magic engineers.” Blackburn took a deep breath. “Unless disabled: then useless. City open to attack. Invasion. Security measures taken, primary shield generator rarely disabled. Happens occasionally. NPAF developed remote system four years ago. Before I became Queen. Wasn’t in city at the time. Lucky,” and she said the word balefully, “that I wasn’t. Too many deaths that day.. Became Queen after that, began developing countermeasures. No Gargantuan-class cruisers since then, until today. Still no activity... hmm. Not bothering with remote system. Saboteurs for certain.”

“Didn’t Briarthorn say that they have to go through all sorts of hoops and hurdles just to send these things down here?” Rainbow asked, not taking her eyes off of Pinkie and Crossfire examining Pinkie’s rifles. “If that’s the case, then how’d they get the jump on you all so dang well?”

With a rolling, uneasy shrug, Briarthorn nodded. “Well, yeah, of course there’s a paper trail, in a manner of speaking. It’s nerve-wracking. Somehow, Queenie’s long list of intel got screwed somewhere along the line. I’m constantly prodding into their com sets when I’m scouring. That’s what’s got us all so tense.” He leaned into Twilight again, and dropped a wing over her. “Now that we know what you’ve gotta do, Twily, well... it helps and hurts. We know we’ve got to get something pretty amazing done, but I’m not going to lie. I’m being warty right now. Downright Athelete’s Hoof worry. Not now that knowing losing any of you is going to make...” He actually grinned, through his concern, “...saving the world that much harder.”

“Oh... there there, Briarthorn,” Twilight reassured him, patting one hoof on his, “It’ll all be okay, you’ll see. Like you said, your Queen is a certifiable master of preparations and planning. I’m actually sort of jealous you’ve known her so long.”

“Jealous? Over another mare, over me? Fancy that!” He wiggled his eyebrows not at Twilight, but at Tick Tock, who was giving him a poisonous glare.

“Crossfire,” Blackburn said warily as she looked up towards the ceiling.

“Yes, Yer Highness?” Crossfire saluted.

“Begin priming weapons. May need to use them soon... hmm. Bad feeling about this...”

The elevator continued to descend. All the while, Blackburn stared at the ceiling with a heavy scowl. Despite the pace being rather quick, certainly faster than the elevator at the cliffs had been, the anxiety in the air made it feel agonizingly slow to everypony inside. Unlike the cliff elevator, there was no window to the outside world. The only light came from the light fixtures along the walls in the corners.

Only the small dial above the door told the passengers how far along they were. It clicked and gave a cheery *BING* sound as they passed the second underground level several minutes after departure, followed by the same sound several minutes later once they had passed the third underground level.

Twilight looked at the dial and hummed in thought. “Ten underground levels... and we’re heading to the bottom, I assume?”

“Correct,” Blackburn said simply.

“At the rate of descent, with that many floors it would mean the hangar bay is below sea level, right?”

“Also correct,” Blackburn confirmed again. “Observant. Curious. Good qualities to have, especially with understated capacity for leadership, despite lack of confidence- Gadget. No word from generator patrols yet on suspicious activity, reports still being received?” She turned her head as she spoke.

Gadget double-checked her datapad, then shook her head. “Reports coming in, but, like you said, nothing out of the ordinary, Your Highness. Quiet as mice. There’s been no sign of forced entry or foul play of any kind, almost like nopony’s there at all except the guards and the technicians.”

Blackburn hummed. “Infiltrator would need to avoid detection. Avoiding patrols and moving without leaving trail. Not typical infiltrator. Something else. Cruisers waiting for shield to come down, no wave-spectral transmissions of any kind... hmm. Infiltrator and cruisers not working in tandem.”

“Not working in tandem?” Gadget asked.

“If those cruisers had an idea as to when shield was coming down... they would be priming weapons. No weapons primed. Infiltrator an independent agent, no direct connection with NPAF. NPAF still notified of sabotage, two infiltrators. Second infiltrator not saboteur. Informant? Spying on other infiltrator, but not certain on plans. Competitors? Or worse. Suspect that first saboteur working independently, second saboteur relaying progress to fleet. Gadget, any unicorn magic detected in vicinity of generators? Communication methodologies, specifically.”

Gadget rapidly tapped her datapad, then shook her head in frustration. “Yes, Your Majesty, a lot. The cruisers must have activated their jamming signal to throw off our security detectors. Either that, or we’ve got two thousand unicorns having a rave down at the power generator. I can’t pinpoint anything useful.”

Blackburn exhaled harshly. “Any possibility of increasing power to this elevator?”

“Negative, Your Majesty. The power relay is at the top of the shaft. If I could get up to it, maybe, but that might take a while. We’re better off-”

“Disembarking on fourth floor,” Blackburn sighed. “Acceptable. Will take maintenance stairwell the rest of the way. Being in elevator during power failure: dangerous.”

The elevator continued to rumble its way down the shaft at its snail pace. A few of the ponies in the car shifted anxiously, nervous about whatever was going to happen next and not at all reassured by Blackburn’s own misgivings about the situation. It was the reactions of her three most-trusted subjects that worried them the most: Crossfire and Gadget, in particular, looked at one another in anticipation. Briarthorn, to his credit, remained mostly quiet and simply waited with the rest of them, occasionally flitting his wingtips, fidgety but otherwise silent. Lockwood was noticeably the only pony staying at all calm apart from Blackburn herself, and in fact seemed calmer now than he’d ever been.

Just as the dial slowly slid past the halfway mark between the third level and the fourth, the elevator shook and ground to a halt. All the lights went out, leaving the elevator car in total blackness, with the only light coming from the quickly-activated glows of three unicorn horns; Gadget hadn’t bothered to light up her own.

“This isn’t good...” Twilight gulped, “R-right?”

“Oh no... oh no oh no oh no...” Rarity panicked, grabbing hold of Tick Tock, who sat beside her.

Tick Tock grabbed hold of Rarity right back. “Not again... oh stars, why me?”

“Relax. All of you. Everypony,” Blackburn said, holding out a hoof in a gesture of calm, “Nothing to panic about.”

“Nothing to panic about?!” Rarity blurted, “We’re stuck! In a dark elevator car! There must be miles between us and the bottom!”

Then, the lights flickered back to life and the elevator began to move again, though at a slower pace than before. Apart from Blackburn, Gadget, Crossfire, and Briarthorn, everypony breathed a sigh of relief. Those four simply gave each other knowing looks, then settled back into their seats, redirecting their attention to the dial above.

“Phew...” Twilight breathed.

“Shucks... what in Equestria jus’ happened?” Applejack asked.

Rarity gulped, “Oh my goodness... I thought we were goners for a moment there.”

Rainbow struggled against the harness that was keeping her in her seat. “This is stupid, why do I have to wear this dumb thing? If we’d started to fall-”

“Harness would deploy safety measures,” Blackburn interrupted, “All safety protocols observed, spared no expense. No chances taken.”

“What gives, anyway?” Tick Tock asked, “I really was worried for a second there. What just happened?”

“Original assumption, Barrier Breaker. NPAF developed remote system, disables shields, disables city’s power. Very complicated techno-magicks. Hope’s Point has developed countermeasures. Primary countermeasure obvious: backup generator. Activates in seconds, too small a window for bombardment. Not as powerful, city runs on minimal power to keep shield at maximum. Hence slower elevator speed. Though... this shutdown not via external means. Remote system shutdown would be progressive, not simultaneous. Confirms sabotage. Saboteur still in vicinity. Gadget. Teams are still in place?”

Gadget tapped her datapad rapidly, then nodded. “Affirmative. All teams are still in ready positions. Corridors are being heavily enforced, as as per protocol they’ve stepped up patrols since the shutdown. However, zero reports on movement or suspicious activity. Squad leaders are puzzled and requesting additional orders.”

Blackburn snorted, “Can’t post soldiers directly by generator panels. Draws attention to vulnerable targets. Tighten patrols. Divide efforts.”

“What sort of magicks can pass through that shield?” Twilight asked warily, “As soon as my magic started working again, I could feel the amount of force coming from it. Briarthorn mentioned that the shield should be able to withstand just about anything. I’ve seen shields like this before even back at home. As far as this world is concerned, it’s kind of like the force field back at the-”

“Gryphon Ruins, yes. And the Gate of New Pandemonium. Developed from the same central magical theme when implemented into devices designed. Very potent techno-magic,” Blackburn pursed her lips, looking down for a moment in confession. “Personally, am not quite intimately familiar with unicorn magicks, being a pegasus. The history establishes the link well enough. However,” she sighed, “Am not sure how it works precisely. Am correct in the assertion that it functions on related principles, Gadget?”

“Of course, Majesty. Barrier work is all similar. That’s how we can confirm it’s a Dispel device. However, I can tell you that the readings show that it isn’t a one,” Gadget said matter-of-factly. “Like the Gate’s shield, our shield is consistently being reapplied every microsecond, which requires astronomical amounts of magical energy. Pandemonium itself produces that by the sheer magnitude of power plants they’ve got. We’ve got one power plant, but it’s enough. The Dispel device functions on the same concept. It fires a Dispel every microsecond, which isn’t strong enough to pierce the whole shield mind you, but that’s not the intent. They direct it at the main power grid, and eventually one of the Dispels gets through and shorts it out, albeit temporarily. It requires massive amounts of power to use though, hence why only Gargantuan-class cruisers are equipped with it.”

“But that’s not what happened here, is it? None of the cruisers used something to disable the shields from the outside. They’re saving their power for when the shield drops.” Twilight gulped audibly.

“The shield will not drop, but you are correct, Twilight Sparkle. Entirely the work of an infiltrator. Cruisers would have used device upon arrival. Saving power for assault. Saboteurs more efficient.” Blackburn hummed. “Saboteur is skilled. Perhaps... hmm.”

“Now it makes sense why you go to such trouble to keep them out,” Rainbow acknowledged, “Huh... but what happens if-”

The elevator suddenly lurched again and stopped once more. Panic set in again amongst the ponies not in the know.

“Keep. Calm,” Blackburn said firmly, “Unexpected, but not unprepared.”

The elevator lights came back on again, extremely dim but definitely powered, and the elevator car began to slowly continue its descent. More breaths of relief all around.

“Now what happened?” Applejack asked.

“To put faith in a single backup generator? Foolhardy,” Blackburn said with a confident grin, “Erected second backup. Small, minimal power output. Keeps shield up, can’t run city for more than an hour. Gives time for engineers to repair other generators.”

“Well...” Rainbow gulped, “What happens if-”

“Dashie!” Pinkie blurted, “Would you stop tempting fate?! You keep asking questions like that, something’s bound to-”

“Worry not,” Blackburn nodded. “Third generator under careful safeguards. Location only known to self, top engineers. Requires three security codes to access. Never been activated, not factored into saboteur’s plans- has absolutely no way to procure position or decryption algorithms,” She took a short breath. “May take time to reach hangar, even using next available stairwell. Elevator running on extreme minimum power now, floor still minutes away at current pace. Patience is key.”

The dial above the door barely creeped towards the fourth floor, moving the tiniest fraction of an inch every few seconds. Before the dial even got to the next notch, the elevator gave another lurch and the lights shut off for the third time.

“Oh... uh... I... don’t think that was supposed to happen,” Gadget nervously peeped, this time lighting up her horn to illuminate the car. Twilight, Tick Tock, and Rarity followed suit

They all turned expectantly to Blackburn, and cold horror passed through them as they saw her pupils had shrunk. She began to shake. There were no more active generators. 

“No...” Blackburn whispered. She snapped off her harness roughly and bolted over to the door, giving it a fierce slam with her hooves. “No! No! No!”

Blackburn continued to slam her hooves against the elevator door, causing the unstable elevator to shake slightly. Crossfire, Gadget, and Briarthorn removed their harnesses too in an attempt to calm down Blackburn. Suddenly, a great rumble was heard far above then, and the elevator shook violently; one side of the elevator dipped, slanting the floor sharply.

“Whoa nelly!” Crossfire exclaimed as he lost his footing.

Briarthorn took on the look of nausea he had at the bar near the end of the drinking contest, and began muttering to himself. “Bad. Bad. Bad. This is bad.”

“NO!” Blackburn shouted, slamming a hoof into the door again. The elevator shifted further off-balance, and Lockwood, who’d also been trying to take off his harness, was sent bouncing across the elevator car into the wall.

“Hey now!” Rainbow snapped, “You nutjob! Watch what you’re-”

“Watch your mouth! You don’t talk to the Queen that way!” Gadget spat. She turned worriedly to Blackburn, “Your Highness... please, calm down, you’re-”

“You want me to calm down?! Our tertiary generator down. The shield must be down. Power out. Power out completely. I... I couldn’t... always irritated when people ask me how, now reaping what I’ve sown. How? How? How? Unforeseen... this wasn’t supposed to happen. Couldn’t be. Shouldn’t be. All my preparations have failed...” She grit her teeth and slammed her hoof on the floor of the elevator car. “No, no, no, no, NO! Preparations... I made them infallible, can’t be happening, not real, not real, wake up. This situation!? Impossible! DREAM!” She exclaimed it suddenly and desperately, and began to shudder. Tears started pouring down her face as she went on raving. “Just a dream. Dreaming. Asleep. Just a nightmare. Just a nightmare. Wake up... must wake up.”

“Yer Highness...” Crossfire said softly as he came over, “Yer Highness, what are we gonna-”

Blackburn trembled, even as the elevator continued to shake violently from further above-ground explosions. “Not waking up... not waking up... not a dream!” She began to wail, all traces of her steely composure completely evaporated. “This is real! My failure is real. Not impossible, not even improbable! When impossibilities eliminated, only improbable is left. However unlikely, must be true. They’ll kill everyone! Kill Hope’s Point, kill us all! Pandemonium will slaughter us and leave us to suffer and rot in the Blood Mire!” She slammed her hooves on the door again. “I’m.... I’m just like my father...”

Gadget spoke up, “Your Highness, please, you need to-”

“Calm down? Calm down? I’ve condemned you all to death, and you want me calm?” Blackburn shouted, her voice completely unhinged, swatting Gadget’s hoof away like it was a filthy bug, sliding down and nearly lying on her side against the door in despair.

Briarthorn held his forehooves to his head, and said very quietly, “Queenie, this isn’t helping. It’s just getting-”

She heard him just the same, despite her screams, “Worse?!” Blackburn snarled, “Making it worse?! We’re dead, Briar! Dead, dead, dead, all my fault!”

“Yer Highness, please!” Crossfire pleaded, “We need ta get outta here, and this ain’t the way ta-”

Lockwood sighed and placed himself between the door and Blackburn. She stared at him, and he stared right back. “Blackburn, you need to-”

She hesitated for a second, then glared at him. “Don’t! Don’t tell me to calm down-”

Lockwood forcefully interrupted, his voice louder than the Ponyville ponies had yet heard him, outright yelling in Blackburn’s face, pulling her head up to his. “Focus. You need to focus. See? You’re a wreck right now, you couldn’t even finish for me. ‘Calm’ isn’t you, and I won’t tell you to be something you’re not. But, you’re also not a delirious wreck. Right now, that’s what you’re acting like. You’re not focused, you’re not thinking. Your citizens are safe, B.B. They’re safe. They won’t die. You are not your father. You finished the-”

“Evacuation...” Blackburn said softly. For a few moments, she stared at Lockwood, breathing heavily, even as more explosions from at least a mile up rocked the elevator. Lockwood pressed his forehead to Blackburn’s, tilting his head so that she could see his good eye from both of her own. She closed her eyes, shuddered one final time, and then, slowly, she stood up. She opened her eyes. 

“Yes... yes, citizens safe. Bunkers constructed of triple-thick Obidium-Darksteel alloy, nigh-impenetrable to even strongest weaponry in known NPAF arsenal. Militia trained for combat, scrambled to prepare for invasion force. Will hold off enemy until shield repaired...”

Lockwood smiled. “See? Focus on what’s really happening here. You know everypony is safe, but what happened? It’s not impossible, it’s just improbable. Go on... take your time.”

Blackburn stared at him for another long moment, then took in an exaggeratedly deep breath and began speaking rapidly. “Saboteur in city. Unaffiliated with cruisers. Disabled primary generator. Basic knowledge. Disabled secondary generator. Implies research, foresight. Disabled tertiary generator... hmm. Implies intricate knowledge of system. Got information from individual in possession of said information. Hostage. No. Hostages. Three codes, would need three hostages. No signs of entry, no suspicious activity... very strange. Would need hostages present to access tertiary generator controls. Need to contact Chief Engineer Spark Plug. Require status report. Gadget.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Gadget saluted.

“Message relays online?”

Gadget fumbled with her datapad for a few moments, then shook her head dejectedly. “Negative. The communication matrix was powered down along with everything else. Probably needs a hard reboot. I can do it from any stationary relay station, once we get to one. There’s one-”

“Fourth floor, third hallway east. Two minutes from elevator dock,” Blackburn hummed.

She leaned her head back and fumbled with her saddle bag, using her wing to steady the flap as she tugged a large techno-magic device out of it. She unhesitantly slipped it onto her hoof all the way up to the joint of her foreleg, clicking it in place. She lifted it up to her mouth and adjusted one of the dials on it slightly, then set it back down on the floor with a grunt, then took a deep breath, cracked her neck, fluttered her wings, and stretched her other legs.

“Um... Your Majesty,” Gadget gulped, “I know you’re a big, big, big fan of my Force Amplifier 5500, and I’m glad to see you keep the customized version I built just for you, with you, but... uh... I don’t know if that’s a-”

“Good idea? Correct. Not good; perfect. Scan the door. Haven’t yet reached fourth floor dock. Need accurate positioning. Where are we? Can we get down there? Important questions.”

Gadget nodded in confusion, but did exactly as asked. She adjusted the device at the side of her head to flip to glass down in front of her eye, and stared through it at the door. The device glowed a dull blue and, to the surprise of several of the ponies in the room, it generated a series of light beams that perfectly positioned themselves at the corners of the door, traced lines between themselves to form a large rectangle, then filled the rectangle with what appeared to be a grid. The image lasted for all of a few seconds before dying out when Gadget removed her hoof from the device.

“Scanning complete,” she announced, “Analyzing data. Elevator car is nearly five yards above nearest docking station. Lopsided position has damaged upper cables on left side, lower cables on right side. Manually moving the elevator via cable system would be ill-advised.”

“Improvisation our speciality. Scan ceiling for structural integrity,” Blackburn ordered. She turned to Crossfire. “Crossfire, arm grappling cannon, switch to bracing function. Attach rear brace to elevator floor. Keep forward brace on standby.”

“O’ course, Yer Majesty,” Crossfire nodded.

He settled himself in position, and the shoulder plates on his armor made a whirring noise. Then, hatches on the front and the rear opened up with loud clicks. He turned his head slightly to look over his right shoulder, and adjusted his weight slightly again before settling his hooves once more. A loud bang resounded throughout the elevator car as the rear of the cylinders fired claw-like attachments that ripped into the elevator floor and gripped it tightly. The elevator gave an unsettling creak, jostled by the impact and causing it to tilt even more off-balance.

Gadget, in the meantime, pressed the side of her headgear again, this time firing the light beams at the ceiling. As before, this lasted seconds before the light disappeared. She gave a slight hum and pressed the device again. This time, three beams of light fired at a single point on the ceiling, then began expanding outwards in a rotating circular pattern. The area between the three points glowed a bright yellow, and the lights continued spinning until at last they retreated back into the device, leaving behind an irregular patch of the yellow glow.

Gadget pointed at the glowing area on the ceiling. “Structural integrity in marked area is weakest at seventy-five percent integrity due to wear and tear from years of use. It is still within ideal safety parameters, thus has not been reinforced or resurfaced. Accounting for area... calculations complete. Darksteel plating would require just under three hundred thousand psi to puncture, recommend no more than three hundred ten thousand psi for energy conservation purposes.”

“Noted,” Blackburn said simply.

She brought her boot device back to her mouth and adjusted a dial on the side, causing the device to begin emitting a humming noise while the white metal that made up the bottom began to glow a very bright blue. She warily held it out and kept it still for a few seconds until the blue glow dimmed to a very faint glow, then very slowly and gently placed her hoof back on the floor.

“Crossfire, deploy main brace on my mark... hmm. Six feet from wall, accounting for drop... set firing angle at seventy-six degrees, maximum velocity. Should impact just above docking bay.” She turned from Crossfire towards the other ponies in the elevator car. “Rest, return to seats. May be bumpy.” The other ponies all looked at one another warily, and did as asked. “Crossfire?”

“Ready, Yer Highness,” he nodded, steadying himself and cracking his neck.

Blackburn fluttered up to the ceiling, and reared her hoof back. As she swung her hoof upwards- “Mark!” -the device she was wearing flashed a bright blue. The incredible impact ripped into the ceiling, tearing a gaping hole straight into it as if she’d swung her hoof through wet paper. The elevator violently shook from the impact, and chunks of the roof and ceiling ripped into the cables above the car. Crossfire fired another set of claws out of the front of his shoulder plates, which shot upwards under and past Blackburn and through the hole she’d made. The elevator dropped for a few seconds at a very rapid pace. There was a very loud clink above them. Cords attached to the claws snapped taut as the elevator violently stopped moving, causing the harnesses to flash a bright pink and enshroud their passengers with a soft glow of light.

“What in the hay was that?” Applejack asked as the glow subsided around her.

“Interesting...” Twilight hummed, “A Cushion spell. It’s typically used for makeshift pillows, and has some basis in fact with how pegasi build houses out of clouds. These harnesses utilize a rapidly-deployed version that cushioned a sharp impact. Amazingly practical. How exactly do these things-”

“No time for studying,” Blackburn said quickly, “Crossfire. Reel us in.”

“Yes, Yer Majesty,” Crossfire nodded.

He settled his hooves into the floor, and the cable whined as it slowly but surely pulled the entire elevator car with it. Blackburn hovered just over the heads of the rest of the ponies, and signaled for Crossfire to stop when the elevator door was nearly aligned with the fourth floor dock; the claw attachments he’d fired had impacted with the rocky cliff wall just inches above the metallic frame that made up the dock. Blackburn fluttered down into the elevator car and slammed her hoof into the door, sending both the elevator’s door and the docking station’s door flying out into the hallway beyond.

“Fourth floor. Everypony off: Now!” Blackburn called.

Everypony disembarked from the elevator, leaving Crossfire for last to keep the car steady. Once the last of them had gotten off, Gadget lit up her horn and enshrouded Crossfire with a soft blue glow. He dropped his cables and reeled them in, causing the car to plummet down the elevator shaft until it was out of sight. Gadget lifted Crossfire over the gap and safely into the docking bay, giving him a solid pat on the shoulder as he landed.

“Follow close, relay station not far,” Blackburn commanded as she took off down the hall.

“That’s the Queen we know and love!” Briarthorn cheered as he took wing and followed after Blackburn.

Everypony else followed behind, moving down the metal-laden hallways across cold metal floors. The ceiling above them was low, about a yard above their heads, not opening up as the great domed ceiling of the first underground level had. They passed by a first set of hallways diverging from the main path, one heading east and the other heading west, as told by the “E” and “W” symbols above them. They passed by a second set and then finally reached a third, where Blackburn made a sudden turn onto the east passage. After almost exactly two minutes of running, they reached a large terminal covering the entire wall of the hallway’s end, blanketed in so many switches, buttons, dials, knobs, and levers that it was just plain daunting to look at. A blank screen covered the majority of the terminal. Blackburn approached it first and fiddled with a switch on the side, then grumbled when nothing happened.

“As expected,” Blackburn observed glumly, “Communication matrix down. Gadget!”

Gadget stepped forward and placed her goggles over her face. “I’ll start work right away, Your Highness!”

Gadget lit up her horn and lifted the flaps of several pouches on her belt, then pulled a few tools out, lifting them with her over to a panel on the terminal’s side. She unscrewed the bolts on the corners and pried it open, then thrust her head inside along with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, leaving her other tools suspended beside her. As she fiddled around inside, she’d occasionally take another tool in with her, use it briefly, then replace it back outside. This continued for a few minutes before she finally pulled her head out, wiped her brow with a grease-stained towel from her flank pocket, and saluted to Blackburn with a wide grin.

“Great news, my Queen!” she chirped, “The communication matrix is down, but it didn’t sustain any damage during any of the shorts. I can hard reboot it from here as anticipated, and get the whole system back online.”

“How are ya gonna hard reboot the system without any power?” Crossfire huffed.

“A little bit of unicorn ingenuity!” Gadget excitedly nodded, “Miss Sparkle!”

Twilight pointed at herself. “Wha? Me?”

Gadget stamped a hoof dramatically. “Front and center! I require your expertise!”

Twilight stepped forward warily and nervously offered a tiny salute. “Um... I don’t know how I can help. I don’t know anything about techno-”

“Oh pshaw, that’s where I come in! I’m the real expert here, you’re just going to be my lab assistant, only without the lab,” Gadget beamed, “Just hold still while I get this all ready.”

Gadget snapped some wires out of the inside of the station and affixed a tiny ring-shaped device to them, which she then connected to the tip of Twilight’s horn. She took her screwdriver and delicately tightened it in place. Twilight shuddered at the sudden feeling of her magic reacting with the electrical energy of the machine.

“Okay... uh, so... w-what exactly am I doing?” Twilight asked as Gadget continued to fiddle with other little devices inside.

“Holding still, like I asked. You’re doing great, by the way,” Gadget said matter-of-factly, “I don’t require your direct input, just your magic. No offense. You don’t need to do anything but stand there and look pretty. Right now, you’re going to function as a battery for this here terminal so that I can get enough juice going to complete a hard reboot. Should only take a few seconds.”

“Are y’all sure this is safe?” Applejack asked, “There’s a... lotta wires and stuff there.”

“Here, bite into this,” Gadget said, pushing a small disk towards Twilight’s mouth.

Twilight warily bit into it. “Uh...”

“Hey, you listenin’?” Applejack huffed, “I asked ya if this was safe. That’s our friend there you’re decoratin’ with all them fancy doohickies.”

Gadget bit her tongue and adjusted her safety goggles, then twisted something inside the panel until the insides began to glow a dull white. “Huh? Oh! Safe. Oh stars no. Golly, one little crossed wire and there’ll be enough of an electricity feedback that it’d kill her! Safe... ha ha! Don’t worry though, this should work just fine.”

“Should?!” Twilight blurted.

Twilight didn’t have time to do much else other than voice her disagreement with the whole thing before the soft white glow from inside the maintenance panel turned a very bright blue and began flickering erratically. Twilight’s horn shimmered a bright gold and within the space of half of a second, she began chattering her teeth violently and shaking in place. Her horn flashed white, creating a brilliant explosion of light and sound.

Seconds later, the light dimmed and the smoke cleared. It took a few moments for everypony to be able to see again through the splotches of light and color, and before they could stop coughing from all the smoke. Twilight stumbled dumbly away from the console, which was now glowing a shining neon blue.

“And... success!” Gadget declared happily as carefully she removed the device from Twilight’s horn, “More than enough power for a system reboot. Starting it now; we’ll have communications back up in just a minute. Then we just hope we can get somepony on the other end.”

“Excellent,” Blackburn said as she stepped forward, “Attempt contact with anypony else on grid. Need status reports.”

“Excellent?!” Tick Tock sputtered angrily, “She could have just killed-’

“Twilight Sparkle was never in danger,” Blackburn interrupted.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say ‘never’, Your Majesty. There was a roughly twenty-seven percent chance of massive feedback with lethal capacity,” Gadget shrugged, “Much better odds than any simulations I ran on the process. I’m just glad it worked. First time for everything, I suppose.”

“You all are crazy,” Tick Tock blurted, “Bonkers, every last one of you!”

“Well, ya kinda have ta be jus’ a lil’ crazy ta live ‘round these parts,” Crossfire chuckled, “No sane pony raspberries the NPAF on a daily basis jus’ ‘cause they can.”

“Amen to that,” Briarthorn agreed with a sagely nod. He pat Twilight on the shoulder. “Hey now, Twily, don’t look so worried. Gadget’s just another sort of crazy. You’ve got your Pinkie crazy, you’ve got your Me crazy, you’ve got your Majesty’s crazy. From what your memories told us, you know what it’s like for someone to call you crazy. Stark raving mad. I’m mad, you’re mad, we’re all mad here. But Gadget’s mad gets her some techno-magical genius! She wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t sure it would work. She trusts herself. Queenie’s right, Twily. You’ve gotta trust yourself before anyone else will.”

Twilight meekly nodded, and smiled nervously. “R-right...”

Briarthorn let out a high-pitched laugh just short of a giggle, and briefly wing-hugged Twilight again. “That’s the spirit!”

The relay terminal lit up as all the switches, buttons, dials, knobs, and levers started to glow with dim blues, greens, reds, and yellows. Blackburn lifted her hooves and wings and began to rapidly push buttons, flip switches, turn dials, and adjust knobs and levers, directing the relay terminal instruments as a conductor for an orchestra. The screen hummed and gave a soft popping sound, then flickered to life. The image was grainy at first, but as Blackburn continued to operate, the image cleared and the ponies nearby could hear sound coming from the terminal’s large speakers. They were now looking at the main generator room, which was alive with activity as ponies clad in blue rubber jumpsuits ran back and forth between very large turbines.

“Shield Station Main. Respond. Status report,” Blackburn called. No reply came. She addressed it again. “Shield Station Main, come in.”

A loud static noise popped through the terminal’s speakers. Suddenly, a pony rushed onto the screen from the side, out of breath and hastily adjusting a headset on her head. A pegasus mare wearing, like all the ponies rushing around behind her, a dark blue rubber jumpsuit with a safety vest over it; hers was colored a dull yellow, like many of theirs were too. She flustered and saluted into the screen when she saw who was on the other end.

“S-Shield Station Main, rep-p-porting! Y-Your Majesty! T-thank goodness you’re okay! We heard y-you were on the freight elevator when-”

“The generator went down,” Blackburn interrupted, “That is the purpose of this communication. Need to speak to Chief Engineer Spark Plug. Bring him forth. Immediately.”

The mare saluted. “Yes, Your Highness! At once!” She loudly called out to her side, “Chief Engineer! Communication transmission for you! It’s urgent!”

A few seconds later, another pony came onto the screen from the same side the pegasus had, hurriedly pushing her out of the way. He was an orange earth pony with a stocky build that filled out his same dark blue jumpsuit and dark purple safety vest. His mane and tail were a bright neon blue, and each and every hair seemed to go in a different direction in an attempt to get away from his body. His face, jumpsuit, vest, mane, and tail were all covered in fresh grease stains, and grease coated the screwdriver he had tucked in his left ear, getting more grease on his head.

“I heard ye, I heard ye, keep yer knickers on!” he snapped as he came into view, “I’m busy, can’t ye see that? I don’t have time ta be-” The pegasus mare quickly gestured with her hooves and passed her headset to him. “What’s with the bleedin’ silent treatment, lassie? Would ye quit fidgetin’-” She grabbed his head and pointed it towards the screen. His eyes widened dramatically. “Y-Y-Yer Highness! Thank bloody hell. Where in Equestria are ye? Is everythin’ okay? How can I-”

“Status report, Spark Plug.”

Spark Plug sheepishly ran a hoof through his mane, accidentally knocking the screwdriver out of his ear and spreading grease everywhere. “Right, right. Well ye see, Yer Majesty, we’ve been tryin’ ta figure it out, and I don’t know how exactly it happened... especially the tertiary generator... but there’s no signs of forced entry. Whoever hit the systems knew just where ta hit ‘em and got out of here like there was no tomorrow. We can’t find any trace of the bloody rotten-”

“Keep trying, but focus on repairs,” Blackburn commanded, “How long until shield power restored? Shield is priority.”

Spark Plug gulped. “Um... w-well, Yer Highness, we’re workin’ as fast as we can go. Shield power should be back within the hour, so long as we don’t hit any more complications. Most other systems are startin’ ta come back online, but at minimal power. It’s a slow process.”

“Double-time, Spark Plug. Triple, if you can manage it. Bombardment stopped. Ground forces deployed. Will continue to deploy until depleted. Then, will resume bombardment. Get shield power online before then. Stopped ten minutes ago... average deployment speed suggests forty-five minutes. Gives you roughly thirty.”

“Aye, Yer Majesty!” Spark Plug saluted, “We’ll do our best!”

“Additional orders,” Blackburn interjected, “Was en route to hangar bay when power went out. Elevators down, means most lower-level systems down. Need hangar bay systems operational. Don’t want time wasted from your end. Only need bare essentials, individual hangars only. Need technician with remote override paraphernalia, immediately. Select volunteer, send to rendezvous point.” She looked briefly at Gadget. “Unless Gadget thought to bring the remote override paraphernalia herself?”

“Oh, golly. I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Gadget sheepishly muttered, “Didn’t plan on coming down here today. I could jerry-rig one if I had the right parts, but I know we don’t keep that kind of stuff lying around down there.”

“No matter,” Blackburn dismissed, “You heard her, Spark Plug. Acquire a technician.”

Spark Plug saluted again. “Aye, Yer Majesty. I’ll send one of my top technicians down ta meet ye. I can’t spare much, but I have just the pony in mind. He’ll take good care of ye, Yer Majesty.”

“Any help appreciated,” Blackburn nodded, “Dismissed, Spark Plug. Remember - double-to-triple-time.” The monitor shut off abruptly, and Blackburn turned to the others. “Nearest stairwell just down the adjacent hallway. Easiest route to hangar bay, closer than emergency elevator. Climbing freight shaft too risky. Possibility of further bombardments too high.”

“Speaking of which,” Tick Tock pointed out, “If they’re trying to destroy the city, why wouldn’t they have wiped out the ground level before deploying troops?”

“Not after city at all. Original assessment incorrect, new information brought to light,” Blackburn said simply, “Siege positions suggest attempt to blockade escape routes. Ground deployment suggests search for a target, early deployment suggests target underground. Bombardment weapons can’t pierce through so much rock quickly enough.”

“What exactly are they looking for?” Twilight asked.

Blackburn closed her eyes and hummed. “Logical assumption would be myself. City depends on my leadership. Surprise assault suggests attempt to capture target not in evacuation bunkers. Again, implies myself. However, lack of bombardment suggests otherwise. If target was myself, would sustain bombardment. Attempt to invoke surrender. Not after-”

A loud static burst through the hall. Briarthorn, Gadget, Crossfire, and Blackburn all held their hooves to their ears and removed their earpieces as quickly as they could, tossing them to the ground. The earpieces buzzed once they were taken out into open air, and Blackburn glared at hers as if the little device was an unsavory insect. Then, the static cleared, and to everypony’s surprise, a voice began to speak through it.

“Attention, denizens of Hope’s Point!” the voice on the other end called. It was a deep, gruff stallion’s voice, and despite the circumstances, was surprisingly cordial and charismatic. “This is Admiral Hotstreak of the New Pandemonium Armed Forces, Superior Air Division. Your city is surrounded, and any attempt to escape will be met with open hostility. Our ground forces have begun their entry into the underground levels, and they will continue to seek out and destroy any and all who offer opposition. So long as you do not interfere with them, they will not antagonize you.”

Blackburn queued up the terminal again, fiddling with knobs and dials on the sides faster than before. The voice continued, but now it could be heard through the terminal’s speakers so that it was clear enough for them all to hear. “This is an ultimatum, that I am presenting to your ‘Queen’, Blackburn.”

“Trying to blame it on me, naturally,” Blackburn laughed, “Attempt to get citizenry to revolt. Weak tactic. Ruse.”

Admiral Hotstreak’s voice continued, “Surrender yourself to the New Pandemonium Armed Forces immediately. Failure to comply will be met with further, increased hostility against your ‘subjects’. You have one hour to respond, before-”

Blackburn grinned as she reached the frequency she wanted, and the admiral’s voice was as loud and clear as if he were standing beside them. When she spoke, her voice came out of the speakers as well. “You continue to bombard the city, Hotstreak? An idle threat. Citizenry already evacuated. Surface level superfluous, easily repaired. More ground troops then? Hope’s Point Militia better equipped, trained to fight against A.M.P. Troopers.”

“Ah, ‘Queen’ Blackburn,” Hotstreak acknowledged, “Such a quick response! Rather unexpected. Your technicians managed to get the communication matrix back online, then? And would you look at that, you even tapped into my frequency. Wanted your citizens to hear your response, did you? I take it that with this sort of response, you are choosing to-”

“Ignore your ultimatum? Unintended. Granted: understandable assumption,” Blackburn chuckled, “No, not ignoring. Responding with conditions. Instead, offering a challenge: you want the Queen of Hope’s Point? Have to catch her first.”

Hotstreak chuckled, “If that’s your game, Blackburn, then let the records show that it is now afoot. However, as any good hunter would attest, the game is always on, even before the hunted knows she is being hunted. If you can even make it to the hangar bay, then you shall have your chase. Take care.”

The static abruptly ceased, and the four Hope’s Point ponies replaced their earpieces. Blackburn wordlessly began heading down the nearest hallway with an unflinching, quick pace, and everypony followed nervously in her wake. The west hallway led straight to a door that Blackburn opened, which then led to a stairwell that led down into darkness. The lights were barely glowing in the hallway itself, but in the stairwell they were completely out. Gadget led the way, using her horn to illuminate the path precisely; Twilight took up the rear and did the same, and together they were able to keep the entire stairwell relatively well-lit.

Briarthorn spoke slowly and carefully after several moments once they’d descended a few flights. “Queenie, just curious, you’re not going to, say-”

“Sacrifice myself, Briar?” Blackburn said calmly, “No. No, they’re not after me. If targeting me, would not have issued ultimatum. Would have continued assault instead. Attempt to invoke surrender. After something else, something he wants to get without further hassle. Assuming our new guests are the target.”

Twilight balked, “W-what? Us?”

“Y’all sound like you’re accusin’ us o’ somethin’,” Applejack snorted, “We didn’t do nothin’ ta nopony ta deserve whatever it is this here Hotstreak fella is doin’.”

“Yeah, this isn’t-” Rainbow started.

“Your fault? Of course not,” Blackburn interjected, her voice sincere, “You are instrumental pieces on the world stage. Idea is flattering, personally. Take no offense; make no mistake. They’re after you. Assuredly. Timing too coincidental, too convenient. NPAF covered in so much red tape, hard to tell where the bureaucracy ends and the bloodshed begins. Deployment of three flagship-grade cruisers would send up appropriately red flags from miles away. Logical, given who the assault leader is.”

“Admiral Hotstreak?” Flathoof blinked, “He’s famous around the city, sure. Most decorated soldier in the NPAF. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Correct. Highly decorated, responsible for stopping fifteen attempted settlements in past fifty years. Hope’s Point only one to succeed. NPAF sending out most-decorated admiral, three Gargantuan-class cruisers: pre-meditated? No. Spontaneous. Admiral Hotstreak issued orders himself, gathered loyal captains to pilot cruisers. Did so without NPAF approval, did not file anything. Took up task personally. Suggests vested interest. Perhaps another servant of this... Nihila, was it?” she suggested. Twilight and her friends looked warily at one another. 

Blackburn continued, “Similar to Starlight Shadow and her... team. Similar to assassin that was after Tick Tock. Similar to soldier at the Gate. Last one, most intriguing. Name was Jetstream. Hotstreak likely here on orders from Nihila because of you six. Likely kept tabs on you all, knew where you were headed. Waiting for suspicious activity. Background check requests certainly suspicious. Clever plan. Walked right into it.”

“I still don’t follow,” Flathoof shook his head.

“Key to success in battle: knowing one’s enemy,” Blackburn explained, “Admiral Hotstreak a serious threat to city. Researched him. Know his tactics. Know his background. Know his family. Unsure of fate of Commander Jetstream after encounter with you all. Given character of Nihila... likely severely punished. Most punishments eventually fatal. Hotstreak would blame those responsible for his punishment, likely sought revenge without needed orders. Blame you all for death of his son.”

“His son?” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Oh... oh dear...”

“As for false ultimatum, double purpose. First, keep fellow ship captains under assumption that plan was always Hope’s Point. No NPAF captain would want to jeopardize coveted rank following a madpony after six random mares. Needs their support, keeps up appearances. Second, confirmation. As said, two infiltrators in city. One, a saboteur, unaffiliated. Other, an informant. Ultimatum a signal to informant. Needed to track us. Had to respond, could not risk bombardment with shield still down. Hotstreak plays along. Clever plan.”

“All the more reason to hurry this along then,” Tick Tock interjected, “He said he would pursue us through the city? That means we’re being chased, right? Should we be-”

“Worried? No. No, Lockwood was right when I... lost myself, he is right now,” Blackburn said seriously, “Remain focused. Approaching seventh level. Even if Troopers found stairwell or other path down, would be too far behind to catch up. On off chance they do,” she added, turning behind her and addressing the group, “You all stay behind us. Gadget and Crossfire are taking point.”

“No offense, Your Majesty,” Rainbow chortled, “But-”

“You have combat skills, yes,” Blackburn interrupted, “As do Gadget and Crossfire; incidentally, they have more experience dealing with A.M.P. Troopers. Robotic. Troopers will not be using less-lethal tactics. Will be actively trying to kill targets. Keep safe, let them handle it. Twilight Sparkle!” she suddenly called, “If trouble occurs, you keep your friends protected. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Twilight nodded. She looked over at Rainbow’s discontent face. “Relax, Rainbow... it’s important that we all stay safe. If Her Highness wants us to be protected, then we should follow her lead. We are guests in her kingdom, after all. Princess Celestia would expect the same of any of us.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah... okay, Twilight. If you say so.”

They continued to descend stairs, until very suddenly Blackburn stopped walking; Briarthorn and Lockwood, who’d been just behind her, bumped into her.

“Ow!” Briarthorn said as he half-stumbled.

“Shh!” she commanded. She perked up her ears slightly, turning her head towards the nearby wall. “Anypony else hear that?”

Everypony else stopped. Ears perked as they all strained to listen. Crossfire spoke first, keeping his voice low. “Yeah... sounds like drillin’.”

Blackburn pointed at the wall. “Gadget, Crossfire: take point. Twilight Sparkle, may be good to get your Barrier spell ready. Briar, Lockwood, stay with them. Pinkie Pie...” She rolled her eyes and gestured for the pink earth pony to step forward, “Take rear position. Long-range cover.”

“Wait wait, what?” Rainbow blurted, “Why do you want Pinkie to-”

“Another ‘why’ that is ultimately a ‘how’. Pinkie Pie has armor. Protection. Effective combat with minimal danger,” Blackburn explained. “Is the whole point of armor.”

“Oh boy!” Pinkie happily chirped, cocking her rifle and positioning herself near Blackburn, “Here we go, finally get a chance to use this.”

Blackburn’s ears perked up again as music started coming in through her earpiece. She stared at Pinkie Pie, and shook her head. “Ridiculous... but... presumably necessary.” She then stared right back at the wall. “Ready positions...”

Seconds passed, and the strange drilling sound became louder and louder, and then suddenly stopped. Ears twitched as, from behind the wall, a soft click could be heard. 

The wall burst apart in a spray of rock and metal.

Twilight, in a panic, deployed a Barrier spell large enough to encompass herself and all the ponies near her, which from her position meant that Blackburn, Pinkie, Gadget, and Crossfire were exposed. Before the smoke and debris even cleared, they heard a loud buzzing noise and saw the familiar shape of a mechanical pony leap out of the large hole in the wall, straight at the central target in the formation: Blackburn. She didn’t flinch even slightly. As soon as the A.M.P. Trooper’s glowing forehoof came within a few feet of her, it was suddenly ripped off by a powerful blast of electromagnetic energy. The blast fired again and tore into the robot’s head, blasting it apart and sending shrapnel flying everywhere.

“Hyperstatic Generator operating at peak capacity!” Gadget brightly declared, loudly cocking it again, “Discharge successful, no accidental feedback!”

“Excellent. Will need to commission more once you get it out of prototype phase,” Blackburn noted as more Troopers piled out of the hole.

The additional Troopers didn’t get far out of the hole in the wall before being waylaid by a barrage of electromagnetic bursts from Gadget, a few well-placed bullets from Pinkie’s rifle, and Crossfire’s shoulder-mounted guns. The smoke cleared and the last of the Troopers collapsed in a heap, its head riddled with holes. Blackburn trotted forward to investigate the breach, where the dirt was beginning to collapse in on itself. She stepped out of the gap just as a large swath of rock fell into it.

“Can these things seriously bore through all that solid rock to chase after us?” Tick Tock asked, “That... doesn’t seem like good news...”

“Not without assistance,” Blackburn explained, “Noticed drilling unit with formation. Not typically involved with military operations. Impressive forethought. Knowledge that targets would be leaving quickly and would require pursuit underground. Hotstreak’s informant is skilled... and hidden well. Need to increase pace.”

The drilling noises could still be heard, but were now coming from the lower end of the stairs nearby. The wall just beside the stairwell on the next flight below them burst apart as the one near them had, and Troopers started to pour out.

“Incoming!” Crossfire called as the Troopers below them crawled out of the rubble.

Crossfire charged to the forefront and took cover behind a Barrier that Gadget had briefly generated, just in time to avoid getting hit by a volley of flechettes. After they stopped to reload, Gadget dropped the shield and Crossfire settled his hooves into the floor. His shoulder plates rotated and opened, and the right one fired a rocket that careened into the middle of the pack, blowing apart most of the squad. Two of the Troopers were merely knocked aside. They regained their footing and locked on again, but before they could fire any more rounds, one of them crumbled to the floor as its head exploded in a shower of shrapnel.

“Boom! Headshot!” Pinkie cheered.

The other Trooper fired its rounds, but they were blocked by another shield from Gadget, allowing Pinkie to fire another shot into its head.

“They sure as shootin’ ain’t pullin’ any punches,” Crossfire noted, “Full lethal tactics, Yer Highness.”

“Not after me at all,” Blackburn agreed, “Ultimatum demanded surrender. Implied desire to take me alive. Lethal Tactics? Pretense falls apart. All Troopers would be under Hotstreak’s direct control. After you six, not concerned who else is with you. Follow close! Only three floors to go. Almost to hangar bay.”

The party followed Blackburn and her entourage, which now had adopted Pinkie into their number quite readily, down more and more stairs. After several minutes and several more flights of stairs, they finally reached the bottom floor and came out into the dark hangar bay.

The lights above barely flickered, showing the hangar to be mostly empty except for abandoned loading equipment and piles of cargo that had been left behind in the hurry to evacuate, completely devoid of living things, barring the baker’s dozen ponies that that just entered. There was a large door on the east side of the structure, which Blackburn led the others towards.

As they approached, they could see the sparks of electrical work coming from a panel on the far right side of the door. There was a pony there working meticulously at the panel. They immediately approached him, though other than Blackburn, Gadget, and Crossfire, they all did so warily. At first, Gadget was approaching with her weapon drawn, but as they got closer they saw her noticeably lower it.

Though they could only see him through the dim lights of the ceiling and the electrical sparks from the panel as he worked, they were able to make out his features somewhat accurately. He was a sea green unicorn, wearing a white safety vest over his dark blue jumpsuit. His mane and tail were short and spiky, a bright yellowish-blonde ending in black tips. He was hurriedly using three different tools at once inside the panel, a small wrench and a pair of pliers with his magic, and a screwdriver with his mouth.

“You there! Unicorn!” Blackburn called as they approached, “State your name and business!”

The unicorn jumped and dropped everything he was doing in a rapid fashion, dropping his screwdriver to the floor and flinging his wrench and pliers against the wall. In a fluster he saluted his Queen as she approached. “Oh! Voltage Surge reporting for duty, Your Majesty! Chief Wingineer... er, Engineer Spark Plug sent me down to repair the hangar paid lunch... er, bay launch systems for you!” He nervously smiled in Gadget’s direction, who put a hoof to her face. “The emergency escalator... elevator system is back online, I fixed it on my way down here, Your Majesty!”

Blackburn nodded and gestured for him to be at ease. “Status report, Voltage Surge.”

“You can call me ‘Colt’... er, ‘Volt’ for short, if it makes it easier for you, Your Majesty,” the unicorn saluted again.

“Status report, Volt,” Blackburn addressed with a cordial nod, “What is the present itinerary until launch preparations?”

Volt held a hoof to his head and bit his tongue in thought. “Well, the entire hangar bay is on lookdown... er, lockdown, Your Highness. I’m gonna have to reactivate everything manually, and with the power system at margarine... uh, marginal capacity, there’s a lot of systems to boot up. The main door is first. I should have it quacked... cracked open in another minute or two, give or take.”

Blackburn nodded again. “Carry on, Volt.” He saluted and turned back to his work, grabbing his tools as he did so.

Volt continued to work on the panel system, and for nearly a minute all that could be heard or seen were bright, sputtering sparks. Then, a great jolt of electricity burst out of the panel, and Volt was sent flying back several feet, slamming hard into the floor.

Gadget ran over to him. “Volt! Golly... are you okay? Hey, Volt!” She tenderly held his head in her hooves and knelt at his side. “C’mon, dangit, answer me!”

Volt bit his tongue and tried to uncross his eyes. “Hey sweetie, long time no see. If I’d known all I had to do was electorate... er, electrocute myself to get you to get all mushy on me, I would’ve done that months ago. Well I mean, in front of you I would’ve. I do it all the time by myself. That... that can be misinformation... misinterpreted, can’t it?”

Gadget dropped his head instantly and groaned, “Yeah, he’s okay. Dang idiot landed on his head, nothing important.”

Volt gave a dumb smile and lifted his head to observe the situation. “Hoo... fifteen feet! A new record! You see that, Gadget? That’s why I’m the export. Dangit, expert.”

Blackburn nodded in approval as the massive door into the hangar bay central hub slid open. “Excellent. Not much further. First bay belongs to the Wyvern. Best of the best.”

The party followed behind Blackburn and towards the first hangar, which was marked by a very large door just to the right of the main entryway. Volt busied himself at the panel nearby and after adjusting a few buttons on it and rebooting the system, he lifted up to the main terminal.

“Repowering floodgate shields,” he announced as he twisted a dial.

“Floodgate?” Twilight asked Briarthorn, who seemed intent on remaining closest.

“All our ships work underwater and under weather,” Briarthorn smiled quickly, “Floodgates to keep us from getting wet until we’re ready. Though technically speaking, we’re ready all the time. Fully submersible. Harder to detect a ship from the air when it’s underway. Neat thing is? Every single ship’s got that kind of transforming potential here in Hope’s Point. When you get right down to it, after all, water is just really slow air... in a manner of speaking,” he said, when Twilight gave him an odd look, “Well, look, same principles apply, you know? Of course, we’re high-tailing it, so we need to get into the air pretty quick if we’re going through the Belt of Tranquility. Can’t really get most of the shields ready down there. Oh, and for like, a smaller ship, like mine? There’s only like an hour of air for like two ponies when you’re in the drink. Had a few quickies down there. If we were, uh, calmer, might be two hours.. So it’s diversionary at best. But talk about a diversion! Keeps ‘em guessing to this day.”

“Floodgate activated, draining... the... hmm?” Volt scratched his head with his screwdriver after a moment of observing the terminal screen further.

“What’s the problem?” Gadget asked.

“Well, normally with all the power systems down across the board like this, the room would be flooded because the floodgate shields were deflowered... ooh, uh... deactivated,” he explained with a blush in Gadget’s direction, “But... uh... according to this, the room is already draining at a rapid rate now that the floodgate is up. I didn’t even animate... er, activate the drain function yet.”

They waited for several moments until the terminal made a soft beeping noise, signaling the room had been completely drained. They waited another moment or two while Volt busied himself with the door system, but then their ears all perked up at the sound of dozens of hoofsteps from the other side. Then, they heard a massive explosion from inside the hangar. Volt panicked and worked faster, and as soon as he was finished, the door slid open.

Blackburn’s jaw dropped. “My ship!” she cried.

What was left of what had once been a very large aircraft now laid strewn about the hangar in hideous piles of flaming debris on the still-damp floor. The culprits, several dozen Trooper units armed with shoulder-mounted cannons, all turned towards the door to greet the new visitors. 

“Lower floodgate shield, Volt!” Blackburn shouted.

Volt did as asked, and the party saw a magical shield fade out on the ceiling, while another one sparked in just in front of them. Blackburn hastily closed the door, and they all stepped quickly away from it as the barrage of rockets exploded into the shield behind it. There was then a large crashing sound as the hangar was flooded again.

“Another surprise. Great,” Blackburn said acidly, “Knew exactly where my ship was docked... damn! Hotstreak? Not after me. Still pissing me off. Briar! Captain Briarthorn.”

Briarthorn placed himself front and center and saluted precisely. “Yes, ma’am, sir, ma’am?”

“The Thunder is only a few bays down. Need pilot codes to start ship itself, don’t have my override key with me.” She heaved her shoulders, a defeated, soundless laugh, “Lucky we brought you along. No other options with current itinerary. Time to go.”

“Are... are you... well, okay, no, I know. You’re sure,” Briarthorn smiled uneasily, “Keep in mind, though, Queenie: the Thunder’s barely built to accommodate a foursome- er, a crew of four ponies, let alone fourteen. Guess it’s good I have such a large cargo hold, huh? Gonna get uncomfortable, but-”

“Only option, comfort irrelevant,” Blackburn interjected, “Lead the way, move! Rest of you, follow close!”

“Well, uh... alright. Your... wish is my command...” Briarthorn murmured, flapping ahead of the group.

They trailed behind Briarthorn now and ran several hangar bays down until they reached his. As with the Wyvern’s hangar, Volt was required to crack open the maintenance panel and fiddle around inside with various wires and knobs until the terminal sprung to life. As before, he reactivated the floodgate shield, followed by the draining process. As the group stood and waited, they heard another series of explosions coming from down the corridor near the entryway.

“Still following us,” Blackburn snorted, “Ready positions.”

“Come on, you stupid door!” Rainbow shouted, “This isn’t the time to be all finicky on whether you wanna work or not!”

“Dashie, yelling at the machine won’t-” Pinkie started.

The terminal gave a soft beeping noise.

Rainbow smirked at Pinkie. “See? Just needed a little persuasion.”

With the draining process finished, Volt went straight to the emergency door switch, pushing it with a hoof. The door flung open, the party all entered the hangar, and the door closed right behind them with another push of a button. 

Several jaws fell at the sight. The Thunder was, while perfectly intact, not at all what they were expecting. It was a large, gold-colored aircraft with an elongated oval shape, braced against the ground by large beams that were deployed from the underside.

“What a piece of junk,” Rainbow commented.

“You said it, Dashie,” Pinkie agreed, nodding sagely, “I was about to say the same thing.”

“I’ve seen some beat up junkers in my lifetime,” Tick Tock said, shaking her head, “But can this thing even fly?”

“It flies just fine, and laugh it up if you want, but this piece of junk is my piece of junk.” Briarthorn proudly declared, “You really think Her Majesty would let me keep this old girl around if she wasn’t in tip-top shape? She flies. Hell, I’d go so far as to say she’s the best flyer there is for hauling, towing, and running the Belt.”

He pulled a tiny device from his vest pocket and pressed it, causing a hatch on the port side of the ship to open and deploy an access ramp for everypony to enter through. He issued everypony forward to board it. 

“Junkpile she may be, but the Thunder’s got her gifts. Multiple engines that let you take a lickin’ and keep on kickin’, minimal-surface tension Diffusion that is without doubt the fastest and strongest system in our weird little marina here, ultra-fast acceleration, in the top-ten for top speed, and a really cushy interior. I had carpeting installed. Paid for that with my own money, still don’t regret it.” He settled onto the, sure enough, carpeted access ramp and winged the group through, with Blackburn bringing up the rear. “I’m going to assume, your Majesty, that it’ll be your honor today to fly the girl who lets me inside her the most consistently?”

“Naturally,” Blackburn nodded, “Start making takeoff preparations. Ensure our passengers are suitably situated for safe flight. Gadget! Crossfire!” she shouted behind her, “Ensure any pursuers don’t give us trouble. Board the ship when Volt has completed the override.”

“That’s a ten-four, ay-oh-kay, roger-wilco!” Briarthorn saluted, following her inside.

“Right behind you, Your Highness,” Gadget saluted as well, “Come on Volt, get the override started.”

“Yes! Right, the overlord... override!” Volt sputtered.

Gadget, Crossfire, and Voltage Surge stayed outside the ship for the time being. The latter of the three trotted over to the large terminal on the side of the room and hastily fiddled with the maintenance panel, pulled a small device out of his pocket, attached it inside the panel, then began working his tools around inside again. 

A large banging sound could be heard coming from the door just before he reached the halfway point. Gadget and Crossfire hustled over to the entry ramp of the Thunder and got into defensive positions, taking cover behind the very short side rails.

“Golly, Volt, stop lollygagging!” Gadget called impatiently, “Double-time it! We need to get going!”

“Can’t risk a short in the circus... er, circuits.” Volt nervously replied, “Sorry sweetie, but this remote is very delicate. One little errant wire, and it won’t work! I’m a stickler for acupuncture... no, accuracy. Not the other thing. With the needles.”

The door suddenly burst apart at one portion, and several A.M.P. Troopers streamed into the room and instantly began firing flechette rounds at the Thunder’s entry port. Gadget tossed her Barrier up to protect herself and Crossfire, who was busy aiming his weapon at the approaching mechanical soldiers. As soon as he had an opening, Gadget dropped the shield and let Crossfire launch a barrage of bullets from both barrels on his shoulder-mounted guns, tearing through the clumped squads of Troopers with ease. The robots began to spread out and fire on the move, keeping Corssfire in cover while Gadget used her shield to try and protect Volt as best she could.

“Come on, Volt!” Gadget called again, “I can’t keep these Barriers up forever, y’know!”

“Just a little more...” Volt nervously gulped. “There!” He cheered, grabbed his portion of the remote, and galloped towards the Thunder as fast as he could.

One of the Trooper’s began firing at Gadget, causing her to panic and move her Barrier in order to protect herself. While she was distracted, another Trooper fired another volley at Volt, and he couldn’t react in time to throw any sort of defenses up. One round pierced him in the shoulder, knocking him off-balance and causing him to drop his device into a nearby puddle.

“No!” Gadget yelled. She glared at the offending Trooper and fired off a heavy bolt of energy from her gun, tearing the robot to pieces. “Volt! Volt, are you okay! Get over here, we’ll get you fixed up!”

Volt struggled to his hooves, and looked down with a grim frown at the device that he’d dropped, which was now sputtering off sparks and hissing with smoke. He attempted to reach for it, but hesitated for just a brief moment and pulled his hoof away. He then steeled his face, straightened his blood-stained vest, and galloped full speed towards the wall and terminal again.

“Volt? Volt?!” Gadget called in a panic. “Dammit, you brainless idiot! Get back here! Don’t you dare do what you’re thinking about-”

“Sorry, Gadget!” Volt called back, “Somepony needs to deactivate the floodgates! Our Queen needs to take off, and the remote override is shorted! I’m gonna have to do it maniacally! Er... manually!”

Gadget pleaded, “You don’t have to-”

“I’m the only pony other than you that knows how to do it, and Her Highness ordered you to get on board the ship! So, get on board!”

Volt fumbled with his tools inside the terminal again. He ducked as more Troopers clamored into the hangar and began firing at him as well as at the Thunder, and used his magic to yank a discarded cargo lift over towards him, using it as best he could for cover.

“Volt, come on, just get the startup activated, it’ll do the rest on its own!” Gadget screamed, firing off more bolts of electromagnetic power at approaching soldiers.

“They just keep coming! Dagnabit!” Crossfire swore, “C’mon, kid! Get yer butt over here! This ain’t no time ta be no hero!”

“Can’t! Too many soldiers, the motion sensors won’t shut off the floodgate as long as they’re in here! I’m gonna cut the power, flood the hangar that way!” Volt yelled back, “Don’t worry Gadget... this is for Her Highness! We’ve all dedicated our lives to her and this city. I don’t regret one second of it!”

“Volt!” Gadget croaked, “Dammit, Volt! Don’t... don’t be-”

Crossfire grabbed her and tugged her towards the entry port. “C’mon, Gadget, we’ve gotta board before the floodgate opens!” 

“Dammit Volt!” she yelled again.

As she was tugged on, the entry port shut behind them, and the ship suddenly glowed a very dim blue. Volt smiled and jabbed his screwdriver into the maintenance panel, causing it to give off a violent display of sparks. The shield flickered, moving from the ceiling to the entryway to prevent the torrent of water from flooding the main hanger. Several hundred tons of water came crashing down and flooded the tiny hangar bay in seconds, crushing everything inside under incredible pressure, except for the Thunder itself which remained safely intact and firmly attached to the floor, still glowing a dull blue.

“That idiot!” Gadget slammed her hooves on the entry port door. “That... that idiot... that stupid... stupid...”

Crossfire put a hoof on her shoulder, keeping her steady as she shook in place. “Gadget... I’m sorry... I’m sorry I had ta-”

“It’s not your fault...” Gadget wiped her eyes on her collar, sniffing loudly. “I can... I can grieve later. Come on... we’ve gotta get Her Majesty and her guests out of here...”

Gadget turned from the entry point and headed right, towards the front of the ship. Crossfire looked on with a slight frown, before turning away and leaving for the rear. As Gadget came into the cockpit, she saw Queen Blackburn already preparing herself for flight. Her wings were coated in a black substance that clung to her feathers like liquid, and on her face was a thick green visor. She stood on a small circular platform in the center of the cockpit area, standing clear of the sides as a thick glass cylinder descended around her, locking into place with a loud clang. Gadget trotted over to the control panel, took a seat, and immediately began using her magic and her hooves in conjunction to manipulate buttons and switches all over the front and side panels before putting a similar visor to Blackburn’s on her own face.

“Gadget... I am sorry,” Blackburn said solemnly, “Crossfire is almost as capable as you are, if you need to sit this one out. Will not and would never hold it against you.”

“Volt gave his life for you, Your Majesty,” Gadget said fondly, giving Blackburn a very small, sincere smile, “Any one of us would gladly do the same without hesitation. I’m not going to waste his sacrifice by giving you a second-rate co-pilot. You’ll need the best you can get to fly Briarthorn’s junk heap. I’ll... I’ll be alright...”

Blackburn nodded appreciatively, and tapped a hoof to the side of her visor. “Sync up, Gadget.”

“All synced, Your Majesty,” Gadget nodded, tapping the side of her own.

Blackburn called out, her voice carrying through the ship’s intercom system into the cargo hold, where Briarthorn was hurriedly making sure everypony was comfortably in their seats and strapped in with harnesses he’d hastily rigged together from assorted cargo-holding straps.

“We’re moving out. Enemy knows we’re leaving, knows we’re underwater, can predict standard departure path. Will have prepared pursuit route. Alternate route mapped out along coast to the west, keeping to shallow waters. Will break surface when a mile out, then make for Belt of Tranquility. Should give plenty of time for Diffusion system to activate before enemy pursues, especially given the ship.” She turned to Gadget and nodded. “Take us out, Gadget.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Gadget confirmed, flipping a series of five switches on the side of the control panel.

As she did so, the compartment that Blackburn was contained in gave a loud hiss, and Blackburn began floating as currents of air flowed into the compartment. The Thunder’s landing gear tucked in, and the ship immediately began to float upwards through the ceiling of the hangar bay. It floated for several minutes until it came level with an underwater tunnel that Blackburn carefully steered the ship through, using her wings to direct the ship as if she herself were flying, or rather, swimming through the water. As the ship cleared the tunnel, she steered it slightly to the side. They continued out for several minutes before a loud beeping sound came from one of the panels to Gadget’s left.

“What the-” she blinked. She observed the panel and turned to Blackburn in a panic. “Your Majesty! The cruisers are moving this way! They’re-”

“Tracking us,” Blackburn sneered, “They have something homing on us, tracks better than standard sonar. Gadget, prepare to surface. Need to start early, before they open fire while we’re underwater.” Blackburn called into the ship’s intercom again, “Briar! Suit up ahead of schedule!”

Briarthorn swore silently under his breath as he helped Rarity into her seat. “What, now? What happened to-”

“Being directly tracked, Briar. Not sure how yet. Incredibly suspicious, not keen on wasting time. Suit up. While you’re at it... we need some defense support. The Thunder does not have a weapons platform, correct?”

“Chassis is slick for transport, but I don’t even have a firearm, you know, the old things that used bullets? She turns on a dime,” Briarthorn said mournfully, “but the poor girl’s circuit grid just isn’t a strong enough power system to carry any weapons and use a Diffusion system, even if it’s my Diffusion system.”

“Crossfire!” Blackburn’s voice called, “Suit up with Briar. Going to need close-range defense when we come under attack.”

“Right away, Yer Majesty,” Crossfire agreed.

As he and Briarthorn headed off, Rainbow Dash suddenly loosened herself from her seat. “Hang on a minute!” she snapped, “Will somepony tell us what’s going on? Under attack? Being tracked? Should we be worried and actually do something, or just sit here and worry like a bunch of wimps? I’m sick of being babysat here!”

“Dash, those cruisers are going to come after us, but since they fly about as well as a rock does, they won’t reliably be able to use their weapon systems unless they crank their engines up to full. That’ll take a few minutes, and that means they’re going to be launching Aerial A.M.P. Troopers. We’re going to need some close-range support to keep them off the ship. I have to get the Diffusion system up before the cruisers get here. With me so far?”

“So what you’re saying is, we’re about to go toe-to-toe with a bunch of no-good flying robots,” Rainbow said slowly, “And you’re going to need help fighting them off, and you didn’t think to invite me? Come on, dude, what gives? If you need some help, I’m offering!”

Briarthorn beamed. “Dash, consider yourself formally invited to clobber some robots. Three cruisers is three times the robots. We’re gonna need all the help you can give us. Let’s go get suited up.”

Twilight got out of her seat immediately after. “I’m helping too. It’s obvious you don’t need pegasi here if Crossfire’s going along, so I’d like to help if I can.” She turned to Tick Tock. “Tick Tock. Care to accompany... me?”

Tick Tock held a hoof to her mouth. “I... n-no thanks, Twilight. Afraid of heights, remember? Terribly sorry... not really... no...” She started to shake a little, causing Applejack, her nearest neighbor, to pat her back reassuringly.

Twilight frowned. “Oh... Tick Tock, I’m sorry. Well then, Mister Crossfire,” she announced, “I guess I’m your one-and-only unicorn. Care to have me along?”

“Well alright then, glad ta have ya aboard, if’n y’all’re as talented as Her Majesty says y’all are,” Crossfire chuckled, “If y’all’re gonna help, let’s get y’all suited up.”

The two mares followed behind Briarthorn and Crossfire to the airlock at the entry port. Briarthorn opened a compartment on the side panel and took out a set of thick suits made of a latex-like material, and threw one each to the mares accompanying him. He put the last one back in the compartment, then reached in and fished out a set of metal horseshoes with glowing lights on the sides and bottom. He tossed it over to Twilight, who caught it with her magic and looked at both it and the suit hesitantly, then tossed another to Rainbow, then put one on himself. Crossfire didn’t take one of either, and moved over to the port hatch, adjusting his helmet all the while.

“What’s with all the gear?” Rainbow asked as she looked her suit, her eyes slowly widening in elation, “This thing is pretty boss. Actually... they look sorta familiar. What-”

“Something from your end of the universe, or whatever the hell spacetime magic whisked you from? This is just our standard issue pilot safety uniform,” Briarthorn explained as he undid the buttons on his shirt and shrugged off his vest.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Rainbow blurted suddenly as Briarthorn reached his mouth back and then untied his belt with his mouth, “Dude! Not cool! Naked! No! Do not want!” She quickly shielded her eyes and averted her gaze at once.

Briarthorn smirked wide and wiggled his eyebrows. “Hey now, whoa! Dashie-poo, do you mind? It’s not polite to stare. Gosh, and here I was thinking you didn’t want to look at all.”

“We’re in a bit of a hurry, Rainbow,” Twilight said quickly as she began to remove her cloak.

“Twilight!” Rainbow flustered, “What the hay?! Don’t go all nude on me too!”

“Rainbow. Relax,” Twilight said reassuringly, “No time to worry about that kind of stuff now. Since when did you get all worked up over this kind of stuff?”

Rainbow crossed her hooves in front of her chest. “Well since this weird world made me kinda self-conscious about it, that’s when!”

As slowly as he dared, under the dire circumstances, Briarthorn began to fit into his uniform, with a massive, conspiratorial grin on his face. “You weren’t self-conscious when you got here. You didn’t even know nudism was a faux-pas here. ‘Hey’,” Briarthorn said in a fairly convincing impression of Rainbow, “‘What’s the jerk-ass talking about?’ Oh, nothing, Dash, just Twily’s memory spell that jammed all our brains with your memories right up to you entering the world. With nothing on. Rarity was trim, Applejack was firm, Fluttershy was soft, and you’ve got nice tone all up and down that lovely blue flank of yours. I can see why your plush-bottomed pink friend gets a kick out of you.”

Rainbow shook violently. She bit her lip, narrowed her eyes, and belted, “Just keep talking, Briarthorn, and I swear to Celestia when we’re all done with this, I’m going to knock your teeth out. All of them.”

Briarthorn smiled sincerely at Rainbow Dash with his un-knocked-out teeth. “If it helps, remember that I play all over the field. No offense, no fouls, just one athlete to another: nice form and figure.”

Twilight put her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Rainbow. I can’t imagine what this sort of stuff is gonna do to your psyche when we get home. Besides, this is like a locker room isn’t it? Don’t the Wonderbolts have to ‘go all nude’ to get into uniform?”

“Yeah... yeah, fine,” Rainbow grumbled. She warily stripped off her jacket and began donning her suit herself, putting all of her effort into staring straight at the floor and making sure Briarthorn’s eyes were kept to himself, which she was actually embarrassed to see was the truth, and that she’d been staring at him the whole time to make sure of it. After all the suits had been put on, Rainbow checked herself out and nodded in approval.

“These suits definitely look familiar,” she said, “Good call on the Wonderbolts thing, Twi. I was thinking the same thing.”

Indeed, each of the suits was a perfectly form-fitting latex-like uniform colored a bright pine green with golden lightning bolt designs on the chest and an inch from the bottom of each leg. Other than being green instead of blue, Rainbow was positive that these were almost perfect copies of the uniforms the Wonderbolts wore, right down to the goggles that Briarthorn was handing to Twilight. She and Briarthorn tucked their own goggles over their eyes.

“Okay... this is pretty awesome,” Rainbow said with a small, gleeful squeal, “This is easily the closest I’ve been to actually being a Wonderbolt. Oh man... if I can’t make it in after this, I’m going to be really surprised. So. Awesome.”

“What about these?” Twilight asked as she slid the horseshoes on over the uniform, “Oof... wow, they’re heavier wearing them than lifting with my magic.”

“Magnetic horseshoes, Twily,” Briarthorn explained, “You’re going topside with Crossfire. That means you’re going to need some way to stay on the ship with all the fancy flying Her Highness is going to be doing. I hope you’re not too squeamish when flying. She’s not as smooth of a ride as I am.” He stopped a second and chuckled, “Heh... how d’ya like that? That wasn’t even intentional.”

Blackburn’s voice came over the intercom system. “Suited up down there?”

“Diffusion prep is go!” Briarthorn replied, “Ready whenever you are!”

“Roger that, preparing to surface.”

“Phew... okay, one more thing before we get started,” Briarthorn said to nopony in particular. He reached into one of the pockets of his discarded vest, and pulled out a small flask. Without hesitation, he drew it back and chugged the contents in the space of five seconds.

“Dude, you’re drinking before you fly?” Rainbow balked, mouth agape, “Didn’t they teach you anything in flight school?”

“Dash, believe you me for once, considering we’re going life-and-death here?” Briarthorn said with a soft smile as he replaced the flask into the vest, “When you see what I’m gonna have to do out there, you’ll forgive me for wanting a little buffer. You’d be crazy doing my job stone-cold sober.”

The four ponies in the airlock stood and waited. They heard a loud burst of an engine from the rear of the ship as it broke the surface. As soon as they were above water, the airlock opened and Briarthorn zipped outside past Crossfire, flapping his wings hard and fast to keep up with the ship’s rapidly-increasing speed. Rainbow followed suit, rushing out into the open air and spinning loops around Briarthorn, getting readjusted to flying again after days on the ground; Briarthorn watched in interest as she began to fly faster and faster outrunning him easily and actually starting to outpace the Thunder itself. 

Crossfire turned to Twilight and beckoned for her to go next. “Ladies first, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight gulped and warily looked at her horseshoes, “Well... here goes... um... oh dear...”

Twilight stepped forward and poked her head out of the entry port, keeping her forehooves just on the edge of the opening. She took a deep breath and nervously fidgeted in place; Briarthorn swung over towards her, offering her a hoof to grab.

“Alrighty then, Twily, let’s keep this from getting weird on you, but, well, to keep it simple, you’re gonna need a lift!” he called over the din of crashing waves below and rushing air all around.

She nodded nervously, reached out, touched her hoof to his. He immediately followed by reaching out with his mouth and flicking a small button on the horseshoe she was wearing, which began to glow a dull blue just the like the ones he wore; the other three shoes followed suit entirely of their own accord, syncing together with the first. She felt her hoof stick to his just like two opposite halves of a magnet, and gave a loud yelp as he yanked her out of the airlock.

As Briarthorn increased altitude, Twilight saw that the Thunder had changed in appearance since she’d boarded it. Two large panels on the top of the craft had opened, revealing a great set of wings that spread diagonally outwards from the body of the aircraft in a manner similar to pegasus wings. Beneath each of the wings’ “feathers” she could see the dull blue glow of techno-magic, and at the rear she could see same glow, only more powerful, propelling the ship forward and upward. The entire ship was also dotted with long, thin rods spaced evenly around the ship’s hull.

As she looked south, she could see great explosions as all three massive cruisers blasted away at a reflective golden surface with various weapons that she couldn’t make out from here. The shield was back online. However, they were beginning to turn and move in their direction in wide, sweeping arcs. The large panels on the sides of the crafts began to slide open, and even from here she could see hundreds upon hundreds of tiny red dots swarming out of the frontmost ship first, then the second, then the third. In fact, the more she seemed to focus on the faraway events, the closer they seemed to get, as if her goggles were functioning like a pair of binoculars.

“W-whoa!” she exclaimed as she felt the rush of wind blasting against her during one of Briarthorn’s tight loops. She glad to be wearing a warm suit and a pair of goggles. “Oh gosh... t-this is... this is new... this is very new. I am not used to flying like this at all...”

“First time for everything, Twily,” Briarthorn grinned as he reached down and took her other hoof in his to strengthen the hold, “I figure you’re used to being flown around by pegasi every now and then, but now you get to ride on top of a real, live, honest-to-goodness airship. I know what you’re thinking. The Thunder’s not exactly the greatest first-timer craft, but she holds up under fire. Just think of her as the ship-version of me!”

“You mean it’s loud and obnoxious?” Rainbow jabbed as she pulled up alongside Briarthorn.

“Says the girlfriend of ‘tiny pink Briar’,” Briarthorn snickered, “No, no, no. Nah, come on, Dash, follow more along the lines of: it’s going to be a long and bumpy ride, but when you’re through, you’re gonna see stars. You can use that on Pinkie prior to some private time if we end up all living, I can vouch that she’ll get a kick out of it.”

“Stars? Oh! You mean... this ship can go into space?” Twilight gasped, “Oh wow, that’s incredible! I’d love to see the stars from up close like that!”

Briarthorn blinked repeatedly, then smiled and sighed. “Twily, you really are just the most adorable pony I have ever met. Also somehow really smart and really... uh, shall we say, virtuous. That’s probably the most polite euphemism. No lie? I am seriously rethinking quite a lot of things, since these last few days and really mostly the memory blast that gave me the skivvy. There’s only ever been one pony that made me do anything like that before.”

Briarthorn laughed, swept upwards, and swung over the top of the aircraft, then carefully set Twilight down on the roof. Twilight’s magnetic horseshoes on her rear hooves stuck fast to the roof. Briarthorn deactivated his own horseshoes and eased Twilight onto the roof steadily. A loud clanging noise from the port side of the ship drew Twilight’s attention, and she saw Crossfire climbing onto the roof completely on his own, using his horseshoes as grips to hold onto the ship. Twilight found she was able to move around quite easily as well, almost as if the horseshoes weren’t there, but knowing full well that the wind speed should have been blowing her clean off; that didn’t make her feel any better if the ship was going to moving like he said it was. 

She gave Briarthorn a worried look. “These magnets don’t feel strong enough to hold us onto the roof through much,” she protested.

“Not to worry, Twily,” Briarthorn grinned. He pressed a hoof to his ear. “Queenie? We’re all set up here. Go ahead and activate the polarity charge. Also: please try to not to blow up my ship. Most of us would die if that happened, and the salvage costs would be worse than my current low-level booze punishment by a couple hundred shots of Venom.”

The ship gave a loud clang and the dull blue glow was replaced by a soft pink one for all of a second. Twilight suddenly felt her hooves stick solidly to the metal of the ship, and she was completely unable to move her hooves at all. Briarthorn, whose magnets were off, landed softly down in front of her and double-checked each of her hooves in turn to make sure they were all in good condition while Crossfire handled his own. When Briarthorn was finished, he leaned in close to Twilight and pat her head gently with the tip of his wing, pulling a small wire from the side of her goggles up and latching it to the base of her horn. She shivered a little and gulped nervously as the sudden feeling of foreign magic flowed through her.

“And... there we go! All synced up. Okay! Twily... you’re going to be in for quite a rush,” he said as seriously as he could, though he was smiling, “Your goggles are equipped with targeting-assisters. Little markers on the screens of the goggles. They’ll help you target your magic accurately and use it to your fullest, which I’m quite excited over. You’re going to be moving a lot and blowing things up. The only reason I’m giving you these goggles is because I want this show to go off without a hitch. Performance time, you know? Blind dress rehearsal. As great as a spellcaster I know you are, I, uh... I wouldn’t assume you’d be really proficient, say in, solid marksmareship training, which we kinda need right now.”

“Wasn’t really in the curriculum at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, no,” Twilight said sheepishly, “Though I was interested in the subject when my brother started training for the Royal Guard. I studied a few books on the matter!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Twilight, this isn’t like taking tips from ‘Running for Eggheads’. This is serious! What could you have learned from a book on this?! What was it, ‘Marksmareship for Eggheads’?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Rainbow. “For starters, all of Chapter One was on the topic of targeting the center of mass. Increases accuracy by about seventy-five percent over aiming for the head or limbs. Chapter Two, leading a moving target. Chapter Three-”

“I get it, I get it!” Rainbow said, throwing her hooves up, “Yeesh, Twi, what can’t you learn from a book? I’m starting to wonder if I should read up on some flight techniques instead of just adventure stories...”

Briarthorn blinked, smiled, and continued, “Well, that’s a nice surprise! You know some basics. That’s gonna make the targeting assist make you all homing-shot material. And talk about a fast track for improvement. Not a bad field test! Anyway, hostile targets are marked red, friendlies - that’s me and Rainbow and Crossfire here - are marked green. The system is voice-, thought-, and magic-sensitive, so if you want you can call out targets by looking at them and just thinking about targeting them, or saying you want to mark them, or just using your magic in some way; they’ll be highlighted for you and us in yellow, and we can mark targets the same as you can. With me so far?”

“I think so...” Twilight gulped, “So much new techno-magic all at once... phew...”

“It’s not too complicated if you don’t think about it too much,” Crossfire shrugged, “You’ve got the very basic system, and you’re a unicorn. You’ll be fine. Imagine how I feel, not having magic to work with.”

“Twily, keep Crossfire’s glorious bod covered if you have to,” Briarthorn continued, “He’ll handle the brunt of the assault, what with all the experience and natural talent, but he might attract a lot of attention. If it looks rough up here, just stay safe and keep that Barrier magic going. The targeting assist will compensate for that too, to help you conserve magic by directing where the Barrier is. Neat, right? However, I want to stress this: Do not try to shield the whole ship, or me, even if it looks like I’m about to take a hard smack. Our Diffusion stuff? That’s my job.”

“Your job?” Twilight and Rainbow asked in unison.

Briarthorn strut over to a large cylindrical device sticking up out of the roof, and pulled the small rectangular attachment on the top off of it, then stretched it out into a long band. He then strut over to Rainbow Dash, and offered it towards her.

“Do I have permission to touch your body with non-sexual intent?” he said, a look of complete seriousness on his face despite his voice almost laughing every other word.

She grunted, “Yeah... uh... whatever.”

He strapped it around her midsection with a sharp snap. He then pulled a thin cord from it, attached it to the tip of her left wing, and let it snap into place, where it immediately contoured to the curvature of the appendage; he did the same with the other wing, then gestured for her to flex them both to make sure the attachments were solidly in place.

“The patented Diffusion system!” he explained with a dramatic flair, “Or, if you want to really, really, really use laypony’s terms, the ship’s primary shield generator. This little number protects from weapon fire decent enough, but most importantly, its particulars of originally and entirely being pegasus wavelength type stuff, this baby here protects us from the magicks of the Belt of Tranquility. I’ll be flying loops around the ship to charge it up, which is a very precise, delicate process. Your jobs are to provide me cover, since the shield only affects the ship, not those on top or around it. This attachment I gave to Rainbow Dash here, when activated, will allow her to help out if, uh, necessary.” His last statement was said with a hint of trepidation.

“Wait, hold up. You’re not putting one on. But you’re the pony doing whatever the Diffusion system does. Does... your flying around power it up?” Rainbow asked.

Briarthorn’s attempt at a charming smile failed, and he looked guilty, but pushed on with his bravado as he went on. “Well, this system is something only the best pilots can manage. Remember, I said it’s a very precise, delicate process. Nearly all of the ships in our fleet use an automatic system, like the one on your back, to charge and sustain it. It’s rough, though. One hell of a power drain and brutally slow. The better pilots do it manually, using this Diffusion amplifier,” he explained, gesturing to her wings, “To generate the proper frequency of magic behind them. Remember, I’m a one-pony smuggler team. Yet, I still use a Diffusion system. With auto-pilot kicked on, I can do it completely on my own, no attachment required. 

“The Diffusion techno-magic is a little bit of a family legacy, see? My great-grandfather Briarpatch figured out how to similar stuff to the Barrier magicks you unicorns use to make things like our city’s shield, and turned it into pegasus velocity magic. Y’know, the ‘PMV’ your gryphon buddy talked about? How when a pegasus flies very fast, they-”

“Leave a trail of magic, yeah, we know all about that,” Rainbow nodded.

Briarthorn’s look of guilt grew on his face. Twilight and even Rainbow were staring at him, bemused by his nervous look, even as he seemed to be bringing up brag-worthy accomplishments. “While I’ll get more shield, and faster, we can’t have just me to rely on, right? The showboater?” He took a deep breath, and looked at Rainbow with a half-hearted attempt at a smile, and both Twilight and Rainbow felt a chill crawl down their spines. “So if... if I go down, Rainbow... you’ve gotta finish it. This isn’t my first time trying to apply it mid-combat, but those numbers are a lot more than I’m used to, so I’m... I’m just taking precautions here. Simple enough process, just turn it on, and fly loops around the ship. The attachment will take care of the rest.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay doing this with everything happening at once? This all sounds very complicated... and dangerous...” Twilight gulped, “Okay... I’m ready for this... I’m ready...”

Briarthorn grinned wide and approached her again. “Dangerous is right, Twily. You’re gonna be loaded with pressure and anxiety up here. But after living the life you’ve lived on, uh, our world, I think you’re up to it. Don’t worry about me,. Don’t worry at all! That’s for warts. You’re awesome and great and fantastic, and the very best spellcaster I’ve ever seen!” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Still if, we’re going to need all the luck we can get... how about a good luck smooch?”

Twilight turned bright red. “W-what?”

Rainbow groaned, “Wow, that desperate to get her to kiss ya, huh?”

Briarthorn looked at Rainbow Dash fondly even as she berated him, leaning in and pecked Twilight on the cheek even as Rainbow was talking. “There we go. See?” he said to Rainbow, sticking his tongue out at her, “Harmless. Good luck, Twily. Stay safe up here.”

Twilight went to put her hoof to her cheek, but couldn’t as it was still stuck firmly to the roof. 

Briarthorn saluted to Crossfire, then took off. He looped out of sight towards the front of the ship then came zipping around the port side in a horizontal line towards the rear, looping around the starboard side back to the front. Both Twilight and Rainbow realized why Briarthorn’s body and wings were stretched the way they were. The curved wings made his flight naturally generate more lift. In his wake, his magic trail, a solid wall of light, was glowing a brilliant white-gold that looked like the ribbons on his Cutie Mark. The trail was drawn to the rods strewn about. When it came into contact with them they glowed a bright green, and started to pool more of the green glow outwards across the ship’s hull.

“That’s an odd trail,” Rainbow observed, “I’ve never seen anypony leave behind something like that before.”

Twilight nodded her head. “It’s like he said, it gives off a similar magical signature to Barrier spells. Very peculiar...”

Rainbow shook her head and took off as well, flying slow circles in the air above the ship as it finally began to level out. She gazed off into the distance after about a minute of flying, and she caught sight of the small red dots beginning to approach, getting bigger and bigger every second. They were approaching extremely fast, making her give an annoyed snort to nopony in particular.

“Looks like we’ve got incoming,” she said to herself, “Hmph. I could outrun ‘em...”

She was surprised at the sudden pair of events to follow. First, she was surprised to see that some of the tiny red dots she was staring at became highlighted by a yellow triangular marker that made them extremely easy to see, complete with small readouts beside each them that indicated, as far as she could tell, target speed and target integrity. Second, she was even more surprised to hear a voice in her ear, as if the speaker had been literally flying right beside her.

“R-Rainbow? Is that you?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow balked, “Twilight? How the-”

“You girls ever heard of radio?” came a quip from Briarthorn, also as if right next to Rainbow despite clearly being down below flying loops around the Thunder. “Your goggles also have a radio transmitter in the bands to help communicate with the ship itself and anypony else wearing a set of flight goggles. The mic is strong enough to pick up your voice so you can talk to us even over the wind, and the headset is strong enough to let you hear us over the wind as well. Like I told Twily, Dash, mark out targets. You’re our first line, so you mark things that you’re going after so that Twily and Crossfire can focus on whatever manages to get past you.”

“Heh, if anything even can get past me,” Rainbow chuckled as she cracked her neck, “Here we go... time to show off what I can really do! Try not to get bored down there, Twilight!”

Rainbow swung around in a tight roll and launched herself towards the rapidly-approaching shapes. As she got closer, she could clearly see them as the recognizable figures of the A.M.P. Troopers she was used to seeing, only these all had sharp, angular, pegasus-like wings made of black metal that they tilted slightly to steer, and tiny rockets on each of their hooves that propelled them forward. As she approached, the frontmost formation steered themselves towards her incoming trajectory. She rolled to the side to avoid a volley of bullets fired from their shoulder-mounted guns.

“Ha ha! Is that all you’ve got?!” she challenged. She clicked her hooves together and rocketed towards them as a bolt of lightning, sending out rapidly-dispersing sparks all around her.

She collided with the lead Trooper in the formation, causing it to explode in a shower of shrapnel and sparks, then swerved around and ripped through the next-nearest one she could find, tearing through the entire squad as fast as she was able. 

Some of the formations behind the first continued jetting forward and past her, ignoring her and making a beeline straight for the Thunder; others turned their attention towards her and immediately began firing bullets at her; she responded by bolting off to the side, but she yelped as some of the bullets came dangerously close. The barrage had been extremely widespread, as every individual volley had come from one of the three dozen robotic soldiers bearing down on her.

“Holy cow, these things either have really good aim, or there’s just too many of them to really avoid it. Well... I guess I’m just gonna need to move faster then!” She clicked her hooves together again and exploded towards the next squadron in the line-up, twirling and twisting out of the way of the next barrage as best she could.

“Here we go, Miss Twilight,” Crossfire grunted, settling himself in and aiming his shoulder-mounted cannons towards the incoming squadrons of Troopers, “Are ya ready? This ain’t gonna be no walk in the park, I tell ya.”

“I’m ready,” Twilight nodded, “I’m ready... to show my friends just how much they can rely on me...”

Crossfire chuckled lightly, “Well then... light ‘em up!”

Twilight took a deep breath and took aim towards the incoming squadrons of airborne assailants. She focused her magic and fired a bolt of energy at the first robot to enter her field of vision. It crashed into the thing’s head and exploded, causing the mechanical soldier to fall helplessly towards the sea below. The ones nearby it were struck by a barrage of bullets from Crossfire’s rapidly-spinning chain guns. Wings were torn apart, causing them to swerve wildly around through the rushing air currents; legs were shattered, causing them to veer off-course without a full set of propulsion; heads and bodies were blasted apart. Crossfire fired bullet after bullet until he heard a loud click, signalling his guns needed to reload.

“Reloading!” Crossfire called, “Cover fire, Miss Sparkle!”

“On it!” Twilight called.

She took another deep breath, and focused herself on the full squad of Troopers coming her way. She funneled her magic through her horn again and fired off a rapid-fire barrage of magical bolts that impacted random soldiers in the formation. They responded by returning fire, and Twilight shielded her eyes as a stream of bullets plinked against the Diffusion shield nearby. She raised her own Barrier to protect herself and Crossfire as the bullets traced a line towards the two. She sneered at the remaining approaching Troopers, latched onto the leader of the formation, and violently ripped one of its legs off, causing it to spin out of control and crash into its neighbor with an explosion.

Crossfire settled himself and rotated the cylinders on his shoulders until they locked back into place with a loud click. He then fired a small volley of tiny rockets at a formation of Troopers coming from another side of the craft. Each one struck solid hits and exploded in a burst of fire and metal. Another loud click came from Crossfire’s gun when he attempted to fire a second volley at another approaching squad. Switching again, he fired off a shorter, more precise series of bullets one at a time from just one barrel, until again it too clicked and he was forced to rotate it to the next one.

“I’m goin’ through ammo faster’n I’m able ta reload!” Crossfire snorted, “Miss Dash, I’m gonna need y’all ta divert more o’ these here things away from the ship! There’s too many of ‘em fer us ta handle!”

“I’m trying as best as I can!” Rainbow called, frantically swerving to avoid another salvo of bullets, “What’s with the aim on these things?! They’re getting way too close with those shots! I can’t take down more than a couple at a time before I’m back on the defensive!”

“They’re targetin’ the Troopers you’re goin’ after, hopin’ ta catch ya in the line o’ fire!” Crossfire explained, “Randomize yer pattern, don’t let ‘em predict yer targets!”

“Got it,” she confirmed. 

She looked out at the series of more and more Troopers approaching, far more than the initial formations had been and far more than she knew what to do with. There were hundreds, no, thousands of them, and an easy third of them were gunning straight for her.

“Oh boy... this is gonna get-” She was cut off when a sudden loud blaring of music came through her earpiece, causing her to hold a hoof there in surprise. “The hay?! Who the hay’s singing-”

She was distracted for all of a second and had to swerve to avoid another volley of bullets. She glared off in the direction she’d been shot at from, but just as she moved towards the offending target, its head exploded, ripped into by a tiny, bright ball of light that had been flung from someplace behind her. The Trooper behind the first was hit by another of the blasts of light. Rainbow turned to see where the blasts were coming from as another volley of them started blasting into the rest of the squadron.

“Aw wow... no way...” she muttered with a half-smile.

A bipedal suit of mechanical, robotic armor, larger than an average pony, came flying at blinding speed towards her location, its bright pink coloration easy to see against the sea of blue below and the sky of orange above. Its arm was leveled in Dash’s direction, rapidly firing off bursts of light at targets that were approaching from behind Rainbow Dash. As the suit swept in close to Rainbow, she could clearly see the propulsion jets on its feet and other arm propelling it forward and being used to rapidly steer to avoid incoming bullets, generating a light the same color as the bursts its main arm was firing.

“Pinks, is that you?” Rainbow asked into her radio, “Man, that’s a fancy new suit you’ve got there!”

“Affirmative ten-four roger wilco, Dashie,” Pinkie voice chirped over the radio comm, “No time for chatter, we’ve got bogies to deal with!”

“Heh... we sure do, Pinks. We sure do,” Rainbow smirked, launching off in pursuit of the pink-armored mare.

Crossfire grumbled as a barrage of bullets ricocheted off of a shield that Twilight had hastily thrown up to defend him. “This is gettin’ us nowhere fast, Yer Majesty, an’ nowhere ain’t no place ta be,” he said into the comm, “There’s too many o’ them out here. I think we might’ve made a slight error o’ the miscalculation type?”

“I’m with beefy,” Briarthorn agreed, “I’m doing the tightest loops as best I can out there without actually colliding with the conduits, but I’m not seeing much in the way of results. All that enemy fire is wearing on the shield too much, and I can’t ask Twily down there to try and deflect all of it. Heyo, Gadget, what’s the Diffusion shield reading? Please tell me we’re making some kind of headway. Good numbers, right?”

Gadget’s voice came over the team’s radio comm, sounding worried but not panicked. “Current reading at twenty-five percent and climbing at a rate of one percent per minute, given rate of actual increase minus decrease from enemy fire. No offense to you of course, Briarthorn. If this were an automatic system, we’d hardly have any charge at all, and I don’t think even Twister could get his up as fast as you. Still, fact is-”

Blackburn interrupted, “Shield not charging fast enough to be of use. Enemy cruisers gaining fast. Without Diffusion shield, can’t lose them in Belt of Tranquility. Need time to power shield... hmm. May require some more erratic flight maneuvers. Gadget, check Thunder schematics. Evaluate stunt-flying capabilities.”

Briarthorn’s loops slowed for a moment, and his shock was tangible through the comm. “Whoa! Whoa, whoa, now. Queenie,” Briarthorn said quickly, “Are you sure about this? Normally, I love your air shows, they pitch me a semi, minimum, and it’s not like I can’t fly fast enough to keep up or anything, no matter how ‘erratic’ you might say it gets, but you’ve got riders up top that gotta-”

“We’ll be fine up here, Briarthorn! Snugger’n a bug in a rug!” Crossfire said, “Won’t we, Twilight?”

“I don’t exactly know what we’re going to do, but if it’ll help take some pressure off of us, I’m all for it!” Twilight called, “I can’t keep track of all these things! Too much is happening all at once!”

“Accord reached, Briar. Fly faster. Crossfire. Twilight Sparkle. Hang on up there,” Blackburn warned, “Also, keep calm. This may get... hectic. That goes for you inside, too.”

“Also, any of you with weak constitutions, please barf in one of the empty crates. Not a full one. Not the floor. Then seal it. She hasn’t said anything about it yet, but she’ll be looping. Try, try, try to keep down your lunches, folks.” Briarthorn said with sincere agitation.

Twilight and Crossfire lurched slightly, though were still held firmly to the ship by their magnetic horseshoes, as the Thunder suddenly spun in a wide arc, twisting around towards the east. Twilight’s eyes widened as she noticed they were heading towards the bigger ships that were still fast approaching them, now approaching faster given their change in direction. They soared past hordes of the aerial Troopers, all of which quickly adjusted their flight paths to pursue the ship but not quickly enough to be of an immediate threat. Rainbow and Pinkie took up points alongside the ship, taking care of as many Troopers as they could that were able to keep up with the Thunder as it got closer and closer to the first of the three massive cruisers.

“Um... if... nopony minds my saying-” Rainbow Dash started.

“No, not crazy. Have to reaffirm often; used to it,” Blackburn responded, “Gargantuan-class cruisers equipped with minimal close-range combat options. Unable to give trouble at point-blank range. Horrendous turning radius, difficult time giving pursuit. Objective: charge towards them, get behind them, force them to change course, then loop back towards Belt of Tranquility. Should buy time for Diffusion shield to charge. Will need to be wary of long-range weaponry. Hold tight.”

“Speaking of the long-range weaponry, Your Highness,” Gadget announced nervously, “Formation leader has weapons locked on. Incoming fire, straight ahead. Vulcanburst missiles, full salvo dispersed in intervals of fifteen. Primary impact in thirty seconds, secondary impact following after another ten seconds. Further impacts following in ten second intervals.”

“No more? Disappointing,” Blackburn laughed, “Prepare emergency systems, brace for impact.”

“She’s heading straight through them?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Hey, Rainbow. Remember when I said there was only one pilot crazy enough to attempt to break through a blockade like this? Kick back and relax, we’re not actually in my glorious little ship.” Briarthorn chortled over the comm.

“Syphon power from rear engines, divert to dynamic thrusters,” Blackburn ordered, “Leave enough for fifty percent maximum flight speed, reduce speed to fifty percent.”

“Yeah... I remember,” Rainbow confirmed worriedly.

Gadget called, “Diverting power... power diversion completed! Dynamic thrusters operating at two hundred percent capacity. Fifteen seconds to primary impact.”

“Get ready for the best of the best, folks. Never play this mare in any of your standard chess-types, or hell, full-flush poker. Here’s to the best hooves you could hope to be in,” Briarthorn said confidently, in his game show announcer swagger, “Though, Dash? You and Pinkie might want to clear some room. This is gonna get flashy!”

Blackburn shouted, “Deploy flares... now!”

Twilight was immensely glad that she was not only magnetically attached to the ship, but that she herself was not too squeamish when it came to flying under duress thanks to ofttimes being Rainbow’s passenger. The Thunder slowed to half of its former speed, its rear engines’ blue glow dying down with it; the glow from the underside of the wings intensified from a dim blue to a glorious white. The Thunder spun into an extremely tight roll in time to avoid a salvo of missiles, each of which curved just barely past the ship’s rear and headed straight for the stream of smoke and shrapnel that had sprayed out of hatches near the wings just seconds before. The missiles exploded just out of range of the ship, which continued to spin left until very sharply spinning right to avoid a second salvo, all of which careened off towards what was left of the smoke and shrapnel deployed earlier. 

The cruiser first in line swiftly adjusted course as the Thunder began to close in, attempting to cut off the escape route. The Thunder lurched up, barely avoiding another volley of missile fire and sailing just over the top of the long battleship. The second ship in line was pointed directly at them, and opened fire with its main gun battery, launching a massive barrage of magically-charged bursts of energy straight at them. The Thunder spun away to avoid individual magic blasts. Twilight, already panicked about being jerked to and fro by the ship’s rapid spinning and diving, panicked even further as the bursts curved around and pursued the Thunder. Several of the blasts didn’t have the turning radius to follow properly and slammed into the side of the other cruiser, exploding in showers of purple and black flame.

“Phoenixfire bursts trailing us, primary impact in fifteen!” called Gadget’s voice, “Dynamic thrusters overheating!”

“Divert power back to rear engines! Maximum speed, quintuple thrust!” Blackburn shouted.

“Queenie, woman, are you seriously trying to add to my punishment? No good booze, and if the Thunder can’t run, I can’t, y’know, redeem myself. Keep in mind, that’d be thirty days of me mostly sober and with no ship to run. I’d be perusing the city for orgies! You wouldn’t want me to do that! Right?! I don’t want to threaten your stash again, Queenie. Come on. I’ll be awful. Unlivable. So you won’t use all five engines at once, right!? You’ll burn them out!” Briarthorn cried uselessly into the comm as he saw the engines light up, “Oh... Thunder, baby, my poor ship...”

The Thunder sped forward like a missile, but was unable to outrun the barrage of energy blasts that were slowly catching up to it. Twilight turned towards where the Thunder was flying, and saw it careening straight at the second cruiser which was noticeably adjusting its path not to block the Thunder’s way, but to avoid the Thunder’s current trajectory. The Thunder sharply dove after it, racing alongside the hull of the larger ship as the trailing magic blasts attempted to pursue. But, their turning radius didn’t appear to be as exact as Twilight was certain they should have been, and a great many of the blasts impacted with the hull of the cruiser, ripping large holes into it with explosive force.

“I can’t believe anything I’m seeing right now,” Rainbow Dash said in awe as she rocketed through squads of the Troopers that were still giving pursuit.

“Well thank goodness Queenie Blackburn’s piloting doesn’t work like my magic!” Pinkie replied, assisting Rainbow by using her shoulder-mounted energy cannon to shoot down any robots targeting the pegasus.

The Thunder swept low towards the ocean and started back towards the Belt of Tranquility, its speed drastically reduced and its turn at a much wider radius than any of its initial turns had been. Overhead, everypony able to see what was going on outside the ship could see the third cruiser heading straight at them and not slowing down in the slightest.

“Engines two and four, overheating!” Gadget’s voice called out, “Engine five at fifty percent recharge, engines one and three still green! Not enough for another maneuver like that!”

“Oh, Thunder, Thunder, Thunder... my poor ship! Oh man... I’m gonna hafta spend weeks repairing all this! Gadget! How’s the Diffusion reading going?!” Briarthorn called out as he continued to desperately try to maintain his looping maneuvers around the Thunder despite its incredibly jerky flying.

“Sixty percent and climbing, rate increased to two percent per minute,” Gadget announced, “We’re still not gaining enough power fast enough. All that small-arms fire is wearing it down too quickly.”

“Third cruiser accelerating towards us,” Blackburn huffed, “Thunder: Engine power falling, dynamic thrusters overheated, Diffusion shield still not primed. Pile of junk!”

“Queenie, do I insult the Wyvern? If I were you and I’d said that about your baby, may she rest in peace, you’d kick me just under the tail on principle,” Briarthorn wailed, “Do you just not register what I say when it’s not offending you?! The Thunder. Is not! A stunt flier! She wasn’t built for your kind of flying, Your Most Gracious Wondrous Stupendous Lovely Gorgeous Powerful Hammer-dropping Intimidating Highness!”

“Weapons locked,” Gadget pointed out, “Phoenixfire batteries only. Energy readings indicate maximum capacity.”

“Need Diffusion shield up, Briar!” Blackburn shouted, “Out of options!”

“I’m looping up to the ‘equator’ now, and I am going fast as I can, Queenie!” Briarthorn called back, “I just need to get in a few more laps... a full charge could hold against that weapon fire...”

“Weapons firing, impact in sixty seconds!” Gadget gulped, “Engines two and four still red, engine five at seventy-five percent recharge! Diffusion charge at... three percent per minute!”

“We’re trying our best, but we can’t keep all these close-range fighters off!” Rainbow spat into the comm, “Is there anything we can do to get that shield up faster? Maybe if I-”

“I haven’t taken any hits, Rainbow, and that’s thanks to you, okay? You’re a better help taking care of as many of those Troopers as you can,” Briarthorn sighed. He grabbed the second flask he’s strapped to his uniform, taking a long swig before tossing it aside, then exhaled. “Whew... besides, the Diffusion system can’t take more than one active pegasus at a time. Magical signatures are unique. Any dissonance? Explosions, not shields. If I go down, no more ‘me’ in the shield, you’re safe to finish. I’m not down, though. This is all on me, unless I go down. And I don’t think I want to go down, Queenie. Means all of you, too. I’ll get my dearest up, I’ve just got to spin like I’ve never spun before. Here’s hoping!”

“Don’t worry, darling, you’re not alone out there!”

Twilight blurted, “R-Rarity?!”

From the entry port at the Thunder’s airlock, a bright glow could be seen. It flashed a bright white as Rarity fired off a stream of magic that struck Briarthorn as he made another pass.

Briarthorn blinked and looked about himself, then behind him, where he noticed his white-gold hard-light trail had become wider, brighter, and was slowly beginning to overtake him until he himself began to glow. “Whoa! What’s this afterglow brouhaha? Feels nice!”

“Just keep up the good work, Briarthorn dear!” Rarity called into the comm system, “I’ll give you another boost on your next loop around, just keep it up! We’re counting on you here!”

“Thirty seconds,” Gadget’s voice said again, “Diffusion charge at... seven percent per minute. Current charge, seventy percent.”

“Oh, man. This is nice. This... this is... hell yes, this is perfect! I think... I think I can actually... do the full spiral! Without passing out before it’s done! Rarity, I don’t know what you just did, but I’m getting some uncouth thoughts about you right now!” Briarthorn’s loops around the ship became sharper, again and again, each lap, glowing brighter with every pass. In-flight, he began to spin on the axis of his spine, Spinning, faster and faster, causing the shield to expand, becoming tube-shaped. 

“AHAHA! This is like, the opposite of breaking the sound barrier! Even if they punch through the first shield points, the tubes will shatter bit by bit. Like a big ol’ tubey bubble of bubble wrap! And packing peanuts. We’re going to be cozy!” The magic spiralled behind him like a giant corkscrew. The ship itself began to glow a very soft green, and each of the collecting rods shined a brilliant emerald color that caused Twilight and Crossfire to shield their eyes for a brief second.

“Diffusion charge increasing to... to five percent per second?! Current charge at seventy-five percent... eighty... eighty-five...” Gadget said breathlessly, “Ninety... ninety-five... Diffusion shield at maximum power! Impact in five!”

“Brace for impact!” shouted Blackburn.

A salvo of magical bolts impacted the Thunder with incredible force. The shield held fast and greatly increased in luster, shine, and relative size, glowing a bright red at the points of impact. Despite the shield taking the brunt of the impact, the ship still lurched from the sheer force of the blast, causing it to wildly jerk to port. Rainbow and Pinkie had to clear out of the way to avoid the wide spread of magical energy being thrown about from not only the initial barrage, but from all the myriad blasts that were being haphazardly reflected.

“Waaaaahaahaha!” came a shrill shriek.

Rarity was flung from the airlock by the tremendous collision and sent hurtling through the shield, which did not cover the entry port, towards the ocean below, screaming all the while and frantically flailing her legs in an attempt to fly. She closed her eyes in a panic and screamed louder and louder, until she felt a sharp impact around her midsection. Then, the incredible terror of hurtling downward was replaced by the relieving sensation of flying upward. She blinked her eyes open, and found herself being lifted upwards by Briarthorn, who maintained a tight grip on her as he soared back towards the Thunder.

“Hoo, hoo! Lady Rarity. You’ve sure got a real set of lungs on you, you know that? Good quality for a lady to have!” he laughed, “Come on, let’s get you back inside. We’re going to have to pull a loop, tighten out this big stretch, but once we’re done, we’re done!”

“Oh... oh thank goodness, Briarthorn...” she breathed, gripping onto him as tightly as she could. “I knew I should’ve put on those gaudy horseshoes... but they were so tacky!”

“Hey, the shoes? Function over form. But you’re immune to that kinda thing with the jumpsuit, I think. Hoo! You’re like a gem in that flight suit. Dig the goggles too, very chic.” He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. “That whole ensemble? Fits you like an evening-wear stocking, darling. Mm mm mm!”

“If finished schmoozing out there, Briarthorn,” came Blackburn’s voice over the comm channel, “Diffusion shield is up. Suffered severe damage, recharging at accelerated pace. Everypony inside. Making for the Belt of Tranquility, don’t want to be outside ship.”

“Finishing schmoozing now, Your Majesty, en route to last pass over the ship!”  
Briarthorn acknowledged.

Rainbow and Pinkie looped around up top to help get Twilight and Crossfire off the roof, and got a solid grip on them before the polarization field was deactivated. They arrived at the airlock first, setting their passengers gently inside and giving everypony a chance to rest. Briarthorn’s last loop pulled the trail behind him up, and over the ship, tightening it and polarizing it to the field, before landing inside with Rarity in tow. The luster drained out of him, and he stopped glowing as he set her down. He turned unsteadily to the entry port. After making sure the shield had fully-encompassed the hatch, he slowly closed it, and carefully locked it. Only then did he turn back inside, nearly tripping over his own hooves in time to be beset upon by Rarity again.

“You glorious stallion!” she declared, giving him a big peck on the cheek, “Oh thank you-” Another peck. “Thank you-” And another. “Thank you!” And another.

“W-whoa... couldn’t... wait? I... I... love ...m-my job...” Briarthorn muttered as he drifted into unconsciousness, crumpling over onto the floor gracelessly.

“Eh?” Rarity blinked. “Briarthorn? Briarthorn! Ooh! You cad! Falling asleep when a lady is graciously giving you a gift for a heroic-”

“Hang on, Rarity... something’s wrong...” Twilight said nervously as she lit up her horn. “Oh dear... something’s very wrong here...”

“What is it, darling?” Rarity asked in a panic.

“No time to worry,” Blackburn’s voice called over the intercom, “Diffusion feedback. Dangers of the trade. Get him further inside, will help with recovery when safe.” She addressed Gadget directly now, not calling anything out over the intercom. “Third cruiser still in pursuit. Direct maximum power allowance to rear engines, maximum speed. Need to reach Belt before they catch up.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Gadget confirmed.

The Thunder lunged forward in a sharp burst of speed and dived down to skim the ocean surface, narrowly avoiding another salvo of magical blasts that exploded harmlessly against the rough waters, though some managed to skim the Thunder’s Diffusion shield and reflected harshly away before exploding equally harmlessly in the open air.

“Approaching Belt of Tranquility,” she announced as they approached the massive storm cloud that stretched across the sky ahead of them, “Status on Diffusion recharge?”

“Shield has recovered to ninety-four percent, recovering at rate of one percent per minute. Holding steady,” Gadget reported, “Engine power dropping, diverting energy to-”

“Not yet,” Blackburn interrupted, “Cruiser still gaining on us. Not diverting course, not slowing. Intends to follow into the Belt? Curious...”

The Thunder passed into the Belt of Tranquility with a jolt, causing the ship to shake for a brief moment before regaining stability again. Blackburn frowned as despite all anticipations, the final cruiser that could pursue them was actually doing so and was gaining fast. As the other ship entered the Belt of Tranquility, it was beset upon by great streams of magical, hostile lightning that ripped into it with great green explosions. These same bursts were striking against the Thunder’s Diffusion shield harmlessly.

Gadget suddenly turned to her, an eyebrow raised. “Your Highness... we’re being hailed by the enemy cruiser.”

Blackburn nodded. “Put it through.”

Gadget tapped a button on the control panel, and the large viewpanel above it descended and flickered to life. Blackburn narrowed her eyes at the pony standing there, who gave her an equally angry scowl. He was a dull pink pegasus with a short, gray mane and tail, and a big, bushy mustache to match. He was wearing the same black armor that was common of all NPAF soldiers, and unlike the multitude of robotic ponies manning stations in the background of his end of the screen, he was not wearing his helmet. Instead he was wearing a wide-brimmed, black military cap adorned with all sorts of medals in golds, silvers, bronzes, and other colors.

“Admiral Hotstreak, then?” Blackburn sneered, “Not surprised you weren’t commanding lead ship. Nor that you anticipated escape trajectory after first two cruisers disabled. Kept out of sight behind other cruisers. Your reputation precedes you.”

“As does yours, Queen Blackburn,” Hotstreak nodded cordially, though he still wore the same scowl, “Attempting to escape into the Belt of Tranquility, knowing my ships can’t follow because we lack Diffusion generators due to the energy requirements, and I didn’t have the time to conscript enough pegasi to do the job. A wise move... risky, but wise indeed.”

“‘Risk’ implies chance of failure. Odds in my favor, ‘risk’ factor negligible. Turn back, Hotstreak. As said, your ship lacks Diffusion shield. Other ships are crippled, own being crippled as we speak. Still a chance to return to Pandemonium.”

“Your Majesty!” Gadget blurted, “Weapons lock! He’s... he’s firing the Devastator Cannon!”

Blackburn turned back to Hotstreak and made to speak, before he interrupted her, “It’s just you and me out here, Queen Blackburn. None of your citizens to attempt to goad into betraying you, as futile a gesture I know that would be; no subordinate captains of mine to raise questions and possibly betray me, which would be a possibility. I have no need to pretend any longer about my intentions. My ship won’t make it back if I stay out here much longer, and everypony will think I went down chasing after the fleeing ruler of the greatest thorn in the NPAF’s side since-”

Blackburn smirked, “The founding of Pandemonium? Touched that my family legacy has left that much impact. Bigger threat than Fort Serenity was? Truly touched.”

Hotstreak sneered, but continued, “Now, I’m certain you know that’s not why I’m after you. If I was, I’d have continued to bombard your pathetic city until you surrendered, and even if you didn’t, you couldn’t stay in those bunkers forever. No, I needed certain guests in your city’s care to be out in the open, and once my information confirmed that they were, I needed to make sure they didn’t go into those bunkers of yours. I needed them to flee, but with my captains nearby I couldn’t make it known I was after them. You? They have no problem chasing after you even if it’s a suicide run. So, that’s we’re going with. I’m a slave to appearances.”

“Know the feeling,” Blackburn said appreciatively, “Understandable.”

“I want your ‘cargo’, Blackburn,” Hotstreak demanded, pounding a hoof on his control console, “Surrender it, now, and I’ll let you return to Hope’s Point, and you’ll have time to lick your wounds. I’ll have my shot at you another day. I am afraid we’re pressed for time. If you-”

Blackburn sneered again, “Refuse, you fire Devastator Cannon. Would destroy this ship, kill them anyway. Well-played.” She turned to Gadget. “Gadget. Divert power to Diffusion shield, maximum allowance. Disable all auxiliary systems, reconfigure shield for rear impact. Engines at minimal output, dynamic thrusters offline.”

“Yes, Your majesty,” Gadget gulped.

“You think your Diffusion shield will be enough to withstand a blast from this hulking beast’s main cannon?” Hotstreak asked tentatively, “Bold decision. I know that your city’s force field can, but is that little ship’s shield as strong as the city’s? It very well might be... but we’ll just have to test your confidence in that techno-magic then, won’t we? Either way, farewell Queen Blackburn.” On his end of the screen, they could see Hotstreak push a large red button on the side of his console.

“Main cannon charging...” Gadget nervously reported, “Impact in ten.”

“Comms off,” Blackburn nodded. Gadget pushed a button again and the admiral vanished from view. The cockpit went eerily dark, as did the rest of the ship.

“Five...” Gadget breathed, “Four... three... two... one... im-”


	30. Immolation

Havocwing blasted apart a mechanical pony with an explosive ball of fire, then swerved to the side to avoid being shot by its counterparts. She twirled into the cover of a burned out building, using it for cover from the flechette rounds that were being fired her way. When the sounds of spiked bullets striking the wall stopped, she chanced a peek around the wall’s edge, aggravated at the sight of a dozen familiar-looking robots advancing on her position

“Pfh, this is stupid,” she said. “We picked a bad time to break into the city. Of all the times for the dumb military to come flying in.”

“Surely this is not mere coincidence.”

Havocwing jumped in surprise as Starlight teleported in beside her. “Damnit, sis, don’t do that crap!”

“Apologies, Havoc.”

Starlight tilted her head around the corner towards the approaching troops, half of whom were attempting to flank their position. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the small wrecked structure behind the soldiers. It matched the description that Curaçao had given on the underground entrances: a white box with a metal door, labeled with bright, colorful orange markings. She couldn’t make out any of the writing, as the damage to the building was too severe.

“So then, it is perceptible that this route has likewise been demolished. This impedes our hunt for an avenue to the underground facilities.”

“No luck from the others, either?”

Starlight sighed. “Negative. Every underground entrance we have located has been sabotaged. The Hope’s Point militia is thorough, if nothing else.”

Havocwing slumped against the wall. “Damnit, where’s Curaçao when you need her?” She peeked behind the corner and saw the Troopers taking defensive positions. “Yo sis, you wanna help me clear these out?”

“Squandering our time is unwise,” Starlight noted, lighting up her horn. “Let us reunite with the others at the rendezvous point.”

Havocwing groaned. “Fine, fine. You’re right, blowing these stupid machines up isn’t any fun anyway.”

With a flash and a pop, the two mares warped into existence in Hope’s Point’s city square. Havocwing tilted her head back to sneer at the cruisers flying overhead. They were easy to see from any point in the city, as there were no tall buildings to obscure their view. They had ruined everything about their plan, and their slow demolition of the city was further impeding their progress.

“Where’s everypony else?” Havocwing asked, glancing around the empty square.

“Disappointing,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “They surely wandered off again. They are not as despondent as you, sister, when concerning the destruction of these mechanical collections of scrap metal. Velvet in particular seemed peculiarly enthusiastic.”

A large explosion drew their attentions east.

Havocwing sighed. “That sounds like Gray to me. Let’s go get her then look for the others.”

She took wing and raced off in the direction of the noise, with Starlight galloping at full speed behind her. They weaved their way through city streets, passing derelict buildings that had once housed all manners of businesses. They rounded another corner, and saw what was left of a squad, only half a dozen Troopers, each of them aiming skyward and firing rounds at an airborne target. Havocwing kept her focus on the squad, not bothering to look up; she knew what was coming next.

Grayscale crashed to the ground, tearing apart cement and creating a crater several yards across on impact. The troopers that were too close to her landing point were blown apart. Those that weren’t were knocked flying.

She lifted off again and charged at the nearest trooper, punching its head clean off with a heavy-weighted hoof. She swept towards another trooper, kicking it hard in the midsection and shattering it into pieces.

The last remaining soldier aimed its shoulder-mounted guns at Grayscale and fired. Grayscale flicked her wings, and the incoming rounds plinked harmlessly to the cement yards away from their target.

She lunged forward, flicked her wings again, and kicked the machine in the chest. Hard. It screeched past the alley where Havocwing and Starlight were standing and observing the battle.

Grayscale flicked her wings again, and the machine slammed into the wall of another building and exploded.

She snorted and strode towards her sisters. A noise behind her drew her attention, and she tilted her head to look. The trooper was attempting to get back up.

With several powerful strokes, she flapped her wings, causing the trooper to collapse under its own weight. Her continued flapping forced the machine into the ground. It attempted to stand, but its leg twisted and snapped off the instant it touched the ground. Sparks flew as the pressure crushed its head before grinding its entire body into a pile of scrap.

Starlight teleported to Grayscale’s side. “Sister, did you not hear your elder sister’s command? We are to sojourn at the rendezvous point—"

“I heard just fine, Star.” Grayscale shrugged. “Big sis’s orders don’t really matter. If I don’t want to follow them, I’m not gonna follow them.” She stretched her wings and legs, and yawned. “Besides, waiting around in one spot is dumb. Those things tried to ambush me.”

“Regardless of how ‘dumb’ it was, that was the command issued,” Starlight said, poking Grayscale in the chest. “I expected better of you, Grayscale. Insubordination is typically not your forte.”

“It is when I get dumb orders.”

“Hey, don’t call my orders dumb!” Havocwing shouted, swooping over to Grayscale. “I didn’t hear anypony else suggest any ideas.”

Starlight stared at Grayscale for a moment, deep in thought. “Very well. They are obtuse, then,” she said, giving Grayscale an encouraging look.

Havocwing furrowed her brow. “Well I guess that—"

“That also means ‘dumb’,” Grayscale said.

Starlight’s eyes darted between Grayscale and the increasingly-agitated Havocwing. “Torpid.”

“Torpid... hey, that word sounds pretty cool,” Havocwing said. “Almost like torpedo. Yeah! I’m a torped—"

“Also, ‘dumb’.” Grayscale shrugged and ruffled Starlight’s mane. “You’re bad at this, little sis.”

“Remove your hooves from my mane at once!” Starlight glared and stomped her hoof. “I am attempting to conform to Havoc’s command. I am not insinuating that her proposals are ‘dumb’, you are. I am merely suggesting vocabulary that may allow you to establish your intended meaning—"

“By using words that are too big for Havoc to understand,” Grayscale finished. “In other words, taking advantage of her being ‘dumb’.”

Starlight’s eyes darted back and forth between Havocwing and Grayscale before she cleared her throat. “That was... not my intention. You are purposefully misinterpreting and over-simplifying the definitions of my suggested vocabulary. ‘Obtuse’ means—"

Havocwing flailed her hooves in the air, sending flames dancing about. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” She snapped a hoof upwards with an air of authority. “New rule! Every time somepony uses a fancy word to veil an insult, they have to put a bit in the Veiled Insult Jar.”

Starlight blinked, dumbfounded. “The... Veiled Insult Jar?”

“Yeah! Also, I’m gonna need a jar. I don’t know what kind of sizes they come in, but... small enough to carry around and large enough to hold a good number of bits, I guess.”

“Havoc, you’re an idiot,” Grayscale said, blunt as ever.

“Hey! Buck you, you get to put the first bit in!”

“Technically, Havoc, that was not a ‘veiled’ insult,” Starlight said.

“Shut up! Bucking crap, you two, just... just shut up!” 

They stayed quiet, though Grayscale kept a light smirk on her face.

Havocwing took a deep breath. “Okay, now, all we need to do is find Insipid and—"

“Hee-eeey!”

Havocwing froze up in surprise and fell flat to the ground.

Velvet bounded over Havocwing, landing with her hooves on either side of the pegasus, and started bouncing excitedly. “Hey Havoc! I just got finished breaking fifty more of those robo-ponies! Let’s see, with Grayscale’s extra fifteen, and your extra... what, five? That puts me in the lee-ead,” she sing-songed.

“I stopped counting a while ago,” Havocwing said, snorting smoke into Velvet’s face. “Stupid robots don’t count towards anything anyway. All that matters are those idiots.” She grunted and poked Velvet in the nose. “And you’re supposed to be helping us find our way down into the underground! Breaking robots is helping how?”

“Uh...” Velvet tilted her head back to the tendril form on her back. “Hey Clottles, how does breaking robots help again? I forgot.”

“Well, Red, it’s merely an application of practice,” Clottles said via Velvet’s increasingly worse ventriloquism. “Without your fear powers, you must rely entirely on your blood powers. So, it makes sense to practice using them on ponies that can’t feel fear anyway. You’re a little rusty with them, after all.”

Velvet turned back to Havocwing. “See? Clottles is smart. I’m not as good with my blood stuff, so I’m trying to improve!”

Havocwing stared at the large tendril, and shook her head when it winked back. “Red, you... no, nevermind, no comment. Gotta try and be a good leader.” She scrambled to her hooves and straightened her mane. “Okay okay, that’s one missing pony. Now where the hell is Insipid?”

Her eyes widened as she stared at Starlight. “Wait a second, where the hell is Insipid? Didn’t Curaçao and I order you to keep an eye on her?!” She put her face in her hooves. “Great, now we have to hope she didn’t get distracted by anything shiny!”

Starlight frowned, brushing Havocwing’s hoof aside when the pegasus started poking her. “Cease your agitation, sister. Insipid is currently under surveillance as ordered. I possess knowledge of everypony’s whereabouts, if you recall?” She rubbed the back of her head, then shrugged. “Well, excepting Curaçao, of course. Some manner of magic is preventing me from sensing her coordinates underground.”

Havocwing rolled her eyes. “Well at least you have Insipid on a leash, then, even if it’s kind of a long one. Where is she?”

Starlight pointed west. “The rendezvous point. It is evident she has returned there, perhaps after becoming disinterested with whatever diverted her attention in the first place.”

Havocwing took to the air and headed back to the city square with the others behind her. She flew a quick lap over the meeting spot, then swooped down when she caught sight of Insipid huddled near the wrecked fountain in the center. Applejack’s stetson still rested unevenly on the unicorn’s head, and she seemed to be distracted by something in her hooves.

“Yo! Insipid!” Havocwing called. She landed next to Insipid and stomped towards her. “Where the hell have you—" Havocwing reached out to shake Insipid’s shoulder. 

The unicorn snapped her hoof up and batted Havocwing away. “It’s mine! Get away!” she exclaimed, tucking her hooves away to hide something.

Havocwing huffed and shook her hoof. “Geez, calm down sis. I’m not gonna take your... whatever you found.” She scratched her head. “Uh... what did you find anyway? Is it cool?”

Insipid brightened and showed off her prize, a sparkling green gemstone that emitted a soft glow that highlighted her face. “Do you like him?!” she asked, lifting it up with a proud smile on her face.

“Wait... him?”

“Yeah! Oh, let me introduce you.” She presented the gem to Havoc with a wide grin. “Havoc, this is Jerry. Jerry, this is Havoc.”

“Jerry?” Havocwing stared at Insipid, then muttered to herself, “What the hell is wrong with everypony?”

“I found him while I was, like, looking around the fashion district for an entrance and junk? Check him out! He’s so shiny! And green! I like green.”

Grayscale swooped in with a heavy landing, knocking Havocwing and Insipid off-balance; the latter fumbled with her hooves to keep the gem from landing on the ground. “I thought blue was your favorite color?” Grayscale asked.

Insipid shot Grayscale a glare, then scrambled back a little as Velvet and Starlight approached as well. “Pfft, not anymore,” she snorted, turning her nose up and scrunching it as if the thought of the color disgusted her. “Blue is a totally lame color. Only major grody losers like blue.”

“Uh... you realize Gray is blue... right?” Havocwing asked.

Insipid either didn’t hear the comment, or ignored it. “Green is, like, so much better? I mean, like, green is just... it’s pretty! I don’t know why I like it!”

Starlight laughed. “I theorize that it is because green is associated with greed and envy. A perfectly natural preference, Insipid.”

“I prefer red,” Velvet said, swinging a bloody tendril around with flair. “It’s the best color there is! The color of blood, and murder, and it’s even my name! How cool is that? Not like gray, which is a totally dull color, and is part of Gray’s name, since she’s totally dull.”

“Are we done wasting time with favorite colors?” Havocwing asked, tapping her hooves on the pavement. “We need to find an entrance underground. Star says you guys couldn’t find any either?”

“Negative.” “Nope!” “Nuh-uh.”

Havocwing groaned and slumped to the ground. “We’ve swept the whole city by now! Where the hell are we gonna find an entrance now?”

“Tell me again, like, why Star can’t just blow a hole through the ground?” Insipid asked, twirling her new gem around on the tip of her hoof. As it caught the light, the gem started spreading the green light over the others as well.

“Curaçao’s most recent report concerned some manner of framework underground that restrains the earth,” Starlight explained. “And, with the methods that they are crafted in, there exist undue risks to entering via force.”

She used her magic and her hooves to give a presentation of the idea, creating a shimmering display of magic that resembled a half-sphere.

“If I simply blasted through, the entire underground could possibly collapse,” she said, punching her hoof through the magic to demonstrate. The dome of magic she’d created collapsed under its own artificial weight. 

“Curaçao expressed her certainty that there were countermeasures installed to prevent such an action, and with the barrier reactivated, I am unsure if it would be wise to force the issue.”

“Weren’t you listening to Curaçao’s reports at all, Insipid?” Havocwing asked, crossing her hooves.

“Nope,” Insipid said as she juggled her gemstone.

Havocwing hung her head. “How did I know you were gonna say that?”

“I’ve got, like, better things to do than listen to what dumb ol’ not-perfect Curaçao has to say. If she’s so smart, why aren’t we underground already?”

“Well, whatever.” Havocwing sighed and scratched her head. “Now what? We can’t just wait around here until Curaçao gets in contact with us again, can we?”

“Waiting around doing nothing sounds like a good plan to me,” Grayscale said before letting out a great yawn and flopping to the ground.

“Dammit, this is wasting time!” Havocwing shouted, stomping her hooves on the pavement.

Starlight suddenly jerked upwards and staggered back. She looked shocked, and her eyes were glowing a dim white.

“Um... you okay, sis?” Havocwing asked.

Starlight shook her head, and her eyes returned to normal. “An abundance of magic, surging forth from underneath us. The barrier—"

Velvet pointed upwards, bouncing on all four hooves to get everypony’s attention. “Hey look, check it out!”

Everypony else looked skyward. The murky, orange sky that had been unobstructed was now obscured once again by a golden sheen. The three cruisers fired their weapons at the reactivated force field, but their attempts simply exploded against the barrier, sending out ripples of magic as the impact force scattered about. Nothing was getting through that barrier.

“The shield’s back up?” Havocwing grunted and scratched her head. “Curaçao’s supposed to be keeping it down until we meet up. What gives?”

Velvet nervously rubbed her leg. “You don’t think anything’s happened to her, do you? Curaçao’s all by herself down there, what if—"

“She’ll be fine.” Grayscale said, stretching out her legs like a cat. “She’s probably hiding somewhere and got tired of waiting for us to get down there. I know I’m tired of waiting for us to get down there.”

“The barrier is as resistant as ever,” Starlight observed, tapping her chin. “However, I am not detecting techno-magic signatures from the remnants of the city. They solely reactivated the shield, so as to safeguard the city from the cruisers, it seems.”

“And that means?” Havocwing asked.

“It signifies the fact that our route underground remains barred.”

“Hey look!” Velvet pointed skyward again. “The cruisers are turning around!”

The three large aircraft above them slowly rotated south, activating their powerful rear engines and racing off towards the sea. The large side hatches were already opening, waves of airborne A.M.P. Troopers streaming out like bees from a hive.

“They’re leaving?” Havocwing scratched her head. “Why would they leave? Aren’t they here to destroy the city?”

“If they were here to destroy anything, they would’ve been firing weapons before that shield went up,” Grayscale pointed out. “They’re heading south, so they’re after somepony.”

“After somepony...” Havocwing jerked her head up. “Aw crap! You don’t think—"

“It would seem our counterparts have acquired a means of transportation,” Starlight said, her mouth curling in a sneer. “Of course, that is a mere assumption. It may possibly be them, but it may possibly not be.”

“Whether it is or isn’t, we need to get a ship for ourselves, and fast! Come on, there’s gotta be some way underground that we haven’t thought of yet!” Havocwing shouted, darting her head back and forth in hopes of finding a point of entry.

“We could always dig,” Velvet said, pointing at one of her shovel-shaped tendrils.

“Dig? Like, ew, totally. Major. Grody,” Insipid said, pulling her head back and making a face of disgust. “That’ll, like, get me all dirty and junk? Daddy says that cleanliness is next to... uh... perfectness, so if I get dirty, that makes me less perfect? Right?”

“Oh, quit whining and dig!” Velvet shouted, jabbing her shovel into the ground and demonstrating. “♫Heigh ho, heigh ho. It’s off to work we go.”

“Digging’s gonna take forever!” Havocwing groaned. “C’mon, can’t you guys think of anything faster? We can’t blast our way down, and I’m not gonna sit here and dig for three days, so what else is there?”

“I suppose I could attempt a teleportation,” Starlight mused.

“Don’t you need to see where you’re going to do that?”

Starlight smiled and tapped her head. “Curaçao’s last known location was within the underground passages. In theory, a successful teleport could transport one to a location they have had described in detail to them.”

“So... you can teleport us down there?”

“Again, in theory. Reports on the success of such a feat are scarce. Hence my hesitation to suggest it earlier.”

Havocwing pumped a hoof. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! C’mon, Star, whip that sucker up! Let’s go!” She stared at Starlight a moment, noticing the unicorn not lighting up her horn at all. “Uh... that’s an order?”

Starlight scuffed her hoof against the pavement. “Are you positive this is an erudite decision? There is a certain element of danger to such a feat. Accuracy is hardly guaranteed, safety even less so.”

“Better than waiting around up here,” Havocwing said. She pointed to her left. “Look at Grayscale, she’s bored out of her mind!”

Starlight stared at Grayscale, who was staring off into space, her face the perfect display of a complete lack of interest. “Havoc, Grayscale constantly wears that expression.”

“Nevermind,” Havocwing dismissed. She pointed her hoof downwards. “C’mon, let’s see what you’ve got! I bet that little wuss Twilight Sparkle couldn’t do it. You’re better than her, right?”

Starlight snapped to attention, her eyes flashing with anger. “I am irrefutably superior to Twilight Sparkle!”

Havocwing smirked. “Well, prove it then!”

“Very well.” Starlight nodded, and turned to the rest of the group. “Everypony gather around me.” As the others grouped up tightly around her, she added, “I must inform you all that this may be... unpleasant.”

***

Starlight and her sisters blinked into existence underground, and landed hard on a cold steel floor.

Havocwing groaned and tried to stand upright, but was buried under a pile of mares. “Oww... why do I always end up on the bottom?” She started to furiously scrape her tongue. “Ugh! This time everything tastes green! Why does everything taste green? Blech... ech...”

“My gemstone! It melted!” Insipid wailed, trying to scoop up the remains of her gem which were now just a liquid mess all over Havocwing’s face. “Nooo! Havoc! Stop, like, eating Jerry! You’re not a dragon!”

Starlight leapt off the pile of mares and brushed herself off. She twirled around, examining her surroundings, quite pleased to find herself exactly where she thought she should be. “This is... yes! Brilliant! Ha ha! My theory was legitimate!”

“Starlight!” Insipid barked, leaping off the pile herself and shaking what was left of her gem in Starlight’s face. “You melted Jerry!”

“Jerry?” Starlight asked, turning to Havocwing.

“Don’t ask.”

Starlight shook her head. “Right. Yes. We will... procure a replacement for you, Insipid. Do not... grieve. For Jerry.”

“But Staaar...”

“Relax, Insipid,” Velvet chirped, bounding over and putting her hoof on Insipid’s shoulder. “Think of it this way: once we find a ship, we can find those idiots, and then we can do all sorts of unspeakable things to them!”

“Like, how will that help?”

“Well, think about it! If we didn’t need to go chasing them, then Star wouldn’t have needed to do that fancy teleport, and Jerry wouldn’t haven’t been made into pasty goo!”

Insipid burst into tears. “Waaah! Jerry is dea-hea-head!”

Starlight sighed and put a hoof to her face. “Tactful as always, Velvet.”

“Well, revenge is the best medicine there is,” Velvet said, sticking out her tongue.

“Where are we, anyway?” Havocwing asked, floating into the air.

“Well, this should be within proximity of one of the traditional entrances to the underground,” Starlight mused. She hummed and pointed off towards the large red and gold structure in the distance. “That seems a good landmark to utilize for now, would you agree? I believe Curaçao made mention of it.”

“Yeah, sure, let’s go. Curaçao’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

Grayscale yawned. “I hope so.”

“Follow me,” Starlight said, lighting up her horn.

She led them through the underground city streets, which, unlike the upper levels, had minimal businesses but a large amount of residential complexes. The silence was disturbing; she could hear her own hoofsteps echoing around her. As with the surface, everything was abandoned, including the hospital, which she’d expected would at least be treating anypony wounded in the assault. Then again, Curaçao had informed them that the city had been evacuated. It was likely the citizenry were all holed up in some bunker further underground.

The artificial sun above was dimmer than she remembered it being described. The eerie darkness of the streets made her feel as though she were back in New Pandemonium City’s smog-blanketed streets, only there was no power in any of the street lights, neon signs, or windows of buildings. She could barely see more than a block ahead.

Most importantly, she took note of the myriad bullet holes and scorch marks dotting the buildings, and the wreckage of A.M.P. Troopers that lay strewn about. Curiously, the wrecked robot soldiers had all been piled neatly along the sides of the street like garbage. 

She turned to Havocwing, hovering just at her side, and saw the pegasus looking at it all with just as much scrutiny. “Are you pondering what I am pondering, Havoc?”

“I think so, Star, but this really isn’t the time to be thinking about getting a timeshare.”

“...what?”

“What?”

“I was referring to the shattered remains of—"

“Oh! Right, I was... uh...” Havocwing nodded and crossed her legs. “I know what a fight looks like, and there was definitely some fighting going on here. Those robo-ponies might not be a match for us, but they’d make quick work of average ponies I think. I don’t think this was done by those idiots either.”

“Then it may be prudent for us to maintain vigilance,” Starlight said, glancing about more diligently. “Whoever or whatever produced these results may still linger in our proximity.”

The group rounded a corner and moved towards an intersection in the streets. The buildings on the four corners were tall, three-storied structures with few identifying features aside from signs that marked them as residential complexes. This intersection was devoid of the wrecked mechanical soldiers, and looked as though it hadn’t seen much combat at all.

Velvet lagged behind, before suddenly stopping as the group approached the center. It took a moment for Havocwing and everypony else to notice.

Havocwing turned first, and gestured forward with a hoof. “Yo Red, keep those hooves steppin’, we’ve got ground to cover. What’s the holdup?”

Velvet sniffed the air. A red tint crept into her eyes, and her mouth broke into a wide, fanged smile. “I smell blood.”

She crept towards one of the buildings, then lashed a tendril towards the corner, bursting through the metal and concrete wall. She cackled as her tendril squirmed about in the rubble, until at last she yanked out a pegasus clad in red and gold armor. There was a wound on his exposed front leg.

She drew him to her, her cackling growing louder. “Well hello there! Aren’t you a delicious morsel?”

“One of the Hope’s Point Militia?” Starlight mused. She glanced about the intersection, curious. “What is a solitary soldier loitering in this vicinity—"

“Halt! Stand down, or we will open fire!” called a voice from the second story of one of the buildings.

Starlight and her sisters backed into one another, as multiple other ponies clad in the same armor poked out from hiding spots scattered throughout the other buildings. The soldiers aimed weaponry in their direction: unicorns levitated guns with their magic, pegasi had guns mounted on their forelegs, and earth ponies had shoulder-mounted attachments. Their faces were hidden behind armored helmets.

“It would seem we have uncovered the source of the conflict,” Starlight noted. “An ambush? I suspect it was not laid for us.”

“Yeah well, whoever they are, they’re making a mistake messing with us,” Havocwing snorted. She lifted one hoof up just slightly, letting it glow white-hot. “They don’t wanna mess with the best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium.”

“Release your prisoner immediately! You will only be given one warning!” shouted one soldier. He was on the second floor of the building opposite Starlight and Havocwing, poking his gun out the window.

Velvet sneered and made to say something, but Starlight stopped her with a hoof to her mouth.

“Release your prey, Velvet,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “We would do well to cooperate at present.”

“Hell no!” Velvet hissed. “We can handle—"

“Regardless of that, I recognize an opportunity in our present situation. Do not jeopardize that.”

Velvet snorted. “Whatever. Sure.” She chuckled and bopped the soldier’s nose. “You’re lucky my little sister wants me to spare you... for now. See you soon though, cutie.”

She dropped the pony, and he hastily limped back to his original hiding spot before grabbing his weapon and pointing it back at her, his aim pathetically shaky.

“State your names and business!” called the soldier from before.

Starlight turned back to face the soldier in question, guessing him to be the leader of the squad. “Our identities and affairs are our own. We have no desire to share them with you or with anypony.”

“I didn’t ask, miss! That’s a command! Identify yourselves, or we will open fire!”

Havocwing groaned. “Let’s just take care of this and get back to looking for Curaçao,” she said, aiming her hoof at the soldier and sparking up a flame.

Starlight set a hoof on Havocwing’s shoulder. “Hold, sister.”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow. “Star?”

“Fighting expends time, something which we possess little of currently. Let us make an attempt at cooperation.”

Havocwing stared. “You’re kidding.”

Starlight shook her head. “I do not make this suggestion in jest. As I asserted to Velvet, I recognize an opportunity in our present situation. Allow me.”

She stepped forward towards the building, just once, as it was clear to see that all twenty soldiers in the intersection had their weapons trained on her. She heard some of them cock their weapons, and she caught sight of a tiny, red dot of light just in front of her on the ground. If not for how dark the rest of the area was, she’d have thought it part of the pavement. She noticed that the dot did not seem to be coming from any of their weapons, but it wavered just slightly around her hooves. Curious.

“Very well, if it will hasten us along, my name is Starlight Shadow,” she announced, her tone as cordial as she could manage. “My sisters and myself are seeking passage across the sea, and we arrived in the city amidst the assault. We wish to cooperate, if that will allow us to be sped on our way.”

The soldier put his hoof to his ear for a brief moment, pausing briefly and lowering his weapon. After a few seconds, he nodded and leveled his gun again. “Nopony’s leaving the city right now!” he shouted. “If you’re looking for passage, then you will be placed under custody until such time as we can look into granting your request!”

Starlight took a deep breath. “I shall repeat myself. My sisters and myself are seeking passage across the sea. We wish to cooperate in any fashion that will allow us to depart before the day is done. However, I am afraid that ‘custody’ is not something my sisters and I can consent to submitting ourselves to, sir.”

The soldier placed his hoof to his ear again, nodded, and turned back to Starlight. “Then, you are refusing to cooperate! As you are not cooperating with our requests, we will take you into custody by force!”

Havocwing snorted and stepped up to Starlight’s side. “Your negotiations need some work, Star.”

Starlight shrugged. “Well, I did attempt mediation to the best of my ability, so you cannot fault me for their stubbornness. Perhaps intimidation would be a more preferred alternative. Shall I?”

Havocwing gave a jovial laugh and pat Starlight on the back. “Whoa, you kidding? No way! I’m the boss now, Star, let me do the intimidating. Ain’t anypony here better at it!” 

She stepped forward and shouted towards the soldier that Starlight had been negotiating with. “Hey you, pinhead! Listen up!”

The soldier, again, placed a hoof to his ear. Starlight was growing curious with the gesture, as she recognized its similarity to the late Commander Jetstream and how he issued orders to his A.M.P. Troopers during their test. The other soldiers did not appear to do the same, and were not adjusting themselves to anything. Perhaps this soldier was the one taking orders?

“Your attempts at negotiation have failed, miss!” the soldier shouted. “We are taking you into custody until further notice, so stand down, or we will be forced to open fire!”

Havocwing chuckled. “Look, buddy, we’re not scared of a little action, okay? Do you have any idea who we are?” she asked, gesturing to her sisters. “We’re not some punk mares here, bucko. Whatever you’re thinking, you’d better think again!” She snapped one hoof into the air, igniting it with a billowing flame. “Otherwise, I’m gonna have to come up there, and I will rain down a bucking firestorm on you! I will massacre you! I will buck you up!”

“Miss, I will give you one last warning! Stand down, or we will open fire!” The soldier cocked his gun, then perked up and put his hoof to his ear. He nodded once, but kept his gun trained on the group, specifically Red Velvet.

Then, the tiny red dot swept up Havocwing’s leg. Starlight’s eyes widened as it placed itself squarely between Havocwing’s eyes; her horn began to glow, starting up a threat detection spell. Is that a-

Havocwing spat on the ground and reared her flame-armed hoof back. “Kiss my bucking—"

There was a distant boom, and Starlight’s blood went cold.

Almost simultaneously, a blinding flash illuminated the city for a mile around. 

Havocwing flinched to the side. Her eyes crossed to look at her forehead, where a bullet was still rapidly spinning, just an inch from her face, held in place by a bright, silver glow. She managed a tiny chuckle before passing out.

“Open fire! Open fire!”

Starlight, her horn aglow and her eyes flaring a bright white, snapped her head up towards the voice from before. Her horn erupted with all the brightness of a small star, sending a ripple of magical power bursting outwards, shaking the ground and causing tiny pieces of rubble to float into the air. 

A volley of bullets sprayed at the collected mares; every single one was caught in a tiny pocket of silver light in her otherwise-invisible force field. Starlight’s aura expanded further and further, gathering the bullets in a ball that she collected in front of her.

“You... have committed a grave error!”

With a snort, she sucked in her aura and unleashed the ball of bullets out towards the buildings, forcing the soldiers to take cover; some of them were clipped, but there were no direct hits.

It only took seconds to charge another spell, and with it she fired a fearsome blast of energy at the building directly in front of her. The blast tore into the building’s second floor, vaporizing it and the two soldiers that taken cover there and leaving a smooth, smoldering hole in its wake.

The soldiers peeked out of cover and let loose another barrage, but she managed again to catch every single one and fire them right back. 

She turned back to face her sisters, her eyes still burning white. “Annihilate them!”

***

Grayscale chuckled and kicked some small rocks up off the ground, then spun around and kicked them towards one of the buildings. As they flew, she flicked her wings, causing the small pebbles to rip through the wall better than the soldiers’ bullets. The soldiers in her target building took cover inside.

She did the same with another set of tiny rocks, and another. Each tiny speck of rock snapped chunks of concrete off and dented metal.

Satisfied that the soldiers had taken adequate cover and would not be poking out to fire at her yet, she soared into the air with a fierce gust of wind, gliding over the building.

There was a soft crack in the distance, and she snapped her head to glance at the bullet that Starlight had caught inches from her nose.

She snorted, then dove at the building, crashed through the roof, and landed on the floor of the third story. Her impact cracked the floor beneath her, the force of which slammed one of the soldiers against the wall.

To his surprise, he did not react in time.

She bucked him in the face, slamming his helmet into the wall and shattering it open. The sound of the skull crunching against concrete was incredibly satisfying.

She reached down, bit down on his tail, and swung him around towards the other soldier in the room, a unicorn, who was taking aim at her. While he was airborne, she flicked her wings again.

The unicorn hesitated to fire at his flying squadmate, and was crushed by the other soldier’s boulder-like weight. He wailed in pain as the impact demolished his armor and shattered his bones.

Grayscale reared up and slammed her hooves down on the pair of ponies, crushing them through the floor and down to the second story. She glanced down and saw the unicorn shakily attempting to aim his weapon up at her.

She looped up and dove at them, crushing them through the second story and down to the ground level. Then, she looped around once more and slammed into them again. 

Grayscale stood atop the broken and twisted bodies of the soldiers in the midst of a newly formed impact crater at the ground floor. She waited a second before leaping off the heap of crushed armor. She gazed down at the pile, and shrugged. 

“Eh. Lightweights.”

She gave herself a good once-over. Blood had splattered on her jumpsuit and coated her boots. She couldn’t feel any injuries; this wasn’t her blood. “So... this is what killing feels like?” she said as she looked over the crater. “Interest—"

She snapped around and flicked her wings, causing a bullet to careen into the floor in front of her. 

A pegasus soldier, who had been taking cover in the corner, was peeking out after taking the shot. He leapt out of his hiding spot to try and get away.

She grunted and flicked her wings again. 

There was a sickening snap, and the soldier crumbled to the floor, legs broken. His gun tumbled off his hoof and slid into the opposite corner.

Grayscale cantered over to him, then circled around his fallen body. He was attempting to crawl to where his gun had fallen. She pressed a hoof against one of his wings, then lifted her hoof and stomped down, crushing it. 

He screamed, but did not stop crawling towards his gun.

“Why do you try?” she asked.

Grayscale circled around in front of him and kneeled down so that they were face to face. His visor kept his face hidden, but she knew he was scared. His hooves were trembling. 

“In the end, nothing matters, you know? You defend your life, but someday, it will end. You defend your home, but someday, it will collapse. So why do you try?”

He didn’t answer, but instead kept moving.

She grunted and pressed her hoof against the top of his head. “Even against insurmountable odds, you still try. Some ponies would find you brave, others would find you stupid. Me?” 

Grayscale lifted her hoof. “What does it matter what I think?”

She stomped down, crushing his skull.

***

Velvet let loose a plethora of bloodied tendrils, literally skipping into the oncoming fire from one of the buildings. Starlight’s protective shield was weakest around her, as Velvet had strayed out of its effective range. Probably more, though, that she willed herself not to take advantage of it. A bullet grazed her, and the pain felt so much different than any other pain she’d felt in a long, long time. 

Adrenaline tasted good. This was a good pain.

She could smell their blood, and drooled at the thought of bathing in it, feasting upon it. She lashed her visceral appendages towards the wall, tearing through cement and metal in an attempt to reach the prizes that lay inside.

The snake-like tendril flowing from her spine sidled up to her ear. “Here is our chance, Red!” Clottles said. “The slaughter! A massacre, like your dear sister said! Let the blood flow!”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Red cheered.

She managed to grab one of the soldiers in a lash, and tore him from his hiding place and threw him into the nearest wall. As she stepped towards him to finish the job, a barrage of bullets from her other side drew her attention away. 

She clicked her tongue. “Man, can’t a girl murder somepony around here without getting distracted?”

She swung a tendril around in a long arc, slicing through the soldier’s cover and just narrowly missed his head.

“See how they gather before you, Red?” Clottles said. “They know not what danger you present. They come at you, like lambs to the slaughter!”

The soldier she’d tossed out earlier took fire, again drawing away her attention.

She snorted. “What does that even mean, anyway? ‘Lambs to the slaughter’? That doesn’t make any sense.” 

She lashed out another tendril, boring into the rubble the soldier was using as cover; he narrowly scrambled out of the way.

“I mean, slaughter I get, lambs I get, but who would slaughter lambs? Besides me, of course.”

A third soldier, on the upper floor of the building, fired a rocket straight at her. She caught it and flung it over her shoulder, where it exploded well out of range.

“It’s just a figure of speech, Red,” Clottles said, impatient.

Velvet lashed out another tendril, catching one of the soldiers by the throat and drawing him to her.

“Tch, whatever,” she said with a shrug. “Where would you even hear a figure of speech like that anyway? Who says that?”

She tossed the soldier, a unicorn, into the air. As he came tumbling down, she jabbed several spikes upwards to meet him.

Clottles shrugged. “I don’t know, but I did hear it somewhere before. It cannot be just coincidence. Besides, doesn’t it sound appropriately bloody and violent?”

Impact.

The soldier wasn’t dead, but he writhed in pain. The spike had pierced his chest, and his blood splattered on the pavement below.

Velvet’s expression remained mostly unchanged, minus one raised eyebrow. “Huh... I thought that would’ve felt better. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually killed anypony. It felt good killing Mister Jetstream! Why doesn’t it feel good hurting this guy?”

She lazily discarded the soldier, tossing him against another nearby wall, then blocked another spread of bullets blazing at her.

Clottles hummed loudly, and snapped a tiny appendage like a finger and thumb. “Ah, maybe it’s because Commander Jetstream was an evil pony? These ponies are just defending their home.”

Velvet jabbed out a tendril and grabbed another soldier, a pegasus, by the throat, jerking him over to her. 

He aimed his gun at her face, but she knocked it off of his hoof.

She huffed, and used her tendril to slowly crush the soldier’s helmet. “Well... that’s no fair.”

“Ah, but there’s the rub,” Clottles said, giving a dark chuckle. “These horrible ponies are trying to hurt you and your sisters, Red. You did nothing to them. They shot first. They’re very bad ponies, Red. Very bad ponies.”

Velvet scratched her head. “Hey... hmm. But what—"

There was another shot, and Velvet shifted her head just to the side, in the direction of the noise. She jerked her head back at the sudden pain of a bullet tearing through her ear.

“Hey!” she yelled, reaching a hoof up to fondle the new hole. “Daddy doesn’t want me to pierce my ears!”

“See?!” Clottles exclaimed. “Vicious brutes!”

Velvet sneered in the direction of the shot, staring directly at the soldier, pointing his smoking gun in her direction.

She smashed the soldier she was holding into the ground, then lashed out and snagged the other soldier in her tendril, drawing him to her with a snap. She licked her lips and placed one tendril squarely on top of his head, the other gripping tightly around his torso. 

With a twist and a tug, she wrenched his head off.

Velvet shuddered in delight as the blood splattered down on her. “Ohh ho ho... that felt awesome!” She turned to her tendril companion, licking her lips clean of red liquid. “Clottles! You’re right, this does feel good! It does taste good! It’s been so long, I forgot what it felt like!”

The tendril chortled and adjusted its monocle. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, dear! But you’re not done yet. More! More to the slaughter! Bathe in their blood! Feast on their remains!”

“A feast! A buffet!” Velvet cheered, clapping her hooves. She grinned wide and turned to her side, towards the pegasus pony that was scrambling for his gun. “Look at all the items on the menu!

♫Food, glorious food!  
I’m anxious to try it.  
Three banquets a day   
—My favorite diet!”

Another tendril lashed out and impaled the fleeing pony through the chest before yanking him over to her.

“♫Just picture a great big steak  
Fried, roasted or stewed.  
Oh, food,  
Wonderful food,  
Marvellous food,  
Glorious food!”

She licked her lips and turned to the beheaded pony in her tendrils. She brightened with an idea, and skewered a tendril through the head and body, connecting them back together. 

“Ha ha! A shish-kabob!” She hummed and tapped her chin. “No no, that’s not right. Shish-kabobs need more meat than this.” She gasped excitedly. “That means... I need. More. Meat!”

She lashed out another tendril up towards the top floor of the building, crashing through metal and concrete in search of the third soldier. A sharp scream made her brighten, and she yanked out the final pony. He’d been impaled through the side, rather than the head, so was very much alive and squirming. An earth pony. She drew him close.

“Hi! What’s your name?”

He didn’t answer.

She shrugged. “Fine, be rude. I was gonna call you lunch anyway!”

***

Insipid scrambled towards one of the buildings, rushing through the line of fire as quickly as her legs could carry her. She clumsily dodged what bullets she could, not that she needed to; none of the bullets came anywhere near her, caught instead in Starlight’s ever-growing shield of silver magic. With every roll, twirl, and leap, she had to hang on desperately to her stetson.

She leapt and landed right in front of the side of building, then yelped and ducked inside when one of the soldiers peaked out and took another shot at her.

“Okay, like, this is so totally lame!” she said with a pout, glancing up out of the doorway. “Like, those jerks will so totally see me coming? How am I gonna... sneak...”

Her frown flipped around into a cheeky grin. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to test out the power she’d acquired from Shadowstep. But how did they work? She focused her mind on it, trying to remember what the smelly assassin looked like when he came and went. 

Her body melted into the shadows of the room, and she gave a triumphant whoop. 

“Aw yeah, here we go! Like, here I—" Insipid grunted as, instead of melting up along the shadows on the wall, she ran right into solid concrete. “Like, hey! What gives?! How does, like, this stupid power work and junk?”

She grumbled and poked her hoof—rather, the edge of her blot—against the wall, again and again until instead of bumping it, it went straight up, successfully sliding into the darkness on the wall. She felt like she was still walking around, but was able to move freely along the vertical surface. Scaling the wall proved easy enough after that, as did slinking along the ceiling and up towards the next floor.

She popped out of the shadows into the room above her, right behind one of the soldiers. He was leaning out the window to try and find where his target had gone.

She tapped the soldier on the shoulder. “Hello!”

The soldier turned, and Insipid punched him in the face with all her might.

“Owww!” she wailed, jerking her hoof away. “Like, oh. My. Stars. That armor’s tough! The hay’s that junk made out of, huh? Like, Obiminimum? Or whatever that metal is. How do you, like, pronounce... oh, you’re probably mad. Are you mad? Yeah you’re mad.”

His partner in the opposite corner, an earth pony, kept his own weapons leveled at them as well.

Insipid gulped. “Uh-oh... uh... my hoof slipped?” She threw her hooves in front of her face. “Don’t hurt meee!”

Then, the soldier’s head and neck violently snapped to the side. A split second passed, and his weapon floated off his hoof into the air, pointed towards the corner, and fired a single shot into the other pony’s visor, knocking him off his hooves.

Insipid stumbled back in surprise. “Like, what the—"

“Ma chérie, are you un’armed?”

Insipid blinked and tilted her head. “Curie?”

Curaçao melted into view, holding the pegasus soldier’s weapon on her own hoof for a brief second before discarding it. “Oui, ma chérie. I am sorry I am late. Are you un’armed zough? Zat ruffian did not ‘urt you, did ‘e?”

Insipid brightened for all of an instant, leaping to her hooves before quickly changing her mind. She snorted, crossed her hooves over her chest, and stuck her nose in the air.

“Like, I didn’t need your help, Curaçao,” she said, over-emphasizing the last syllable. “You are so totally in my way. I like, had everything and covered and junk? And I’m, like, not your cherry, remember? Loser? So why don’t you, like, do what you’re good at or whatever? Disappear.”

Curaçao sighed and nodded, but for a brief moment, said nothing. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet and controlled. “Oui... Insipid. You ‘ad zee ‘ole zing under control.” 

“Cha. I did. I did, didn’t I? So you, like, want to disappear now? You’re, like, in my eye-space? Buzz off?”

“Oui, I vill just ‘buzz off’ zen.” Curaçao shook her head and stepped towards the window. A sharp crack in the air caused the earth pony’s ears to flitter. “So, excuse-moi, I ‘ave somezing to take care of. Au revoir.”

Curaçao leapt out the window, melting back into invisibility mid-jump.

Insipid snorted, looking out the window to watch Curaçao leave despite not being able to see her. “Like, where’s she off to in such a hurry?”

She slapped her hooves together. “Oh! I totally need to tattle to the Boss! I mean, to Havoc! To Star?” She scratched her head, and shrugged. “Well, to whoever I should tattle to. That dummy is late, and I know everypony’s gonna be, like, so totally mad and junk?”

***

Befuddling. Infuriating. Alarming.

Starlight kept her eyes on the tiny red dot that swept along the floor, then snorted, blocking another single bullet that had come from some unseen sharpshooter, just inches from her ear. Even here in the wreckage of one of the buildings, their mystery opponent was still able to keep them effectively pinned down. This was mostly due to Starlight’s waning patience, and because attempts to leave the building had been met with more aggressive tactics.

Her earlier attempt to mass-teleport had been met with a quick, tracer-less shot, and only Grayscale’s quick actions had kept Starlight from taking a bullet to the throat. Unfortunately, this left their minor semblance of cover horribly mangled, leaving Starlight with more angles to watch for incoming fire. With that knowledge, Starlight certainly wasn’t going to attempt individual teleports and risk her sisters getting shot while she was away.

Her only boon seemed to be the sniper’s tracer, only visible by the tiny red dot that very occasionally blinked upon either her or one of her sisters for just a brief second before a shot was fired. She knew, however, that without it, she’d be hard-pressed to stop any projectiles. She could do it, certainly, but there was more risk to it. Her threat detection spell allowed her to sense the bullets as they were fired, but without the tracer she had no sense of where to direct her protection. Why was the sniper continuing to use it then?

She twisted the bullet in front of her and examined it carefully, noting that it was a different shape than the ones the other soldiers were using. It was longer and thicker, with a distinct coloration of gold and black. This one had been accompanied by a loud, echoing boom, and was the same type as the one that had been fired at Havocwing earlier.

Speaking of which.

“Has she awoken yet?” Starlight asked behind her, not turning her head.

Grayscale snorted and slumped down on the floor next to Havocwing, prodding the other pegasus in an attempt to roll her. “Nope. That sniper spooked her good, she’s out like a light.”

Starlight glared upwards and to the left, in the direction her current bullet had come from, before tossing the projectile behind her to Insipid. “Here, Insipid. Another gift.”

“Sweet!”

The other unicorn caught the bullet in her own magic field, and added it to her growing collection. She was keeping them separated between these large rounds and some smaller ones the other soldiers had been using. The latter had been fired with a softer crack, rather than the loud bang.

“Mmff mmnn?” Velvet mumbled.

“Don’t attempt conversation while your mouth is stuffed, Velvet,” Starlight tutted.

There was a crack, and she snapped her head to the side to direct her magic again, catching a bullet heading straight for the earth pony. Starlight glared in the direction the sound had come from, still not quite sure from where exactly it had been fired. Every time she caught one, the incoming trajectory had been slightly different. Was the sniper moving?

Velvet swallowed nervously and she shied away from the bullet. “Okay, this is getting annoying. I’m trying to eat here!” She let out a deep breath. “What I said was, ‘is something wrong?’ You look testy, Star. You don’t usually look testy.”

Starlight hesitated, and then swallowed. “Testy... perhaps. I admit I am mostly curious.” She gestured out into the open cavern. “The projectiles are being discharged from unique, arbitrary locations, and from an elevated position. Our enigmatic sniper is a pegasus; I have yet to detect the magical signatures of a teleport spell, hence I cannot suspect a unicorn.”

“What’s it matter what he—"

“Or she,” Insipid corrected.

Velvet rolled her eyes. “What’s it matter what this jerk is, anyhow?”

Starlight grabbed another bullet out of the air. She was glad that by shrinking their exposure, catching the projectiles was significantly easier than it had been out in the open.

“It’s imperative to possess knowledge of a foe’s biology, as that determines various possibilities in their combat prowess,” Starlight explained. “Were this sharpshooter a unicorn, I could effortlessly expose his or her location. A most troubling disadvantage.”

“You could always just use that big shield like you did earlier,” Velvet said.

Starlight shook her head. “That expends too much energy to maintain indefinitely simultaneously with my threat detection magic. It was suitable for a more abundant volume of incoming projectiles, but not here. Curiously, no additional soldiers seem to be patrolling the streets.”

“Pfh, of course there aren’t any more. There was just that one squad to begin with anyway,” Grayscale said. “You said you figured this dope was their commander or something? He’s probably trying to keep anymore soldiers from getting slaughtered.”

“Perceptive enough.”

Insipid snorted. “Hmph, and dumb ol’ Curaçao just gets a free pass to, like, roam around and junk, just because she can turn indivisible.”

“Invisible,” Starlight corrected.

“That’s what I said, ‘invincible’. I wish I could turn invincible.”

Starlight pursed her lips, but let it go as she went on. “You would possess such an ability had you not discarded Curaçao’s powers. A misguided decision.”

Insipid snorted and stuck her nose in the air. “Like, pshaw, I’m not keeping that kind of junk on me? I mean, totally. Major. Lame-o. Once I suck up Rarity, then I’ll be perfect and pretty like her. I don’t need Curaçao’s dumb ol’ powers.”

Starlight grit her teeth. She hated admitting it, but she liked it better when Insipid was annoying because she couldn’t shut up about how great their eldest sister was, rather than how great she wasn’t. Then, she remembered:

“Ah, but you do still possess the umbrage abilities of father’s assassin, do you not? Those would prove quite a pragmatic substitute.”

Insipid scratched her head. “Huh. Oh yeah, like, totally good point? Like, um... here, let’s see...”

She squeezed her eyes shut and melted into the shadows beneath her. Unfortunately, it seemed that there weren’t enough shadows to meld through, and while almost all of Insipid’s body was safely hidden in a murky pile on the floor, her rear still stuck out, high in the air, completely exposed. 

Starlight hissed as the tracer appeared and slid onto what remained, catching another bullet that streaked right at the center of Insipid’s cutie mark.

Insipid jerked out of her illusion and landed a few inches back. “Uh... I don’t think I’ve, like, got the hang of it and junk? Daddy’s murder-guy is, like, so much better at this sneaky stuff? He, like, melted into Gray’s shadow, y’know? Or whatever.”

Starlight groaned. “Well, it would appear that that particular theory was all for naught. Curaçao remains our most effective means of—"

Insipid spat on the floor. “Curaçao, Curaçao, Curaçao! Geez! If she’s just, like, so freaky-good useful or whatever, why were we, like, stuck here?!” She huffed and crossed her hooves. “Stupid Curaçao...”

“I am positive that Curaçao’s strategy will prove a benefit to our cause. She is seeking out our assailant’s roost, that we may flush them into the open.”

“Yeah! And then we can rip that little scumbag limb from limb!” Velvet cheered, waving around the amputated leg of one of her victims.

“I am displeased with her tardiness, but I haven’t the authority to be cross with her. That would be Havocwing’s job,” Starlight added, giving another sympathetic glance back at the still-unconscious pegasus.

“This stinks. Why’d Havocwing go and pass out, huh? Totally. Not. Fair.” Insipid said, stomping a hoof and scattering her bullets. “She’d totally, like, give Curaçao a talking to, or whatever.”

“Hey, you’re not the only one suffering because Havoc went all scared stiff,” Velvet said. She pointed her meal at Insipid as though it were a stick. “I mean, raw meat is great and all, but all the armor these guys were wearing would make them perfect for making steamed pony legs! I’m getting bored of raw. I need some variety in my diet!”

“Blech! Gag me with a spoon!” Insipid gagged, jerking her face away from the bloody appendage. “Like, oh my stars, Red, didn’t daddy, like, tell you not to play with your food? Gross!”

Velvet stared at her food, using it to scratch her head. “Uh... is that a trick question?”

Grayscale yawned, stretching her hooves out. “This is boring. Can’t you just vaporize the jerk, Star?”

“If I am unaware of their precise location, I may inflict damage upon the cavern superstructure,” Starlight explained. She stared off in the direction of the last bullet fired. “I do, however, agree with each of you. That they continue these attempts grates upon my nerves.”

The little red dot swept into the room, followed by another loud boom. Starlight snagged another bullet out of the air, this one a few inches away from the unconscious Havocwing. She snorted in disgust as she discarded it. 

“This is infuriating. How can a solitary pony, one grievously lacking our capabilities, prove to be such an exigent threat?”

Curaçao suggested, her voice speaking directly into Starlight’s mind.

Starlight’s mouth curled in a scowl, and she replied via the telepathic connection.  Curaçao confirmed. Starlight turned to Grayscale subtly, sneering as the tiny laser dot followed her vision straight to the pegasus. She flared her horn to catch yet another bullet, gritting her teeth as she tossed the bullet at the nearest wall. Grayscale rubbed her chin where the tracer remained, then shrugged. Another bullet screeched at the exact same spot. Starlight, again, caught it and tossed it aside, watching the dot leave Grayscale’s chin and return to herself. She took a deep breath, glad that she was the target again: it was easier to defend herself than her sisters. “Why does—" Insipid started to say. Audibly. A loud crack fired again, but the bullet was still safely caught by Starlight, who shot Insipid a glare. Starlight shouted through her mind. Insipid blinked. “But I—" Starlight rolled her eyes. A silver glow grabbed one corner of Insipid’s mouth and zipped across to the other side, complete with an audible zipper sound, replacing Insipid’s lips with a metal zipper. Starlight asked, her eyes narrowed. Insipid returned the glare, then snorted and stuck her nose in the air. Starlight glowered, and snagged Insipid up in her magic. This happened to yank her out of the path of another bullet. Insipid stared at the spot she’d just been standing in, then glanced back to Starlight. “Mmmf mfmf...” Insipid nodded rapidly, eyes wide. “Mmmf! Mmnf mnnf mmm!” Grayscale gave a great laugh through the connection, surprising Starlight, who did not expect Grayscale to put the effort in to laugh telepathically. Curaçao said. Starlight nodded and tilted her head to the others, grunting as she caught another bullet. Grayscale snorted and cantered over to Havocwing, then hoisted the lighter pegasus onto her back. _ The four mares scampered towards their destination, a large, gray building down the block. Starlight took the lead, catching the bullets that were fired at them as they moved for cover. She became increasingly frustrated with the difficulty in deflecting the projectiles, as while moving it was extremely complicated to figure out their impact trajectory, what with the dot itself moving awkwardly as it traced along her or her sisters. Worse, the sniper’s aim seemed completely unhampered by their being moving targets. Her only solace was that, after catching five bullets en route, she’d discovered that the sniper had been remaining in the same location to fire every shot. Curaçao would easily be able to find where he was now. Grayscale barreled into the entryway first, slamming her great weight into the large, metal double doors and crashing through them with ease. Insipid followed next, her panicked screaming muffled by her zipper-mouth, leaping for cover and gripping her stetson tight. Starlight stopped in the doorway and turned to let Velvet in after her, as the earth pony had lagged behind just slightly. Starlight snapped, awaiting another bullet to catch. There was another crack, and she caught a bullet inches from her sister’s face, still casually munching a leg. Velvet shouted back, out of breath. Without warning, the red dot disappeared entirely. Starlight’s eyes widened as she searched around frantically for it, her eyes darting every direction. Everything after that, every movement, felt like it was coming through in slow-motion and all at once. Her head turned as her threat detection spell began to flare wildly in her mind, her horn aglow. Slowly. Too slowly. Velvet’s frontmost hoof touched the ground, and she continued her gait, moving the next hoof inch by inch forward, every inch appearing like a mile for long it took. Starlight’s protection field missed. It was like watching a bubble being popped in reverse, pierced by a projectile so fast that it was inside before the bubble was even broken. She could feel the bullet move past her aura before it was in position, feel her magic only just tagging at the bullet as it slipped past her grip and diverting its course. But not enough. Velvet was abruptly flipped forward as the bullet entered her through her abdomen; her body appeared to be picked up all at once, her limbs swinging as she flew. She slammed hard into the ground before rolling and crashing into the side of a building. A deafening blast rang out. The booms had been bad previously, but endurable, providing Starlight direction from where to block the shots. This was nothing like the previous shots. It stopped thought. Her heart leapt in horror, for an instant thinking from the noise alone that she, herself, must have been hit in addition to Velvet. Time began to speed back up. “Sister!” Starlight screamed. One second. Two seconds. Three. She wasn’t moving. Starlight grit her teeth and lit her horn to prepare a teleport, another shot cracked against the wall just inches away from her, breaking her focus just a split second before the spell completed. A loud noise, sounding something like large pieces of metal clanging together, came from somewhere off to the east. The red dot suddenly reappeared then instantly jerked out of sight, and a familiar, distinctively quieter blast echoed through the cavern again. Not the deafening boom, but one of the earlier sharp cracks. Starlight flared her horn again, hastily teleporting to Velvet, grabbing hold of her, and teleporting back into the doorway in the space of a few seconds. She dragged Velvet into the cover of the building with some help from Grayscale, then into the nearest corner and out of sight from their assailant. The two of them, with Insipid between them, gathered around their fallen sibling. Red Velvet remained motionless, bleeding out all over the floor. The shot had pierced straight into her stomach, leaving a clean hole that leaked visceral fluids like water. Strange enough, there was not a matching exit wound on the other side of her midsection. Starlight held her head in her hooves. “Unacceptable. Unacceptable... this is absolutely unacceptable!” “This... can’t be happening...” Grayscale took a step back, shaking her head and falling back on her hindquarters. Havocwing slipped off her back and rolled into the nearby corner. Insipid sniffed loudly, wiping her wet nose with the back of her leg. “Mmph mmph mpph?” Red Velvet jerked upright, taking in a sharp breath of air and causing all three of the other mares to leap back in shock. She hocked loudly, then opened her mouth and spat out a dented, slightly corroded bullet, very thick with a silver tip; when it hit the floor it sounded heavy. “Ow.” “Velvet!” Starlight shouted, stepped forward and wrapping the pink pony in a hug. “Oh... praise the stars...” Velvet hesitated. “Hey, whoa, Star what—" “Oh my, how unprofessional!” Clottles said, though his mouth movements were horribly, horribly inaccurate. “Miss Red, this is—" Grayscale stared right at the monocled tendril and snorted. “Can it.” Velvet glanced back at Clottles, then back to Starlight. She broke out of the hug and stormed towards the doorway. “I’m gonna murder that little twerp!” Grayscale flicked her wing up to bar Velvet’s path. “Hey!” Velvet shouted, forcing herself against Grayscale’s wing. “What gives, Gray? Lemme at ‘em! Lemme at ‘em!” “You’re still bleeding,” Grayscale said simply, pointing her hoof towards Velvet’s back. Velvet glanced back at herself, where the bleeding was spreading visceral fluid all over the floor. Velvet loudly breathed in through her nose and some of the blood started to properly congregate towards her, but none of it was moving quite as quickly as everypony was used to seeing it move. Clottles was also dripping away into a messy pile. “Well how ‘bout that?” Velvet said, her voice slurred and her eyes beginning to glaze over. “Hey, anypony know why I have a tummy ache?” “Oh dear, Miss Red,” Clottles said, his voice barely different from Velvet’s at all and his mouth remaining mostly motionless. “It seems that that actually caused some damage.” Starlight gulped. “Oh dear. Will she recover?” Grayscale stared at Starlight, then to Clottles, and shook her head. “Geez, Havoc’s right, this is bucking weird.” Clottles waved a little tendril around, though as he did so it accidentally flew off and splattered on the floor. “Oh, she just needs time for her powers to reassert themselves. I say, wouldn’t this may be a good time for a nap, Miss Red?” Velvet giggled. “Clottles, you sound funny. Like a girl. You’re not a girl, you’re a boy.” She swaggered to the side. “I feel dizzy. Nap time.” She slumped forward and remained still on the floor. Insipid blinked. “Mmm...?” Velvet started snoring immediately. Very loudly, in fact. Another ear-piercing bang cracked through the air and ripped a large tear into the side of the building. Starlight jerked back and clung to the wall when the bullet impacted just a few inches from her head. It was the same kind as the one that had rolled into the corner after Velvet spit it out. Starlight sneered in the bullet’s direction, taking heavy, baited breaths. She trailed off and glanced back at her snoring sister before sighing and placing a bubble of magic around the earth pony’s head, shutting all of the sound out. Grayscale said, wiping her brow. She snorted and glared towards the doorway, careful not to peek out of it whatsoever. Starlight tilted her head. Grayscale stayed silent a moment, then sniffed. Starlight smiled, and nodded in understanding. Curaçao hissed. Grayscale balked. Starlight asked. She turned to Grayscale, a wicked grin spreading across her face. Curaçao sighed. A sudden noise drew Starlight and Grayscale’s attention, and they spun their heads over glare at the sound, assuming it to be Insipid. Instead, it was Havocwing, who’d just jolted awake. “Holy crap that’s a bucking... bullet...?” Her eyes darted around the little room. “Uh... where am I? Aw man, don’t tell me I got hit. Dad’s gonna be pissed.” Starlight rushed to assist Havocwing in getting upright, giving her elder sister a very brief hug. “Yo Star, hey, hey get off!” Havocwing sputtered. “Geez, enough with the hugging already! Why am I so damn huggable?!” Grayscale held a hoof to her lips. Havocwing blinked. Starlight explained, pointing her hoof towards the hole in the ceiling. Havocwing huffed. _ “Mmmf mmph... mmnn... mmmm!” Insipid rolled her eyes and jabbed her hoof at her zipper-mouth. Havocwing stared at Insipid for a moment, then turned and gave Starlight an approving nod. Grayscale interjected. Starlight said. Havocwing scratched her head. Starlight said, sighing and glancing out the doorway. Starlight hummed and tapped her chin. Her wicked grin returned and she pat Havocwing on the shoulder. Grayscale said, patting Havocwing on the back. Havocwing said, shooting the other pegasus a glare. She ducked towards the doorway and took a nervous half-glance outwards. Starlight nodded and stepped over beside Havocwing. Havocwing smirked. She stepped back and ignited a hoof, the flame bright and white enough that Starlight had to step back. Starlight nodded again and sidled up to the doorway to have a better post, hoping to catch any bullets that happened to come their way. Havocwing’s brightening, flaming hoof drew the sniper’s attention, and the little red dot swept through the doorway. It didn’t land on anypony since nopony was in view of the doorway, so it disappeared. Starlight gulped and wiped her brow of sweat, then let her eyes wander in anticipation. Another loud bang, and another blast ripped a hole through the wall, inches above Havocwing’s head. Both Starlight and Havocwing jerked away in surprise. Starlight again clung to the wall closest to her, visibly shaking, while the latter simply snorted and steeled herself. Havocwing ducked just under the hole, hiding the light in one hoof with another hoof. She nodded at Starlight, who gulped and nodded back, then sprinted out of the doorway. The little red dot reappeared and zipped towards Havocwing just as the pegasus was lobbing her fireball straight up into the air. There was a loud crack. Starlight flared her horn and caught the bullet inches away from Havocwing’s head. Havocwing bolted back into the relative safety of the building, breathing heavily and trying to keep an eye on her fireball as it sailed upward. She stomped her hoof, and the tiny fireball exploded, sending out a blazing wave that spread outwards and within seconds, became billowing flames that lit up the cavern and began coating the ceiling with smoke. Some sprinkler systems activated, but the fires simply fled from the spraying waters. Havocwing cheered, keeping her hoof steady to direct the flames. Starlight laughed and pat Havocwing on the back, proud of her sister’s ingenuity. Moments passed, and Havocwing’s continued efforts spurned the fires into raging infernos, creating a cloud of smoke that spread across the cavern ceiling. It wasn’t long before the entire upper end of the cavern was totally covered with smoke and ash that began to sink down towards the city. In that entire time, not a single shot had been fired. Exactly as planned. But then, Starlight realized, there came a problem. Where was he now, if not in the catwalks? She hesitated, then stepped out of the doorway. Nothing. “The sniper has assuredly lost their elevation advantage!” she shouted, loudly enough to carry through a reasonable portion of the cavern. Still nothing. She hummed and turned to the doorway, where Havocwing and Grayscale were peeking their heads out. “I am unsure if this is a promising development, or if we should be... concerned.” “Which means they’re down here in the city, and could be hiding anywhere,” Grayscale said. Havocwing swooped over and swung her hoof around in the air. “Hey, that’s what we wanted though, right? At least this means they can’t use that big rifle so well anymore.” “Havocwing, can you attend to Velvet and Insipid, and ensure they do not become imperiled?” Starlight asked. Havocwing scoffed and poked Starlight’s nose. “Excuse me? I want a piece of this guy! Who said you guys get the honor of savaging this chump?” “We all desire his demise, Havoc.” Starlight brushed Havocwing’s hoof aside and started walking towards the street. “If you will forgive me for my assertion, Grayscale and myself are more appropriate for this task.” “To Hell with that!” <‘avocwing, Starlight is right,> Curaçao said. Havocwing snorted and slumped back against the doorway. “Fine, fine. Whatever. Just... like, let me get a piece of them somehow. I dunno, warp them over to me when you guys got them all subdued and stuff?” “That can be arranged,” Starlight said, giving Havocwing a nod and a dark smile. “You say you’ve got a plan for me, Curaçao?” Grayscale asked, trotting up to Starlight’s side. Grayscale stared upwards at the clouds of smoke for a moment, then nodded in understanding. “Okay, I get what you’re doing. Smart thinking, big sis.” She gave Starlight a sidelong glance “Star, cover me. I’m going up.” “Up?!” Starlight blurted, rushing forward as Grayscale took flight. “Grayscale, why—" There was yet another distant crack, and Starlight stopped talking to focus her horn on deflecting a bullet directed at Grayscale’s rising form. She noticed that the trajectory definitely originated from a much, much lower height. Not quite street level, but certainly on the ground somewhere. Perhaps he was taking cover in a building somewhere, seemingly to the northeast. Still, Grayscale climbed, despite the bullets racing at her barely being deflected away by Starlight’s magic and the tracer not once leaving her darting form. Starlight stomped her hooves, finding it difficult to keep up with the bullets now. The softer sounds from the sniper’s gun, likely caused by the smoke distorting the air, were harder to judge accurately. “Grayscale! You can accomplish that from a significantly lower altitude!” “Sure, I can do it from down there, but where’s the challenge in that?” Grayscale asked, giving a great laugh. “If it’s not a challenge, it’s not worth doing!” She flicked her wings, and the cloud of smoke started sinking towards the ground. Starlight panicked as the little red dot disappeared. She knew what was coming. “Grayscale!” Grayscale remained still in the air, her only movements coming from her great, flapping wings. Another loud boom echoed through the cavern, creating a great path through the cloud of smoke. Grayscale flicked her wings and jabbed her hoof outward in the direction of the pierced smoke. The bullet impacted against her boot, reflecting sharply to the side and knocking Grayscale way off-balance. Grayscale, however, was unharmed, and swerved to the side to regain control in time to punch another bullet that flew her way, followed by another, and another. A loud clang followed each sharp crack. Starlight raised an eyebrow, but kept her focus ready in case something went wrong. “Impressive, Grayscale. How are you capable of foreseeing the impact trajectory? I am unable to perceive much through the abundance of smoke.” Curaçao snickered. Starlight glanced upwards again, and then she saw it. The little red dot still traced on Grayscale as the pegasus dove towards the ground. There was a beam of red light connected to it, revealed by the smoke. It was only there for a few brief seconds before it disappeared long before Grayscale reached street level. The sniper knew they’d been spotted. “Found ‘em,” Grayscale said, giving Starlight a pat on the back. “See, Star? It’s all in the hooves.” Starlight nodded. *** Curaçao darted behind the corner of an alleyway. A bullet whizzed above her head, cracking into the wall behind her. She swore silently to herself, and only herself. That one was closer than the last one. She took a deep breath and examined the impact point, being very careful not to touch anything. As long as she did not move her hooves, the sniper could not see her, as there was nothing to see. When she ran, they could see her distortion in the smoke, and see her hooves shift the dirt and dust along the street. Now, he or she lacked the advantage of the tracer. It was how they’d tracked her before: the little red dot would appear on Curaçao’s cloaked body rather than the terrain behind, making her stick out like a sore hoof. She did the math in her head, and glanced back towards the buildings opposite her. The tall, white building with a sign reading Law Offices of Swift Stroke & Infallible caught her eye. That was where they were hiding, apparently on the third floor, though they seemed to be shifting between the three windows there. One thing stood out: the sniper’s shots did not sound the same as Curaçao was used to. The distant cracks and loud, ear-shattering bangs had been replaced by almost-silent pops. If not for Curaçao herself being incredibly quiet, she’d have never heard them. These pops came more rapidly and seemed to do less damage to the structures they struck. They’d clearly switched out their rifles for a sidearm, and was just as deadly-accurate with it. There was no muzzle flash as there had been with the soldiers earlier, and with the veil of smoke wafting about, she found this unfortunate. At least there was sound; it was getting closer. She took another sharp breath and rushed out across the street again, leaping forward into the cover of another alleyway as a string of bullets cracked against the ground behind her. Three alleys down, five to go. She was almost there. Another mad dash across the street, and another, and another; each time, the bullets got closer to hitting her. She darted across to another alley, the last one along this street before she reached the intersection. She dove to cover, and felt a bullet slice just past her ear. She waited a few seconds, then peeked around the corner of her hiding space again. It was faint, but she could just barely see movement in the office building’s window. _ she said. came Starlight’s voice. Curaçao considered this for a few moments, then shook her head. Starlight asked. Starlight paused. _ Curaçao chortled over the connection. Starlight replied. Havocwing said. Curaçao grunted and took another deep breath, then galloped as fast as her hooves could carry her towards the white building. A bullet whizzed by her flank. She leapt to her side to avoid the next bullet, which impacted precisely where her head would have been had she kept on that path. Crossing the street became a matter of life or death, where a single misstep could cost her everything. She kept her route erratic, and took advantage every time the sniper needed to reload to move in closer. Despite her efforts, the shots were getting closer; they were predicting her pattern, no matter how random it must have seemed. At last, she made it to cover in the building’s doorway. She did not waste time sticking her head out of the door to glance upwards towards the windows. She waited. And waited. The sniper, a pegasus if Starlight’s guess was accurate, did not flee to a new vantage point. They did not even make an attempt. No, he or she was waiting for her, thinking they would take her out in close quarters where they’d failed at range. Curaçao snorted and headed into the building proper. She knew what was happening here, and credited the sniper with their tactical soundness: if he or she fled to a new position, they might be spotted in the open by one of the others. They did not know where exactly Curaçao’s sisters were anymore, not since they’d forced him or her to retreat to this new location, but must have guessed they were watching. She entered slowly, checking her surroundings for any sort of defenses the sniper might have set up. The ground floor was barren apart from dusty office furniture. Desks, chairs, filing cabinets, some potted plants, a reception counter - nothing useful. No signs of movement. Still, she kept low to the ground, careful to stay near the cubicles and workstations as she stalked towards the stairs. She rounded the stairwell corners at a guarded pace, cautious of giving away her position. The stairs, floors, and walls were covered with a thin coat of dust, enough that she could see, even in the dark, that she was leaving a trail visible enough to somepony observant. ‘Somepony observant’ happened to be looking for her, so she kept a vigilant watch of her surroundings. The sniper had been on the fifth floor when she’d entered. They weren’t when she reached the third. The moment she set her hoof on the floor itself from the stairs, a shot rang out and clipped her leg. She audibly swore, staggering back to avoid the next shot and slinking into the corner of the stairwell. Her eyes darted to her leg. The bullet had grazed her, drawing blood. Her eyes narrowed, because she couldn’t just feel the blood trickle down her coat. She could see it. Merde. I did not zink zat would ‘appen... She removed her headband and used it to clean off the blood, wrapping it around the wound to hide it from sight. If there were ever a time she was glad her powers applied to her clothing, now was that time, though she cursed that they didn’t apply to other items she picked up: she could really use a gun right about now. She swore silently and crept back up to the top of the stairwell. She could see where the bullet had struck the floor, and used that the judge where they had fired from. They had likely moved by now, but could not have moved far without making noise, of which there’d been none. She carefully set her hoof down in the exact spot she had done before without disturbing any more dust in the room. No shot was fired. She leaned her head out into the room and examined everything she could see. Dust-covered floors, walls, desks, chairs; was anything in this building not covered in dust? Dust dust dust. So much dust. Foul, danger-‘iding dust. A spot of dustless floor to her right drew her attention, and her eyes narrowed when she glanced in the corner near it. Well well well... what ‘ave we ‘ere? She followed the clean trail that snaked along the wall. There, behind the desk. Crouched down and almost completely out of sight. She could see him, if only just. A male pegasus, clad in a black latex suit with various belts holding what she could only assume were tools of his trade. A mask hid his face—he was definitely a stallion, if her expertise with pony physique was anything to go by. His wings were covered in the same latex, so she could not see his coat color. His rifles weren’t present, but she could see another, smaller firearm attached to his hoof, aiming directly at her. The lack of a tracer on the pistol was fortunate, as with it, it would be distorted against her invisibility. Ah, zere ‘e is. Et maintenant, voilà ma vengeance. She steeled herself, taking a deep, silent breath. Then, she darted out directly to the side closest to him. A shot rang out. She hit the floor and rolled into the safety of a cubicle, but did not have time to make sure she hadn’t been hit. She knew she’d felt something, but could only hope that that had just been the bullet whizzing by, not actually striking. Another shot. She ducked her head as it pierced through the wall of her hiding place, just inches above her nose. The next shot skimmed her ear. Had she been standing, both shots would have likely been fatal; one to the heart, the other to a lung. She scrambled backwards, and the next two shots cracked into the floor where she’d been laying. Her ears perked when she heard the sound of his gun jettisoning its spent magazine. She darted out of the cubicle and around the corner towards him. She pounced hooves outstretched. Every second after that, to her, felt like forever. He loaded another magazine into his gun, quickly enough that he was able to take aim midway through. She was mere inches away. A shot rang out. She felt the bullet pierce her shoulder. Curaçao crashed into the sniper, knocking his gun off his hoof and into the corner, then rolling with him into the nearest wall. She bounded off of him and landed nimbly nearby, ready to react to his next move. He was on his hooves in seconds, and swiveled around to face her sounds of movement. She was already striking at him with a hoof. The blow knocked him off-balance, and she lunged at him again; without thinking, she attacked with her injured leg. He blocked her attack this time and struck at her with his own, impacting her injured shoulder. She staggered back; he pressed his offensive. She ducked down under his hoof and lifted his weight over her head, using his momentum to slam him into a desk and break it apart. She immediately regretted it, darting a hoof to her injury and wincing loudly. He was back up more quickly than she expected, and looked directly at her again, eyes drifting to the patch of blood she was cradling. She glanced at her wounded shoulder and realized she was expending unnecessary effort, then released her invisibility and leapt forward at him again. He blocked, and countered. She blocked, and retreated. He pressed his offensive, forcing her back. She defended herself as best she could, but he was moving fast enough to keep up with her. Zis stallion est un expert in zee mêlée? Intéressant... et inquiétant. Rarity had been a simple encounter; despite her abilities as a unicorn, she was no expert in combat and had been easy to subdue and distract. Pinkie Pie had been complicated, but she’d also been severely exhausted; her strange power could have turned the tide, had Curaçao not figured out the trick. This soldier, on the other hoof, was fully-rested and exceedingly competent. His offensive was swift and brutal, and left no room for error. Curaçao tripped on a strip of debris from a broken desk, falling on her back. She expected her opponent to leap upon her and press his advantage. Instead, he seemed to have leapt to the side. Her eyes widened. He’d reached his gun. Merde! He rolled on the floor as she scrambled up to try and stop him. He aimed, and fired. Curaçao closed her eyes, expecting pain, or worse. She hit the floor. She’d heard the shot. So, where was the pain? Her eyes fluttered open, and gazed upwards at the familiar violet legs belonging to Starlight Shadow. Her youngest sister’s horn shined like a star: the bullet was nowhere to be seen, but the sniper had been snagged by the throat and now dangled in front of the unicorn. His facemask had been shattered. “Curaçao... sister, are you unharmed?” Starlight asked, turning her head just slightly so that Curaçao could see the bright white luster in her eyes. Curaçao groaned; she’d fallen on her shoulder. “I ‘ave been better, ma sœur. But it is nozing serious at zee moment.” Starlight turned her gaze back to the sniper, glaring at him with such fiery intensity that Curaçao was amazed the hapless stallion didn’t burst into flames. “You, my good stallion, have endangered the lives of my sisters and I for far too long. What say I deliver you to the others and set them loose upon you, hmm?” The sniper did not panic, did not retort, nor did he plead for his life. His blue eyes, which were now clear to see, simply stared straight ahead, almost completely emotionless. His only reaction was to shrug and point at his own throat. Was he mute? Or perhaps he just chose not to talk. “Nothing then?” Starlight turned back to Curaçao. “Sister, what is your command? Would you gain enjoyment from punishing him yourself?” “Non, I ‘ave a better idea. As you said, ma sœur, ve vill take ‘im to zee ozers for ‘is punishment. Anyzing ve can do, I assure you, I know somepony ‘oo can do better.” Starlight laughed, and her horn flared again. *** Havocwing grumbled and slumped against a wall of the ruined building where she was keeping an eye on Insipid and Red Velvet. Insipid’s zipper-mouth was gone, and she was in the corner adjusting her stetson when the teleport went through. Red Velvet was slumped against a wall, her body still caked with blood, but her eyes half-open; she was awake, but still reeling from her injury. She jumped to attention at the intrusion of two mares and one stallion, who teleported into their midst with a pop and a flash. “Oh snap! You got the sniper!” she exclaimed, her smile so wide in threatened to split her face in half. She cantered up to him and circled around, getting a good look at the pony that had caused everypony so much trouble. “Oh man... this is gonna be good.” She turned to Curaçao, and her smile instantly faded. Her elder sister was nursing her shoulder, another leg was bleeding, and the pony’s normally flawless blue coat was caked with blood, dirt, and sweat. “Curaçao! The hell happened to you?!” she said, darting over and looking the earth pony up and down. “Oh man, you look like you’ve been through Hell, sis. Are you alright? Did this punk do this to you?” Curaçao shrugged and wiped the caked blood off her shoulder. “It is nozing zat Starlight’s Restomancy cannot fix, ‘avoc. Don’t worry about moi.” “My... Restomancy?” Starlight asked, tilting her head. Curaçao blinked. “Oui, ta Restomancy. Is... zere un problème?” “I am unversed in the ways of Restomancy, sister,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “What provided you the hypothesis that I possessed such an ability?” Curaçao glanced over at Insipid. “When you were injured zee ozer day, Insipid borrowed your powers, oui? She used Restomancy to ‘eal you.” Starlight stared at Insipid, who gave her a little wave. “That is preposterous. I do not possess such capabilities. Restomancy’s nuances are unsuited to my tastes.” Havocwing gave Curaçao a nervous look, then turned back to Starlight. “So... you can’t do anything for her?” Starlight shook her head. “I regretfully must confirm your worry.” Velvet snorted from over by the wall. “Oh what’s everypony getting all sad sack about? So Curaçao’s got a boo-boo, what’s the big deal? Just walk it off, like I do.” Havocwing shot Velvet a glare. “What’s the big deal? Red, check it, in case you forgot, Curaçao doesn’t have your bucking wierdo healing power crap!” Velvet rolled her eyes. “Oh stars, you guys are such babies.” She got up and trotted over to Curaçao, though it was more of a swagger, then pushed Curaçao’s hoof out of the way. “Ha! Is that it? You should check the crap I put up with.” “Red, you’ve got a hole in your stomach the size of my hoof,” Havocwing said, glancing at Velvet’s still-open wound and contorting her face in disgust. “Yeah yeah, shut up a sec. I’m gonna fix this all up.” Velvet looked up at Curaçao and gave her a wide smile. “You trust me, right, big sis? With your blood I mean?” Curaçao blinked, glanced down at her wound, then back to Velvet. “Euh... oui?” Velvet’s smiled widened, and without warning she locked her lips around Curaçao’s shoulder. Curaçao yelped. “Hey whoa!” Havocwing exclaimed, reaching a hoof out to stop Velvet. “What the buck are you—" Velvet drew her mouth away and inhaled a great breath. “Hoo! Wow, big sis, you know you kinda taste like oranges?” Curaçao stepped back and glanced down at her shoulder; Havocwing’s own gaze shifted to the wound as well. Only, the wound wasn’t there anymore. Not even a scar or anything, just perfectly clean coat, no blood, nothing. “Ouah! Incroyable!” Curaçao said, brushing her hoof across the former injury. “Zee blessure est absente!” Velvet gave a great, booming laugh. “Told you guys I’m the total master of blood. How d’ya like them oranges? Huh?” Havocwing shook her head. “This is too bucking weird. I’m... just gonna go back to... stuff. You fix up her other wound, okay Red?” Velvet saluted, tongue hanging out of her mouth. “Roger that, sis. If I’d known fixing you guys up tasted so good, man, I’d have been doing this from day one!” Havocwing snorted and turned back to the floating stallion. She gestured for Starlight to let him out of her magic field, and after doing so, lurched forward and punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over. “You bastard!” she shouted, punching him again. “You bucking bastard! You tried to kill me!” She ignited a hoof and punched him once more, knocking him into the wall with an explosion. “You got anything to say, punk?!” The sniper stumbled to his hooves, glanced at Havocwing, then stood tall again. His eyes remained emotionless, unchanging. He simply pointed once at his neck, then shrugged. “Oh buck you!” Havocwing snarled, igniting another hoof. “Havocwing, do not monopolize the punishment,” Starlight said, jerking the stallion out of Havocwing’s way. “He may have nearly executed you, and Curaçao may have relinquished her opportunity, but there is somepony present that deserves this more.” “Buck that! I want to—" “‘avocving, Starlight is right,” Curaçao interrupted, stepping over to Havocwing’s side, her leg completely healed. “Velvet was injured by zis garish individual. I zink ve should let ‘er ‘ave ‘er fun. After all, she ‘as done much pour moi, non? Quelle surprise, zat she should be une toubib!” Havocwing sunk onto her backside and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Right, right. Man... why don’t I ever get to have any fun?” Curaçao smiled and patted Havocwing on the shoulder. “Do not worry, ‘avoc. When we get down to zee ‘angar, we will give you a ship to pilot. Zat will be fun, non? I ‘ave ‘eard zat zee piloting mécanisme is suited only for zee meilleurs pilotes.” Havocwing scratched her chin in thought. It was certainly true, she was the best flier in her group, bar none. She nodded. “Yeah, okay... I guess I do get to do that and nopony else here is as good as I am. Best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium... hmm. Best damn pilot this side of Pandemonium too.” She turned behind her. “Yo Red! You heard Curaçao, front and center!” Red Velvet squealed and bounced forward, pushing Havocwing and Curaçao out of her way. “Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Dessert!” Starlight let Velvet’s tendrils take the sniper from her magical grip, and stepped back towards the wall. “Ah, this should prove an interesting display.” Velvet giggled and rubbed her hooves together. “I’ve been looking to try something new, y’know? I wanted to use it earlier, but it takes a bit of time to do. If I tried to do it in real combat and stuff, I’d get creamed.” She slid a tendril along his cheek. “Wanna know what it is, stud?” The sniper did not respond, merely kept looking at her with those same cold, emotionless eyes, pointed a hoof at his throat, and shrugged. Velvet snorted and stuck her nose in the air. “Man, you’re a drag-and-a-half! I guess this is one of those times I’m kinda glad I don’t get my kicks from fear anymore, right girls? This silent treatment is totally lame!” She sighed and gave an exaggerated shrug. “What a disappointment. Welp, okay then! Probably for the best anyway.” One of her tendrils, a very thick one lurched forward and gripped around his helmet. “Open wiiide!” Havocwing couldn’t exactly see what Velvet was doing, but all of a sudden, the other pony’s body shuddered and shook, jerking and spasming about like he was being given electric shocks. The tendril pulsed, sending great globs of blood through it that leaked out the sides of his cracked helmet. She stepped back towards the walls when she saw the sniper’s body start bulging outwards. “Uh... Red? What are you—" Velvet’s tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth, and she began panting sporadically, a deep red blush rising to her cheeks. “Oh stars... here we go... this is gonna be goood.” Curaçao started backing up as well. “Euh... Velvet...?” Insipid gulped and tugged her hat over her eyes. “Guys, Velvet’s scaring me again!” A large sphere of blood seeped out of her back along the tendril and forced itself through the opening in his helmet. “Come on baby!” Velvet cried, her rear leg kicking as though she were a happy dog. “Come on!” Havocwing felt her rear hoof hit the wall. “I don’t like the look of—" The sniper’s body burst apart, splattering the room, and everypony in it, with remains. Only Starlight’s quick reflexes spared her the same fate; visceral fluids splashed against her shield. “Awww, buck me!” Havocwing wailed as she glanced all over herself. “Bucking dammit Red! Dammit! Buck!” Curaçao wiped a hoof along her mouth and flung a great glob of gooey red matter to the floor. “Zere should be warnings against zat sort of zing! Ouah... c’est dégueulasse!” “Oh. My. Stars!” Insipid stumbled backwards, gripping her hat and shaking it wildly to get all to goop off. “Red! You, like, got guts all over my new hat! Gross gross gross! Totally! Major! BARF!” Velvet giggled and put her hoof over her mouth, giving everypony a sheepish grin. “Oops. Sorry everypony, got carried away.” She trotted over to Havocwing, licking her lips. “Lemme just get that for ya. You’ve got something on your face.” Havocwing stumbled against the wall. “Ahh! Get away! Don’t you dare—" Velvet opened her mouth wide, and then, though Havocwing wasn’t sure how it was possible, used her tongue quite literally slurp up every last drop of visceral remains in one go. This also somehow left Havocwing a dripping wet drooly mess. “Mmm! Now that’s a spicy meat-a-ball!” she said, kissing her hoof and waving it out into the air. Havocwing shuddered and looked down at her soaked hooves. “I feel... oh stars... I feel violated. No amount of therapy... will ever make this moment okay.” Velvet snickered and gave Curaçao a sidelong glance. “Next!” Curaçao sighed and slumped back on her backside. “Just get it over wiz...” Another tongue bath later, and two of the four messy ponies were clean, though soaking wet. Velvet whooped and spun around to face Insipid. “Next! “Oh no...” Insipid gulped and backed into the corner. “No no no! Like, get away! Totally nasty! Ew! Ew-ew-ew-ew-ew!” Velvet pounced at Insipid, but the unicorn yelped and sunk into the shadows on the floor, leaving Velvet to crash into the opposing wall and land in a new pile of goop. She stumbled upright and rubbed her nose. “Hey! Insipid? Insipid!” “Get awaaay!” Insipid wailed, her black blot slinking into the opposite corner, where there wasn’t any light at all. She ended up popping back into pony form, completely clean. “Uh...? Ooh! Clean as, like, a whistle? Why are whistles, like, so clean and junk?” Velvet grumbled and slurped up all the visceral matter that was still coating herself. “Tch, you’re no fun...” she said before moving on to start cleaning up the rest of the room. “Dammit! Red, this is easily the stupidest thing you’ve ever done!” Havocwing shouted, using a flaming hoof as if it were a blowdryer. “Covered in pony guts then Velvet spit. Bucking nasty.” Starlight sighed and dropped her shield. “If all of these shenanigans are finished?” She snapped to attention and stared at Curaçao, who gave her a brief glance. “Curaçao! You are—" “Late, oui, I know,” Curaçao said, running a hoof through her now miraculously-dry mane. “Papa’s assassin delayed me more zan I would ‘ave liked.” “Shadowstep? You engaged him?” Starlight asked, eyebrow raised. Curaçao shook her head. “Avoided ‘im, more like. ‘e was spying on me. ‘e did not know zat I knew, so I ‘ad to make my actions obvious in order to keep ‘is attention on moi. I could not risk ‘im growing impatient wiz me, and going after our targets.” She cleared her throat. “Euh, zough zat means zat zee escape of zose cretins est ma faute. Monsieur Shadowstep used zee military to frighten zem and zeir contacts into moving before I could get zee shield down. Zey got too much of a lead.” Starlight stomped her hoof. “That insufferable little—" She took a deep breath. “Then all the more importance in speeding along our own departure.” Curaçao turned back to Starlight. “Oui, zat would be zee best course of action. Now zen, vhere is—" A great crash from above caused everypony to leap out of the way. Grayscale brushed herself off. “Hey. What’d I miss?” Havocwing stared at Grayscale, then shook her head in disappointment. “Let me guess, nap time?” Grayscale yawned and stretched her hooves. “Eh. Lucky guess.” Curaçao coughed into her hoof. “Well... zen zat takes care of zat. Hmm! I know where zee ‘angar bay is, but I do not know exactly ‘ow to get down zere. All of zee entrances are sealed shut because of zee evacuation. C’est malheureux...” Starlight smirked. “Permit me to assist with that.” She strut over to the sniper’s fallen helmet, snapped his comlink out, and placed it in her ear. She tapped it until it gave a loud crackle, and a voice on the other end came loud enough that everypony could hear it. “-spond. Repeat: Commander Pinpoint, report. Your gunfire has ceased for quite some time. Has your target been neutralized, or do you require assistance? If you are injured and unable to signal normally, fire a single shot beneath the central illumination fixture. If you cannot fire, any suitable surface to signal clearly will suffice. Rigid, flat surfaces carry well. Please respond. Over.” Starlight laughed, and spoke through the comlink. “Greetings. To whom am I speaking?” “What the- uh... who is this?” “I initiated inquiry for information from yourself, sir,” Starlight said. “I shall relinquish my information if you relinquish yours.” “Miss, you are communicating over a closed channel, and your transmission is coming from the last known whereabouts of Commander Pinpoint and his patrol unit. Explain yourself.” “I continue to wait for your response, sir. I expected a stallion of military training to display more professional decorum.” “...this is General Aftershock, of the Hope’s Point Militia. Now, to whom am I speaking?” “Attention, General Aftershock, and whoever else may be listening. My name is Starlight Shadow. My sisters and myself are seeking passage across the sea, and we would be most appreciative if any assistance were presented to us.” “Miss, I will remind again that this is a closed channel. We are sending two more units your way to intercept. Please see to it that you cooperate with them.” “Are you then? I do hope it’s to be of some assistance,” Starlight said with a laugh. “You see, this ‘Pinpoint’ and his unit were most uncooperative. We were forced to annihilate them all. My dear sister Red Velvet enjoyed feasting on their remains.” Velvet bounded over and started talking in Starlight’s ear. “Hey yeah! Bring some dang hot sauce too! You guys don’t have much flavor! Not that you’re awful, I’ve just tasted better, is all I’m saying. Definitely two-star material. Hey! Generals have stars like restaurants, right? Is that why your troops taste so bad? Are you only two stars?” “Red, keep your trap shut,” Havocwing said, shoving Velvet aside to try and listen in better. “I will repeat myself, though I am loathe to do so,” Starlight continued. “You will relay this broadcast to any and all soldiers in this city: Starlight Shadow and her sisters are seeking passage across the sea. Any assistance offered will be appreciated; a lack of cooperation will be met with open hostility. If nopony will collaborate with us, then we will massacre the lot of you until our message is unambiguous. We shall not be held accountable for any additional deaths if you are unwilling to cooperate.” “Yeah! You got your chance, moron!” Havocwing added, wrapping a leg around Starlight in a sort of hug and giving her youngest sibling a big, proud grin. “Me and my sisters are gonna wipe the floor with you!” “Yeah! We just got done putting up a nice coat of Pinpoint Pink all over the floors here!” Velvet shouted, joining in the hug. “Think you guys can help us paint some more rooms?” Havocwing gave a toothy grin and pat Velvet on the back. “Ooh, that’s brutal, Red. I like it.” “Miss, if that’s your message, then you’ve opened up a world of hurt on yourself, and your sisters. General Aftershock out.” Starlight laughed, turning to her sisters with a smile. “Oh, I assure you, General Aftershock, you are sorely mistaken. What is it you’d say in this situation, Havoc?” Havocwing gave a dark chuckle. “You’d better bring the heat, ‘General Aftershock’, ‘cause I’m bringing the inferno! I’m- no, we’re the best damn fighters this side of Pandemonium!” *** Only a series of flashing emergency lights kept the Thunder’s tiny cockpit from being in total darkness, painting the walls with a dim red glow. Queen Blackburn slumped against the side of her piloting compartment, her breaths coming in short bursts. Her wings twitched as a stinging sensation slid through her. She glanced up at the whirling alarm signal on the ceiling; it clicked over from red to orange. She stood up straight, smoothed out her jacket, skirt, and scarf, then breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow, the ship had held together. Barely, of course, but the Diffusion shield had been as efficient as Blackburn had hoped. She rubbed her eyes, still trying to adjust to the lighting of the cockpit. “Gadget. Report.” Gadget groaned, and with shaking hooves pulled herself up off the cockpit floor into her chair. “Right away, Your Highness. Golly... just... just give me a second, please? I think I’m seeing double here.” Her horn glowed and she attempted flipping some large switches strewn about the console. She rapidly flicked the large, ridged one in the center of the console, seemingly with no effect. She trotted out of her chair and over to another panel on the side of the cockpit, flicking a few more switches there, again with no effect. She sighed and returned to her seat, then flicked her small visor over her eyes and tapped its side in quick succession. “Engine power reduced to bare minimum, dynamic thrusters are down completely, and the majority of minor systems are in safety shut-off mode. Emergency measures have been deployed and air sacs are holding steady. Diffusion shield at five percent strength and climbing, but slowly. A solid strike from anything out here could break the shield.” “Projection for repairs?” “Well I think the technical term here would be ‘bucked up’. With both the engines and the Diffusion system operating at minimal capacity, we’re in quite a pickle.” Gadget sighed and kept trying to flick the same switch she’d tried originally. Still no effect. “I’m gonna need to stick up here, Your Highness. I can fiddle around with Diffusion system to keep its regeneration steady enough to get us back online. But, I can’t repair the engines from here, and only one other pony onboard has that know-how.” Blackburn grunted, placing a hoof to her temple. “So be it. Any sign of Admiral Hotstreak?” “Negative on that one, at least. Massive energy signatures behind us indicate that his ship’s energy core went critical.” “At least one boon comes from this, then.” Blackburn reached out a hoof and tugged a small handle inside her compartment, activating the shut-down and cleansing process. A small nozzle deployed from the ceiling, and sprayed a cloud of blue mist throughout the compartment. The black mesh along her wings hardened for a few short seconds, then melted off like water, flooding the compartment floor before being sucked down a drain that opened. A moment later, the sliding glass door gave a loud hiss and opened, and Blackburn stepped out, heading for the cockpit exit. “Continue your work, Gadget. Until we land, not out of trouble. Need to see to Briar, get the engines repaired.” “Roger that, Your Highness,” Gadget said, giving a half-hearted salute as she was too focused on her repair work. “Oh, if somepony could bring up a glass of hard lemonade, I’d appreciate it.” “You don’t usually drink, Gadget.” “Yes, well... I think I’m gonna make an exception tonight, Your Highness...” Gadget sighed and wiped her eyes. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.” “Will see to it that you get something decent, then. Unsure of Briar’s selection.” Blackburn exited the cockpit and strolled down the topside hallway, past the airlock, to the ship’s tiny kitchen. Crossfire would have carried Briarthorn in here, as it was the closest room to the airlock; and, unsurprisingly, there they were. Crossfire stood firm and tall just beside the doorway, and Briarthorn was resting on his stomach on the dining table, still unconscious. Twilight’s horn glowed a bright green, tracing a light around Briarthorn’s midsection. Rarity paced over by a row of cabinets, her face whiter than normal. Blackburn stepped into the room without a word. Crossfire immediately snapped to attention, shooting his hoof to his forehead in a brisk salute. “Yer Highness! The situation is under control, awaitin’ further orders!” “At ease, Crossfire,” Blackburn said, giving him a small nod and gesturing for him to lower his hoof. “Head to the cargo hold, see that everypony is unharmed. Will be down after finished here, wish to speak with Lockwood. See to it he knows.” “Yes, Yer Highness!” He cantered out of the room, head held high. Blackburn turned to Twilight, then stepped forward, shaking her head. “A diagnostics spell. You are examining Briar. Worried about his condition, curious why he is in such a state.” Twilight jerked her head up, apparently not expecting the conversation. “Oh... well, yes, Your Majesty,” she said, darting her eyes back to her spellwork. “You’re right, I’m performing a diagnostics spell. I’m not as proficient with it as your official doctors, but—" “It will suffice,” Blackburn completed. She gave Twilight an approving nod. “List off your diagnosis.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, then nodded in return. “Well, like I said, I’m not sure I’m reading all this right. But assuming I am, I guess I’ll start with what are the most serious health issues I can find. Simply put, he has severe liver damage, which I suspect is from all the alcohol he drinks? I suppose that’s—" “Obvious.” Blackburn gestured for Twilight to continue. Twilight coughed into her hoof. “Well, then there’s his heartbeat, which is... irregular, not anything like what I was expecting. Even while unconscious, it’s beating as fast as it should be when he’s awake. Unless he’s having a very active dream, that shouldn’t be the case.” She shrugged. “So, well, that might just be what he’s doing, because then there’s his brain. Luckily, I have some knowledge of neuroscience thanks to my experiments on Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense.” “Keep it short, Twilight Sparkle.” “Well, his brainwaves are all over the place. The quickest thing I can say is, now I understand what makes Briarthorn act like... well, Briarthorn.” Her expression turned sour, and she placed a hoof on Briarthorn’s midsection. “None of that’s really affecting him right now, though. I’m more worried about the rest of it. He’s suffering from internal injuries across almost all of his minor and major organs, and none of them look like they were originally inflicted recently. “To be honest, Your Highness, I’m surprised he’s even alive, let alone able to walk and talk. How he can fly in this condition is beyond me.” “Is there anything you can do, Twilight?” Rarity asked, stepping over and putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Perhaps some sort of Restomancy? Please, he deserves whatever help you can give him.” Twilight sighed. “The damage is well past my understanding of proper Restomancy. I can accelerate the healing process for things like bones and surface tissue, but organs?” She turned back to Blackburn. “I have no idea what’s even—" “Wrong with him? Aside from bizarre personality, of course,” Blackburn said, her mouth curling in a small, brief smile. She shook her head. “Not something you would know. Diffusion feedback.” Rarity blinked. “Beg pardon? Diffusion... feedback?” Blackburn stepped forward and put her hoof on Briarthorn’s head. He didn’t react at all, his breathing remaining labored. “Yes. Diffusion feedback. Unique symptom of utilizing Diffusion system. System imperfect, not completely safe: powerful magicks stream through energy field, back through device into pegasus creating shield. Severe negative effects on internal systems.” “What sorts of ‘negative effects’?” Twilight asked, giving Briarthorn another panicked look. “I mean, I can see what sorts of damage it can do and to what organs, but how much are we talking about in one go?” Blackburn tapped her chin and thought for a moment. “On average, without precautions or treatment? One dozen uses, maybe less, considered lethal. Typical average determined by pilot’s physiology.” Twilight balked, taking a step back and shaking her head. “And all your pilots use this system regularly? How do you even have any pilots left? Why would any of them volunteer?!” “As said, precautions and treatment. Precautions simple enough: apparatus Briar provided Rainbow Dash is a Diffusion diffusor; did not name it, can’t be faulted for awful convention. It dilutes feedback by seventy-five percent, give or take. Rainbow Dash could have completed remaining cycle with minimal effect on her well-being.” Blackburn turned to Rarity and pointed behind the unicorn at the line of cabinets. “Bottom cabinet behind you. Briar should keep private stash there. Fetch a bottle; any will do.” “A bottle? Private stash?” Rarity asked, eyebrow raised. She shot Twilight a nervous glance. “You mean, alcohol? I’m fetching alcohol?” “Correct. One bottle, if you please.” “Right... yes, of course.” Rarity turned and opened the cabinet mentioned, then pulled out a large black bottle with gold labeling. She gave it a brisk shake, jostling the liquids inside, then passed it over to Blackburn. Blackburn did not take it, and gestured towards Briarthorn instead. “Give it to him,” she said. Rarity nodded and, with her magic, yanked the top off the bottle with a sharp pop. She then opened Briarthorn’s mouth and placed the lip of the bottle inside, then tilted his head back. A single swish of liquid went down his throat, then she went to tilt him forward, obviously thinking she was done. Blackburn shook her head and pushed Briarthorn’s head back again, giving Rarity a quick glance and causing the unicorn to shy away slightly. “Didn’t say to stop. By ‘it’, meant ‘whole bottle’. Should have been more clear. Apologies, not your fault.” Twilight bit her bottom lip as she watched the bottle’s contents pour into Briarthorn’s gullet. “Isn’t that a little much? I did mention his liver trouble, didn’t I?” Blackburn shook her head. “Proper dosage of treatment.” “‘Treatment’?” Rarity blurted, jerking her hoof away in surprise. “This is treatment?” Blackburn chuckled, giving Rarity a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry. Briar’s great-grandfather invented Diffusion system. Discovered severe pain and internal trauma it causes. Barely lived through testing phases. Briar’s grandfather discovered treatment method: alcohol dulls Diffusion effects. Stronger alcohol content increases potency.” Twilight frowned and shook her head, putting her hoof on Briarthorn’s side. “So that’s why he drinks so much.” Blackburn grunted in acknowledgement. She pulled the bottle away as soon as it had emptied, then placed it on the counter next to her. “Briarthorn is top-tier smuggler, and only single-pony team, mostly at his own insistence. Has no backup pilot to spread Diffusion feedback around. ‘I work better alone’, he says. Trusted with many important missions recently. Compounds effect.” She sighed and smoothed Briarthorn’s sweaty mane back out of his face. “Overcompensates at times; drinks too much. Constantly undergoes liver treatments, often on monthly basis. At this rate, may die of liver poisoning before Diffusion feedback destroys rest of him. Ironic, really.” “Ironic?!” Twilight stomped a hoof. “Is that all this is to you?! Your ‘missions’ are killing him! With the internal injuries he has, he’ll be lucky to live another—" “Five years,” Blackburn completed. She glanced at the dumbfounded Twilight, her mouth curled in a solemn frown. “Already heard diagnostics from proper medical staff. Doctor Sugarcane trustworthy enough to keep it from him.” Twilight narrowed her eyes, darting them back and forth between Blackburn and Briarthorn. “Keep it from him?” “You mean... he doesn’t know?” Rarity asked. “Why?” Blackburn frowned and turned away from them. “Not proud of it. If he knew, would change, alter lifestyle. Do things to extend life, but rob himself of pleasures. Might buy another year. Maybe two. Would be a miserable extension. Doctor Sugarcane does what she can, but effects are miniscule.” She turned slightly to face them again, giving them a small smile. “His own philosophy: ‘live life to its fullest, or it’s not worth living’. Would not deprive him of that.” “I don’t know if that’s the most deplorable thing I’ve ever heard... or the most noble,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “Noble? How could you even think that, Rarity?” Twilight asked, glaring at Rarity. She pointed at Blackburn. “She knows he’s dying, and she’s hiding it from him!” Rarity sighed. “That might well be, Twilight, but—" Twilight glanced down at Briarthorn, and snorted through her nose. “It’s not fair to him. He should—" She was interrupted when Briarthorn gave a loud grumble and rolled over onto his back, kicking his leg as a dog would. “He is waking,” Blackburn said. “Normally would not ask this: do not tell Briar the truth. If you do, and he asks for confirmation, will not give it. Pains me greatly, knowing how long he has to live. Not something anypony should ever know, unless something permanent can be done.” A few moments passed, and Briarthorn shook from his stupor. “Oh stars and comets, my aching head...” he murmured, blinking his eyes open and rubbing his temple. “Did anypony catch the license plate on the truck that hit me?” “Briarthorn, are you okay?” Rarity asked, placing her hooves beside his head. Briarthorn gave her a tight smile. “Will a ‘no’ get me some more smooches?” he asked, pursing his lips. “My body is ready.” “Apparently fine,” Blackburn said, bonking Briarthorn over the head. “Hey, ow! I didn’t say you couldn’t help her, Queenie.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’ve done well, Briar. Diffusion system charged beyond normal capacity, withstood Devastator Cannon fire.” Briarthorn’s eyes widened. “Holy smokes, no kidding? Devastator fire? Really?” He laughed a great, proud laugh. “Well now, that’s slick! How long was I out, and how’s my ship? Wait, strike that. Reverse it. Gotta prioritize. How’s my angel holding up?” Blackburn sighed and patted Briarthorn on the head in an attempt to reassure him. “Minor systems at minimal capacity. Diffusion system holding, Gadget keeping it operational and attempting to optimize functionality. Dynamic thrusters and main engines, out of power.” “My beautiful Thunder... nooo...” Briarthorn groaned and held his head, then gave Blackburn a pleading, puppy dog-eyed look. “Your Majesty, please tell me you’re gonna help me with the bill? You’re the one who broke my baby.” “Will discuss after we arrive in Utopia. Matters are complicated.” “Discuss, huh? I guess that’s gonna have to be good enough for now.” He turned to face Twilight, giving the unicorn a bright smile. “Hey Twily. You look tired. Are you tired? You shouldn’t be tired, you haven’t been up that long.” Twilight gave Blackburn a quick glance, then cleared her throat. “Well, Briarthorn, I’d like to answer your first question now, if I could? It’s been about two hours since we brought you back aboard the ship.” “Ha! A new record!” Briarthorn’s jovial expression gradually dimmed as Twilight neglected to return it. “Hey, is something wrong, Twily? You look down. You didn’t get hit out there, did you?” “No...” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I’m fine, Briarthorn. Thanks for asking. You should get some rest, though. Being out like that isn’t good for your health.” “Yes, darling, you should just lay down and relax for a while,” Rarity insisted, using her magic to wipe Briarthorn’s sweaty brow with a napkin. “Look at you, you’re a mess!” Blackburn cleared her throat. “Evidently, a repeat of the situation is necessary. Briar, Diffusion system holding steady, Gadget spending full time and effort on endeavor to optimize. Thus, Gadget unavailable to repair engines, which are barely operational. Only one other pony on board with expertise in repairs.” “Right right, I get it, Queenie. On it now,” Briarthorn said, rolling onto his stomach and pulling himself to his hooves with a strained grunt. “I’ll have the engines fixed up in a... a jiffy. Just as soon as... my head stops doing its own Diffusion loops, if you get me. Did I paint the kitchen blue? Why is everything blue?” “He really shouldn’t be moving so soon,” Twilight said, trying to stymie Briarthorn’s attempt to get up. “Look at him, he’s barely able to stand. I’m sure he could walk somepony else through it, like Tick Tock or—" “Little time to argue, Twilight Sparkle, repairs are a necessity,” Blackburn said, giving Twilight a sharp glance. “Briar will get his earned rest in Utopia. May consider giving a vacation, as he’s earned it.” “Huh? A vacation? Aren’t I on public booze probation?” Briarthorn gave Blackburn a coy smirk. “You can’t exactly stop me from drinking some fine Utopian spirits, Queenie.” “Fine Utopian pisswater, you mean. Utopian alcohol not terrific, but satisfactory. Probation temporarily lifted. Did more work than expected, can go easy for a time.” She narrowed her eyes and pointed at the door. “For now, your ship needs your help. Can’t risk being long in the Belt, not with sub-optimal Diffusion levels.” Twilight snorted. “I really must insist—" “Twily, hey! Relax, I’ll be fine,” Briarthorn said, giving Twilight a reassuring pat on the head with his wing. “I’ve suffered worse than this. No big deal. Don’t get warty on me. Just a mild case of Diffusion feedback, nothing some bed and a booze-fest won’t fix!” “Mild case... right...” “Hey, after I get everything fixed up? I’ll take a nap and, apparently, a little vacation. Sounds good, right? I know it’s pretty much midway through the winter quarter and all, so no hitting the beaches, a damn shame to be sure. I’d love to show you the beaches when they’re in season! I bet you and Lady Rarity here would look drop-dead gorgeous in swimwear.” “Well... if you’re okay with it...” “Swimwear... hmm, I never thought of that,” Rarity said, tapping her chin. “Say now, that gives me an idea for when we get home! Fashionable designer swimwear! What a brilliant idea, Briarthorn. I wonder why I never thought of anything like that before?” Briarthorn hopped off the table and trotted—staggered, really—towards the door. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, Twily. No warts for you, your face is too nice! I may not be an engineer like Gadget is, but I know the Thunder. She’ll be back up in no time!” “I certainly hope so. You need some rest, Briarthorn, really you do,” Twilight said, biting her lip. “Sure! Sure, I’m just gonna get changed first, then I—oh, you two should change also—then I just need a little help with the heavy lifting and we’re all good to go.” Blackburn nodded and stepped out of Briarthorn’s way. “Heavy lifting... ah, yes. Crossfire would be glad to assist. He is down in the cargo hold.” Briarthorn laughed and shook his head. “Crossfire? Oh ho, no no no, that big slab of muscle has had enough of a workout today. Yeesh, Queenie, you’re brutal. Give the guy a chance to replenish himself before you ride him again, huh? I was gonna ask somepony else for some help, actually.” “Somepony else?” Rarity asked, shooting Twilight a brief, confused look. “Who?” *** “Why exactly are we here again?” Flathoof asked, keeping in stride with Applejack as the pair followed Briarthorn into the bowels of the Thunder. The pegasus did not wear his usual vest and belt combination, and instead wore a different sort of full-body suit than the one he’d been using for flying earlier. It certainly had nearly as many pockets as his vest did, that was for certain. “Your ship is really fascinating, Briarthorn, and Applejack and I certainly appreciate the grand tour that’s taken all of... what? Fifteen minutes? But I’m still not sure what we’re doing.” “Yeah, y’all made this sound urgent,” Applejack said, keeping her eyes forward and focused on the path ahead. “I don’t really know what any o’ these here doohickies are, ta be frank with ya.” “I told you: repairs,” Briarthorn said, wobbling towards a thick metal door labeled Engine Control. “I’m the only pony on board other than Gadget that can fix the engine, right? Well, I need your help to do it.” He trotted up to the door and tapped a sequence of buttons on the numerical panel to the side. A second later, the door gave a loud click, and he pushed it open and gestured for them to enter. Flathoof and Applejack entered the room, which was not much larger than the cargo hold above them, though that did still make it about the size of a large den. Briarthorn followed right behind them, and shut the door in his wake before trotting towards the square-shaped room’s center. Flathoof took a quick look around, and other than a small door just to the right labeled Emergency Pod, nothing really stood out. In fact, it became quite clear to Flathoof that something about Briarthorn’s story was amiss. The room’s entrance was too small to look as though anything particularly heavy and movable would even fit into the room, outside of unicorn teleportation. All the techno-magic equipment looked like it was attached directly to the walls and fitted upon panels of various shapes and sizes, apart from the large device in the center of the room, which was attached to the floor and ceiling. The floor of the room was clean and devoid of debris, and apart from a single, small box in the opposite corner, nothing in here looked as if it even needed to be lifted, let alone would require great strength. Briarthorn must have noticed Flathoof’s curiosity. “Like it?” he asked. “The Thunder’s engine room’s probably the most private room on the ship. If I’m cruising the nice, open night skies of Utopia, I often park this big girl somewhere out of the way, and...” His eyes drifted for a moment, and he looked distant. The pause lasted so long that Flathoof reached out to tap Briarthorn’s shoulder, but jerked his hoof back as the pegasus shook his head. “Sorry, still woozy. Anyway, the engine room is one of the better places onboard for... uh, intimate pursuits. If you know what I mean?” Flathoof groaned and shook his head. “I really don’t want to—" “Sex. I mean sex.” “Yes, we got it,” Flathoof deadpanned. “Thank you, for that mental image.” Again, Briarthorn didn’t respond for a moment, looking distant. He shook his head again. “Oh, are... you’re visualizing me in my... in your head now, are you Flathoof?” Briarthorn grinned and gave his typical eyebrow waggle. “What am I wearing? Wait! Wait, let me guess—" Flathoof shoved the pegasus away. “Oh stars, put a sock in it for one second, will you? Do you ever take anything seriously?” Applejack scratched her head and looked around, her eyes betraying her obvious lack of understanding of what anything in the room did. “Well, ignorin’ the raunchy stories, let’s just get back on topic, yeah? Lemme get this straight here, Mister Briarthorn: y’all needed us ta help ya in here with repairs... why again?” Briarthorn smiled and folding his wings in a pose of innocence. “Again, like I said: heavy lifting. See, in my condition, I’m not exactly able to operate at my peak. Can’t really fly too well right now, yeah? Without my ample wing power at my beck and call,” he added, flexing his wings and giving Applejack a wink, “I need the help.” Flathoof snorted and gave Briarthorn the most impatient, disapproving look he could muster. He hated when Lockwood did something with ulterior motives, and over the years had grown to see the telltale signs of one of his adopted brother’s crazy schemes from miles away. Briarthorn was significantly less subtle about it. “Briarthorn, there isn’t anything in this room that even looks it could be lifted,” he said, gesturing through the room with an outstretched hoof, “except that toolbox in the corner.” His hoof lingered on the aforementioned box. “Now, don’t tell me that thing’s even remotely heavy. It’s tiny!” Briarthorn massaged his temples with his wingtips, then gave Flathoof’s shoulder a slow, demonstrated pat. “Oh, you’d be surprised at how much appearance can deceive, Flathoof. ‘Size matters not’, after all. Got that off a fortune cookie. Anyway, if it’s such a cinch, just bring it on over. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Flathoof rolled his eyes and trotted over to the perfectly-cubic silver box in the corner. Other than the large, orange, circular insignia on the top, it was entirely nondescript. Flathoof reached out a hoof and pushed it from the side. It didn’t budge, but Flathoof hadn’t really put much effort into it. He did note that the box was warm to the touch, though. “I can’t believe you’re such a wuss,” he said, shaking his head. “You really can’t lift this thing? Seriously?” Applejack snorted. “Just lift the dang thing, Flathoof. Briarthorn said he was injured, stop makin’ the guy—" Briarthorn laughed. “My dear southern comfort, Applejack, jumping to my defense. I appreciate the gesture, but—" “I ain’t jumpin’ ta yer defense, I’m just tryin’ ta get Flathoof ta hurry it up. I wanna get back up ta th’ others.” Flathoof shrugged. “Fine fine, I’ll take care of it.” He placed his hooves on the sides of the box and hoisted it up. Well, attempted to anyway. He realized after giving it a second sharp tug that it wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry. He grunted and tugged again, but the box didn’t budge an inch. Was it bolted to the floor? Did it have magnets on it? Was it really just a piece of decoration, not a box at all? There had to be something wrong here. “Well? Are ya gonna stop foolin’ ‘round, or ain’t ya?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes. “Yeah, we’re waiting over here,” Briarthorn added, his mouth cracking a rather large grin. “Uh...” Flathoof mumbled, giving a nervous glance back to the others. “Let me try that again. I just... couldn’t get a good grip, is all.” He grabbed the sides again and put more effort into the lift, straining his rear legs and giving a great exhale in his attempt. This time, he managed to get it off the ground, and with it in his grip, he stumbled over to Briarthorn and dropped the heavy box at the pilot’s feet. Then, he staggered back and let out another sharp exhale and began rubbing one of his hind legs. “Holy cow, what’s in that dang box? Weights?” he asked, struggling for breath. “I just about threw out my back lifting that danged thing.” “So much fer ‘super strength’, I guess?” Applejack said, shaking her head and giving Flathoof an amused grin. “I thought y’all got in shape after runnin’ ‘round the Wastelands fer two weeks?” “Yes, well... you try lifting it then,” Flathoof said, standing upright and running a hoof through his mane. “No really, what’s in that thing?” “What I need to fix the ship engines,” Briarthorn said, snapping his goggles over his face. He waved his hoof towards the door. “You two may want to back up a bit. There’s some dangerous stuff in here, and you two don’t have protective suits or even goggles like yours truly. Wouldn’t want you guys getting, like... I dunno, magic cancer or something.” He fumbled in one of his suit’s pockets for a large, square key, which he then inserted into the small slot in the center of the orange marking. With a twist, he unlocked it, and a dim blue glow creeped out of the slit that had been opened. When the box was fully opened, the glow was bright enough to almost light up the room. Briarthorn then grabbed a small, clawed device from the side of the large machine in the center of the room, and stuck it inside the compartment with a loud click. He pulled a bright blue glowing orb out, brandishing it in the air. “And here we are!” Applejack shielded her eyes from the glow. “Shoot, who turned on the danged sun?” “One fully-charged energy module, ready to go! Yet another damn shame. Too many of those, lately. I mean, that air show Queenie gave you lovely folks means I’ve gotta bring this little thing out so soon, y’know? I figured the current module would last another few months, but I guess I didn’t expect Her Worshipfulness to be giving my babydoll such a workout.” “That’s what was in there?” Flathoof asked, eyebrow twitching. “It’s not heavy at all! You didn’t need—" Briarthorn shook his head and laughed. “Oh no, no. What was in the box wasn’t heavy. The box itself was what was heavy. It’s layered with all sorts of radiation protection.” Flathoof balked. “So why didn’t you just open it up and bring it over from there? You didn’t need me to bring the box over.” Briarthorn blinked, and narrowed his eyes, looking at nothing, in apparently serious thought. He shrugged. “Well, whaddya know? Seems like you’re right, and we’re way past too late. Sorry, big guy!” Briarthorn chuckled and pushed a small, orange button on the side of the large machine. A hatch on the side opened up, exposed a flickering blue glow much like the small orb he was holding. The glow was noticeably dimmer and the flickering was reminiscent of a dying light bulb. He pushed a red button next, and the machine gave a loud hiss, followed by a clang that echoed through the chamber. The glow from the machine disappeared after that. Briarthorn then inserted the orb he was carrying into the hatch, and twisted the device in his hooves with another loud click. He then removed the device, without the orb attached to it. The machine was glowing blue again, brighter than ever. “And there we go, one brand spanking new power source all set to go,” Briarthorn said, pushing a green button on the side to close the hatch and lock the machine up. He preened his wings, giving them each a proud smile. “We’ll be chugging along in no time.” “Really? Well, okay then. So what’s next?” Flathoof asked, stepping forward. “What else do we need to do to help?” Briarthorn turned to face them, his smile wide. He gave both an apologetic bow. “Weeellll... now to the important things. I’m going to finish setting up all the remaining charging parameters and getting the engines properly started up. You two are going to head over into the corner and talk. A private talk. You follow?” Flathoof and Applejack gave each other quizzical looks, then turned back to Briarthorn. Applejack scratched her head. “Uh, beg pardon? Private talk?” “You mean... you don’t need us anymore?” Flathoof asked, darting his eyes back and forth between Briarthorn and the door. Briarthorn shook his head, giving an embarrassed chuckle and a flourish of his wings. “I guess not!” “Well then why did you call us down here?” “Like I’ve probably said fifty times now: I just needed help with the heavy-lifting here, which apparently I didn’t need, and I’m all set to finish the repairs on my own. If I needed more than that I’d have brought dear Twily along for the ride, but honestly I don’t think I’m really in the proper shape right now. Hence, you two.” Applejack and Flathoof shared looks again, more baffled this time than before. “So... why’d y’all call us both?” Applejack asked. “I didn’t even do nothin’ but stand here, an’ I guess if y’all wanted ta really count it as anythin’, I guess I kinda gave Flathoof a stern talkin’ ta?” Briarthorn stared at them for a moment. “You two. You two. You can head to the corner, and have a little chance for a private talk. Y’know, without any of the others listening in on your business?” He tapped his ear briefly. “As a show of good faith, I didn’t even bring my earpiece, so no accidental eavesdropping from anypony.” “What the hay is that even s’posed ta mean? ‘Private talk’? What sorta ‘business’ d’ya think we got—" The pegasus began massaging his temples again, his eyes closed. “I thought I’d be a decent gentlecolt and give you the opportunity to work out any issues you might be having without making anypony else suspicious.” Flathoof rolled his eyes. “Gentlecolt, right. What’s the real reason?” Briarthorn finally stopped massaging his temples, folding his wings with an exasperated sigh. “The most private room on the ship, bar none, right? So you two can work out your issues and hey, maybe do what comes naturally after that! I’m hoping after you two work your issues out and kiss and make up, etcetera, maybe you’ll remember who made it happen.” Applejack turned red and started towards the door. “This is stupid. Can’t believe I got talked inta this.” “Come on now, Applebottom, don’t tell me you’re having the jitters,” Briarthorn said, giving a wink. “I saw the way you were looking at the big beefy police officer here back at the boutique. If stares were bits, you’d be a millionaire!” “Y’all keep yer big mouth shut!” Applejack shouted. “Staring at me? At the boutique?” Flathoof turned to Applejack and narrowed his eyes. “What, were you laughing at me too? At least the others had the decency to do it up front, but I don’t think I heard you laughing.” “I... I wasn’t laughin’, Flathoof.” She sighed and tilted her head towards the corner. “Look, let’s just go talk this out, okay? I think Briarthorn’s right, and we do... kinda got some issues ta work out...” Flathoof scratched his head as she stepped towards the corner. “Uh... okay then.” “Finally!” Briarthorn said, trudging over to the opposite side of the engine machine. “Yeesh, and ponies say I can’t take a hint.” Flathoof shot one last confused look at Briarthorn as he followed Applejack over, giving her a quick once-over. Something was off, and it was worrying to him. “Applejack, what the hay is going on here? You’ve been acting funny since this morning.” “F-funny? I ain’t been actin’ funny. Funny how?” Applejack asked, not meeting his eyes. “Well for one, you’re talking to me again,” Flathoof said, his lips curling in a brief smile. “For the past week up until today, we’ve kind of been—" His smile fell, and he averted his gaze. “Avoiding each other.” Applejack sighed and nodded. “I know, an’... I’m sorry. Y’all’re right, I ain’t been payin’ ya much attention lately an’... I’m sorry. Can ya forgive me?” Flathoof gave Applejack a cursory glance. “I’m not much on holding grudges, but I’d really like an explanation. Why you stopped talking to me as much from the day we left the checkpoint, and better yet, why you started talking to me again today. Heck, right now, it’s hard to notice anything even happened.” “I... I’d like it if we could just forget anythin’ ever happened in the first place, if we could? I’d just like thing ta go back ta normal, is all.” “I said I don’t hold grudges, but I also don’t forget. I’m willing to talk again and everything, but unless I know why this all happened, I can’t promise things can go back to the way they were.” He scratched his chin and sighed. “I know I said some things myself, and I’m sorry about that too. I’d just like to know why I felt the need to say them in the first place.” Applejack paused for a moment, staring straight ahead at the wall. She finally took a deep breath. “Well... I s’pose it’s ‘bout time I came clean with ya. Seein’ as that’s what got us in this here mess in the first place.” She turned to face him, giving him a sheepish look. “I stopped talkin’ ta ya because... I thought y’all were lyin’ ta me. Ta everypony.” Flathoof blinked and shook his head in disbelief. This was unexpected. “What? Lying? About what?” “Well, not so much lyin’ as bein’ dishonest.” She reached up to tug at her hat, again forgetting that it wasn’t there. “See... I thought y’all were sneakin’ ‘round behind everypony’s back and... uh... foolin’ ‘round with Tick Tock. Y’know, an’ not tellin’ nopony.” Flathoof was glad that physics was still working, because otherwise he was sure his jaw would’ve hit the floor. “Wait... wait, what?” Applejack shied away from his stark glance. “Yeah... yeah, I know... it’s stupid. I know it’s stupid now, but at the time I thought it was right. I’m sorry fer ever thinkin’ it...” Flathoof shook his head again, holding out his hooves to gesture for Applejack to hold up her train of thought a moment. “Hang on, let me get this straight. You... you thought... Tick Tock and I were sneaking away at night to... what, make out? Is that what you thought?” Applejack scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Well... yeah. Like I said: stupid.” Flathoof gave a great, loud laugh. “That’s... wow, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Tick Tock and me? She’s not exactly my type, Applejack. Where the hay did you get a boneheaded idea like that?” Applejack exhaled. “Rarity. It was Rarity.” “Rarity?” Flathoof asked, arching an eyebrow. “And where would she get such an idea?” Applejack sighed and stomped a hoof on the floor. “That’s just it! I... I asked her ‘bout it last night after the contest thing, after I heard Tick Tock talkin’ ‘bout havin’ a boyfriend.” She craned her neck to make sure that Briarthorn couldn’t hear her. “Or rather, not havin’ a boyfriend,” she added in a whisper. “So it turns out, y’all’re off the hook.” “Well, duh,” Flathoof deadpanned. He tapped his chin. “Wait, so then, why aren’t you mad at Rarity? She lied to you, not me. She actually outright lied if she said Tick Tock and I were together, or at least misled you if she said she thought we were. Which is it?” “She said y’all were outright a couple. So y’all’re right, that’d be a lie, and I was right angry at Rarity when I asked her.” Applejack grunted and shook her head. “That’s what makes me so dang confused.” “I don’t follow.” “Y’see, when Tick Tock said she was single, she seemed absolutely earnest ‘bout it, an’ ta top it off, she was drunk as all get out. I pride myself on readin’ a pony’s words fer lies ‘n’ baloney like that, and I didn’t see none o’ that. She was tellin’ the truth. “So I asked Rarity ‘bout it... an’ she said she had no idea what I was talkin’ ‘bout. She remembers the entire conversation we had back at the checkpoint down ta the word, but doesn’t remember tellin’ me one dang thing ‘bout you ‘n’ Tick Tock gettin’ cozy with one another. I’ve known Rarity fer years; I know when she’s hidin’ somethin’. She was tellin’ the truth too.” Flathoof shook his head. “So... wait, I don’t get it. Then, if it wasn’t Rarity, who told you—" “That’s just it, I don’t get it either!” Applejack blurted, throwing her hooves in the air. “I’ve been wrackin’ my brain on it all ding-dong day, an’ I just can’t make hide nor hair o’ the whole thing. I’m wonderin’ if I’m goin’ crazy. “I know dang well I talked ta Rarity at the checkpoint, but I talked ta her outside. She insists we talked in the hallway. Nothin’ adds up, and what’s worse, the Rarity I talked ta back then, when she told me all them things, she seemed like she was tellin’ the truth too! I just... I don’t know what’s goin’ on, sugar. It don’t make any sense.” Flathoof chuckled and pat Applejack on the shoulder. “Well, don’t you worry, Tick Tock and I... aren’t—" He paused. “Wait a second, I just realized something. You were worried that I was in a relationship with Tick Tock? Um...” Applejack flushed and rubbed her neck again. “Well... yeah, that’s... that’s the other thing I wanted ta be honest ‘bout.” She turned to face him, giving him a big smile that he hadn’t seen in a long time. “I... I kinda like ya, sugar. A lot. I guess I just got a lil’ jealous that some fussy unicorn snagged y’all out from under me an’ that y’all weren’t upfront ‘bout it.” Flathoof didn’t know what to say. So, he just stared. And stared. Applejack frowned and scuffed her hoof against the floor. “So... uh... yeah. I’m... I’m sorry ‘bout everythin’ I’ve done an’ said, an’ I guess didn’t do or say neither. I know I got them green eyes an’ all, but I ain’t no green-eyed monster. Can ya forgive me?” Flathoof’s mouth cracked into a small smile. “You don’t need to apologize to me, Applejack. I forgave you the moment you started talking to me again.” Applejack smiled back. “Thanks, sugar. I... I feel awful ‘bout the whole dang thing.” “Well, if you want to put it behind us, then that’s fine with me,” Flathoof said. He averted his gaze, feeling a flush coming to his face as well. “If I can be honest a moment, I... I kind of like you too, Applejack. It’s been a... a long time since I’ve been able to tell that to somepony.” Applejack laughed. “That suits me just fine, sugar. I don’t care what Rarity says—just ‘cause y’all happen ta... look like—" She suddenly stopped talking and began sniffing at the air, her nose scrunching up in disgust. Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Look like... what? Applejack? What are you—" “Y’all smell that?” Flathoof sniffed the air, and his nose crinkled much as hers was. “Ugh... oh stars, what is that smell?” He turned behind him, towards the center of the room. “Hey Briarthorn, you doing something over there that makes a smell or something?” “Huh?” Briarthorn asked, peeling himself away from his work. He too sniffed at the air, and scrunched his own nose in disgust as well. “Oh wow, pee-yoo, that is nasty! Stars and skies above, that is just... ugh! Who the buck let one go in my engine room?!” “That ain’t nothin’ like that. It sure does smell familiar though,” Applejack said, holding her nose with one hoof and waving the other in front of her face. “I know I done smelled this odor before. It’s real familiar, kinda like—" Her eyes widened. “The Blood Mire. Or Red Death, or whatever the hay it’s called. That freaky red swamp zombie place!” “Oh, so this is what that smelled like, huh?” Flathoof asked, copying her gesture and putting his hoof over his nose. “No wonder you and Twilight reacted the way you did. Sure am glad Twilight and Rarity thought of those air bubbles, if this is how bad—" “Naw, this ain’t as bad as what Twi ‘n’ me smelled, no sir. Still ain’t mean it’s pleasant or nothin’.” “Well, what the hay is a smell like this doing way out—" There was a loud clang from the rear of the room that drew everypony’s attention. The grating over the wall there burst outwards, sailing out and colliding with the engine’s power source before falling to the floor. Everything after that happened in such quick succession that Flathoof wasn’t sure how he’d even been able to react, even as he was doing it. The murky shadows started to move, slinking along the darkened wall like an oil slick before bolting towards the corner. Flathoof could see that they were dead-set on a single target: Applejack. Without a second thought, he shoved her out of the way and into the adjacent wall. A great flash of silver metal swept down between them; Flathoof jerked back, the flash narrowly missing his face by mere inches. The swish of air from the slice jostled the hairs in his mane. “What in tarnation?!” The mixture of shadows and metal twisted and moved towards Applejack again. With less than a yard of distance to travel, Flathoof again just reacted as quickly as he was able, and leapt and tackled the shadow, striking it to the floor. It remained pinned for all of a second before it swept up into the air with Flathoof in tow, and slammed him into the wall of machines. The impact loosened some of the panels, and Flathoof let out a pained grunt alongside the sound of snapping bone. He wasn’t sure what had been broken, but it hurt like hell. “Flathoof!” Applejack shouted. Flathoof, not loosening his hold on the shadow despite the pain, was swung around again with the shadow and slammed into another wall of machines. He still held firm, forcing the shadow to attempt to dislodge him by slamming him into the floor. This time, Flathoof lost his grip. He jerked to the side, rolling to avoid the silver flash sweeping down at him again. It impacted with the floor and just kept going through, slicing through the durable metal with so little resistance that the floor may as well not have even been there. “Will you just stay still?!” the shadow bellowed, its voice dark and carrying a sinister reverberation. Flathoof’s eyes widened, and he took two large steps back. He knew that voice from his haunted dream. “You.” The shadow took shape as it flew at him again, until it was no longer a shadow, but a black-clad pegasus with wide, silvery-metal wings. His body was black with decay, and large tears in his flesh through ripped pieces of his suit exposed his rotten insides. One wing sliced through the air, and Flathoof ducked just under it. The wing and the pegasus it was attached to tore through the machine behind Flathoof like tissue paper. Flathoof bolted at the pegasus, colliding with him and sending him flying into the opposite wall of machines, knocking panels loose and denting the wall. The pegasus tumbled out and glared at Flathoof, his left eyeball hanging just out of its socket and his jaw not quite lining up with the rest of his face. He pushed the eyeball back in with a sloppy, wet pop, then attempted to smirk at Flathoof. With half his jaw missing, it didn’t look quite right. “Ynnn ggnnn... mmnn...” The pegasus snorted and straightened his jaw into its proper position. “You’ve gotten stronger, Captain Flathoof. That was quite a tackle.” Flathoof snarled and braced himself for more sudden movements, not taking his eyes off his opponent. “How did you—" The pegasus swept his wing back and forth in a silencing gesture. “Ah ah, that’s not really important right now, is it?” He pointed his wing towards Applejack, who stood quiet in the corner just behind Flathoof. “The farmer needs to die. She’s powerless out here. Defenseless. Weak. Make things easier on everypony and step aside.” “Not a chance.” Flathoof stomped a hoof and dragged it along the floor. The pegasus shrugged and surged forward again, flaring his wings outwards in a show of force. Flathoof dove to the side to push Applejack out of the way, letting the pegasus crash head-first into the wall of machines behind them again. Before the pegasus could dislodge himself, Flathoof charged at him from the side, slamming his shoulder into the assailant’s midsection. The pegasus swiped his wing outward just as he was knocked away, slicing through Flathoof’s leg. Flathoof yowled in pain and stumbled to his knees. “Flathoof!” Applejack darted over to Flathoof and reached a hoof out to help him up. “Are ya okay, sugar? Let me—" “Get out of here, Applejack,” Flathoof said, still not taking his eyes off the recovering pegasus. “This isn’t the place for you right now.” Applejack snorted and settled herself in at his side. “I ain’t leavin’ ya. I may not have my powers, but that don’t mean I—" Flathoof stomped the hoof of his good leg, pushing himself upright. “This isn’t the time to argue, just go! Get help!” The pegasus shook himself out of the wall and lunged forward again. An explosion burst outwards from his side, slamming him hard into the wall. Flathoof and Applejack staggered back from the explosive force. “Get off my ship!” Briarthorn shouted, cocking a tiny gun in one hoof. “About time you joined in!” Flathoof snapped. Briarthorn shrugged. “Sorry, too many pockets.” He aimed his gun at the point where the other pegasus had impacted the wall, and fired again. The other pegasus swept his wing out, knocking the explosive projectile out of the air with another great burst. Not enough to stagger him. The other pegasus snarled, spitting rime on the floor. “More fodder for the meat grinder. You’re delaying the inevitable!” He glanced at the glowing engine machine, then gave them all a wicked smile. “I wonder... your engine’s power casing wouldn’t happen to be made of anything that can resist Obidium, would it?” *** “I think I’ve got the Diffusion system back up at optimal power, Your Majesty,” Gadget said, wiping her brow with an oil-soaked rag and giving an enthusiastic salute. “We’re good to go the remaining distance across the Belt. Or at least, we should be. There may or may not be a slight calibration error. I think a few zeroes are off, so we’re somewhere between one percent capacity, and ten thousand percent. Give or take.” “Well done, Gadget. Exemplary work as always,” Blackburn said, her voice slightly distorted by the thick, reinforced glass of the flight compartment. She flexed her wings, which were once again coated with a strange black material. “Engine status? Is the Thunder prepared to move?” Gadget scratched her chin and looked over the instrument panel in front of her. Nothing but an expanse of yellow lights, only one green among them under a label reading Power Source: Online. “Well, engine power has returned to full capacity, but I’m not getting any readings from the secondary systems or the final checklight. I can’t start the engines up proper until everything is green. All we’ve got now is impulse power; we’re nearing the edge of the Belt with it, but it’ll take almost a full day to reach Utopia like this.” Blackburn snorted and flittered her wings, obviously uncomfortable standing around in the stuffy compartment for an extended period of time. “What is taking Briar so long? Unlike him. Usually quite punctual.” “Well, he is still recovering, Your Highness. Maybe he’s just a little tired? Golly, I guess he really does deserve a rest?” Gadget chuckled and shook her head. “He might be an idiot, but dang if he isn’t hard-working.” Blackburn sighed and nodded. “Agreed. Already promised an extended vacation. He deserves it. As soon as we land, will discuss further. Estimated arrival time at current velocity?” Gadget hummed and double-checked a few of the instruments on the panel. “Well, assuming all my math is correct that that I’m not too foggy on my geography, we’ll be out of the Belt and passing over the eastern half of Cardinal Point in roughly three minutes. If Briarthorn hurries up and gets those engines ready, we’ll be in Utopia itself in no—" A huge explosion rocked the ship. In a matter of seconds, the Thunder began lurching forward in a sharp dive. All of the instrument panels turned bright red and began blinking incessantly. Blackburn stumbled back upright. “Gadget! Report!” “Massive energy feedback detected in the engine room! We’ve rocketed off-course!” Gadget shouted, frantically flipping all the switches and buttons she could to absolutely no effect. “The hull has suffered a critical breach in the lower aft, so the Diffusion system is unable to complete its circuit! It’s losing power!” Blackburn swore loudly, then settled her hooves on the floor and started beating her wings in an attempt to get the ship to stay airborne. Her eyes widened when she heard a very loud metallic snap, followed by another explosion that sent the ship into a sickening spiral. “Portside emergency wing down! Diffusion system down!” Gadget held her head in her hooves and started darting her eyes everywhere around the cockpit. “Lower aft hull damage critical, that whole section of this ship is gone!” Blackburn’s eyes widened. “Gone? Briar! Any word from Briar?!” “Negative, he didn’t bring his comlink with him! I’m trying to reassert control of the ship, Your Highness, but I can’t... it’s just...” Then, she stopped, and stood silent and still in the center of the room, just in front of Blackburn’s piloting compartment. She looked towards the compartment’s occupant, her eyes alight with worry and determination. Blackburn continued beating her wings, her face contorting with strain. “Must pull up! Gadget, assistance! No time for distractions!” “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but orders are orders. We’re moving out of the Belt, but the Thunder’s current trajectory indicates an imminent crash. We have minutes.” Gadget shook her head, and tapped her hoof to her ear. “Crossfire, do you read me?” Crossfire’s voice crackled over her earpiece, loud enough that Blackburn could hear it over the whining of the ship. “Loud ‘n’ clear, Gadget! The hay’s goin’ on up—" “Emergency Protocol One. I’ve got Her Majesty, you get Future-Prince Lockwood.” Crossfire took a moment to respond. “EPO, huh? Roger that. Good luck, Gadget.” “Same to you.” “Emergency Protocol One... no.” Blackburn’s eyes widened and she began frantically shaking her head. “Gadget! Don’t you dare! Not hopeless! Not hopeless!” Gadget smirked and grabbed her lightning gun from the nearby instrument panel, then aimed it at the metallic top section of Blackburn’s piloting compartment. “I took an oath, Your Majesty, to His Highness, your grandfather. I am sworn to protect you, at any cost. That is my primary mission in life, to the end if I must.” Blackburn snarled. “Gadget, I am ordering you not to execute protocol! You hear me?! Do not execute—" “Emergency Protocol One trumps your orders, Your Majesty,” Gadget said, shaking her head. “You know that... and I thank you for trying, but orders are orders. You’ll be safe, and I can trust Crossfire to keep Lockwood safe as well.” She smiled, then double-checked her aim. She glanced back at one of the instrument panels for a moment, then turned back and fired. The blast of electricity tore apart the upper ring of the compartment hatch, shredding metal apart in a flurry of sparks. The flaring red light inside the compartment shut off. “Pilot compartment damaged. Activating automatic emergency ejection,” said a mechanical female voice. “Override!” Blackburn shouted. She was met with silence. “Override, damn you, stupid machine! Override!” “You’re not the ship’s designated pilot, Your Highness. It doesn’t recognize the command.” Gadget tilted her head back towards the panel. “We’re just exiting the Belt now, so the compartment will eject you somewhere safe. Though, even the Belt’s magicks can’t break through triple-thick Obidium easily. You’ll be protected.” She put her hoof on the glass as the thin sheet of metal started sliding up from the inside. “It’s been an honor to serve, Blackburn. I have been, and always shall be, your friend.” Blackburn reached out to Gadget’s hoof, but the metal came up and blocked Gadget from view. “Gadget! Gadget!” The compartment violently rocketed upwards and out of the Thunder. Gadget nodded and turned back to the instrument panel. As she strode towards it, she put a hoof to her ear. “Crossfire, report in,” she said, glancing at the instrument panel’s frantically-flashing buttons. Mere moments to impact. She snorted and flipped a few switches on the left side of the panel, hoping to at least try and crash smoothly. “I secured the Future-Prince in one o’ the ship’s emergency pods near the airlock,” Crossfire said, his voice cracking. “And the others? Is Her Majesty’s mission safe?” “I also told Miss Sparkle an’ Miss Rarity ta keep their friends protected. I’m on my way down ta meet up—" Everything went white. *** “Applejack! Aaapplejaaack! Where are you?! Hellooo! Applejack!” Rainbow never thought she’d say it, but over the course of the last few hours, she had acquired a hatred for rain and rain clouds. “Applejack! Flathoof! Flaaathoooof!” Normally, the sight of them would be something that would make her happy, because after two weeks of nothing but gloomy, orange skies, even a dismal, rainy day was the best thing she could hope for. “Applejack! Flathoof! Hello! ...Briarthorn! C’mon! Somepony, answer me! Hellooo!” At least that held promise of the sun behind it, of clear skies ahead, even a rainbow above to bring smiles to the faces of all who could see it. Now, all this rainy day held for her and her friends was grief. Rainbow sighed and stopped to hover in the air a moment. Several hours had passed, but the search had yielded no results. With a heavy heart, she returned back to the tiny peninsula that they’d crash-landed on, to where her friends were expecting her return. The remains of the Thunder rested on the side of a rocky cliff on a tiny beach, embedded in the rock, with debris scattered about the sand below. Smoke billowed from the wreckage which was now too dangerous to venture towards, as the rear engines were giving off violent surges of magic that, when they lashed out, tore into the surrounding cliff like lightning. She the others had swept up and down along the beach first, but there wasn’t even any sign of more wreckage, not even enough to give them hope. The entire bottom of the Thunder was somehow missing from the crash site, likely torn off in the explosion that started everything. Rainbow herself had even ventured as far out to sea as she could against the stormy weather, and found nothing. Miles and miles of nothing. No floating debris had made it out of the Belt of Tranquility, if there was even any still in there. She’d ventured inside for a few brief moments, but found it impossible to while traveling safely. Her hunt had yielded nothing. They had managed to find two pieces of the ship intact: one was Blackburn’s piloting compartment, which had been ejected from the Thunder and landed in the shallow waters less than half a mile west of the Thunder’s crash site; the other was Lockwood’s emergency pod, which had landed just north of the crash site in a pile of rocks. Neither of them seemed too grateful to be alive, given the circumstances. Rainbow was not surprised to see the two carefully-made grave markers on a stable stretch of rock near the sand. She didn’t want to think about the state she’d found Crossfire in, even less about Gadget. Blackburn sat in front of the two markers, in the exact spot that Rainbow had seen her before. Had she moved at all? Lockwood too remained just behind her, his hooves on her back, though he did seem to take notice of Rainbow’s arrival. His hat rested on Blackburn’s head, hiding her face from view. The others clamored over to her when she landed empty-hooved. Everypony’s faces were expectant of good news, even though their eyes all betrayed the fact that they knew none was coming. Rainbow blamed herself for that. She didn’t want to look at them. She couldn’t. It hurt too much to see them, and in the back of her mind she wondered if they blamed her for not finding anything. Still, she told them what nopony wanted to believe. It couldn’t be true, but there wasn’t anything to convince anypony otherwise. As Blackburn had said, once you eliminated the impossibilities, then the improbabilities, no matter how improbable, must be true.____


	31. Infiltration

The Sea of Endless Sorrow was unforgiving to anypony that attempted to traverse it. Applejack thought Tick Tock and Lockwood were kidding when they’d told everypony the name.

She was running out of air, and the waters were chilling her down to her core. Darkness loomed in all directions, shrouding the surface from view. She wasn’t even sure which way was up. The currents about her thrashed to and fro without rhyme or reason, making swimming next to impossible, and it did not take long for her to give up trying to fight them. She focused on attempting to swim in the direction she hoped was upwards - away from her broken escape pod. Assuming it was sinking towards the ocean bottom and not floating towards the surface, she knew this was her best chance at survival.

A moment later, she saw a light no bigger than a tiny dot off in the distance. As she looked towards it, the waters around her calmed and became warmer. A tingly feeling in the back of her head told her to go into the light, that with it would come sanctuary and peace. For a fleeting second she felt uneasy; wasn’t “going into the light” usually associated with a different kind of sanctuary and peace? The burning in her lungs, the need for air, convinced her to take the chance. As she swam closer, the light grew larger, and before long she could see the glimmer of water against the light.

She burst through the ocean surface and immediately took a big gulp of air, then another, then another. Air never tasted so good. The water under the light didn’t feel like it was moving at all, and it was surprisingly warm, almost pleasant. She took this moment to catch her breath, and took advantage of the calmer waters to float on the surface and rest her aching muscles. 

Around her, there was no indication that her pod had even crashed into the ocean. There was nothing to be seen. The waters churned about in a wild frenzy, and purple lightning flashed in the skies above. There was no trace of the light she’d seen above her, but the water directly around her somehow shimmered with its reflection.

Applejack tilted out of her floating position and treaded water. “Flathoof! Flathoof!” she called. “Where are ya, sugar?! Flathoof!”

Nothing but sloshing water and distant thunder.

Louder this time. She hollered: “Flathoof! Briarthorn! Somepony! Anypony! Is anypony out there?!”

Still nothing.

Applejack sighed. Then, she swore loudly—in rapid bursts—and slammed her hooves against the water, again and again. Her breathing was labored when she was finished, and fresh tears mingled with seawater across her face. 

Everything had happened so fast, she couldn’t really believe any of it had actually happened. One minute she’s admitting being wrong and confessing her feelings for Flathoof, the next minute some maniac breaks into the room and tries to kill her. The last she saw of Flathoof was him pushing her into the escape pod before the shadowy pegasus could get to her, then the pod deployed. Did he manage to take care of the pegasus? Did Briarthorn fix the engine? Was everypony okay?

She looked around her, hoping to find some indication of where to go. The only thing she knew was that her destination was Utopia, to the south. But which way was south? The sky had no stars, sun, or moon to go by, and even if it did, she didn’t know if she could navigate by them the same way in this world as her own. Everything around her looked exactly the same, just a murky expanse of blacks and purples. So what—

The light beneath her shifted in one direction, moving until Applejack was just at the edge of the circle. When Applejack didn’t move, the light kept going until she was out of its reach. Applejack immediately felt the bitter cold of the surrounding waters and the tug of the fierce currents, and rushed back into the light and towards the center. The light moved again in the same direction, keeping her in its reach but not letting her reach the middle.

Applejack followed the light through the darkness, and after several minutes of swimming, the sky began to shift colors. The endless black slowly crumbled into dark blues, then lighter blues, until at last the sky looked like the kind of sky she remembered back home: bright blue, with fluffy white clouds and a shining sun overhead. Was this it? Was this really the southern sky? It looked so natural and pleasant, nothing at all like the foreboding orange of the skies up north.

The light beneath her was gone, but Applejack continued on in the direction it had been moving. She could see land ahead, so she swam towards it as quickly as she was able. Her entire being ached, and she was running out of steam with every stroke. But she pressed on, because she needed to see her friends again. As she moved further south, she could make out what she was swimming towards: a cliff. From the water’s surface to its top, it was almost as tall as the cliff outside Hope’s Point. Hopefully, from that height she’d be able to see where she was, where she was going, and if there were any signs of her friends.

“Dagnabit, why can’t it ever be somethin’ easy, huh? I’m startin’ ta hate cliffs,” she muttered as she set a hoof on the cliff face.

With a pained groan, she began to climb, planning to take her time and conserve her energy. There would be time to rest once she got to the top, but for now she needed to keep moving, even if it wasn’t very fast. The earth here felt different than that up north. The only way she could describe it was that it felt healthy. The rock cooperated with her unhesitantly, until it seemed like it was carrying her up the cliff without much effort on her part. The struggle to the top did not take long, and after climbing over the cliff edge, she crumbled to the ground, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

Her eyes snapped open when she realized her hooves were touching grass. After weeks of walking on cold metal and cement, through arid desert and cooled magma, this patch of grass was the most welcoming thing she could hope for. She gazed out into the distance, seeing more and more grass as far as her eyes could see, all of it a healthy green. It was almost like being home again. The only thing breaking it up at all was the large forest to the southeast.

She turned her back to the fields of green to the sea of blue, casting her gaze out in hopes of seeing something that would let her know her friends were okay. Still no sign of any wreckage from the Thunder. Maybe the ship had made it the rest of the way okay? The cliff stretched off to the west in a gradual downward slope, though not enough that she saw it reach sea level. To the north, nothing but an expanse of blue that collided with a strip of black just over the horizon. To the east, a storm cloud was brewing on the other side of the cliff that jutted out a great distance into the ocean. The cliff she was on had enough altitude that the storm clouds were nearly at eye level.

Applejack slumped back to the ground with a groan. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, so she closed her eyes and attempted to get some rest. As she slept, one thought repeated itself over and over: 

They’re okay. O’ course they’re okay. We’ve survived an explodin’ buildin’, a volcano, a giant mutant bug, zombies, ‘n’ scuffles with six superpowered mares out for blood. Ain’t no little thing like this gonna be th’ end o’ nopony.

Hours later, she woke. She took a deep breath and rose to her hooves, then made her way southeast for the forest. She couldn’t explain it, but something inside told her that was the way to go. A tingly feeling in the back of her head.

***

Newhaven sat on the tip of the northwest peninsula of the Utopian continent. The port town wasn’t particularly big, and the majority of space was taken up by the large airship dock. The dock was built to hold several airships, but at present it held just one: the Asteroid, a recent arrival from Hope’s Point, and a much smaller airship than the port typically handled. A crew of dock workers serviced the ship, carrying large tubes, boxes, and canisters to and fro. The ship’s port hatch slid open with a hiss, and a ramp deployed from the opening, stretching down to the floor below.

Curaçao stepped out of the opening, taking in a breath of fresh air as she walked out on the ramp. “Ah, c’est magnifique! Zis is much better zan zat stuffy dirigeable.” She turned and gestured for the others to follow. “Come along, mes sœurs. Ve still ‘ave much to do.”

She reached the ground floor and was shortly joined by her sisters. Starlight Shadow took up the rear, prodding along a seventh pony in the group. He was a lithe, aqua blue pegasus wearing a green flight suit with gold accents.

“Okay, I’ve taken you to the southern continent as asked,” he said. “May I please leave?”

Starlight snorted and lit her horn up with a subtle silver glow. “I assure you, Captain, that it would be in your best interests to cooperate until I see fit. Until we have ascertained our heading and departed for Utopia, we may still require your services.”

The pegasus glanced at her horn, then shook his head and held up a hoof to dissuade her. “Okay okay, I said I’d cooperate, no need for threats. You promised you wouldn’t hurt anypony anymore—"

“I am merely providing additional motivation to cease any activities that may raise suspicion. Anypony that delays us further will be dealt with accordingly, understood?”

A lanky unicorn stallion wearing a dull gray suit, a tie, and glasses approached them. His nose was practically pressed against the small datapad he was carrying. “The Asteroid... Asteroid... hmm...” He lifted his nose from the datapad to glance at the Asteroid’s passengers. “Funny, I don’t see yer ship on our schedule, Captain Auroran. Where’s the rest o’ yer crew?”

Starlight pressed the pegasus stallion forward with a tap of her hoof. 

Auroran cleared his throat. “It was an unscheduled departure, and my crew is aboard the Asteroid making preparations to return to Hope’s Point. We had an emergency, so we don’t plan on staying long.”

“Emergency?” The unicorn raised an eyebrow, then his eyes widened. “By Harmonia, there was an attack today? Did everythin’ hol’ up okay?”

Auroran shook his head. “There were a few... hiccups, but everypony was properly evacuated well ahead of schedule. You didn’t hear about it already?”

“No, why would I have?”

“Her Majesty also had an unscheduled departure. She left a few hours before I did.” At the unicorn’s blank expression, Auroran quirked an eyebrow. “You mean... she’s not here?”

“No, she ain’t,” the unicorn said. “I’d think if Queen Blackburn herself were ta fly in, I’d be the first ta know.”

Auroran paled. “Oh dear... if she didn’t land here, then—"

Starlight cleared her throat, and her horn subtly glowed silver again. “I believe we have business matters to attend to, Captain. If you would please assist in ushering us along? I would abhor reporting this delay to your superiors.”

Auroran cleared his throat. “Right, of course ma’am...” He gave the other stallion a terse smile. “These are some important clients from the city on time-sensitive business. They insisted on leaving as soon as the air was clear, but without Her Highness we couldn’t make an official documentation.”

“That so? They must be important if y’all were willin’ ta break protocol.” The unicorn adjusted his tie. “Well then, ladies, may I have yer names?”

Curaçao stepped forward first and curtseyed. “Je m’appelle Curaçao,” she said. She gestured behind her. “And zese are mes sœurs: Starlight Shadow—"

“Greetings.”

“‘avocving—"

“Hey.”

“Red Velvet—"

“Hiya!”

“Grayscale Force—"

“...”

“And Insipid.”

“For sure?”

“Do we always have to introduce ourselves the same way? Same order and everything?” Havocwing asked.

“Typically, I would have been presented as the premier introduction,” Starlight said. She shrugged. “However, circumstances have been altered.”

Curaçao dismissed the conversation with a wave, then turned back to the suited unicorn. “Comment allez-vous?”

The unicorn’s eyes widened, and he gave a professional salute. “Oh, forgive me ma’am!” With a flurry of motions, he marked his datapad then saluted again. “I’m so sorry for the delay, ma’am. I didn’t know any o’ the Harmony Guard were even in Hope’s Point. I would’ve liked ta be informed ‘bout somethin’ like that. We would’ve prepared a proper welcome,” he added, shooting Auroran a dirty look.

Curaçao paused for a moment, then laughed it off. “It is no trouble, my dear. Ve ‘ad to proceed avec hâte and could not spare zee time to inform anypony. Now zen, ve must be on our vay to Utopia. As said, ve ‘ave time-sensitive business to attend to.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright ma’am, we won’t keep y’all here any longer,” the unicorn said with a bow. “Carry on, an’ may Harmonia watch over you ‘n’ yer sisters.”

“Oui, ‘armonia vous bénisse...” Curaçao rubbed her temple, her mouth curling in an embarrassed smile. “Euh, zis may sound embarrassing, but I ‘ave lost my sense of direction over zee last veek or so; zee continent du nord is a confusing place. Zis is my first time traveling to Utopia from New’aven in quite a vhile, voyez-vous? Could you direct me to zee chemin zat ve should be taking for zee quickest travel time?”

“Oh, sure, there’re plenty o’ markers throughout the dock that lead straight ta the route out o’ the city,” the unicorn said. He pointed at the far southeast wall. “The closest exit is right over there, ma’am.”

Curaçao smiled. “Ah, merci.” She turned to her sisters and gestured for them to follow. “Zis way, mes sœurs, we will be in Utopia in no time. Oh, ‘ow I ‘ave missed zee city.”

“Excellent, I have anticipated this event for quite some time,” Starlight said. She turned to Auroran and pat him on the cheek. “Thank you for your services, Captain Auroran. I do hope that any subsequent visits will not be quite so momentous.”

Auroran flinched away from her hoof. “S-subsequent visits?”

Velvet sidled up beside and wrapped him in a big hug. “You can come with us if you want, Captain. I so wouldn’t mind if you wanted to spend more time with me. Y’know, quality time?” she added, with a wink.

“I’ll... pass, thanks.”

Velvet shrugged. “Your loss, stud.”

The suit-wearing unicorn bowed and stepped aside. “Have a pleasant trip, ma’am. Ladies.”

Curaçao smiled, nodded, then led her sisters away from the docking platform towards where they’d been directed. As they walked amongst the crowds of other ponies rushing to and fro, they passed by several signs that assured them they were headed the right direction.

Starlight trotted up alongside Curaçao. “I despise being in the proximity of all these plebeian ponies. We should have forced our transport to land elsewhere, whether that fool pilot believed it appropriate or not.”

Curaçao chuckled. “Ve vill not be ‘ere long, Starlight. You can tolerate zem a vhile longer until ve get zee information ve need.”

“Hmph.” Starlight tilted her head back towards the docking platform. “I assume that you will enlighten me as to what the ‘Harmony Guard’ is, eventually. That was most perplexing.”

“Does it matter? It made zee transition simpler. Ve vill find out more in Utopia itself. It may be un avantage, non?”

“Yeah, well, it better make up for the fact that we’re way behind those losers,” Havocwing said as she swooped up alongside them. 

“Veren’t you listening, ‘avocving? Zee ozer ship zat left zee city did not arrive ‘ere.”

“For some reason, that fact fills me with dread,” Starlight said, hanging her head low. “If they failed to arrive in Newhaven, then where did they land? Did they successfully traverse the Belt of Tranquility?”

“Worrying about it isn’t gonna get us anywhere,” Havocwing said. “We need to stay positive. Think about what you’re gonna do to those wimps when we find them. Keep your spirits up!”

“I suppose you have a point, Havoc. Yes... think positive.” Starlight took a deep breath. “I have already devised my combat strategy for my inevitable battle against Twilight Sparkle. Every outcome I have foreseen concludes with my victory. I must remain confident that my plans will come to fruition.”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Havocwing snorted. “I’m still pissed I didn’t get to fly the ship, and I really need to punch something. All I can think about right now is shoving my flaming hoof into Fluttershy’s cutesy little face.”

As the party walked out the gate, they came across a path that led out into the rest of Newhaven. The city outside the airship dock was noticeably different than they expected from what they’d seen inside. 

A simple cobblestone road stretched out ahead towards the rest of the town. The road was lined with buildings of many different sizes. Most of them were made of logs of wood and blocks of stone, with thatched roofs made of straw. Trees dotted the path ahead and birds flew about the sky. 

Then, there were the ponies. Not a one of the ponies outside the airship dock was wearing much clothing at all, save for the occasional hat, hood, or minor accessory such as a bow.

“Oh my stars!” Insipid shrieked, shielding her eyes. “Everypony’s naked! This is totally not cool! Not! Cool!”

Velvet licked her lips as a trio of earth pony stallions cantered by. “Holy moley, girls, check the buffet of stud muffins at five o’clock! Rrrawr! I don’t think we survived that flight, because this is heaven. See, I knew killing was okay if you just killed the right ponies.”

“Heaven, right,” Grayscale muttered. “Can we just get going? This is gross.”

Velvet tilted her head to her side and gave Grayscale a coy grin. “Your mouth says, ‘gross’ but those big ol’ wings of yours say, ‘swag’. I felt that little hurricane back there. Damn sis, you nearly blew me away!” She threw a leg around Grayscale’s neck and gestured out into the crowd. “With wings like yours, you could snag anypony here! You got it goin’ on!” she added, flicking one of Grayscale’s wings with a hoof.

Grayscale’s eyebrow twitched. She snorted, shoved Velvet away with a burst of gravitational force, then rolled her eyes. “Shut up. I’m not... whatever. Interested. In that. Not everypony here is a homicidal nymphomaniac like you.”

Velvet was back on her hooves instantly. “Hey girls, we should go find Grayscale a stallion! C’mon, if there’s any one of us that totally needs to get laid, it’s G-Force here.” She snorted into her hoof. “Ooh ooh, and when you’re ridin’ the colt, you can shout like, ‘strap in and feel the G’s’!”

“Shut. Up.”

Velvet shifted her gaze over to Havocwing, who was busy trying to keep her own wings from splaying outwards. “Aww, is Havocwing getting all hot and bothered too? That’s adorable! Don’t worry Havoc, I’m sure somepony around here is into scrawny—"

“Can it, Red,” Havocwing muttered, her face a brighter red than usual, like a golden fire shining through her cheeks. “I’ve just got... I dunno, allergies or something. Must be all this clean air.”

“Aww, c’mon Havoc, I know you’re into the prettycolt type.” She smirked and ruffled Havocwing’s mane. “That’s why you started having dreams about—"

Havocwing slapped her hoof into Velvet’s mouth. “One word about that, and I swear, I’ll blow your brains out.”

“Velvet, we lack the time to seek out a mate for Grayscale or Havocwing,” Starlight said as she started moving along the path, seemingly unperturbed by all the interesting sights. “Come along, sisters, we must not tarry. Our quarry awaits us.”

Velvet popped her face away from Havocwing’s hoof and giggled. “Okay, wow, we really need to get Starlight laid too.”

Starlight’s eyebrow twitched. “Excuse me? Just what are you insinuating, sister?”

Velvet shrugged. “Uh, I’m insinuating that you need to get laid? You’re stiff as hell, Star, and the best solution is a stiff—"

Havocwing snorted smoke. “Geez, Red, can it.”

Curaçao cleared her throat. “Velvet, per’aps it vould be best to drop all zis before you say somezing... unfortunate. If Starlight vere to ‘ave zee sudden urge to, say, tear out anozer bone or two, I don’t zink I would stop ‘er, vois-tu?”

Velvet hesitated, her eyes darting back and forth between Starlight and Curaçao. Then, she slumped back on the ground and crossed her legs over her chest. “Spoilsports...”

“Thank you Curaçao, Havocwing,” Starlight said before continuing on her way.

Curaçao shook her head, then stuck her nose in the air as she trotted off after Starlight. “C’est une tragédie. Zese ponies ‘ave no sense of decency. Starlight a raison: come along, everypony, ve ‘ave more important zings to vorry about.”

Havocwing chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh... well, nudist colony aside, did we walk into some sort of time warp there or something? This place looks... dated.”

Starlight nodded. “True enough. Excepting the airship dock, there is a striking lack of modern architecture and techno-magic. All these buildings appear to be made of wood and stone. A curious choice of buildings materials; they are quite primitive.”

“We should’ve done some research or something on the place.”

“If only there were anything to perform research with.” Starlight huffed. “In all of father’s tower, the only information I uncovered on the matter was that the ponies in these parts worship a deity known as ‘Harmonia’, which I believe we just confirmed.”

The group trotted along, and after passing by a block of houses, they arrived at a square with a directory sign in the center. The wooden planks were cut to point towards roads that split off from the square, and each was decorated with elaborate writing that labeled the name of the location it led to. At the top, the largest sign was pointing left—southeast—and labeled with brilliant gold writing that read Utopia and was decorated with white, silver, and blue stars. Below it, pointing in the same direction, was a sign that read Crownwood and had a small picture of a tree.

“Okay then, now we know where we’re going,” Havocwing said, floating up to take a better look at the sign. “Problem is, how far is it?”

“It would be illogical for the closest port to be located too far away from a major capital,” Starlight said. “Judging from the expanse of land I witnessed as we passed over the port, I theorize no more than three days... hopefully. It is no more than an estimate.”

“Well then, we can’t waste time here, gawking at dudes,” Havocwing added as she shot a glare towards Velvet, who had slinked away from the group to chat up a stallion working at a nearby fruit cart. She zipped over and snagged Velvet up in her hooves, then dragged her, kicking and screaming, back towards the others.

Curaçao put a hoof to her face. “I ‘ope zat zey at least vear vêtements in Utopia...” She took a breath and pointed off towards a nearby group of ponies that were chatting. “Before ve go, I believe I need to do some research if ve are to blend in, voyez-vous? Ve shall rendezvous ‘ere in une heure.”

As Curaçao pranced off, Havocwing turned to the others. “Okay, you heard her, we get one hour to ourselves. Let’s see if we can round up some grub or something, I’m starving.”

Velvet raised her hoof. “Uh, I already ate like a few hours ago. I’m not that hungry. Can I—"

Havocwing put a hoof to her face. “No.”

“You’re no fun...”

Starlight pointed towards a quaint building with tables outside being used by several ponies. “That seems an appropriate place to acquire nourishment. Shall we?”

Havocwing read the sign above the awning out loud: “Legume’s Legumes, huh? Hmm... sounds legit.” She waved for everypony to follow her, and the five mares trotted over to and entered the building.

They were greeted by an energetic earth pony stallion with a big, bushy mustache. He wore an apron with the establishment’s name on it. “Howdy, ladies, an’ welcome ta Legume’s Legumes! Table for five?”

“Make it six,” Havocwing said. “You never know if Curaçao might join us later,” she added, turning to her sisters.

“Right this way!”

The stallion led them through a crowd of ponies to the patio, then to an empty table where they all took seats and were given menus to glance over. 

“Y’all’s waiter’ll be with ya in just a sec, ladies. You enjoy yer meal now, y’hear?”

Havocwing nodded and flipped the menu up to look at it. “Yeah, uh... thanks,” she muttered as the stallion trotted away. She leaned to her side to address Starlight. “Anypony else think it’s weird that all the ponies around here talk like Applejack?”

“I had always found her accent particularly bizarre, until we learned the truth about who she is and where she comes from,” Starlight said without taking her eyes off her menu. “That the ponies here share her accent is... perplexing. The southern continent is certainly an odd place.”

Velvet hummed. “Hey... when you think about it, didn’t that one colt back at the dock act weird once Curaçao started talking? He didn’t seem bothered by your accent, Star.”

“I noticed it as well. An intriguing coincidence, as she, like Applejack, possesses an accent unlike any in her company.”

“Well, maybe she’ll have an answer for us when we get back,” Havocwing said. “Let’s just worry about getting some grub for now though, yeah?”

Havocwing took her time glancing through the selection of items. True to the name, there were legumes of every type here, separated into individual categories that contained dozens of dishes each. Beans and peas were the largest lists, followed by lentils, alfalfa, and clover. Most of the dessert items were made out of peanuts. Only the beverages seemed to be an exception, and for that Havocwing was thankful; the thought of a green bean smoothie didn’t exactly whet her appetite.

The mares were taking a moment to glance over their menus and talk amongst themselves in an attempt to decide what to order when their waitress, a short unicorn mare, approached their table. “Howdy ladies, I’m Lima an’ I’ll be your server for this afternoon. Y’all get yer orders picked out, or didja need more time?”

Havocwing glanced about the table and received a short nod from everypony. “Yeah, we’re ready to go.”

Lima pulled out a pad of paper and a small pencil out of her apron. “Okay then, what’ll it be?”

Havocwing closed her menu and pushed it forward and placed her order: “Black bean soup, extra spicy.”

“Y’all sure ‘bout that? Newhaven spicy ain’t like Pandemonium spicy.”

“Extra. Spicy. Lay it on me.”

“Your funeral, hun. An’ ta drink?”

“Dragonpepper cocktail, extra spicy.”

Lima paused, shook her head, jotted down Havocwing’s order, then pointed to the next mare in line: Starlight. Starlight placed her own order, and everypony else at the table followed suit, and finally it came around to Velvet.

“An’ how ‘bout you, hun?” Lima asked.

Velvet pushed her menu forward and leered at Lima, a tiny smile on her face. “Side order of fava beans.”

“Eatin’ light, huh? Good fer you, hun. An’ ta drink?”

“A nice Chianti... ffeffeffeff...”

Lima raised an eyebrow and slowly jotted the order down. “Uh... okay hun, I’ll... see what we’ve got.” She blinked then turned back to the others. “We’ll have everythin’ out fer ya’ll in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

Lima left, but was back in less than a minute with their beverages before leaving again. Havocwing and her sisters each leaned back in their chairs with their beverage of choice, took a drink, then let out a collective sigh of content—even Grayscale.

“This is nice...” Havocwing said. “After all that action in Hope’s Point, this really hits the spot, y’know?”

“Please, don’t talk about action and hitting spots right now,” Velvet murmured, her head tilted to the side to stare at a stallion sitting at the table opposite.

It wasn’t long before Havocwing’s attention was drawn to her right, out into the town square. The square was bustling with activity, as there was apparently some sort of fair or something going on; a large banner on one end of the square read, Farmers’ Market Today! The crowd was nothing compared to even the slowest streets of New Pandemonium City. 

Something in particular caught her eye, though. She leaned forward in her chair and squinted, certain that she was looking at Curaçao on the opposite end of the square, chatting up a tall unicorn stallion working at a fruit stand amidst a row of similar stands.

Apparently, Velvet had noticed it too. “That bimbo!” she blurted, slamming her hoof on the table. “She’s totally trying to mack on that stallion! Why does she get to have fun but I gotta stick around with you guys?”

“She is clearly attempting to garner information,” Starlight said as she took a sip of her tea. “I, for one, would enjoy observing her methods. It may prove an enlightening experience.”

Insipid snorted, loudly enough that some of the ponies at nearby tables looked in her direction. “Pfh, what-ever. I totally don’t wanna watch Curaçao, like, mack on somepony or whatever? Talk about boring.” She tilted her head and turned to Velvet. “Uh, what’s ‘mack’ mean, anyway?”

Grayscale leaned over and in a not-at-all-subtle, too-loud whisper, said: “It means flirting. After that comes making out.”

“Yeah! Smooches!” Velvet cheered. “Sloppy kisses, with lots of tongue!”

Insipid paled, her eyes darting back to where Curaçao was still conversing with the fruit stand operator. “W-what? Y-you mean, Curie’s gonna—" She shook her head and cleared her throat. “I mean, like, eww, gross? Gag me with a spoon. Ugh, like anypony’d want to mack with Curaçao anyway. Nopony wants to, like, watch that? Totally. Major. Grody.”

“Actually, I kinda do.” Velvet rubbed her hooves together. “You know what they say: ‘If you can’t join ‘em, voyeurism’. Now that I think about it, Curaçao is fluent in Romantique, right? They practically invented the sloppy make out, called it Romantique Kiss and everything.”

“Shut up,” Insipid hissed.

“That’s not what she’s doing, guys, geez,” Havocwing said. “Star’s right, she’s probably digging for info. You’ll see, no sloppy make outs here.”

The five mares continued to watch Curaçao talk to the stallion for another moment before she waved goodbye and headed off along the road. She followed the road behind the nearby row of buildings and disappeared around the corner; seconds later, another pony came walking from the same direction. She approached a different fruit stand and began chatting up the pony stationed there. Another moment passed, and the pony waved farewell, walked along the road around another row of buildings, and rounded the corner. 

Their food arrived, and the mares continued to watch this display repeat itself over and over again as they ate. Each time, a different mare, sometimes a stallion, would round the corner, approach a stand, talk to the pony there, then leave. By the time Havocwing and her sisters finished their meals, they’d watched the process repeat several dozen times. 

At last, Curaçao herself returned from around the corner, and made a beeline for Legume’s Legumes. Within moments, she joined her sisters at their table, taking a seat next to Havocwing. She immediately took a big gulp of the glass of water that Grayscale had ordered.

“Ah, I needed zat,” she breathed. “All zat talking ‘as made me assoiffée.”

“Did you find out anything interesting?” Havocwing asked.

“Specifically, the estimated travel time to Utopia,” added Starlight.

Curaçao shook her head. “I received many different accounts of zat. Zee most common answer était trois jours, en moyenne—three days, on average.”

Starlight grinned and brushed her mane out of her face. “So it is as I theorized.”

Havocwing groaned. “Three days, huh? Geez...”

Velvet leaned over. “Did you make out with any—"

Starlight pushed Velvet back to her side of the table.

“But, zat vill not be un problème. Ve are used to zese long ‘ikes, non?”

Insipid snorted. “Psh, what a total waste of time all this was.” She reached up and stroked the brim of her stetson. “I mean, like, in case anypony forgot, I totally have the farmer look going on and junk? I bet I could, like, ‘blend in’ or whatever so much better than Curaçao.”

“I... do not envision this being a prudent decision,” Starlight said, casting a nervous glance to Havocwing.

Havocwing chuckled and folded her legs over her chest. “No no, let her give it a try. I gotta see this.”

Insipid cleared her throat and leaned over in her chair towards the next nearest table, where a couple was seated enjoying their lunch. “Hey, like, howdy yawl! I totally need ta, like, git mahself ‘n’ mah gals here ta a... a shindig in... Utopia! D’ya think yawl could, like, point me in th’ right die-rection ‘n’ junk?”

The two ponies at the table stared at Insipid, and slowly scooted their chairs away. Insipid shrugged and turned back to her sisters, each of them staring at her with wide eyes. Then, Grayscale lifted her forehooves up and began clapping slowly. Havocwing and Velvet burst into laughter immediately afterwards. Starlight’s lip began to quiver, and she started rapidly breathing out her nose.

Havocwing snorted smoke through laughs, holding up a hoof to try and stop herself. “Oh wow... ‘Howdy yawl! I’m, like, totally a farmer and junk?’”

Insipid huffed and stuck her nose in the air. “Like, geez you guys, it wasn’t that bad.”

“You didn’t even change your voice!” Velvet, also laughing, took a sharp breath. She giggled and sighed, lifting a hoof to her eye to wipe away tears of blood. “That was the worst accent. Ever. Of all time.” 

Starlight took a breath and put her hooves on the table. “Sisters... r-really. This is... most,” she stopped talking to take another breath, her lips quivering, “most inappropriate. We should not be expressing amusement at Insipid’s... unique”—she paused, closed her eyes, and turned her head so she wasn’t looking at Insipid—“impression of the local dialect.”

Havocwing snorted and elbowed Starlight in the side. “You okay there, Star? Yawl look like yur totally ‘bout ta lose it. Hyuck.”

“Golly,” Velvet said, putting her hooves on her hips, “we shore, like, wouldn’t want yawl ta blow a gasket. Let it out, sis!”

Starlight made a noise that sounded like a duck being strangled. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hoof. “I... I am q-quite alright,” she said. She took a sharp breath through her nostrils. “I am certainly not attempting to stymie any hypothetical jocularity, if that is what you are implying.”

Insipid grumbled and plopped her chin down on the table. “You guys are mean...”

Curaçao, the only one not laughing, cleared her throat. “Mes sœurs, please. Insipid tried ‘er best—"

“I, like, don’t need you sticking up for me, Curaçao.”

Curaçao closed her eyes, let out a long, low sigh, then glanced around the table. “If ve can get back to matters at ‘oof, I zee you all ‘ave finished déjeuner. C’est bien. Shall ve go?”

Havocwing frowned. “What about you, sis, aren’t you gonna eat?”

Starlight nodded. “I agree, you have not partaken in any nutritional intake in quite some time, at least since prior to your entering Hope’s Point as far as I am aware.”

Curaçao laughed and waved off their concerns. “Ça ira, I can eat later. More important is zat ve maintain a steady pace, non? Come, let us make good our pursuit of zose cretins!”

“What about the check?” Havocwing asked.

Everypony at the table, even Insipid, quirked an eyebrow and looked over at Havocwing as though she were from another planet.

Havocwing snorted smoke and got out of her seat. “Geez, it was a joke you guys. Lighten up.”

***

Seven. Starlight had counted seven times that this same discussion had arisen since they’d left Newhaven. She would have never tolerated the constant pleading and whining were she in charge, but Curaçao was more lax. She couldn’t decide if she wanted Havocwing back in the lead, since at least Havocwing seemed to have learned proper leadership values somewhere. Still, she did admit one thing the two of them possessed as leaders that she felt she herself lacked: patience.

She always knew Curaçao had more patience than anypony, excepting their father of course. Havocwing though, that came as a surprise. The hot-headed, barbaric, reckless Havocwing developing patience? Preposterous, yet here it was. Perhaps being the target of so much abuse and ridicule had strengthened her elder sister’s resolve, made her capable of dealing with it to an astounding degree.

Starlight regretted being a primary cause of that same abuse and ridicule. Were she in Havocwing’s position, she wasn’t sure if she wouldn’t take out anger at past transgressions on her now. Havocwing did no such thing, and in fact had done the opposite: she’d shown her love and devotion that she did not feel she’d earned, and directed all of her anger—past, present, and future—at somepony more deserving.

Starlight’s internal thoughts were shattered when Velvet raised her voice for the eighth time.

“Plea-hea-hease can we go back?” Velvet pleaded, her hooves around Curaçao’s leg. “I promise I won’t take long. I just need a sample, really! You can’t seriously expect me to pass up all that gorgeous meat! Once in a lifetime opportunity here!”

“Relax, ma sœur, Utopia is not long ahead of us,” Curaçao said as she pulled herself out of Velvet’s grip. “You vill be able to dîner vhen ve get zere, non? Just ‘ave patience.”

“Geez, we just ate a few hours ago. I know we’re gonna be roughing it, but you need to get that stomach of yours under control, Red,” Havocwing said. She swooped up behind Velvet and pushed her back upright. “You’ll get your fill soon enough, okay? Pinkie Pie’s gotta be at least a three-course dinner, right?”

Velvet tilted her head. “Stomach? Havoc, have you been listening at all? I don’t want my stomach filled, I want my—"

Insipid groaned and pulled her stetson over her ears, falling over in the process. “La la la la! Not listening! La la la!”

Havocwing snorted. “What is it with you, anyway Red? I’ve never seen you so desperate for anything before.”

“You just don’t get it at all.” Velvet sighed. “Well, imagine how you’d feel if every good-looking stallion you propositioned turned you down.” She stopped walking and held out her hooves, and began to list off names: “Flathoof, rejected. Shadowstep, rejected. Auroran, rejected. I am in dire need of some smoked stallion-meat! Like you said: desperate.”

“Well, you did try to kill one of those three,” Havocwing explained. “And you killed the friends and comrades of another. The other one is... well, undead or something. Do zombies even have a sex drive?”

“Not for Red, obviously,” Grayscale said from the rear of the group. “Maybe Shadowstep just isn’t a chubby chaser?”

Velvet snorted. “You’re just jealous, Gray. I know it ain’t my body, I’ve got the flanks of a schoolfilly. So I mean, what is it then? Am I ugly or something?”

Havocwing coughed into her hoof. “Schoolfilly. Riiight.”

“Red, you’ve still got a hole in your gut the size of my hoof,” Grayscale pointed out.

Velvet glanced down at her stomach, where the hole from the sniper’s anti-material bullet had punctured her. The wound had started to close, but still maintained a visceral, freshly-inflicted look. “Oh, that? Huh... this explains so much. Bucking lame...”

“Aren’t you ever gonna fix that up?” Havocwing asked, cringing away when Velvet started poking it.

“I am, it’s just taking a while,” Velvet said. “Clottles is helping me out like a good boy. He’s been working nonstop to close it up!”

“Oh... is that why we haven’t seen him—" Havocwing paused, then sighed. 

Starlight loudly cleared her throat. “If we can focus on the path ahead,” she said with a sweeping gesture to the front of the party, “we can arrive well under Curaçao’s theorized itinerary. This bickering solves nothing and only further delays us.”

Havocwing clapped Starlight on the shoulder. “Exactly. How far are we through this forest anyway? Can’t you use your tracking spell or something, Star?”

Starlight shook her head. “As I have no bearing with which to judge by, I cannot utilize any manner of locator spells to determine our location or progress. Even were I to observe our destination from the air, my estimates would be sorely inaccurate. Curaçao’s information will have to suffice.”

“What a gyp.” Havocwing sighed. “So much for that idea.”

“Not that it matters, but there’s more of the forest ahead of us than behind us,” Grayscale said, flexing her wings.

“How have you arrived at that conclusion?” Starlight asked.

“Eh, there’s more mass in front than behind. Could be Red throwing off my sense of scale though.”

“Again with the fat jokes,” Velvet grumbled. 

Insipid groaned. “This is boring. I’m, like, having flashbacks to the desert and junk, from like, before we first met those idiots? Totally. Lame.”

“I much prefer the surrounding foliage to that of a vast expanse of dead sand,” Starlight said.

Havocwing tilted her head over towards Curaçao. “Y’know, you and Curaçao had a better relationship back then,” she said to Insipid. “Maybe having flashbacks ain’t such a bad thing?”

“Pfh, like, what-ever.” Insipid flipped her mane and stuck her nose in the air, then pushed her way past Havocwing and Curaçao to take the lead next to Starlight. “That was, like, me being a major idiot? I’m totally smarter now and junk, so like, cha.”

“Smarter... yeah, okay.” Havocwing frowned, and patted Curaçao’s shoulder. “I am trying, y’know?”

“Merci, ‘avocving,” Curaçao sighed. “Je te remercie for your ‘elp.”

Starlight didn’t quite understand why Curaçao’s spirit fell at such consistent intervals. It pained her to see any of her sisters in a sad state, and after the way Curaçao and Havocwing helped to bring her out of a dark, dark place, she wanted to repay them. She glanced over at Insipid, then back to Curaçao, and that’s when she made the connection. Something Insipid was doing or saying was making Curaçao upset.

That simply would not do.

“Insipid, it would seem as though you are upsetting Curaçao,” she said. “It is ill-advised to antagonize the pony that is keeping us all together.”

Insipid snorted. “Pshaw, like, what-ever? Maybe if she weren’t, like, a super major liar and junk, I’d care. Just like, stay outta my business?”

Starlight’s eyebrow twitched. “Excuse me?” she asked.

Insipid flinched. “I mean... like... uh, please stay out of my business?”

Havocwing darted over and put a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “Hey, Star, relax yeah?” she said. She turned back to Curaçao. “Yo, Curaçao, is okay if I take Starlight back here for a talk?”

Curaçao shrugged and dismissed the question with a wave of her hoof. “D’accord. Don’t take too long, zough.”

“No prob, be right back.” Havocwing grabbed Starlight’s hoof and led her towards the rear of the group until they were out of earshot just off the side of the trail. “Look Star, uh... I know Curaçao and I gave you the job of making sure Insipid doesn’t go nuts or anything—and you’re doing a great job, by the way—but this might be something you should let me handle.”

Starlight shrugged out of Havocwing’s hold. “While I appreciate the accolade, Havocwing, surely you do not intend to let Insipid’s constant besmirching of Curaçao’s authority continue. It reflects poorly on the both of you.”

“Well... it’s kinda complicated.”

“How complicated could it possibly be? Curaçao is clearly upset that her authority is being slandered, so—" 

She paused, and thought back to how Curaçao looked before Havocwing dragged her aside. Curaçao was performing an almost perfect impression of Grayscale’s constant slouch, her mouth curled in a despondent frown, all without actually looking at all like Grayscale. Insipid wasn’t making Curaçao angry, she was making her sad. Why would she be sad that her authority was being undermined?

“Look, Star,” Havocwing said, drawing Starlight out of her analysis, “Insipid’s... dumb.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Well yes, I am quite aware of that. What does that have to do with—"

Starlight paused again when Havocwing gave her an awkward smile, as if she was hoping that would all that needed to be said. “I see...” Starlight sighed and shook her head. “I suppose that I am partly to blame in that regard. As leader, I did nothing to dissuade you all from insulting and abusing one another. Insipid does not realize just how different things are now.”

Havocwing rubbed the back of her neck. “That’s a part of it. I’d go into more, but... well, that’s Curaçao’s private business. If you really want to know, ask her.”

“I may. Come,” Starlight said, gesturing back to the trail, “Curaçao requested we not tarry.”

Starlight and Havocwing returned to the path and increased their pace until they caught up with the other four, who were still arguing about turning around. Assuming that there hadn’t been another one in-between their brief separation, this made count number nine.

Curaçao had returned to her former stride, and turned to Starlight and Havocwing as they cantered to catch up to her. “Ah, you’re back. C’est bien, ve ‘ave too much to vorry about vizout getting separated. I do vish ve ‘ad some sort of méthode to tell ‘ow much furzer Ve ‘ave to go. I should ‘ave kept zee Chronomancer’s map. Ah, c’est la vie...”

“It’s alright, guys, we’ll catch up to ‘em, I just know it,” Havocwing said. “We can’t be far—"

A snapping twig drew their attention to the west, somewhere off the trail.

“The hell was that?” Havocwing asked.

She was about to ignite her hoof when Starlight slapped her hoof away. “Flames would be ill-advised, Havoc,” Starlight whispered. “We are in a forest, if you recall?”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, sorry.”

Curaçao gestured for the others to follow her, and they carefully made their way towards the source of the noise, stopping just at the edge of a row of trees alongside another road that was coming from someplace further north. They crouched low behind the bushes near the trees, and waited.

Curaçao held up a hoof to signal the others to use their telepathy. 

***

Applejack stopped to rest against a particularly large tree that stood alongside the trail. She was glad there was even a trail to begin with; it made this forest easier to traverse than Everfree. She couldn’t get past how lush and green everything was. There hadn’t been any pegasi in the air tending to the weather, nor any earth ponies tending to the fauna. This forest felt just as untamed and untouched by ponies as Everfree, minus the trails leading through. Was this really all natural? 

Her rest complete, Applejack stretched her legs, cracked her neck, rolled her shoulders, then continued on along the trail, taking a left at the fork without a moment’s hesitation. She didn’t know what, exactly, was helping her move forward. She knew what was motivating her, sure: seeing her friends alive and well, then finally going home. But, she didn’t know what exactly was telling her to follow the paths she was. This had been the fifth fork she’d arrived at since entering the forest, and each time, she’d picked her path instantly, not giving a moment’s thought to it. The paths she took just felt right. It wasn’t the earth below her, she knew that much. Just a strange tingly feeling in the back of her head.

As she approached a clearing, her ears perked up. She could hear something off in the distance. A voice.

“Anypony! Hello?!”

Applejack wheeled around towards the source. It was somewhere off the beaten path. “Hello! Who’s there?!”

“Hey, is somepony there?! Helllp!”

Applejack wasn’t one to refuse a call like that, and bounded off the trail towards the voice. She snaked her way through trees and bushes as quickly as she could. The voice sounded urgent. She was going so fast, in fact, that she almost fell right into a small gorge, just barely screeching to a stop. Instinctively, she went to hold her hat onto her head.

“Oh thank Harmonia,” said the voice. “Lil’ help? I’m in a right mess here.”

Applejack tilted her neck up to see a red unicorn mare barely hanging from a vine just above the gorge. The vine itself didn’t look particularly sturdy, either.

“Hang on, I gotcha,” she said. She settled her hooves into the dirt, and called the earth beneath her to assist her without hearing so much as a complaint. Rock and dirt stretched out over the chasm beneath the endangered mare, forming a wide bridge complete with railings. “Go on, y’all can come on down now.”

The mare stared wide-eyed at the rocky outcropping. “I’ll be, if that ain’t the neatest thang I’ve ever seen.” She gulped, and her eyes darted between Applejack and the rock bridge. “Uh... is it safe?”

“Sure as shootin’,” Applejack said, stomping a hoof on the bridge to demonstrate. “Solid as a rock... uh, no pun intended.”

The mare let out a breath and dropped down onto the bridge. She paused a moment after landing, casting nervous glances about as if expecting the bridge to collapse at any second. When she seemed assured nothing was going to happen, she cantered across the rocks over to Applejack and slumped down on the ground, as though she were giving the earth a hug.

“Y’all okay there, pardner?” Applejack asked through a laugh.

“Yeah, thanks.” The mare rose to her hooves and let out a breath of relief and dusted herself off. “I thought I was a goner for sure. I sure am glad somepony came along - I’ve been up there almost an hour now! Thank you so much!”

Applejack chuckled. “Shucks, ain’t no trouble at all. What were y’all doin’ out here off the trail, anyhow? Sure is quite a distance ta wander.”

The mare sighed and shrugged. “I got a lil’ ol’ bad habit o’ goin’ off ‘n’ explorin’ new places. Ain’t the first time I got in a sticky situation ‘cause o’ that, but heck if I’m gonna pass up new opportunities. Figured I might find some sort o’ buried treasure!”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Buried treasure?”

“Well yeah, this place ain’t called Crownwood for nothin’, right? Figured maybe I’d find some sort o’ fancy gem I ain’t never seen before.”

“I got a friend that could relate.”

The unicorn pointed down into the gorge. Applejack followed along and saw a broken log down there that had snapped in half and fallen all the way to the bottom. Now that she looked into the chasm, she could see it was a pretty long fall, easily enough to be fatal. This mare sure had lucked out.

“I was walkin’ ‘cross when that bridge down there broke, just leapt up in time ta grab that vine ya found me on,” the unicorn said. “Sure looked sturdy ‘fore I crossed it. Guess I learned I ain’t much on judgin’ trees. Thank y’all ever so much for gettin’ me down, Miss... uh, what’s yer name?”

“Name’s Applejack.” Applejack offered her hoof. “You?”

“Fireburst,” the unicorn said, taking Applejack’s hoof and giving it a firm shake.

Applejack gave the mare a quick once-over. Fireburst had little white freckles on her face, almost just like Applejack’s own, that matched the color of the mare’s curly mane and braided tail. She wore a black padded vest with over a dozen pockets. Her cutie mark looked like a cannonball with a lit fuse in it. Most striking, though, was that her horn was chipped; Applejack tried her best not to let her eyes linger on that.

“So, what brings y’all out here in the first place?” Applejack asked, more to distract herself from looking at the other mare’s horn than anything. “Don’t tell me y’all came ta this here forest just ta explore.”

Fireburst chuckled and shook her head. “No ma’am, I was just on my way ta Utopia, ta be frank with ya. Got business matters ta attend to, figured I’d walk.”

“Shucks, I was on my way there myself. Maybe y’all could tell me where exactly it is? I ain’t exactly got the best directions, see, just kind been followin’... instinct.”

Fireburst raised an eyebrow. “Ya don’t know? Well, y’all sound like you’re from Newhaven yerself. I was just passin’ through there on my way here; we must’ve just missed each other.”

Applejack paused. Queen Blackburn had mentioned Newhaven as a place in these parts where the ponies had the same dialect Applejack did. True enough, this other mare had the familiar drawl she was used to, but it certainly wasn’t the same as her own. She must be from one o’ the other towns. Shoot, what were their names again?

“Well, this is my first trip out there, see,” Applejack said. “I kinda got sidetracked on my way, same as you... only I guess I didn’t quite end up in the same kinda trouble.”

Fireburst laughed. “Hey now, take it easy, it ain’t like I meant ta do that. Well, anyway, all I know is Utopia’s southeast o’ here, ‘bout a three day walk from Newhaven.” Fireburst gestured behind Applejack in the direction Applejack had come from. “The trail y’all were on over there leads that way, so I guess ya figured it out yerself. Then again, ya know what they say: all roads lead ta Utopia.”

“Thank ya kindly, Miss Fireburst.” Applejack paused, then gave Fireburst a bright smile. “Say, y’all don’t happen ta need a travelin’ partner, do ya? I sure could use somepony ta talk to...”

“That sounds great. Sure, y’all got a deal!” Fireburst cheered, offering her hoof for Applejack to shake. “Hey, maybe ya could tell me how y’all were able ta make that rock bridge thing.”

Applejack smiled and gave Fireburst’s hoof the best shake she could muster, practically lifting the unicorn off the ground in the process. It’s always nice ta make a new friend.


	32. Intersect

A dark corridor stretched before Twilight Sparkle, broken up by the faint glow of torches along the sides. Tall pillars of black marble rose high above her head, their tops swallowed up by darkness. A dark red rug covered the floor, muffling the sound of her hooves as she cantered across it. She could not see the end of the hall in front or behind; it appeared endless.

“Hello?” she called out into the black void. “Anypony?” Only her echo answered her.

As she moved along, she noticed a pair of torches up ahead glowing brighter than the others, and a third light source casted its glare out into the hall. She came to the pair of pillars upon which the torches rested, and there in between them instead of a wall was a large window.

The window was made of stained glass. Its background consisted of a great blue sky above a fertile earth, with trees of varying sizes bearing shiny fruits. Each color chosen for the artwork depicted was vivid and real, crafted into the glass with such precision that the scene seemed to pop out of the window and into the hallway. In the center of the piece was an orange earth pony mare bearing apples on her flank. She stood out with greater detail than anything else in the piece, so much that she almost looked-

“Real...” Twilight whispered to herself. She sighed and put her hoof against the picture, looking into the glass mare’s eyes. “Oh... Applejack. I wish you were here.”

Her gaze shifted downward, drawn there by a faint golden sheen that reflected the torches’ light. A plaque. She leaned in to read it:

The Greatest Failure of Twilight Sparkle.

“My greatest failure...” She frowned and looked at the picture, not bothering to hold in her tears. “I’m so sorry, Applejack. I... I promised I’d keep us all safe, and you believed in me. You believed in me!” She slumped back to the floor behind her. “I really am a failure...”

The glass mare’s mouth moved, and Applejack’s voice called through Twilight’s mind. “Twilight...”

“I’m sorry, Applejack. I... I don’t know what to do... what I should have done...”

Twilight heard a loud snap, drawing her attention to the bottom of the window. A broad crack had appeared, and she watched as it snaked its way up through the artwork. Twilight stepped back for a moment, confused as to what had caused the crack, when her eyes drifted up to look at the image of Applejack. Those same eyes, which before had been bright and cheery, were now filled with fear. 

“Twilight! Help! I don’t wanna die!”

Twilight panicked, and flared her horn in a frantic attempt to repair the glass. A purple glow filled in the cracks, and the sheets of glass began to press together like the pieces of an enormous jigsaw puzzle. But then, the glow faltered, the glass separated again, and the cracks widened. Every effort she put in caused more and more glass to chip away, until she felt as though her attempt to fix the glass was making the problem worse. She persisted until her horn was shining with a purple light that was bright enough to illuminate nearly the entire hallway.

“No... no! Not again!” Twilight cried. “I won’t fail you again!”

The glass shattered around the unmoving glass mare until the cracks began to creep onto her as well. Applejack’s image writhed in pain as cracks tore across her legs and body.

“It’s too much!” Twilight shouted, sweat rolling down her face.

“You always were an inferior mage, Sparkle,” came the voice of Starlight Shadow in the back of Twilight’s mind. “I could sense your feeble magic from the moment we were introduced. That is why you could not shield your friends then, and why you cannot do so now. You are weak, Sparkle. Nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a mage.”

“No... I can do this! I can save her!”

“Submit to your failure, Sparkle. You cannot reverse the flow of time.”

“I won’t give in! I can’t!”

“Your friend has perished, Sparkle. You failed her.”

“She’s not dead! She... she can’t be!” Twilight grit her teeth and increased the flow of magic in her horn. Still, her spell was having no effect. She stepped forward, pressing her hooves against the glass, to Applejack’s own hooves. “Even if I am a failure... I refuse to believe she’s gone! I have faith in her!”

A bright flash burst forth from the window. Twilight staggered back and shielded her eyes, then watched as the glass began to repair itself. She knew she’d already ceased her own casting, so if this was not her magic, then whose was it? The brighter the light got, the more glass was repaired. The light radiated with a familiar warmth that put Twilight at ease, as if telling her that everything was going to be okay.

“How is this happening?” she asked. “This light... Princess Celestia? No... not the Princess. Similar, but not quite her.”

Twilight glanced up at Applejack’s face. The mare bore a cocksure smile. Twilight noticed that AJ was looking less and less like glass the longer she watched. She pressed her hoof against the window, and Applejack lifted her own hoof to press right back.

“Y’all just continue ta have faith in me, y’hear?” Applejack said. “I’m comin’ back ta all o’ ya, an’ that’s the honest truth.”

***

Twilight pried open her eyes and brought a hoof up to rub the sleep out. Her dreams had been getting more vivid with each passing day, but this one felt as real as the pillow under her head. She’d dreamt about Applejack constantly since the crash, and her dreams had been filled with doubt and despair. She knew they were just dreams, but this one felt more like a vision. The change perplexed her, but it certainly made her feel better.

She yawned and stretched her legs before rolling off the surprisingly-comfortable sofa and landing on the cool marble floor. With a quick glance around the room, she could see that everypony else was still asleep. This didn’t come as a surprise, really; with Applejack gone- no, that was the wrong way to put it. With Applejack not present, Twilight and Tick Tock had always been the first ones awake. 

Tick Tock herself was still asleep on the next sofa over, splayed across the cushions with half her limbs hanging over the side. Rainbow and Pinkie slept on a larger sofa on the opposite side of the room, wrapped up in one another; how anypony could sleep through Rainbow’s snores was still a mystery. Rarity slept on a chair nearby, curled up with the fluffiest pillow she’d been able to find. Fluttershy slept alone in a corner away from everypony else, using Ophanim, taking the form of a tiger, as both a pillow and a blanket. Lockwood and Blackburn also slept together, though they did so on the floor at Lockwood’s insistence, as it gave his crippled wing more room to spread out.

Twilight quietly trotted over to the nearest window and peeked out without drawing the curtains. The sun was shining, casting a bright golden glow on Utopia’s tall marble buildings. Twilight was surprised at how much this city resembled an older Canterlot, based on images from her history books. It certainly lacked the sleek aesthetic of modern Canterlot, but the smooth marble fashioned into geometrically-precise columns, walls, and roofs carried a pleasant quaintness. She assumed that the city had maintained this same architecture for centuries, an impressive feat if there ever was one.

She’d been more surprised when they had entered the central Harmony Guard district the night before. The architecture was similar, though, unlike the other parts of the city they’d traveled through, all the structures were kept in perfect order. The white marble and gold and silver accents gleamed like crystal in the moonlit sky then, and the bright, sunny sky now. If the majority of Utopia appeared to be like Classical Age Canterlot, the Harmony Guard sector resembled the Crystal Empire. The Temple of Harmonia itself was the most impressive, a sprawling superstructure that dwarfed every other building in the city and could be seen even from the outskirts. Of course, she couldn’t see it now, since she was inside it, but the waiting room window was high up enough that she could see out into the rest of the city fairly easily.

Twilight pulled away from the window with a sigh. As similar as this city was to home, it still wasn’t home. It was time to do her duty as group leader to make sure they got home safely and quickly; she’d already failed too many times in that regard, and she wasn’t about to stand around and let that trend continue. Twilight grabbed her pointed hat off the table, then left the waiting room through the hallway door, intending to make her way for the entrance to the inner sanctum. She hadn’t had the chance to explore the temple last night; now seemed the perfect opportunity to do so. A little wanderlust might do her some good.

As she strolled aimlessly through the hallways, the temple reminded her of how the Ancient Castle in the Everfree Forest would have looked like when it was still in use. The white marble walls were shiny and clean, as if they’d just been built. Lavish rugs colored in purples and blues decorated the gold tile floors, and detailed banners and tapestries decorated the walls and balconies. Few ponies walked the halls; they were all polite, bowing to Twilight as though she were a visiting foreign dignitary and addressing her with the unnecessarily formal title of “Lady Sparkle”. Their outfits reminded her of the royal guards back at home, only with silver instead of gold and much more elegant.

Some of the fancier tapestries depicted events from Utopia’s history, a few of which Twilight recognized from the Gryphon Ruins. She stopped to examine a series of them along one of the longer halls, starting with one that she recognized. The artwork had an oddly familiar layout, and after a moment, she realized what it was: the civil war that convinced the gryphons to leave the continent. As depicted here, the war seemed less brutally violent, and the gryphons themselves weren’t depicted at all. That made sense, since they’d made it clear in their own depiction of the war that they hadn’t gotten involved. The rebuilding effort of Utopia and the subsequent establishment of a continent-wide union of ponies were also depicted in greater detail in the following tapestries. Apart from the departure of one group, it seemed as though the end of this war had united the entire southern continent’s pony population.

One figure was particularly prominent in every single piece of art: a great white light in the familiar shape of a pony with both wings and a horn, but otherwise without any distinguishing physical qualities. The light, despite being sewn into a tapestry of cloth and wool, seemed almost alive in the artwork, an aspect that impressed Twilight as enchanting cloth and silk was much more complicated than enchanting stone. If this tapestry was anything like the gryphon murals, the light likely represented Harmonia. Another figure took up secondary prominence in each piece, which based on how Twilight had heard the position treated, must have been Harmonia’s Warden. Earlier events each had a different Warden depicted in great detail, but around the time of the civil war, a familiar figure appeared, and it was he who appeared in every following piece along this hallway: 

Silvertongue, the Warden that Gilderoy had revealed as a traitor.

Apparently, the ponies here were completely unaware of the events up north following the construction of the Beacons. As Twilight continued her aimless trek through the temple to the main hall, she noticed Silvertongue’s image quite liberally placed in just about every corner of the building, as though a figure of incredible importance second only to Harmonia herself. A large statue of him took up a great portion of the main hall, and was the most glamorous piece in the collection of statues of Wardens. A plaque beneath his statue read Sir Silvertongue, The Uniter, Bringer of The New Dawn. He even had two titles, while the others only had one each: Sir Brightest Star, The First Warden; Lady Golden Shield, The Peacekeeper; Lady Morning Dew, The Ambassador. The list went on and on, and each of them had many great feats listed beneath their names, but it was abundantly clear that Sir Silvertongue—or Lord Silvertongue, as Gilderoy had called him—was treated as the greatest amongst them.

Twilight made it a point that she’d ensure the current Warden, and Harmonia by proxy, knew what had happened to him.

Having arrived in the main hall, she noticed an abundance of knights, and knew that meant she was close to something important. She did not take long finding the entrance to the inner sanctum, and trotted up the walkway lined on either side with more members of the Harmony Guard. As before, they all bowed low as she trotted past, including the two guards stationed just in front of the door. She still felt a little uncomfortable with the semi-royal treatment.

“Bonjour, Lady Sparkle,” greeted the stallion on the left, a light brown pegasus with a dark black mane. “ Il fait très beau aujourd'hui, n’est-ce pas?”

Twilight blinked, then cleared her throat. “Er... sorry, I really don’t speak much Romantique. Um... let’s see. Good morning to you, too? That’s what you said, right?”

The pegasus laughed and nodded. “C’est magnifique, you did vell enough. Une bonne dame such as yourself should not trouble—"

The mare to his side, a dark blue earth pony with a whitish-silver mane, elbowed him in the midsection. 

“Ouille!” the pegasus exclaimed. “Vhat vas zat for?”

“Espèce d’idiot! C’est déplacé!” the earth pony hissed. “Soit respectueux envers l’invitée du Varden!”

“It’s quite alright,” Twilight said, hoping to avoid causing a scene. She didn’t know exactly what the mare had said, but it was clear from her tone that the pegasus had breached some sort of protocol. “Um... I was just dropping by to see if we could be let in to see the Warden yet? We’ve been here all night, see, and we’re in a bit of a hurry.”

The earth pony shook her head. “Ah, non, c’est impossible pour l’instant.”

“At zee moment,” added the pegasus. “Forgive mon associée, she does not speak Equine well.”

“A pony that... doesn’t speak Equine. Huh.” Twilight frowned. “Well, could you tell me why we can’t see the Warden now? That’s what the guards said last night too.”

“Je suis désolé, but ve ‘ave our orders. Ve vill let you know first zing when it is time.”

“Well, thank you anyway.” 

Twilight bowed and headed back the way she came, as confused as ever as to why they weren’t being allowed admittance yet. It wasn’t entirely a bad thing; it did give her and her friends a chance to rest after two more straight days of walking. She was getting tired of the constant treks across great expanses of terrain, even if at least this time they had a road to follow. Still, with only a few days left on Tick Tock’s three-week timeline, every minute wasted seemed unnecessary. She wanted to be back at home, where she could curl up with a good book and get some much-needed rest.

When she arrived back at their assigned waiting room, she found that her friends were all still asleep, save one: Tick Tock, who was seated at the table in the center of the room drinking a cup of tea. Twilight hadn’t a clue as to where she’d gotten the tea, but chalked it up to her asking a passing knight; the knights had been friendly and polite, and provided them with anything they’d needed or asked for. Twilight herself wasn’t keen on taking advantage of the service, as she never did when she was a guest in the Royal Palace, though she did admit she appreciated the hospitality.

“Oh, good morning, Tick Tock,” she whispered as she trotted in, taking a seat opposite the other unicorn and pouring a cup of tea for herself. She took a whiff and breathed a contented sigh. It was a pleasant blend, strongly reminiscent of one of her favorites back home.

Tick Tock took a sip of her own tea, then nodded. “Same to you, Twilight. I assume you went to check on our wait time?”

Twilight sighed. “I did. They gave me the same story as before: ‘we’re not ready yet’. Don’t they understand the kind of hurry we’re in? I thought we told them it was urgent.”

“You have to understand, Twilight, the Harmony Guard take rules and regulations very seriously. It’s kind of the point of representing Order... or Light, or whatever,” Tick Tock said as she leaned back in her chair. “If Harmonia’s Warden says you have to wait, then you have to wait. They always have good reason for their actions, Twilight, I assure you.”

“I sure hope so...” Twilight sighed. “How do you know so much about them, anyway? I didn’t think you’d ever been to Utopia.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “I haven’t, but Master Zenith made a few trips here in his youth. He never met with the Warden at the time, though, so I can’t really use that as leverage. I doubt it’s the same Warden anyway, if all those statues in the main hall are any indication.”

Twilight glanced around the room at the rest of her sleeping friends, then returned her gaze to Tick Tock. “What time is it? Did we really wake up this early?”

“It’s just after six o’clock. Nopony else is likely to wake for another few hours, except maybe Her Highness,” Tick Tock said, tilting her head towards Blackburn.

“Well then, would you like to head outside and work some more on your teleportation magic? We should have plenty of time and room to make some excellent progress.”

Tick Tock smiled and took another sip of tea. “Yes, that sounds lovely.”

***

Were one wanting of a quiet, soothing place to relax or study, the courtyard garden of the Temple of Harmonia was amongst the best places in Utopia to do so. Marble fountains decorated the main plaza, and the entire enclosure was surrounded with tall, neatly-trimmed trees of several varieties: oaks, larches, pines, etc. Many small birds made their homes in these trees and flew around the courtyard, giving the place the appearance of natural serenity. Wooden benches were strategically placed to acquire varying amounts of shade and proximity to the fountains, providing a relaxing atmosphere for almost any personality. 

One large section of the yard, however, was completely clear of ornaments or decorations. The clear field was perfectly square, each side half of a mile long, and was divided into four neat subsections with lines of chalk depicting various shapes to be used for sports and other physical activities. Here, in the crisp, cool morning air, a gathering of Harmony Guard knights were performing the first parts of their morning exercise routines. None of them wore their usual armor, but instead wore training outfits composed of plain-looking beige cloth. Some ran laps around the clearing, some lifted weights, while others sparred with one another.

While it certainly wasn’t sparring, Tick Tock felt as though Twilight’s training may as well have been for how much energy it forced her to exert. This was easily the most strain she felt she had ever put herself through over any extended length of time, including Master Zenith’s training. Twilight would have fit right in with the old coot, Tick Tock thought.

Her horn flared again, and once more, for the dozenth time in the past hour and probably the two hundredth over the last two days of travel, she moved absolutely no distance. She panted and collapsed to her stomach with a groan. “Ugh... it’s much too early in the bloody morning for this...”

A bright flash later, and Twilight appeared in front of her, her legs dominating Tick Tock’s view of the courtyard clearing. “Come on Tick Tock, get up and try again. You’re never going to get the hang of this if you give up.”

“Right, right... ‘constant vigilance’ as Master Zenith used to say.” Tick Tock huffed and rose to her hooves. Her head felt as though it had been spinning for hours, and her attempts to shake it off only made the feeling worse. “What exactly am I doing wrong? I’ve been at this for two bloody days with no results.”

“Your problem is that you’re still thinking in simplistic terms.” Twilight pointed towards the patch of grass no more than a yard in front of Tick Tock, which was marked with chalk powder. “Remember, the key to the spell is to focus on arriving at the target, not moving to the target. Picture your destination in your mind, and place yourself there in your picture. Then, release your magic and your mind’s picture will become reality.”

Tick Tock flared her horn again, and closed her eyes. In her thoughts, she pictured herself standing on top of the chalk marking, and focused putting all of her energy into imagining herself there, not here. No distractions. Constant vigilance. A great popping sound filled the air, and the tingly sensation of magic burst throughout Tick Tock’s body. She opened her eyes...

And found that she still hadn’t moved to her destination.

“Bloody hell!” Tick Tock slumped to the ground again and buried her face in the grass. “At this rate, I’m never going to learn this bleedin’ spell...”

Twilight pat Tick Tock on the back and helped her rise to her hooves. “It’s okay, Tick Tock. It just takes time, that’s all. Don’t feel too bad though, you’re finally getting the hang of it. Congratulations!”

Tick Tock stared at Twilight, keeping her expression blank. “...what? ‘Hang of it’? ‘Congratulations’? Twilight, in case you have the sun in your eyes, I haven’t moved a bloody inch.”

Twilight shook her head. “On the contrary, you moved precisely one inch in that last try.” She pointed at the ground, directing Tick Tock’s gaze there. “See?”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. “I don’t follow.”

Twilight paused, then chuckled and tapped herself on the temple. “Right, you can’t see it. Sorry. I put an enchantment on the grass around here that would highlight your movement. It was part of the exams I took to test my teleportation ability. Let me modify it so you can see it too.”

She lit up her horn, causing the grass around Tick Tock to briefly glow bright blue. The glow disappeared after several seconds, save for a tiny trace of it, roughly an inch or so behind the rear of each of Tick Tock’s hooves.

Tick Tock glanced back at Twilight a moment before returning her gaze to the glowing marks. She found that when she moved her hooves across the grass, both glowing and not glowing, that the glow didn’t change position or shape. “Does... that mean—"

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Yes. You teleported precisely one inch forward. The spell only reflects movement achieved through teleportation, so you definitely teleported. You just need to focus more on placing yourself from here to your target in your mental image, not moving. That lowers your accuracy, because the spell is trying to read too many points of contact. Still, you’re making progress.”

Tick Tock sighed and wiped her brow. All this work was making her sweaty, tired, and hungry. Her stomach gurgled in agreement. No! No distractions. I’ll keep practicing this bloody spell until I collapse if I have to. 

“Maybe we should take a break,” Twilight said through a giggle. “You sound like you’re getting hungry.” Her own stomach murmured to. “Me too, apparently!”

“Again,” Tick Tock said. “I’m going to try again.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to push yourself so hard, you know. You’re making better progress than the average pony; you can take the chance to relax.” Twilight laughed. “That’s coming from me! When I learned this spell, I went without sleep and skipped meals. I’m hardly the pony whose example you should follow though, since doing stuff like that is what kept me from making friends.”

Tick Tock grunted and settled herself back into place. “No. I want to learn this spell. I need to learn this spell. This isn’t like studying for some sort of bloody exam, this is a matter of practicality and pride.”

“Okay then, if you insist. Go ahead.”

Tick Tock took a deep breath and cleared her mind of all distractions. The wind in her mane was nothing. The heat of the sun was nothing. The cool grass beneath her hooves was nothing. It was all nothing before her calm serenity. The only image in her mind was that of the marked ground ahead of her, herself standing triumphantly upon it. She willed herself to make that image reality, flared her horn, and released all the magicks she could. Her body felt like it was on fire for a fleeting second.

Then, she slowly blinked open her eyes and glanced around her. On a first look, nothing looked different. Then, she noticed that Twilight was a full half a yard behind her. When she lifted a hoof, she noticed the dim blue glow beneath. True, she still hadn’t made it to her intended destination—the chalk marking was still another few inches ahead of her—but she’d almost made it. Her mouth split into a wide grin.

“Aha! You’re right, Twilight, I am getting... better?”

Twilight did not seem to hear her, and kept her gaze focused on the courtyard gardens. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes had started to water.

Tick Tock huffed, put off by the fact that Twilight had been so distracted that she’d missed a great leap in her progress. She stomped over to the other unicorn. “Twilight, what in Equestria had got you so—"

Twilight grabbed the side of Tick Tock’s head and turned it to look at what she was looking at.

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped. “Bloody hell...”

***

Rarity sighed and took a long sip of her tea, then leaned back in her chair to relax against her cushion. The knights of the Harmony Guard were certainly a friendly, charitable lot, and had provided a full course of lovely dishes with nothing more than a simple request. Twilight had asked they not abuse the privilege, but the knights seemed determined to make that impossible. All Rarity had asked for was something to eat, but the knights had brought in a large dining table laden with waffles, pancakes, toast, and assorted fruits—real fruits at that—as well as juice, tea, and coffee. Truly, the service and quality at the temple was impeccable, easily comparable to a five-star hotel. Combined with dinner the night before, this had been the best the party had eaten since they’d first arrived at Hope’s Point, and even then a little bias may have influenced their opinion of the meal at Buns ‘n’ Stuff.

Still, Rarity found it difficult to enjoy breakfast. She chanced a brief look into the opposite corner of the waiting room. Fluttershy had drawn the room’s lone nightstand over to herself to eat her breakfast at, and nothing anypony had said, or could say, was able to get her to sit beside anypony else at the large table they’d taken up. Even Pinkie, who’d pranced over and attempted to take a seat at Fluttershy’s table, had been dismissed with a look.

After two whole days of traveling, the situation had only managed to get worse, despite the concentrated efforts of everypony else to improve it. Fluttershy had distanced herself not just from Rarity and Lockwood, but was beginning to push the others away as well. She barely ate, slept, or even talked. She’d also long since ditched Lockwood’s old jacket somewhere along their journey to Utopia.

Rarity ran the entire scenario over and over again in her mind. How in the world had she not caught on to Lockwood’s secret relationship? Certainly he’d done an impeccable job of hiding his engagement to Blackburn, so much so that even his own adopted brother hadn’t known. But had he dropped any clues? Had there been anything that she should have seen that might have made her ease off trying to get him and Fluttershy together? Anything that might have prevented her from making a terrible mistake?

“I just wish I’d known where I’d gone wrong...” she muttered to herself.

Blackburn, seated opposite of Rarity, grunted and placed her cup of coffee on the table, then leaned back in her chair. “Not your fault. Tired of repeating it. You could not have known. Do not lose sleep over it.”

“Don’t lose sleep over it? Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but my closest friend is terribly devastated—"

“Because of your actions?” Blackburn huffed, and shook her head. “Perhaps. Her own actions are to blame too. Repeat: do not lose sleep over it. She should carry as much blame as anypony.”

“It’s my fault, really,” Lockwood said. “I should have noticed what was going on. I always have been rather blind to that sort of thing. You have no idea how long it took for me to notice Blackburn was even attracted to me.”

Blackburn smirked. “Had to be... blunt. Blunter.”

Rarity frowned. “That’s partly why I feel I am to blame. I’m the one who put the idea in her head that you were attracted to her. If I hadn’t, maybe...”

“How did you two meet, anyway?” Pinkie asked through a mouthful of waffles, pointing her fork between Lockwood and Blackburn.

“Pinkie, darling, I don’t know if that’s an appropriate subject to discuss. Especially not loudly, hmm?” Rarity turned to Blackburn and gave her a nervous smile. “Please, Your Highness, I’d rather not—"

“Risk upsetting somepony?” Blackburn finished off her cup of coffee, but continued speaking as she refilled it. “Not concerned with who hears or chooses to ignore,” she added, turning her head just to the side so that she was looking straight at Fluttershy, who was obviously attempting to ignore the entire conversation. “Only one pony deserves to be upset over situation. Should be obvious who. Pinkie Pie wishes to know more, would gladly explain.”

“I’d rather not antagonize anypony if we could, BB,” Lockwood muttered. “She didn’t know, so—"

Blackburn interrupted him with a snort. “Met Lockwood at a party in Pandemonium, intended to make business contacts to maintain Hope’s Point’s prosperity. Lockwood was guest of party’s host. Struck up conversation, discussed business opportunities. Found his candid demeanor... interesting. Never liked being treated special because of father.

“Built up business network over following years. Became...” Blackburn trailed off, her face turning pink, then shook her head and smiled. “Became enamored with him. Suggested we consider turning business partnership into different manner of relationship. He accepted terms.”

“You make your romance sound so... so clinical,” Rarity said. “I certainly expected more out of the relationship that put such a kibosh on Fluttershy—" She put her hoof to her mouth when she noticed Fluttershy glare in her direction.

“Well, so long as we’re discussing it,” Lockwood added after taking a sip of his coffee, “I assure you, ‘clinical’ is hardly what I’d consider what happened between us. Though I suppose a... clinic or two may have been involved at some point. Better safe than sorry, they say.”

“Courtship lasted a few years,” Blackburn continued. “Then, was forced to return home. Father caught wind of my dealings behind his back, did not approve of certain business partners. In spur of the moment... proposed marriage. Practical consideration, as royal title cannot pass to foals out of wedlock.”

Lockwood scratched his chin, his own face bright red by this point. “Yeah we... kind of started talking about that earlier than I expected.”

“Visited at every opportunity over following years, though after father’s death and becoming Queen, visits became less frequent.”

“So... that’s it?” Pinkie asked. She threw her hooves in the air in exasperation. “That’s boring! Where’s the whirlwind romance? Where’s the holding hooves? Where’s the candlelit dinners? Where’s the smooches?”

“Marriage was practical; details not important.”

Lockwood chuckled and put his hoof on Blackburn’s. “Which is to say there’s a lot of things she’d rather not share. It would ruin her image as a ingenious mastermind who rules her kingdom with an iron hoof. Though I suppose a few details here and there might not surprise any of you.”

“Well... I suppose if we get a chance to, you’d be willing to share with us at another time?” Rarity asked, darting her eyes to Fluttershy’s sneer and back. “Perhaps in... other company?”

“Well sure—"

Blackburn snorted. “No. Details not important.”

Just as Rarity was about to change the subject, a bright flash filled the room, accompanied by a loud pop. She, and the others, shielded their eyes from the flash; the origin point had been literally inches in front of their faces, except Fluttershy’s of course.

“Really, Twilight, must you enter the room so dramatically?” Rarity huffed as she rubbed orange-colored spots out of her eyes. “There is a door you know? It would be easier to use.”

“Well shucks, nice ta see you too, Rarity,” said a familiar voice. “Sheesh. Some ponies.”

Rarity’s eyes snapped open. There on the table stood Applejack, as broad and tall as ever, nearly covered in now-ruined breakfast, her face alight with a glowing smile. Rarity couldn’t believe her eyes, as though what she saw before her were something out of a dream.

“A-Applejack?”

She reached her hoof forward and poked the earth pony’s leg, not particularly concerned with the abundance of maple syrup that had splattered over it. When her hoof pressed against solid pony—and sticky syrup—her breathing hastened. She looked up into the earth pony’s eyes, which looked back down at her filled with a warmth and familiarity she sorely missed.

“Oh my... Applejack!”

Rarity leapt up onto the table and wrapped Applejack in a tight hug, unperturbed by getting herself messy. She was joined soon after by Rainbow, Pinkie, and even—no, especially Fluttershy, forming a veritable ball of laughing, cheering, breakfast-covered ponies.

“Oh Applejack, you’re alive!” Rarity cried as she buried her sobbing face into the fabric of Applejack’s shirt. “You’re alive, you’re alive! Oh my goodness, darling, you’re actually here!”

“Of course she’s here, Rarity,” Rainbow said as she made to ruffle Applejack’s mane. She apparently decided against it after seeing her hoof covered in grape jelly. “Applejack’s unstoppable, you know that. I never doubted it for a second.”

“We were so worried about you!” Pinkie said, tugging Applejack out of Rarity’s hug to tighten her own. “I was so afraid that you went to the big party in the sky!”

Applejack chuckled and squirmed out of Pinkie’s grip. “Thanks for all the warm greetin’s, y’all, but d’ya mind if we not do this on top o’ yer breakfast anymore? I sure don’t wanna waste any, seein’ as I’m a mite hungry myself.”

Rarity blinked. “On top of- oh! Oh dear, what a mess!” 

She flustered and hopped off the table, and immediately set about fussing over whether her cape had been tarnished with any syrup. Luckily, everything seemed to be in order, minus a few ghastly globs of gelatinous goop that had become glued to the collar.

“Aaan’ everythin’s back ta normal, thank goodness for that,” Applejack said with a happy sigh before leaping off the table herself. “It’s good ta be back, y’all. I missed all o’ ya somethin’ fierce. I was worried somethin’ might’ve happened ta y’all.”

The waiting room door opened, and Twilight, Tick Tock, and another unicorn walked into the room, smiles plastered on all their faces. “Okay Applejack, you proved your point. The big entrance was a good idea,” Twilight said. “A little messy, but good. I hope there’s something left for us to eat.”

“Really, darling, you shouldn’t have teleported her right onto the table like that. The room does have a door, which I can see you are well aware of,” Rarity said as she scrubbed a stain off her collar with her magic. “Oh, just look at this mess! After doing such a good job keeping it clean while crossing miles of grassland, now I get it dirty?”

Fluttershy snorted. “Give it a rest, your stupid cloak’s not ruined,” she said, her voice icy. “Be glad that Applejack’s back, it’s the only good news we’ve had in days.” She turned to Applejack, a weak smile on her face. “It’s good to see you, Applejack. We were worried about you.”

Applejack nodded, and returned the smile. “I was worried ‘bout y’all too. I just knew nothin’ was gonna keep y’all down, though. Glad ta see y’all made it here safe ‘n’ sound.”

Fluttershy made to say something else, but apparently decided against it. She gave Rarity another quick, harsh look, then trotted back to her corner and slumped into her chair with a huff. She batted away Ophanim’s orb when he attempted to get her attention, before sinking further into her sour mood.

“I guess I missed more than I thought. What’s eatin’ her?” Applejack asked Rarity in a hushed whisper.

Rarity sighed. “Let’s just say that you were right, dear, and that I shouldn’t have been butting my nose in where it didn’t belong. She’s been getting worse ever since we got separated, and I just don’t know what we can do. I’ve never seen her this angry before... and believe me, I thought I’d seen her at her angriest.”

“I’m hopeful she’ll get back to normal when we finish our business here. It’s the only thing left that I can think of, at least since she stopped talking to us,” Twilight said as she took her own seat at the table. “Hopefully we won’t be waiting too much longer. The sooner we get done, the better. I just want to get home.”

Pinkie let out a loud gasp, then leapt across the table and sidled up to the unicorn mare that had entered with Twilight and Tick Tock. “Say, who’s your new friend? Is she nice? What’s her name?”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Aw shoot, where are my manners? Sorry ‘bout that.” She got out of her seat to stand beside the other mare, then clapped the unicorn on the shoulder. “Gals, this here’s Fireburst. Fireburst, these here are my friends. D’ya remember their names?”

Fireburst rolled her eyes. “With how much you’ve been yappin’ my ear off, shoot, I probably know ‘em better’n y’all do.” She took a step forward gave a friendly wave to everypony. “Heya! Name’s Fireburst, and it’s nice ta finally meet all o’ y’all. She’s said so much about ya.”

“Hi Fireburst!” Pinkie greeted, giving the mare an energetic hoofshake. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Now, normally right about now I’d give another loud gasp.” She demonstrated said loud gasp. “Then, I’d say it’s this calls for a party, but I don’t think all these stuffy knights would like me making a big mess and a lot of noise this early in the morning.”

Fireburst chuckled. “Pleased ta meet ya, Pinkie. Applejack said y’all’d be the first to greet me. You’re just a bundle o’ energy, ain’tcha? Y’all kinda remind me o’ my lil’ sis.”

Introductions went around the table, and Rarity noticed this new mare carried a politeness to her that Rarity recognized as “traditional”, as Applejack’s family called it. She was pleasant and cordial, maybe a little too eager to engage in hoofshakes as Applejack was liable to do, but overall a nice mare. Rarity did her best to ignore the poor mare’s chipped horn, as it was considered rude in polite company to bring attention to that sort of handicap, especially in her case, as she herself was a unicorn.

The group gave Applejack, Fireburst, Twilight, and Tick Tock a chance enjoy some breakfast—though the former two were more wolfing it down than savoring any of it—before anypony brought up what was on everypony’s minds.

“So... what happened, anyway?” Rainbow asked. “How’d we all get separated?”

Applejack sighed and leaned back in her seat. “I don’t rightly know how it happened, but one o’ them creepy mutant zombies—or whatever they are—from the Blood Mire was on the ship, in the engine room.”

“Impossible,” Blackburn scoffed. “Fully-infected cannot leave Blood Mire, period.”

“Yeah, we saw that for ourselves,” Twilight said, tapping her chin. “When we all exited the surrounding barrier, nearly all of those things pursuing us stopped at its edge. The ones that got pushed through or didn’t stop in time disintegrated the instant they left the barrier field, as if the air outside was harmful to them.”

“And thank the bloody stars for that!” Tick Tock exclaimed with an exaggerated wipe of her brow.

“I know, and I got ‘round ta thinkin’ the same thing when I had a chance ta think ‘bout it. But, I saw it with my own two eyes, and the thing that attacked us in the engine room was definitely one o’ them things, no mistakin’ it. Same sickenin’ smell, same black skin, same nasty rot, same everythin’.” She turned her gaze over to Tick Tock. “And it talked.”

Tick Tock paled. “T-t-talked? Oh no... d-d-did it have—"

“Yeah, silvery wings ‘n’ all, no question. Saw him use them things ta tear apart everythin’ he touched.”

“He’s still out there... oh stars, he was on the ship with me!” Tick Tock’s breathing became panicked, and she put a hoof over her heart and darted her eyes around the room. “W-w-what if he’s in here with us?!”

Twilight patted Tick Tock’s back and pulled the trembling unicorn close. “Relax, Tick Tock... we’re here, okay? I don’t think that thing is going to come after you here.”

“But he might, Twilight, he might! If he could get aboard the ship, then who knows where he could be?!”

“This creature sabotaged the engines,” Blackburn said, by now on the edge of her seat. “How?”

Applejack nodded. “Cut right inta the power... machine... thing. Whatever it was Briarthorn was workin’ on, that thing wrecked it up good. Everythin’ started goin’ crazy after that... an’ Flathoof shoved me right inta this pod thingy that fell right off the ship.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what happened after that. And... seein’ as they ain’t here with ya...”

“I’m sorry, Applejack,” Rarity said, pulling Applejack in for a hug. “I’m so sorry darling...” She turned her gaze over to Lockwood, who’d slumped back in his seat and bore a pensive expression. “And you too, Lockwood. Oh dear...”

Applejack shook her head and reached her hoof out towards Lockwood. “I’m sorry too, Lockwood. Flathoof was just tryin’ ta protect me. If I could’ve used my powers....” She sighed. “I don’t really know what else ta say. Before all that happened... he ‘n’ I sorta said a few things ta one another that I wish I’d been able ta say sooner...”

Nopony said anything for several moments. Then, Lockwood shook his head and patted Applejack’s hoof. “I can’t say I’m surprised he did what he did. I’m not angry,” he said, his mouth curling into a small smile. “In fact I’m actually sort of proud. It makes me proud to hear that he did what he does best: protect the ones he cares about. All the way to the end...”

Applejack frowned and looked around the room. “Say... uh, where’re the others? Gadget ‘n’ Crossfire?”

Lockwood shook his head again. “After the engine exploded, the Thunder crashed. Gadget and Crossfire... protected Blackburn and me, got us off the ship beforehoof.” He paused to look at Blackburn, who had become pale and slumped in her chair. “They didn’t make it either...”

“Then Briarthorn as well...” Blackburn sighed. She pushed herself away from the table and cantered over to the nearest window. “Gadget, Crossfire, Briar... gone. Decision to help has cost me dearly. Beginning to wonder if this is worth it...” She turned her gaze to Lockwood, and shook her head. “I should not have forced you and Flathoof to come.”

“Don’t start blaming yourself,” Lockwood said, “This isn’t your doing, it’s that... that thing.” He turned to Tick Tock and Twilight, and nodded. “If this isn’t proof enough that that psychopath is working with Nihila to keep you all here, I don’t know what else is. I, for one, am convinced now more than ever that we need to get you home.”

A long silence fell over the room for several moments, until it was broken by a knock at the door. Twilight cantered over to the door and cracked it open.

A pitch black unicorn, a knight, was on the other side. “‘Allo? Am I disturbing anyzing?”

“No... not at all,” Twilight said, eyebrow rasied. “Is there something wrong? We’re not being too loud or anything are we?”

The knight shook his head. “Ah, non, I ‘ave been sent to retrieve you for your meeting viz Varden Mémoire.”

“Oh? Oh! Well, that’s great news!” Twilight turned to the others. “You hear that girls? Time to get things taken care of. We’re almost home!”

The knight held up a hoof. “Ah, un moment Lady Sparkle. I ‘ave been informed by zee Varden zat zee only ones ‘e will admit are... ah, pardonnez-moi.” He reached into his helmet and pulled out a small note. “Euh... Ladies Tock, Sparkle, Rarity, Dash, Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack.”

“You mean, we can’t come too?” Lockwood asked as he gestured between himself and Blackburn. “That’s strange. We brought them all this way and were even here when they signed in, and nopony told us we wouldn’t be allowed in.”

The knight shook his head. “Zat is zee Varden’s orders, and ‘is vord is law in zee temple. Zee city and zee temple grounds are free to use vhile you vait, zough.”

“Well... I suppose that’s not too big of a problem. You girls can always tell us what happens, right?”

“Would appreciate a report if unable to personally attend,” Blackburn said.

“Well of course we’ll tell you guys,” Twilight said. “You’ve helped us out so much, not including you would be just... well, wrong. I don’t know why you can’t come with us, but if the Warden’s orders say no, I don’t see how arguing the point will help any. Like Tick Tock said, they have a reason for everything.”

“I sure don’t mind not bein’ included in whatever it is y’all’re doin’,” Fireburst said with a smile. “I’ve still got business ta attend to ‘round the city, an’ I wouldn’t be on that list anyhow.” She nodded to Applejack. “AJ, I’ll catch ya later. Well, if y’all’re still here later, anyway.”

“Yeah, sure thing Fireburst,” Applejack said as Fireburst trotted out the door. She turned back to guard, and pointed an accusing hoof at him. “Hang on a sec, y’all said my name was on that there list y’all have. I wasn’t here ta sign up fer nothin’.” She turned to her friends. “Did you girls put me on the list?”

Rarity shook her head. “Well... no, we didn’t. They only let us sign in with the ponies here, so... actually, this is rather odd.”

The knight shrugged. “Lady Applejack’s name is on zee list. Zee Varden ‘as been expecting ‘er. I do not question such zings.”

“Oookay... uh, yeah, that’s definitely weird,” Rainbow said.

“We’ll ask the Warden about it when we meet him,” Twilight said. She gestured for the others to follow. “Come on, everypony, let’s get to it.”

***

There had been a number of expectations Twilight had for the innermost place of worship for a goddess such as Harmonia. She expected perhaps to see a multitude of objects of worship or depictions of what the ponies who worshipped her to believe she was capable of. She expected stained glass windows and lavish rugs, not unlike the hall of her dream, as that was how even Princess Celestia’s throne room was decorated. Perhaps Harmonia, as a goddess of the light, should have some manner of representation of that fact here. 

The inner sanctum was none of these things. If anything, it appeared to be a library. The walls circled around them, lined with rows upon rows of books, far more than she cared to count though she was able to get a rough estimate in the tens of thousands. Tomes of all sizes could be seen, and all of them appeared to be in mint or near-mint condition. Some of the titles jumped out at her: A History of Deepgrove, Volume I; Pony/Zebra Relations in Our Modern Era; Founding: The Origins of Utopia; Whatever Happened to the Gryphons? 

She took notice that there were only a scant few texts that seemed to have anything to do with the northern continent. A few texts here and there seemed to detail the landscape and the current status of Pandemonium, but without properly perusing the entire collection she couldn’t tell if anything would have informed these ponies about the events that Gilderoy had shown her. How could they not know?

Whatever the case, she was confused as to why the inner sanctum was a library. Nothing in the rest of the temple seemed to hint that Harmonia had a particular fondness for books. The raised platform at the end of the sanctum had a desk and seating accommodations for a large number of guests, larger even than their current group. All it needed was a clerk and the illusion would be complete. Perhaps the Warden served that purpose?

Twilight’s thoughts were placed aside when the small door on the other side of the platform opened.

Harmonia’s current Warden looked every bit like the freshly-constructed statue of him out in the main hall, though obviously more colorful than the sleek white marble. Mémoire was an indigo pegasus with a thin frame and a modest wingspan, not at all the physical specimen some of the prior Wardens had been. He wore a white cloak, and he kept the hood up so as the cover his brown mane; from what Twilight could see, even she would admit it was messy. The cloak bore the same insignia Twilight had seen all over the hall, that of the city of Utopia: a silver cross emblazoned over a turquoise heart.

“Pardonnez-moi for zee vait, I vas seeing to zee last preparations I must make for you,” he said. “Aimez-vous ma bibliothèque—my library?” he asked, gesturing out to the abundance of books. “You are zee first guests I ‘ave ‘ad zat ‘ave seen zee projet achevé.”

“Oh! Um... hello Sir Mémoire.” Twilight blinked, taken aback by the Warden’s forward friendliness. “Well, I certainly think you have a robust selection here, sir. You say this is your library? As in, private library?”

“Oui, c’est—" Mémoire paused, then chuckled. “Oh, excusez-moi, I am letting my personal matters come before business!” He trotted into the center of the platform and, to Twilight’s surprise, bowed down low to greet them. “C’est un plaisir to finally meet you all.”

Twilight hesitated, then met his bow with one of her own, as was considered polite. “It’s good to finally meet you too... I suppose?”

Rarity followed Twilight’s example first, then the rest of her friends. “You speak as though you were expecting us,” she said.

“Oui, I ‘ave been expecting you,” Mémoire said as he walked over to the desk and placed a trio of envelopes upon it. “Or razer, milady ‘as been expecting you. I am sorry zat ve made you vait, but Applejack ‘ad not arrived yet. I am glad to see zat she arrived so quickly. Milady was vorried.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “So y’all were waitin’ for me? Y’all knew I was comin’?”

“Bien sûr.”

“An’ y’all didn’t tell nopony so that they knew, either?”

Mémoire smiled and shook his head. “It vould ‘ave taken from zee reunion between you and your friends, n’est-ce pas? Milady vould not rob you all of such bonheur.” He lifted a hoof. “Ah, mais ce n’est pas le moment for talking of zese zings. At least, not viz me.”

“Right, we can worry about that later,” Tick Tock said. “We have more important matters to discuss.” 

Mémoire nodded. “Oui, zat we do, Chronomancer.” Tick Tock made to speak again, but Mémoire lifted his hoof to stop her. “Ah, but you vill not be discussing it viz me, but viz milady ‘erself. She vishes to speak viz you all quite dearly, and directly.”

“You mean... talk to Harmonia?” Twilight asked. “Can we do that? We were led to believe she and Nihila couldn’t take physical form.”

“Non, she cannot, and zat is not what is ‘appening ‘ere. But I ‘ave vasted enough time; milady vishes to speak viz you all. Un moment s’il vous plaît.”

Mémoire took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, his body began to glow with a dim white light that radiated throughout the room, bathing the mares before him in a comforting warmth. The warmth felt familiar to Twilight, as though out of a dream. A moment passed and the glow surrounding Mémoire dissipated, then he at last released the breath he’d been holding. When his eyes opened, a bright white light shone forth from them.

He gave the group of confused mares before him a bright smile, and spoke to them in a voice that was not his own, but a soft-spoken, velvety, feminine voice that seemed to flow and echo about the room, entrancingly slow and beautiful. The glow from his eyes spread softly out around the room, and in the light there appeared a pearly-white outline of a pony, larger than all of them, with both wings larger than his own, and a horn visible.

“I welcome thee, mine ardent little ponies. It gladdens me to finally greet thee at once, together. I am Harmonia, and mine inimitable nature tarries to the title of Goddess, with mine assumed divine domain as Equality. The beauty of that which is balance ringeth in my veins, thus deny it I cannot. It is why I thrill with our meeting, as thou art familiar with such things.”

Twilight looked to her friends, eyebrow raised, then cleared her throat and nodded. “We’re glad to finally meet you as well... uh, Your Highness.” She turned to Tick Tock. “Is that the proper way to address a goddess? This is new territory even for me.”

Tick Tock pointed at herself and shook her head. “I don’t know, Twilight,” she said in a fluster. “I’ve never met a goddess before either. We’re not supposed to go explaining things to divine beings. There aren’t exactly many protocols on this sort of thing.” She dropped her voice and added: “At least, not many considered reputable.”

“Thou may simply callest me ‘Harmonia’, Twilight Sparkle, if thou wishest,” Harmonia said, her ethereal voice ringing with a subdued pleasure, as though laughing at an untold joke. “I care little for the title I am given, though many of the ponies whom I care for chooseth to bequeath a title upon me anyway. We are equals here, one and all; I shall treat thee and thy friends as such.”

“If that’s the case, why can’t our other friends be here as well, if you don’t mind my asking?” Rarity asked. “I feel awful leaving them out of this, as Lockwood and Queen Blackburn have sacrificed much to get us here. Surely they should be included.”

Harmonia’s light frowned, then nodded, causing her Warden to do the same. “Please, givest them mine eternal regards in even parts valor and sorrow on thy next meeting, as I regret mine inability to include these who I would not consider merely thy friends, but heroes of this world, in these proceedings. Communicating directly with ponies other than mine own Warden places great strain on us both. The more ponies present, the greater the strain, thus the more I must persist so as to keep me with thee. Thus, for the sake of my treasured Warden, I must lessen the burden upon him.

“As for thee, Tick Tock,” she added with a glowing smile as she turned to Tick Tock and gave her a tiny nod, “thy status as Chronomancer is adequate cause for thee to participate, as thy possession of such... specific knowledge of the art of Chronomancy shall be, by simple posit, of great import. Incidentally, it is truly an honor to meet one of thy profession again. I counted amongst my dearest friends one of thy predecessors, the good Master High Noon.”

“I’m afraid he was well before my time, even my mentor’s time,” Tick Tock said. She cleared her throat and bowed. “Harmonia, with respect, I do believe that time is of the essence. If we could continue with our agenda here?”

“To commune with thy group at all, I must be given the time we sorely lack, though I am aware of our lack thereof,” Harmonia said, turning Mémoire’s body to walk towards the nearest window. “However, there are other matters at hoof that bear such strong feelings that I must address them as the first of many. I know that mine elation for meeting you all was not met without confusion.” 

She turned and smiled again, directing it particularly at the three ponies in the center of the formation: Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack. “At the least, three of thee hast most pressing questions, is it not so? Please, hast no fear in asking.”

Twilight looked between Applejack and Rainbow, then back to Harmonia. She wasn’t sure what exactly the two of them had to ask, but she knew she had questions, certainly. For example: “This might sound strange, but, well, I don’t know why, but the magical energy that I can sense around you is just so... familiar. I can’t place where I’ve felt it before, but I definitely recognize it.”

Harmonia nodded. “Thou art a powerful unicorn indeed, if thou canst sense mine aura though I be incorporeal at present. Its familiarity to thee is because thou sharest a connection with me, due to thine own connection to thy world’s ‘Elements of Harmony’.” She smiled when Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I know more than thou givest me merit, Twilight Sparkle. For this, thy friend Rainbow Dash doth carry responsibility.”

Rainbow pointed at herself and took a step back. “Me? What’d I do? I’ve never met you before... uh, ma’am... goddess lady.”

“Ah, but thou hast indeed been in my presence before. Thou madest me aware of thine existence, and the existence of thy friends, through thine actions in days past. The Belt of Tranquility hath many dangers within, doth it not? It gladdens me to know that my light was of help to thee.”

“Light... wait, you mean—" Rainbow’s eyes widened. “The light in the water, that was you?” She shook her head and took several steps forward, her face alight with eager anticipation. “And my reflection, was that you too? ‘Cause I’ve been getting a total sense of déjà vu here.”

“What are you talking about, Rainbow?” Twilight asked. “What light? What reflection?”

Rainbow scuffed her hoof on the rug. “Well, I didn’t tell you guys all the details, but when I went into the Belt to try and get through, I sort of... didn’t make it. I crashed into the water, and into some sort of dry strip of land between the two halves of the ocean... or something.” She scratched her head, apparently at a loss for how to describe whatever had happened. “Look, it was weird, okay? But that’s where I had... a realization, because I was arguing with myself—my reflection, actually—about what I’d done and what I was doing.”

She shook her head and looked at Harmonia, confusion in her eyes. “I thought you felt familiar... but I couldn’t place it. You’re the one who guided me there and helped me realize what I was doing? Why?”

Harmonia shook her head. “Guided? I was there to see the questions inside thee, because thou were aglow with a part of myself; this is still so. It is so for all of thee. I see the pieces that muster within me; the love I have for balance, for equality, for harmony. What could I do but try to ask the questions that thou were too hurt to ask? What wouldst thou have done if thou had seen thyself in such a state, outside thyself? I did what thou wouldst do, what was in thy heart. And, how wouldst thou speakest to thyself if not as thyself? I provided a place most safe for thee to learn that the feelings that forced thee to depart from thy friends were not entirely of thine own soul, but due to another’s influence.”

“Right... you helped me realize what Grayscale had been doing to me.” Rainbow sighed and turned to look over her friends, stopping to smile at Pinkie. “I wish I could’ve realized it earlier, is all. I could’ve saved them a lot of hurt.”

“So, y’all showed Rainbow a light ta guide her ta safety, or somethin’?” Applejack asked as she stepped forward. “Then... that was you too, that guided me outta that there ocean?”

“That I was, Applejack,” Harmonia said as she turned her gaze to the earth pony. “Did my directions assist thee well? It saddens me that I could not carry thee to safety myself, but such beeth the limits of an immaterial form.”

Applejack nodded. “Well, y’all sure got me outta the water. And y’all do feel familiar... kind like this weird feelin’ I had in the back o’ my head the whole way here. Kinda warm ‘n’ fuzzy, like a happy memory. Was that you too?” At Harmonia’s nod, Applejack smiled. “Well then, thank ya kindly for all yer help. Y’all got me out of a mighty fine pickle.”

“So you helped to unite us, twice,” Twilight said. “First by helping to spur Rainbow to come back, and then by guiding Applejack here. I... I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Harmonia.” Her eyes widened. “Wait, they were guided to safety by a bright light. A bright light... my dream. That’s where I recognize you from! You were in my dream last night!”

Harmonia nodded. “Thy dream was clouded with fear, something I possess no love for, for it goes against my very nature to inspire or desire such a thing. I did what I could, so that thou couldst rest, for thou hast not slept well in many moons.”

“I see. Thank you for that, Harmonia. You certainly put my mind at ease.”

“What did y’all dream about?” Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed. “You, actually. I dreamed about losing you, forever. I’ve... never lost a friend before. You all are my first friends, after all, besides my brother of course. But, Harmonia told me you were coming back to us. I’m glad she did.”

Harmonia smiled. “Thy mind still bubbleth over with questions for me, does it not? I can sense thy trepidation, Twilight Sparkle. ‘Tis a pressing matter, then?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, I did have something I wanted to ask, actually, in regards to the past rather than our future. I’ve seen an awful lot of depictions of one of your former Wardens around the temple, Sir Silvertongue. Well, while we were up north, we visited the last of the gryphons, Elder Gilderoy. He showed us a lot of things, about ourselves and about your world.”

“The last of the gryphons?” Harmonia’s voice, for the first time, seemed puzzled. “What dost thou speakest of, ‘last’ of the gryphons?”

“Sir Silvertongue, after he built the Beacons, apparently betrayed you and became the Warden of Nihila,” Twilight explained. “He massacred the entire gryphon race using a plague called the Red Death, and only one, their Lorekeeper, survived. I am certain that Elder Gilderoy would want us to tell you what transpired up north, since by looking around here, you’re unaware of your former Warden’s actions.”

Harmonia’s light flickered for only an instant, but remained silent for a long moment before shaking her head. “‘Tis a pleasure that thou hast confirmed for me my former Warden’s fate. Once the Beacons were completed, I could no longer contact him, no longer address him as my Warden. I found myself wondering, time and again until now, what became of him. It pained me greatly to replace—" She hesitated, then sighed. “Burden thyselves not with Sir Silvertongue, my little ponies, as such a concern shalt be nothing more than a distraction, and thou still hast much ahead of thee before thy journey is complete.”

Tick Tock interrupted. “Forgive me, Harmonia, but that’s the second time you’ve said that. I have been led to believe that you could open a portal to help send my friends home. Don’t tell me this has all been a waste of our bloody time.” She slumped to the floor. “Please don’t tell me this has been a waste of our bloody time.”

Harmonia frowned and shook her head. “I could open a portal for thee, certainly... were that still within my power.” She looked amongst the mares, her smile returning for a brief second, before turning back to Tick Tock with a frown. “It saddens me to speak of mine own shortcomings, but mine abilities as of late hath waned to far lesser levels than I imagined possible. I am not as powerful as thou believest me to be, not anymore.”

“Your powers are weakening?” Tick Tock asked. She shook her head. “Forgive me for saying, but that simply doesn’t sound possible. You and Nihila are supposed to contain incredible amounts of power. How could you be losing power in the first place, let alone fast enough that you’re no longer powerful enough to open a portal?”

“I do not wish to sound as though I am casting blame, but...” Harmonia turned and nodded to Twilight Sparkle. “Those who doth wield these ‘Elements of Harmony’ art the cause of mine abating strength, at least to the degree that it doth abate at currently.”

Twilight balked. “Us?”

“Whilst I only possess a fragment of the whole story, I also possess great knowledge on the workings of harmonious magicks. The connection between thee and these ‘Elements of Harmony’, if I am not mistaken, filleth thee with power that only thou dost possess. Hence why thou canst use them to perform great feats, though I can only guess. I am this world’s equivalent, and as such, thou now drawest thy strength from me. As I possess greater powers than the Elements of Harmony, thou drawest even more power, and this power doth manifest in mysterious, extraordinary ways, doth it not?”

“You mean the superpowers we got?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I thought that we were able to use these powers because this world has more ambient magicks to draw from, and that anypony who puts in the time and effort can use magic too? We’ve seen some of our friends use incredible magicks that in our world would simply be impossible.”

“Yeah, that creepy zombie thing used some weird magic that let him slip ‘round through the walls ‘n’ shadows,” Applejack pointed out. “Ain’t nopony back home that can do that.”

Tick Tock shuddered. “Don’t remind me.”

“Thou art absolutely correct, ‘tis the way this world’s magicks doth function. But, thy connection with these Elements in thy world, and thus thy connection to me, allowed thee to acquire thine abilities more quickly.” Harmonia sighed. “‘Tis an unfortunate coincidence that it drains me so, but I am certain that thou dost not regret possessing the powers thou hast acquired.”

Rainbow frowned and looked at her hooves. “Well yeah, I’m glad I’ve got these powers now. Without ‘em, I don’t think we really could’ve been able to get through the fights with those nutcases all those times. But I didn’t think we were draining them from anypony.”

“So our powers stem from you, but we’re draining your strength in order to use them?” Twilight asked. “Does that mean that when we leave, we’ll lose these powers?”

Harmonia nodded. “In a matter of speaking, thou art correct. It may taketh place over a long period of time, but the gifts that thou hast received whilst on this plane shalt one day diminish. Thou shalt still possess thy connection with the Elements of Harmony, but as they did not granteth thee these abilities before, they shalt not granteth them in future.”

“So, long story short... you can’t send us home?” Pinkie asked, tears welling in her eyes. “Aww... we were so close! How are we gonna get home now?”

Harmonia smiled and shook her head. “Hast faith, Pinkie Pie, thy friends and thee needest not worry. I still possess the ability to cast open a portal, but I can no longer accomplish such a daunting task by my lonesome. I shall require thine assistance if I am to return thee to thy home, to thy friends and families.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll do it,” Twilight said with a stomp of a hoof. “We’ve come too far to give up now. What would you have us do?”

Harmonia paused, then shook her head. The light of her figure began to flicker. “Forgive me, my power doth wane even as I speak to thee, and my Warden groweth weak as I maintain the connection. I must conserve my strength if I am to help thee to depart from this world and return to thine own. My Warden shalt—"

The white glow in Mémoire’s eyes flickered and died, and with it the glow surrounding his body.

Twilight lifted a hoof. “W-wait! What are we supposed to—"

A bright flash filled the room, and Mémoire’s body slumped forward to his knees with a groan.

“-do. Oh dear...”

Mémoire remained still for several moments, save for his heavy breathing, before at last he shook his head and clamored upright. “Ouah... I vill never get used to zat...” 

He frowned and looked over the group of mares, who were all looking at him with dejected frowns. “Fear not, mesdemoiselles, milady ‘as not left me vizout zee plan,” he said, tapping his head. “She merely vished to speak viz you directly, to let you know zat she vill vatch over you as long as you are ‘ere in zee souzern continent. À présent, ve ‘ave much to discuss.”

“Okay then, what’s the plan?” Tick Tock asked. “I remind you that we are on a very strict schedule here.”

Mémoire trotted to his desk and retrieved the trio of envelopes there. “I am avare of your schedule, Chronomancer, and milady and I ‘ave done much to prepare for your tasks. Though it may seem strange zat milady is sending you on zese errands, I assure you zat she ‘as ‘er raisons.”

***

Rarity had to admire the work that must have gone into making Utopia the flawless masterpiece of architecture it was. Every sector of the city had its own unique thematics that influenced the building designs, the decorations, even the roads. The Market District that she and her friends had entered through the day before had been quite obviously designed to be wide open to allow for any number of booths and stands to display their wares, and very few permanent structures seemed to exist there. The Harmony Guard sector of the city had been delightfully uniform and spotless, colored with primarily whites and silvers.

She easily noticed when they’d passed into the Little Zeb’ra’den sector. The colors and materials abruptly changed from white marble trimmed with silver to black obsidian trimmed with gold. The buildings had a more modern design—by Rarity’s standards, anyway—that was much more reminiscent of the Canterlot she knew and loved. The street she, Twilight, and Lockwood were walking on had almost instantly changed from a slightly bumpy cobblestone to a ridiculously smooth road of obsidian-laced stonework.

The starkest change, of course, were the ponies, or rather, the zebras. Rarity had a certain expectation of how zebras looked and acted, though she admitted that having such an opinion of an entire race based on just the one member of it she knew was perhaps in poor taste. Gilderoy, for example, had been a drastically different individual than either Gilda or Gustave Le Grand.

The zebras here were quite different from Zecora. Nearly all of them, both stallions and mares alike, wore leathers and furs—real leathers and furs, nothing like the faux ermine on Rarity’s cape—mostly colored in browns, whites, and grays. That fact alone disturbed Rarity, as it meant the zebras were killing animals and wearing their hides. The stallions wore their manes and tails unkempt, and many of them had great beards or mustaches that would put any stallion at home to shame. The mares kept their manes and tails in braids or buns, though a few here and there left theirs long and unkempt like the stallions.

Rarity scrunched her nose as she walked by a gathering of stallions hooting and hollering in a huddle around two stallions engaged in a sparring match. The stench of sweat was so strong that she had to fight the urge to gag.

“I am beginning to wonder if perhaps it would have been better for me to go with Applejack and Pinkie,” she said. “These zebras are a confounding bunch! Their architecture is so elegant and refined, yet they themselves are so... brutish. Barbaric, even. I certainly hope we aren’t assigned some uncouth ruffian as our guide.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I for one wouldn’t mind having a down-to-earth type as our escort. I think it’d be a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the guides we’ve had.”

Rarity snorted. “I don’t know why we even need an escort. Twilight, surely you could direct us to the south pole without any issue, yes?”

“Well, if you really want to, I suppose I could. I could always attempt to detect the electromagnetic field around the planet and use that to navigate since we’ve got such a specific destination,” Twilight said. She shook her head. “Still, it’ll look better if we arrive at Zeb’ra’den with an actual zebra with us, won’t it?”

“Ugh... I just hope not all zebras are this barbaric.” Rarity huffed. “How much further is the embassy anyway, Twilight? I’m not seeing any sort of signposts to direct us.”

Twilight hovered the envelope that Mémoire had given her in front of her nose and read the note scribbled on the back. “According to this, it should be—"

They trio rounded the corner of a building and stopped as a large structure came into view at the end of the street. It wasn’t so big as to tower over the rest of the buildings nearby, but large enough to be impressive. The building’s walls were decorated with more gold than the surrounding structures, reflecting so much sunlight that it appeared to glow.

“-right around the corner,” Twilight said, completing her sentence. She shook her head and cleared her throat. “Well, come on, what are we standing around gawking for? We’ve got an ambassador to meet.”

Twilight led Rarity and Lockwood the rest of the way along the road to the embassy and stopped at the great silver gate that surrounded it. A pair of burly zebras guarded the entryway, and both wore horned helmets colored the same black and gold as the buildings. They each also carried a weapon: one carried a large pike and a round shield, the latter of which was strapped to his leg; the other, a battle axe much larger than his body. Both weapons appeared too heavy to wield without magic, yet both zebras drew their weapons and used them to bar the way of the approaching ponies, somehow holding them aloft with their hooves.

The left one spoke first, his voice deep and surly, though he appeared nervous: “Halt where thou standest, little ponies.”

“State thy names and purpose, please,” finished the other, whose voice was less abrasive, but who was just as nervous.

Rarity noticed the two were barely keeping from darting their eyes at her, and were trying to keep their eyes instead on one of the other two ponies. Were they nervous because of her? Twilight went to take a step forward, but Rarity lifted a hoof to stop her.

“Allow me, Twilight. If I am to help with negotiations, I’d like to have a little practice, hmm?” She turned to the two guards and cleared her throat. “Greetings, my dear zebras. I am Lady Rarity, and these are Lady Sparkle and Sir Lockwood. We seek an audience with your ambassador, Zamindari.”

The two guards shared quick glances with one another, then turned back to the trio of ponies. The right one spoke first this time: “Presentest thy proof of admittance.”

“Or else we bid thee good riddance,” finished the other. The first one gave him a sharp glare and nudged him in the ribs with the handle of his axe, eliciting a cough from the second. The second cleared his throat. “Begging thy pardon, no offense intended.”

“‘Twas a difficult rhyme with which my line was ended,” finished the first.

Twilight smiled. “Well, at least they share something in common with Zecora, right Rarity?” she whispered as she passed Rarity her envelope. “I’m impressed that two separate individuals can rhyme together so well.”

“Yes, I suppose I should be glad there is at least some degree of familiarity. They sound like some bizarre amalgamation of Zecora and Princess Luna.” Rarity took the envelope and presented it to the two guards, careful not to let them touch it as she showed them the seal on the back. “As you can see, my companions and I are here on official business for Warden Mémoire. It is urgent that we meet with your ambassador as quickly as possible.”

The zebra on the left looked over the wax seal, then nodded. “It surely is the Warden’s Seal.”

The other nodded in turn. “It doth not appear to be unreal.” He stood up tall and replaced his great axe on his back. “A pleasure to meet thee, Lady Rarity.”

“May our master granteth thee his charity,” finished the other as he did the same with his lance.

The pair of zebras trotted back to the gateway, unlatched the lock, and pushed it open before bowing low and permitting the trio of ponies entrance.

As Rarity led Twilight and Lockwood through the embassy grounds towards the building itself, she noticed that the zebras here were cut of a totally different cloth than those outside the gate, besides the two guards. Granted that their fashion was not of any sort of improvement, nor was their smell or grooming, but they were certainly polite and knew how to treat a lady. 

She could not remember the last time she’d walked into a room and had everypony stop what they were doing to look in her direction, but the zebra soldiers were doing exactly that. She could not resist giving some of the soldiers little waves as she passed, and enjoyed the flustered attention she earned. She felt as though she had wandered into a congregation of hormone-addled schoolcolts.

“I have changed my mind, Twilight,” Rarity said with a smile. “These zebras aren’t quite as brutish as I once thought. They certainly are making me feel welcome. Even the Harmony Guard ponies weren’t quite this friendly.”

“They don’t seem to be paying the same attention to me or Lockwood,” Twilight noted with a shake of her head as she watched several soldiers hustle out of Rarity’s path. As they passed, the soldiers were most definitely pointing in Rarity’s direction, not hers.

Rarity chuckled. “Aha, Twilight, don’t tell me you’re jealous. I didn’t think you’d be the type to desire the rapt attentions of such a collection of sweaty, muscular—"

“No.” Twilight pushed ahead of Rarity and headed up to the embassy door. “As if I’d be interested in- ugh, nevermind. Come on, we have to meet Ambassador Zamindari. Can we try not to get distracted when we’re this close?”

Lockwood leaned over to Rarity. “Seems you struck a nerve,” he whispered.

“Oh, she’s just being difficult,” Rarity said as she flicked her mane. “She knows we’re close to finally going home, so she’s going to be extra diligent from now until we get there. She always gets like this when she’s finally gotten a breakthrough in a project, if you can even consider this a project.”

Rarity and Lockwood followed Twilight into the embassy, where they were directed down one hallway towards the ambassador’s office. Rarity noticed that the interior of the building was even more richly decorated than the exterior, with some décor that was easily comparable if not superior to anything she’d seen in Harmonia’s temple or even in the Royal Palace back home. Rich reds and golds of varying shades colored rugs and banners, most of which bore the Zeb’ra’den emblem: a raven clutching a sword in one talon and a shield in the other.

The guard at the ambassador’s door verified their proof of admittance, then permitted them to enter behind him. “Presenting Ladies Sparkle and Rarity, and Sir Lockwood!” he called, stomping one hoof on the floor and doing the same with the shaft of his large pike. He turned to the ponies and nodded. “Enter now, if thou would... st,” he finished with a fluster.

Lockwood chuckled. “Maybe you shouldn’t have put me last. Better luck next time, eh?”

Ambassador Zamindari, an aging zebra with long gray locks instead of the blacks and browns of the other zebras, stood from the seat of his desk in a gesture of polite introduction. Rarity noticed he was missing his right eye, judging by the scar that stretched from his forehead to his cheek. He thankfully wore a patch over it, a flat obsidian shard with the Zeb’ra’den emblem painted on it. Like the soldiers, he wore leather and furs, though his were more abundant and were clearly of higher quality. His were dyed white and trimmed with gold.

Zamindari spoke as he trotted over to them:

“Goodness, what a pleasure on this fair day.  
If thou art pleased, thou art welcome to stay.”

He gestured towards the trio of chairs before his desk. Twilight and Lockwood seated themselves first, but Zamindari made it a point to assist Rarity with sitting in her chair.

Rarity giggled as the aged zebra gave her a deep bow and kissed her hoof. “Such a gentlecolt, thank you.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the display, then cleared her throat to draw Zamindari’s attention to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador Zamindari,” she said. “I guess you know why we’re here? We were told you’d be expecting us.”

Zamindari sighed and shook his head.

“Quite much there is that I do not yet know  
It is thy wish to cross through ice and snow?” 

He nodded and placed his hoof upon the desk. 

“As for the letter, I would like to view,  
that I will then know what I need to do.”

Twilight passed the envelope with Mémoire’s letter over to Zamindari. The zebra opened the envelope and placed the letter on his desk to read it. He didn’t take long to do so, and when he was done, he leaned back in his chair and placed his hooves together in thought and remained that way for a long moment.

“An audience with the king is thine end.  
Many rules I am being asked to bend.” 

Zamindari called out to the guard at his door: 

“Zodiac, come! I have a task for thee.”

The soldier trotted into the room and saluted. “Any task assigned, it shall be done.”

“Thou art to sendest Sir Zircon to me.”

The soldier nodded. “The knight thou seekest, yes I know the one.” He galloped off in an instant, leaving the three ponies behind with Zamindari.

Lockwood chuckled. “Times like this make me wish I’d studied poetry back in school. I might be able to help us fit in a little better.”

Rarity chuckled and patted Lockwood’s shoulder. “Oh I’m sure you’ll do just fine, dear. You’ve yet to fail us before.”

Zamindari hummed, loud enough to draw the attention of the three ponies. 

“I wonder, good Sir, how it came to be,  
that thou received the injuries I see.”

“Hmm?” Lockwood placed his hoof to his own eyepatch. “Oh! Well, I don’t really have much to say, they’re no big deal. I did something really boneheaded trying to do something noble, kind of misjudged the situation.”

Zamindari shook his head and gave a loud laugh.

“It is expected of most pegasi.  
‘Tis fortune that thou didst not simply die.  
Pegasi are often found weak at heart,  
‘specially those ill-equipped as thou art.”

Lockwood huffed and cross his forelegs over his chest. “Ill-equipped? What’s that supposed to mean? I’ll have you know I’m considered very well-equipped by my—"

Rarity cleared her throat and patted Lockwood on the back. “Don’t sell yourself short, dear.”

“That’s exactly the opposite of what I was doing.”

Rarity slapped Lockwood’s back hard enough to nearly knock the pegasus out of his seat. “What I mean is, you earned your injuries defending Fluttershy from those gruesome creatures, and I have never thanked you enough for it. If saving her life was a ‘boneheaded’ move, then may we all perform such boneheaded acts in the future.”

Lockwood blushed and adjusted his hat. “Maybe so, but I didn’t really—"

“Your wing was injured during that whole battle as well,” Twilight added. She leaned over and whispered: “Just play along, okay? These zebras seem to have a thing for battle and fighting, so having a ‘battle-hardened warrior’ on our side can’t hurt our diplomatic success.”

“I’m still convinced Blackburn would have been more help to you,” Lockwood whispered back. “She’s got a scar, she would know more about zebra culture, not to mention she looks like she’d be able to beat the stuffing out of any one of these zebras. I know full well what he meant by ‘ill-equipped’. Look at me, I’m a joke.”

“And she’s also more occupied helping Rainbow and Fluttershy, because you can’t fly,” Twilight interjected. “Which was the result of being injured in battle saving Fluttershy’s life. Modesty suits you, Lockwood, but in this case you might want to be a little more boisterous, hmm? Try to emulate Rainbow.”

“I... suppose I could give it a shot. This really would have suited Flathoof so much better...” Lockwood cleared his throat. “Yes! Well, it may have been a boneheaded decision, but only because I charged in to fight off those abominations while unarmed and outnumbered. Just to give them a chance, I say.”

Zamindari hummed and stroke his chin.

“Thou sayest thou wast injured in a fight?  
For thy sake, Sir, I hope that thou art right.  
If those be unearned souvenirs of war,  
thou knowest not what trouble lies in store.”

The guard from before returned, making his presence known when he marched into the room and stomped his hoof and pike, then announced: “Presenting Sir Zircon, Knight of Black Flame! May Harmonia bless his name.”

Another zebra strode past the guard and into the room. He wore a stark white fur cloak over his gold-dyed leather armor, and carried a massive sword strapped to his side that was as large as he was and had the room been any smaller, probably wouldn’t have fit. The impossibility of him even being capable of wielding it perplexed Rarity to no end, but she’d seen the soldiers at the gate carrying weapons nearly as large without issue. The stallion’s black, shoulder-length mane was not terribly messy, but it wasn’t very neat either; if he cared to style it, he’d actually look rather dashing. As it was, Rarity found herself admitting he was simply ruggedly handsome.

The newcomer, Zircon, trotted up to the ambassador’s desk without glancing sideways to look at the seated ponies, and bowed before Zamindari. 

“My Lord, thou hast a task for me;  
ask, I shall perform it for thee.”

Zamindari gestured for Zircon to cease bowing, and spoke:

“Sir Zircon, rise, there’s no time for chatter.  
We must quickly oversee this matter.

He passed the letter over to Zircon to read while continuing to speak:

“These ponies here, though now they be at rest,  
must soon embark on an important quest.  
I have summoned thee, for thou art to show,  
these ponies three the way through ice and snow.”

Zircon quickly read through the letter, then delivered a short bow.

“Ambassador, I shall not fail,  
to take them through the frozen veil.”

He turned and bowed to the trio of ponies, who stood and bowed in turn to greet him. 

“Greetings, all, I am Sir Zircon.  
By my Lord’s will, I am thy pawn.  
Through ice and snow, against all odds,  
we shall travel through—" 

He lifted his head and stared straight at Rarity. His eyes widened. 

“By the gods...”

He knelt before Rarity, bowing far lower to her than he had even to Zamindari, and without missing a beat, reached out and took one of her hooves in his and kissed it. 

“‘Tis a sign that foretells success,  
to gaze upon such a goddess.”

Rarity cocked her head to glance at Twilight and Lockwood, both of whom watched the spectacle without hiding their amusement. Rarity chuckled and nodded at the zebra knight. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Zircon. You really are too kind; a goddess? I’ve never been called a goddess before.”

Zircon did not divert his eyes from hers when he spoke: 

“Fools, all, if they did not compare,  
thine mien to Harmonia’s fair.  
Thy coat doth shine as though of silk,  
thine eyes like jewels, unlike thine ilk.  
Thy mane and tail, though not of blue,  
glow brighter than amethysts true.  
And though thou lackest silv’ry wings,  
I find them not important things.”

Rarity’s face grew redder with every line, and when Zircon was finished she let out a tiny giggle. “Oh my, such a charming fellow.” She turned to Twilight and smiled. “On second thought, Twilight, I don’t think I mind having an escort to the south pole at all. I approve wholeheartedly of having Sir Zircon escort us.”

“Wonderful, I’m glad to finally have your approval of our mission. I think I see now why Warden Mémoire insisted you come with me.” Twilight shook her head. “Well, all the flattery aside, we’re awfully pressed for time. If we can get moving, Sir Zircon?”

Zircon still did not divert his eyes from Rarity, but nodded and replied to Twilight all the same:

“Of course, my Lady, never fear,  
thou dost not need to be austere.” 

He kissed Rarity’s hoof again, and led her—and Twilight and Lockwood, by proxy—towards the door. 

“Come now, we depart for thy goal,  
through the veil to the southern pole.  
But first, good sir and ladies fair,  
warm clothes for thee we must prepare.”

Zamindari interjected:

“Before thou departeth, my good sir knight,  
I remind thee of the end to their flight.  
His Highness, they hath requested to meet.  
Thus, thy presence with them is no small treat.”

Zircon gave a half bow before responding:

“Audience with mine uncle? Yes,  
‘tis no trouble, but I digress.  
Thus, we must depart, must take flight,  
lest we travel long through the night.”

“Well things sure are shaping up nicely, wouldn’t you say?” Lockwood said. “Warden Mémoire wasn’t kidding when he said he and Harmonia were taking care of everything. I’m going to need to brush up on my dealings with royalty.”

Rarity giggled. “I know I, for one, am certainly looking forward to this,” she said, giving Zircon another quick once-over. Just a few words from him had changed her opinion of zebras everywhere. If all their nobility was this debonair, then meeting their king was looking to be quite an interesting experience. “Yes, I am very much looking forward to this indeed.”


	33. Invincible

Rarity had once thought she was used to snow. Winter in Ponyville was always a pleasant experience, as the cold was bearable thanks to the weather ponies. She’d never thought snow could be bad, but then she and her friends visited the Crystal Empire, where she thought she’d gotten the chance to see snow at its worst. The frozen plains of the north back home paled in comparison to the snowy conditions in the icy tundras south of Utopia. Zircon had called this terrible snowstorm a light snowfall, which by Rarity’s standards was a ridiculous understatement. 

Only the warm, snuggly, enchanted scarf that now accompanied her cape assisted in keeping out the cold that even the slowly setting sun could not. Lockwood and Twilight had been given similar scarves to go with their own clothes—matching, of course, since Rarity wouldn’t have otherwise—so nopony had any real complaints. Except, of course, for the lack of visibility and the fierce winds.

How the zebras could live in such conditions perplexed her to no end. While she didn’t have an expansive knowledge on zebras back home, she knew enough from Zecora and Twilight that they lived mostly in jungles, deserts, and great savannas, quite the opposite of vast expanses of ice and snow that Zircon said his kind lived in.

Still, she was thankful, now more than ever, that she hadn’t objected too strongly to having a guide along with them. She couldn’t imagine trying to trek through the cold, wet snow without somepony—somezebra, in this case—to show her and her friends the way. Twilight might know which general way to go, but she was hardly able to navigate the snowy reaches and avoid precarious sinkholes and ice patches that could make traveling difficult. At least, not without some practice, but spending time on a spell like that didn’t feel practical.

Sir Zircon’s expertise in this field was a welcome change to the bickering and arguing they’d had to endure up in the Wastelands. It was easy to follow him through the snowstorm, as the massive sword he carried in front of him glowed with a black flame that lit the way. Plus, traveling with him came with a side benefit: the chance to learn more about the zebra stallion, and hopefully zebras as a whole. 

The negotiations were really the only thing Rarity could think about, as the success of their meeting with the king was critical to helping Harmonia send them home. She and all her friends so desperately wanted to get home that she knew she needed to focus all of attention on making sure her first impression on the zebras was as good as it could possibly be. If they were all like Zircon, this would be easy; the good stallion was a dream come true, and Rarity allowed herself to enjoy his attention. It certainly made her feel better, compared to having Fluttershy shoot her dirty looks and give her bad attitude. Besides, anything she learned in the process of being doted on by Zircon might be useful for speaking with his uncle.

Twilight was apparently thinking along the same lines, though it seemed she was more interested in other subjects than zebra society. “I’m still amazed at this weapon of yours, Sir Zircon,” she said as she glanced up and down the blade, her eyes alight with wonder, as if she’d just discovered some ancient text. “I’m no expert on the subject, since it’s considered archaic for unicorns nowadays, but these appear to be runic markings. That’s how you’re able to carry it so easily, right?”

Zircon chuckled and swung his blade, which he held with his long tail, in a slow arc in front of him, clearing a path through the snow with a great swath of black fire. It was clear now why the sword was so massive: were it much smaller, he’d be unable to use it with his tail and would have to hold it in his mouth. He glanced sideways at Twilight, smiled, and spoke:

“Thou art wise; thine eyes hath surveyed,  
the many runes upon my blade.  
Each and ev’ry magic symbol,  
maketh my great weapon nimble.”

Twilight nodded, and used her magic to probe along some of the smaller symbols that encircled the blade. “Hmm... yes, I recognize a few of them as weight-modifying runes. The others, I don’t really know all that well.” She highlighted a rune that dominated the others and was in the shape of a twisted hammer, its head alight with fire. “This one, here, what is it? It doesn’t look like any traditional runes I know of.”

Zircon stroked his muzzle alongside the marking, his eyes alight with pride, and said:

“‘Tis Wylundr’s great forge and flame.  
It is the mark that doth proclaim,  
I am a devout servant for,  
our great god of metal and ore.  
Thus I can wield his mighty blaze,  
for to him, I deliver praise.”

“Devout servant... deliver praise. Like a tribute, or a prayer?” Twilight stroked her chin, then nodded. “Ponies in our world’s ancient times had a similar ideology. They believed in many gods and goddesses back then, well before the Princesses came into power, and they believed that the most devout followers of those gods could make a pact with them. The similarities and differences are fascinating. What other gods and goddesses do the zebras worship?” she asked. “I noticed that you consider Harmonia a goddess as well.”

“Our pantheon’s numbers are great,  
But thine interest, I will sate:  
Edun, King, the Father of All;  
Hete, Prince, Herald of the Storm’s Call;  
Kyrstis, the Watcher, stands apart;  
Layk, Princess, the master of heart;  
Harmonia, Scion of Light;  
Nihila, Scion of the Blight—"

“Hold on, Nihila is a goddess in your pantheon?” Lockwood interrupted, his eyebrow practically up to his mane. “But... she’s pure evil, if everything everypony’s been telling me is true. Considering that she supposedly makes her home in Pandemonium like Harmonia does with Utopia, I don’t doubt it. How can anypony worship her?”

Zircon laughed, loudly in fact, as though the question had been a joke. He shook his head and gave Lockwood a tiny smile.

“Worship Nihila? Heavens no,  
but she is still a goddess, so...”

“Just because she’s evil doesn’t mean she’s not a goddess,” Twilight agreed. “Some of the ancient pony deities weren’t exactly benevolent either, and still, some ponies did in fact worship them and pay them tribute. Some of the more unsavory cults even performed sacrificial rituals. Discord himself had a cult dedicated to serving him for hundreds of years before the Princesses sealed him up.”

“I’d rather we not discuss what sorts of evil acts our distant ancestors may or may not have committed,” Rarity said. She turned to Zircon. “You’re a devout follower of the god of metals and ore, then?” she asked with a smile. “Is that why you were given the name ‘Zircon’? That seems fairly fitting.”

Zircon gave Rarity a winning smile, then shook his head and spoke:

“Zebras’ names are not presented,  
nor are they ever invented.  
They are earned, as a rank would be.  
From Lord to peasant, even me.”

“So you earned the name Zircon, then? What sort of event would cause you to earn that name? I’m sort of a connoisseur of gemstones and the like, you see, so I have some vested interest in the subject. Surely you noticed my cutie mark?”

Zircon cast his glance to the side for just a brief moment; Rarity had noticed it linger for a second or two upon her flank. His cheeks reddened ever so slightly, another thing Rarity noticed. Well played indeed, Rarity.

“Stallions in my father’s line,  
often travel to Deepgrove’s mine.  
There, one day, I pursued a knave,  
who stole some gemstones from the cave.  
My venture in the mine so deep,  
earned a fine name for me to keep.”

“Such an adventurous tale!” Rarity hummed, accepting the explanation of Zircon being a gallant knight chasing after some loathsome bandit. “It is a lovely name, almost like zirconium.”

“My family has, since days of yore,   
always taken the names of ore.  
‘Tis as plain as many may think:  
my father, Zincite; brother, Zinc.  
As for Zirconium, ‘twould be,  
the name of my mother, you see.”

“So you all use ‘Z’ words for names?” Twilight asked. “Hmm... that makes sense. In Libramancy, the letters ‘A’ and ‘Z’ are supposed to signify great talent in war and battle, and that seems to be an important part of your culture.” She shook her head and smiled, as though amused with the idea. “Gryphons and Zebras sure do take Libramancy seriously. I’ve never known of any cultures that gave Libramancy much thought.”

“You’d think you’d have run out of ‘Z’ words to name yourselves after by now,” Lockwood pointed out. “Well, unless you’re like the Gryphons. They use all sorts of bizarre ‘G’ names in order to keep that theme going, from what I’ve heard, but I haven’t heard of any pony-like names. Just Gilderoys, Gildas, and Gustavs, but not a Goldenrod or Gumdrop in sight. Can you imagine if all ponies took names starting with ‘P’?”

“At least it’s an easy letter,” Twilight said. “Think of all the pony names that already start with ‘P’: Pierce, Petunia, Pilot, Peacock, Paragon, etc. It’d be harder if we had to take names starting with the letter of our kind, like all unicorns having names starting with ‘U’. Updraft, Upscale, Underlining—"

Zircon laughed.

“True, sometimes we may take a name,  
and ancestors may hath the same.  
I earned my name, and thereupon,  
I became the fourteenth Zircon.  
But, ‘tis not an important thing;  
it only matters for the king.”

“The fourteenth in a long line of Zircons,” Rarity mused. “Hmm...”

She knew where this sort of thing sounded familiar: the royal family back at home. Granted, Princess Cadence and Prince Blueblood were the most prolific members and she didn’t know of many outside of them, but she knew for a fact that the Prince Blueblood she’d once dreamed of marrying one day was not the first Blueblood in the royal family, nor would he be the last. Zircon did say that his uncle was the king of the zebras; would that make him a prince in some way? Blueblood was a prince despite being Celestia’s nephew through some distance relative. It was a confounding question.

Those thoughts were soon dismissed, as the snowy weather around the quartet had rather suddenly intensified. The falling snow was now swirling about in a fierce gale, far worse than the storm had been just moments prior. Rarity could hardly see out into the snowfield they’d just been traveling through, barely able to make out the small rocks the dotted the terrain around them. Worried about getting separated, she trotted forward to slide up alongside Zircon.

Zircon did not object to her presence, and if anything moved himself so that they were pressed against one another. He raised a hoof in signal for the other ponies to hold behind him. He buried the tip of his sword into the snow in front of him and rested his forehooves upon its hilt, causing the sword to sink into the snow and glow with the brightest flame yet. His face was pensive, his mouth curled in a distorted frown.

Rarity was worried about what it could mean if he looked worried, and placed a hoof upon his shoulder. “Is there something the matter, Sir Zircon?” she asked.

Zircon did not move apart from holding out a hoof to silence her. The storm was getting worse by the second, to the point that Rarity could barely even see him make the gesture despite his gold-tinted armor.

“Please, my fair Lady, keepest still,  
my mind is plagued with thoughts most ill.  
This blizzard doth feel strange to me,  
and indeed here it should not be.”

He turned around to face the ponies, shook his head, and called loud enough that his voice carried through the intense winds:

“It is not far to Zeb’ra’den;  
I long to see my home again.  
Through this fierce storm we must now go,  
but I cannot see through this snow.  
Were I devout of King Edun,  
perhaps something could be done soon.”

“Is this some kind of unnatural snowstorm then?!” Lockwood asked, raising his voice to be heard through the worsening gale.

“Unnatural is right! I’m picking up distinct traces of unicorn-crafted Meteomancy! Magical weather conditions... where have we seen this before?!” Twilight shouted. “I don’t like this!”

Rarity shook her head. “Nor do I, darling! Sir Zircon, is there something we can do?!”

Zircon shook his head, his disappointment in the situation showing all over his face. Over the din of the storm, he shouted:

“This storm is not of Hyrsing’s grace;  
it doth not belong in this place!  
Lady Sparkle is a great mage!  
Perhaps this snow she can upstage?!”

“A wonderful idea! Twilight, do you think you can do it?!”

There was no response. Zircon raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to look behind Rarity. Rarity turned, thinking that perhaps Twilight hadn’t heard Zircon speak. “Twilight, darling! Sir Zircon wants to know if you can do something about all this snow! Can you?!”

Still, no response, just howling winds.

“Twilight?” Rarity stepped towards where she’d last seen Twilight, but there was nopony there. It was hard enough to see through all the snow, but surely Twilight’s darker coat and bright clothing would make her stand out. “Twilight! Darling, where are you?! Did you get lost?!”

“Twilight!” called Lockwood. “Where are you?!”

Zircon jumped back, then grabbed his blade and ignited it all in one swift motion.

“Hold, ponies, we are not alone,  
something is there, in the unknown.”

A deep fear gripped Rarity’s heart. Magical, artificial weather? Twilight suddenly and inexplicably disappearing? All signs pointed to danger on the horizon. Rarity gulped and moved closer to Zircon, who in Twilight’s place Rarity was sure would protect her. 

“Something there... oh dear,” she said. “I do hope Twilight’s okay...”

“Cha. Like, what would I want with that egghead?”

Instantly, the blizzard died down, leaving the snowfield to be graced by a snowfall lighter than before the blizzard, as if the storm had never even happened. Rarity narrowed her eyes at the familiar black unicorn standing in the snow not more than a dozen yards in front of her. This didn’t come as a total surprise—the snowstorm had been a dead giveaway that something was up—but she still didn’t expect to see Insipid of all ponies here and now. Her eyes widened; was that Applejack’s stetson upon Insipid’s head? How was that even possible?

“You,” Rarity huffed. “What are you doing here? We thought we’d left you and your atrocious sisters up north. And where did you get Applejack’s hat?” She gasped. “What did you do with Twilight?! If you hurt her—"

“Whoa, ease up on the questions there, ‘kay Rarity?” Insipid snorted and batted her mane out of her face. “Like, I didn’t do anything to Nightlight Spackle, first of all? That’s all Star’s doing, duh.” She reached a hoof up to adjust the stetson so that it rested against her horn more neatly. “And it’s no business of yours how I, like, got my new hat and junk?”

Rarity pointing an accusatory hoof at Insipid. “You give that back, you loathsome beast! Applejack’s hat is very important to her, and she’s missed it dearly!”

Insipid snickered. “It’s, like, totally very important to me now, okay? Wow, like, I’ve only been here like a minute and you’re already giving me the total mean act? I don’t get a ‘hello’ or anything? I’m all like, ‘Hi!’ and you’re all like, ‘Give that hat back, jerk’. That is so totally uncool.” 

She grinned and batted her eyelashes in Zircon’s direction. “And hellooo handsome!” She pointed at the zebra stallion and turned her gaze back to Rarity. “Hey, is that your new boyfriend? He is hot! I want him! Can I have him? I’ve never wanted a boyfriend before, but if you’ve got one, I want one.”

Rarity scoffed and cast Zircon a wink and a smile. “Darling, I think Sir Zircon is a little out of your league, hmm?”

Insipid frowned and narrowed her eyes. “If I want him, I’m totally taking him. But whatever, I’m not here for him, I’m here for you. I mean duh, what, you think I’m gonna like, fly across all that ocean and stuff to get a colt? Puh-lease. I’m, like, totally not as desperate as Red is.”

“You came all this way... to fight me?” Rarity asked. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I am so totally serious. Can’t you, like, hear it in my voice and junk? Cha.”

Zircon stomped forward and leveled his sword at Insipid, then held out a hoof to gesture for Rarity to take cover behind him. He cast her a brief smile of his own before turning it into a scowl and directing it at Insipid.

“Lady Rarity, hast no fear,  
for so long as thou stayest near,  
this unicorn who lacketh charm,  
shalt not bring to thee any harm.”

“You’re going to fight her in my stead?” Rarity frowned. She was grateful for the gesture, and his white knight attitude made her heart flutter, but she knew what Insipid was capable of. “Oh... do be careful, Sir Zircon. She may look like a normal unicorn, but she’s anything but. I’d rather you not get hurt, darling.”

Zircon knelt down and scooped up Rarity’s hoof in his own, giving it another kiss. He put his other hoof over his heart and said:

“It is my duty as a knight,  
to participate in this fight.”

Rarity paused a moment to think, then nodded when she realized that Zircon would likely fight no matter what she said. “Well... if you insist, then please... try not to hurt her,” she requested. Zircon was, after all, wielding a lethal weapon. “She’s dangerous, yes, but she’s also lacking in the intellect department. I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything by this. I don’t want blood on our hooves, here.”

Out of instinct, Rarity lit up her horn and let her magic flow into Zircon. She wasn’t sure how much good it would do, since his magicks were granted to him artificially, but it was better than nothing. If it was doing anything, his lack of reaction meant he hadn’t noticed it. She tried to see if maybe she could enhance his sword’s magicks instead, but nothing seemed to be happening.

Insipid fanned herself with her hat. “Like, wow, all that hoof-kissing stuff is hot! I totally want him kissing my hooves when he’s my boyfriend.”

Zircon snorted and cracked his neck.

“Thinkest again, foul demon cur,  
for I have sworn mine oath to her.  
I am her sword, I am her shield.  
I offer thee this chance to yield.”

“Oh. My. Stars. You’re like, out of some fairy tale and junk, with all that ‘knight’ and ‘lady’ stuff? So. Totally. Hot.” Insipid giggled, then paused mid-laugh. “Hey, wait a second!” she shouted. “What was all that stuff about me being, like, a demon and junk? Like, oh my stars, totally major rude much?” She snorted and stuck her nose in the air. “I mean, wow, really? Rarity, your like, new boyfriend is a total jerk. Hot guys aren’t supposed to be jerks! Figures though, that like, you’d shack up with somepony like him. I still want him though.”

Rarity snorted. “First of all, darling, he is anything but a ‘jerk’, and, in fact, could probably teach you a thing or two about manners. Secondly, we haven’t ‘shacked up’ or anything of the sort! I am not that kind of lady, thank you very much!”

Zircon leaned over to Rarity and asked:

“‘Shacked up’? What doth this odd phrase mean?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “I’d rather not. It’s quite obscene.”

Lockwood chuckled, surprising Rarity. She’d almost forgotten he was there with all the commotion. “Hey, Rarity, you’re fitting right in with these rhymes,” he said. “You’ll be an ambassador to the zebras in no time.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Eh? Eh?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Lockwood dear, please, this isn’t the time for jokes.”

Zircon turned back to Insipid and leveled his sword once more with a flick of his tail.

“‘Tis an insult then, my Lady!  
Demon, now is thy chance to flee!”

“No, seriously, what’s the whole, like, ‘demon’ thing?” Insipid asked with a pout. “It’s totally mean and junk. I’m not a demon, am I?” She blinked, then scratched her head. “Uh... what’s a ‘demon’ anyway? It sounds bad the way he’s saying it.”

“Thy mouth, so filled with putrid bile,  
doth mirror Nihila the Vile.  
Thy coat is black as darkest night,  
and doth echo her poison blight.  
Thy mane and tail, though colored gold,  
are as wild and uncontrolled.  
And though thou lackest wings of black,  
I still shalt not hold myself back.”

Insipid blinked once, twice, then tilted her head to the side. “So... okay, I don’t get it. You don’t like me because I’m black? Wow, that’s totally unfair! I was born this way! And what’s with the rhyming and junk, anyway? Did you take lessons from Havoc?”

“Enough, demon, be on thy guard!  
Lest thee perish, thy bones most charred!”

Zircon charged forward and with a sharp snap of his tail, swung his blade in a wide arc, sending a torrent of black flame at Insipid that melted a great path through the snow between them.

“Oh stars!” She yelped as she dove to the side to avoid it. She clamored upright, using a small rock as a crutch, and shot Zircon an angry glare. She reached a hoof up to bat out a flaming chunk of her mane; Rarity was glad that Applejack’s hat hadn’t been hit too. “You burned my mane... nopony burns my mane!”

Insipid snarled and aimed her hoof at the charging zebra, then let loose a blast of lightning. 

Zircon grunted, and twisted his body to swing his sword straight into the crackling burst, releasing another arc of flame. The black fire shined a bright blue as it impacted the bolt, and deflected it so far aside that it didn’t come anywhere near Rarity or Lockwood. He then leapt forward and struck downwards in a clear attempt to slice Insipid in half.

“Holy stars!” Insipid yelped again and leapt aside to avoid the attack, but the explosive force of black flame knocked her tumbling away. She rolled into a rock and bounded upright. “Hey Rarity, your new boyfriend is trying to kill me!” she yelled. “He’s not just a jerk, he’s violent! Hot guys aren’t supposed to be violent jerks! I’m almost, like, totally not interested anymore? Almost.”

Rarity, thinking that perhaps being this close to the fight was a bad idea, cantered aside with Lockwood to take cover behind a large rock. “Sir Zircon, please, I asked you to try not to hurt her!” she called.

Zircon paused and took a deep breath, then twisted his tail to turn his sword sideways so that the blade was facing horizontally. Somehow, by holding the blade differently, the black flames disappeared, flickering out in the breeze like a candle. He turned to face Rarity, and nodded before he spoke:

“That is thy wish; ‘tis my command,  
although I do not understand.  
So fearest not; be not dismayed,  
I shall attempt to stay my blade.”

“Geez... this totally blows.” Insipid shrugged herself out of the snow. “Okay... round two! I’m, like, totally ready this time!”

***

Twilight blinked and ran her tongue around on the inside of her mouth to get the taste of blue out. It was an odd taste, blue, not quite like purple but lacking a distinct quality that Twilight couldn’t place. Wherever she was now, it had been a teleportation spell that had brought her there, and definitely not one of her own; hers definitely tasted purple. She chanced a quick look to her left and right. No sign of Rarity or Lockwood beside her, and none of Zircon in front. The snowstorm they’d briefly stepped into was gone. In fact, the entire snowfield they were in was gone.

Instead, she was standing upon a great frozen lake. The icy water extended out for a mile around, and Twilight made the quick assumption that it was perfectly circular, as would be befitting. The lake was sunk down and surrounded on all sides by rocky cliffs covered with ice and snow, and it was easy to see even from here how unnaturally smooth it all was. No, this was definitely not a natural geological formation.

“Where are my friends, Starlight? What did you do with them?” Twilight asked, not turning around to face who she knew was behind her.

Starlight chuckled. “It is apparent that my ambuscade was not adequate in eluding your keen observational capabilities, Sparkle. Do not concern yourself with your friends at present, as I can assure you that there are more pressing matters at hoof. However, if you must be made aware of their state of being, your friend Rarity will be dealt with expediently by my elder sister, Insipid.”

“I see. Tick Tock was right to be paranoid about enemies stalking our every move. Very well.” Twilight turned to face Starlight and lit up her horn, preparing herself for what she expected next. “If it’s a fight you want, Starlight—"

Starlight, with a bored expression upon her face, lifted a hoof to silence Twilight. “Please, Sparkle, do not become too hasty to engage in combat with me. I am not here to assault you like some barbaric ruffian. When have I ever engaged in such low-brow tactics?”

Twilight snorted, but kept her horn aglow. It was true that Starlight had always been more keen on showing off than actually attacking her. There must have been some other motive to bringing her here then, and Twilight knew trying to beat Starlight in a teleport race to safety was futile. Probably best to play along.

“What do you want then, if not to fight me? Is this just some sort of distraction? To keep me from helping Rarity?”

“I do not recall stating that it was not my intent to do battle, Sparkle, merely that I did not wish to do so without some precedent.” Starlight laughed and gestured out over the terrain. “Do you find my arena appealing? I constructed it for precisely this purpose, and would appreciate an opinion.”

Twilight glanced about, taking a second look at the underground lake. Everything was perfectly uniform, perfectly smooth, and perfectly symmetrical; anything she couldn’t see from here, she assumed, had the same attention to detail paid to it. Had Starlight truly built all of this without assistance?

“I’m impressed, if this is all your work,” Twilight said, finding it hard not to praise the work that had clearly been put into creating everything around her. “Any particular reason you chose an underground lake though?”

“I have discovered that I do not enjoy treading through snow and slush. An icy surface is more appealing to me, and I wished to have clear boundaries. The most difficult part was clearing the ceiling,” Starlight said, pointing straight upwards. “I spent nearly an hour in preparation, creating this arena. But, I have spent far longer in anticipation of this event. Today is a red letter day, Sparkle. Today, the stars themselves shall bear witness to a true clash between titans.”

Twilight looked around and shook her head. So much effort put into such a base desire. “So you built all this just to fight me? Why?”

“It is a requisite of all proper magic duels to engage within a properly-constructed arena, is it not? Hence the uniform and symmetrical boundaries and stage. Granted, I cannot provide the one other facet, an audience, but that should not hinder us in any way. It is an optional factor in a proper magic duel, regardless of what it adds to the event.”

“A magic duel? You want to challenge me to a magic duel?”

Starlight snorted. “Must you insist on parroting my exposition, Sparkle? Yes, I desire engaging in a proper magic duel with you, to prove which of us is the superior mage. I thought that much was obvious by now. I am already well aware I possess greater strength than you, but...” She took a deep breath. “I have discovered that strength alone does not make one superior to others. There is a blemish upon my reputation that I wish to eradicate. And when I have done so, I will be... invincible.”

Twilight was confused at Starlight’s pensive expression; she wasn’t used to seeing the other unicorn looking anything less than supremely confident. “Why do you insist on doing it this way, then?” she asked. “You had me at your mercy. The second you teleported me here, you could have easily destroyed me, but you didn’t. You would have been proven superior right then and there. So you want to fight fair? Is that it?”

Starlight nodded. “It is only logical. If I destroyed you earlier, it would prove that I can defeat you when I possess an unfair tactical advantage: surprise. I am filled with too much pride to stoop to such lows. Mares such as we can only truly test our might in a fair contest.” She raised her hoof to the sky, a smile creeping across her face. “This magic duel shall determine which of us is the superior Element of Magic: you, or me.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You know about the Element of Magic? Wait... what do you mean ‘you or me’? We can’t both be the Element of Magic.”

Starlight frowned. “The blemish upon my reputation, Sparkle, is why this contest must take place. It is a truth I would as soon not admit, but it exists and so I must acknowledge it as such. You are unaware of it, but I can assume your curiosity would require you to inquire as to what it is. Thus, I shall tell you: 

“I am you,” she said as she prodded Twilight in the chest with a hoof, “and you are me,” she added, pressing her hoof back against her own heart. “We are of the same flesh, we are of the same mind, and we are of the same heart. The only variable between the two of us is... our purpose in life. You were born to a real family, raised in a real society, and harnessed your Element of Magic to benefit that society. I was created, by my father, as your antithesis. I am your clone, and I possess the powers of the Element of Magic, much as you do. However, I am to wield that power for one express purpose: to destroy.”

Twilight remained silent. She could tell that Starlight wasn’t lying; something about the fire in her eyes as she said it. She was completely serious about proving herself better, where before she was convinced she was Twilight’s superior and had no doubts about that fact. Had she learned this information recently? From whom? How? If Starlight was Twilight’s clone, then did that mean her sisters were clones of Rainbow and the others? Did they possess the Elements of Harmony as well? There were too many questions to ask, and she knew stalling would likely be placing Rarity in further danger.

Twilight knew that Starlight likely didn’t know the answers to them all, anyway. There was one, however, that she wanted clarification on, remembering well the meeting with Harmonia and certain things Rainbow had said. “Why?”

Starlight blinked. “Why?”

“Why were you created? I’ve been thinking for a long time that our meeting in the Wastelands wasn’t a coincidence, ever since your sisters turned on us. You were sent after us for some purpose, weren’t you? Rainbow told us that she realized Grayscale had been setting her on the path to abandon us, so I suspect you all had a similar scheme going. That’s why you tried to encourage me to take charge of my group, knowing that it would cause undue strife.”

Starlight smiled. “I have stated this before, Sparkle: you are a very intelligent mare. I understand where I get my own brilliance from.” She chuckled and nodded. “That is precisely it. My sisters and I were tasked with corrupting your Elements, so that you might be willing to listen to Nihila and accept her offer to transport you all back to your homes.”

“So you are working for Nihila. Gilderoy was right.”

“We were performing tasks for Nihila,” Starlight corrected, her grin growing wide. “At present, our only concern is for our own agendas. Nihila is no concern to us anymore; she is no concern to anypony anymore, for that matter.” She stomped a hoof on the ice. “But we have conversed enough! I have sated your curiosity, Sparkle, so now you shall sate my desire for proof. Shall we commence?”

Twilight huffed. She’d been hoping to talk more if it meant she could figure out something to use to her advantage. “If you’re insistent... I suppose I have no choice, do I? I see now why you wanted our arena placed like this: since I’m unfamiliar with the territory, I can’t reliably teleport away.”

She rolled her shoulders and braced herself in a fighting position. “Just so we’re clear, this isn’t my first duel, you know? And it’s not my first time dealing with a unicorn possessing more power than me, even if she was cheating.”

Starlight chortled. “If it is your intent to intimidate me, you will have to make a greater effort than that.”

“What are the terms?”

Starlight gestured out around the arena. “First, obviously, is that you and I must remain within the boundaries designated. As I have constructed the arena, I proclaim that as the boundary. Are we in agreement?”

Twilight nodded. “I accept.”

Starlight pressed her hoof against her heart. “We shall progress in alternating actions, wherein such actions constitute any spells we possess in our individual repertoires. If you are forced to utilize a spell to counteract your opponent’s, that constitutes your action; thus, in defending yourself, I would be allowed to take another action. Are we in agreement?”

Twilight paused in thought. She knew that under this term, the only way she could defend herself without giving Starlight a free turn would be to counter the spell in such a way that threatened her, so that she would have to defend. But, given Starlight’s nature, it would be easy to do the same; it would be easy for Twilight to be reduced to playing defensively. Still, it was better than the alternative, which was to engage in the duel without taking turns. Starlight’s power might give her an even bigger advantage if that were the case. Surely Starlight realized this, so why wasn’t she suggesting it?

“What are the turn limits?” Twilight asked.

Starlight hummed and tapped her chin. “Let us agree upon fifteen seconds. Once one’s action is taken, their opponent has fifteen seconds to respond, or else they forfeit that turn.”

Twilight nodded. Fifteen seconds was plenty of time to devise a plan, and she was being granted the opportunity to do so with every action. “I accept. And the victory conditions?”

“I declare this to be a Death’s Duel,” Starlight said with a wide grin. “If you perish in the course of the duel, your opponent is declared victorious. Are we in agreement?”

Twilight blinked. “You want this to be a duel to the death? Starlight, I have no intention of killing—"

“I am not concerned with your intent, Sparkle!” Starlight shouted. “Proving myself superior is the only thing that holds any sway over me! If I cannot prove myself the better mare, then I have no reason to exist! Therefore, should you prove the victor, either you shall deliver the killing blow... or I shall do so myself. Are we in agreement?”

“Starlight, you don’t have to kill yourself—"

“Are. We. In. Agreement? I warn you, Sparkle, I do not intend to compromise. I will vaporize you if we are not participating fairly; then again, I will do so even if we are, but at least I offer you a sporting chance.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Fine. I accept.”

Starlight smiled. “Excellent.” She turned and walked a dozen paces away from Twilight before turning back to face her and gesturing out into the cavern with a hoof. “Now then, while tradition dictates that I should be granted the initial action, truthfully it is at my discretion. As I have utmost confidence in myself in this contest, I feel it is only fair to grant you the first action, Sparkle. You have fifteen seconds... now.”

Twilight took a deep breath, and set about devising an ideal spell for her first turn. She didn’t want to kill Starlight, and she doubted that a brute force approach would even be possible, so she settled on subduing the unicorn and trying to talk some sense into her. She recalled the last time—in fact, only time—she and Starlight and engaged in combat, in an attempt to think of anything that might give her an advantage. The only spell she could think of, knowing her time was running short:

Duplication.

Twilight flared her horn, and with a bright flash, her body split into four Twilights in total, each standing about a yard apart in a line. Each of them turned their gaze towards Starlight in unison, and each of their mouths bore a cocksure grin.

“Time to get started, Starlight,” the four Twilight said together. “Your turn.”

“Duplication, is that all?” Starlight scoffed. “Sparkle, your prior use of this spell may have given me pause, but that was only because I could not risk inflicting mortal wounds upon the real you. I remind you,” she continued as she flared her own horn and flashed a coy smirk, “that handicap no longer applies!”

Starlight’s horn flashed and fired a shining beam of magical light at the four Twilights, wide enough to easily catch all four. The real Twilight, who’d taken up position as the second-leftmost, flared her horn and disappeared in a flash and a pop, teleporting to safety and landing several yards to the left of where she’d been standing. 

As soon as Starlight’s powerful blast subsided, the other three Twilight’s were gone, and a great scar had cut through the top of the ice in a trail leading all the wall across the cavern, starting from Starlight’s position. Twilight glanced back at where the blast had been directed, noticing the gaping hole that had been left in the ice-encrusted wall. So much for the arena staying uniform.

“Aha! So, to defend yourself, you simply teleport away, is that your strategy then, Sparkle?” Starlight taunted as she tossed her mane out of her face. “What seems to be the problem? Does the prospect of utilizing a simple barrier spell frighten you?”

Twilight snorted and narrowed her eyes. That had actually been exactly what she worried about. “I’m just recalling our last encounter, Starlight. Our magicks don’t mix. Surely you remember the feedback we each suffered. I still don’t know how you recovered so quickly.”

“I am told that my dear sister Insipid utilized my magicks to accomplish the feat,” Starlight said with a shrug. “A pity that none amongst your friends possess a similar ability. Perhaps that is why you find the prospect daunting? Even were you to achieve victory via a feedback, none of your friends could ever locate you to help.”

“And you don’t fear the same thing?”

Starlight laughed loudly. “Why would I? You see, Sparkle, I have calculated all possible directions we can take our contest, and I came to the conclusion that they all intersect at two possible outcomes:

“The first, you choose to maintain your cowardice and elect not to utilize a barrier. Eventually I will overpower you, and you will be destroyed. The second, you do utilize your barrier, and we suffer from the feedback. Even then, I will still possess the strength to exterminate you, then summon Insipid to me, and she will help me recover. I will emerge from this contest victorious, Sparkle. It is only a matter of how long you can survive.”

“So be it,” Twilight snorted. “I’ll prove to you that you’re wrong, Starlight.”

Starlight laughed again. “Amusing. Enough banter, I do believe I have wasted my action! You may continue on with yours, Sparkle,” she added, dismissing Twilight’s claim with a hoof.

***

Insipid, who was just standing up with a slight stagger, shook her head. “Ugh... my head. Okay, I guess I, like, really should’ve expected to, like, not have a fair fight here? Y’know, what with Rarity having everypony doing, like, whatever she wants and junk? Fine! Have it your way!”

Zircon lunged forward to strike Insipid again, this time swinging downward with the flat of his sword, but she disappeared into the dark snow beneath her hooves; Zircon struck nothing but air.

He stepped back and glanced about, searching for his opponent. Rarity and Lockwood did the same, trying desperately to find where Insipid had gone and how she had disappeared.

“‘Tis impossible! Where art thou?!  
Demon! Come! Come and face me now!”

“Peekaboo!”

Insipid popped up out of the snow behind him, or rather from his shadow cast by the light of the setting sun, and fired a lightning blast at the back of his head. 

Zircon grunted and twisted around at her shout. His sword swept through the lightning in time to block it, but no fire erupted from the blade. The electrical shock singed his tail, distracting him momentarily. Zircon did not see Insipid sink back into the shadows, and failed to block a second blast; it grazed his flank, searing flesh and coat. 

He spasmed from the shock, and in the distraction Insipid had time to snag his sword with her magic and attempt to jerk it out of his grip.

Zircon held firmly onto the weapon with his tail, until Insipid fired another bolt of lightning at the blade. The shock singed his tail hairs and he lost his grip, allowing Insipid to yank it aside, tearing out chunks of tail hair with it.

Insipid swung the sword at Zircon, but did so with such a slow speed and such a lack of aim that he didn’t even to need to move to avoid it.

“Ugh, this thing is heavy!” she complained, her lips forming into a pout.

“Unhoof my blade, foul demon mare!  
It is not thy weapon to bare!”

Zircon sprung forward to snatch the sword back with his teeth, but Insipid yanked it away from him and moved several yards away under the cover of shadow.

“Nuh-uh! It’s mine now! Just like you will be and junk? Cha. But like, I can’t use this stupid thing, so what-ever.” Insipid shrugged and casually tossed the blade behind her; the sword landed several yards away and became buried in the snow.

“Hey, hot stuff!” Insipid chirped as a wide, toothy smile crept across her face, her eyes alight with an intensity that Rarity had never seen before. “Time to finally get what I want! And I. Want. You!”

She leapt at Zircon, but he strafed to the side to avoid her and made a beeline for his blade. Another lightning blast cracked into the snow beside him and knocked him off balance. He tripped and landed hard on his side.

Insipid was upon him like a feral cat, fierce roar and all, only lacking the claws; Rarity wondered why she was not wielding Ophanim’s shapeshifting. 

Insipid wrestled Zircon into the snow, her body filled with some unseen strength. When did she get so strong? So competent?

Zircon grunted as he tried to escape her grip.

“Impossible! This is so wrong...  
Foul demon, how art thou so strong?!”

Insipid giggled. “Oh, that’s just something I like, borrowed from some chump in Hope’s Point and junk? Uh... Masterdock? No, Blastershot! Oh whatever!”

Rarity bit her bottom lip. She wanted to help, but was afraid that Insipid would turn her powers upon her and didn’t have any idea what she could do to help. “Oh dear... Sir Zircon!”

Zircon grunted and wrestled Insipid off of him, then tackled her into the snow.

“Lady Rarity, fearest not,  
Mine efforts shalt not lead to naught.”

Insipid snorted into the snow. “I don’t know what Red, like, sees in this kinda stuff? Being mounted totally sucks?”

She rolled out from under Zircon, then pounced upon him again, striking him in the face with a hoof. Just that one blow was enough to send Zircon reeling backwards, and she was upon him again. 

When she finally managed to pin Zircon into the snow, and shot a hoof into the air in triumph. “Mine, mine, mine!” she cheered. “Okay, uh... what did Red say you’re supposed to, like, do with a boyfriend?” she asked herself as she tapped her chin with one hoof, using the other to keep Zircon pinned in the snow. Then, her face brightened and she clapped her hooves together. “Oh! I remember: smooches!” She licked her lips. “Pucker up, big colt!”

Insipid leaned down and attempted to latch her mouth over Zircon’s. He moved his head to the side to avoid her puckering lips.

“Back, demon! This is not a game!  
To force romance, hath you no shame?!”

“Romance schmomance! Now stop squirming and—"

She latched her lips onto his and pressed her hooves against the side of his head. He howled with a sound that frightened Rarity to the core. He was clearly in agony, and he tried to shake the unicorn off. 

She held firm, and if anything strengthened her grip and deepened the kiss. Zircon’s efforts to resist weakened by the second, until it appeared as if he was barely able to move.

Rarity paled and put her hoof to her mouth. Nobody, pony or zebra, deserved this, least of all Zircon. “Sir Zircon... oh dear. Lockwood, we need to do something!” she said as she turned to address the pegasus. He wasn’t there. “Lockwood?”

After a moment, Insipid pulled away and took a deep breath, then licked and smacked her lips. “Mmmm... Red’s right, this is fun! My first kiss!” She leaned in and hugged Zircon tight, causing him to howl in pain again. “Yay! My very own boyfriend! Okay okay, let’s see, what else do you do with a boyfriend?” she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows. “Red’s gonna be so jealous.”

Zircon writhed in pain and screamed out:

“Release... me... demon! Release me!  
I will... not be... bested... by thee!”

“That’s enough of that!”

“Huh?” Insipid muttered.

She turned to the side in time to see Lockwood barreling towards her. He knocked her off of Zircon, and she bounced away into the snow.

“Oww...”

“Are you alright, Sir Zircon?” Lockwood asked. He leaned down to check on the zebra’s condition.

Zircon snorted and tried to bring himself to stand, but collapsed back into the snow, face first. His coat was singed in multiple places, half his tail was missing, and his nose was bleeding. He lifted a trembling hoof out to Lockwood.

“Am I... dying? I feel... so weak...”

“You’ll be fine, but please, do not speak,” Lockwood interrupted. “See? I can do it too. Eh? C’mon, if that doesn’t make you feel better... well, here, let me try this.” Lockwood pressed his hoof against Zircon’s forehead for a brief moment, then staggered back and crumpled to the snow. “Ah... that is some serious pain right there...”

“Lockwood, darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked as she cantered over. “I thought Blackburn asked you not to use that ability of yours any longer? It puts awful strain on you, you know that.”

“Well... I couldn’t just let Zircon lie there... in pain now, could I?” Lockwood said with a pained smile. “At least this time I’ve got... a full stomach... and a night’s rest. Still makes my head feel like it’s been split open...”

“Why that... that loathsome unicorn! Taking advantage of a strapped stallion like that. Absolutely reprehensible.” Rarity knelt beside the groggy zebra. “We should have stepped in sooner. I am so sorry, Sir Zircon...”

Lockwood sighed. “I should feel ashamed of myself... for striking a mare. Blackburn is going to... give me such a talking to. For... not hitting her sooner, of course. Probably say something about it... being logical.”

“Please, Sir Zircon, are you okay?” Rarity asked, pressing a hoof against the zebra’s forehead. He felt cold, and his coat and mane were drenched with sweat. He was breathing heavily, and seemed to have sunk into unconsciousness.

Insipid growled and propped her way out of the snow, and shouted: “If he is, he won’t stay that way!” She blinked in rapid succession, then her mouth burst into a proud smile. “Whoa... uh, did I just, like, rhyme that? Super cool! How do you like that?! Ooh, I did it again! Wait ‘til Havoc gets a load of this! I’ve got a rhyming power now!”

“You can’t rhyme ‘that’ with ‘that’!” Rarity shouted back. “That’s cheating! You’re doing it wrong! Nevermind, how dare you accost Sir Zircon like that! Have you no shame?”

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Eh, what-ever, bite me.” She glanced over at Lockwood and gave him a quick once-over. “Hey, and what gives with you anyway, uh... Lickdud. What’s with the eyepatch and junk? Ooh! Are you a pirate?”

Lockwood blinked, then shrugged. “Well, I suppose soon enough I will be.”

Insipid wildly shook her head. “Hang on, I’m getting totally distracted here, like super bad? C’mon, I need to, like, focus. Now let’s see,” she said, lighting up her horn and encasing Zircon’s sword with a dull black glow. “Uh... he was, like, a swordsmare or something. Wait no, he’s a colt, so... swordstallion? Sword-using-guy. So, like, maybe...”

She lifted the sword out of the snow and drew it over to herself. She gave it a thorough examination, probing every inch of the blade with her hooves, her magic, and even, to Rarity’s disgust, her tongue.

She licked her lips. “Mmm... tastes like magicks!”

“Hey... uh... be careful with that thing,” Lockwood said, taking a step back from Insipid. “Something tells me that sharp objects and you don’t mix too well. I mean that because I don’t want you hurting yourself; you know what they say, ‘don’t play with swords’.”

Insipid ignored him and swung the blade in a wide, unwieldy arc.

“Wait—" Lockwood managed to mutter before being slammed in the side of the head with the flat part of the blade.

“Lockwood!” Rarity yelped. She ran over to him and knelt beside him to see if he was okay. “Lockwood? Darling, are you alright? Speak to me!”

Lockwood’s mouth curled up into a dumb grin. “No ma’am, I’m not interested in lanyard farming. I’ll just have the cake,” he said. Then his head slumped to the ground as he passed out.

“Oh dear...”

“Tch, no, that’s not it,” Insipid said as she twirled the sword around. “How did he get that cool black fire stuff to come out? Maybe if I, like, twisted it this way?” 

She twisted it until she was holding it the same way Zircon had been at the start of the encounter, and started swinging it around. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.

She pouted and stomped her hooves rapidly in the snow. “C’mon, what gives?! I wanna shoot black fireballs and stuff! Havoc would be so totally jealous if I could like, shoot black fire! No fair!”

Rarity gulped and took a step back. The only two ponies that might have been able to help were down and out, and Insipid was throwing a temper tantrum; this did not bode well. “Insipid... I don’t know what you’re doing here, or what you want with me, but surely there’s a way to talk this out?”

Insipid blinked, then twirled her sword around and pointed it at Rarity before cracking a wide, full-mouthed smile. “Nope! Talking’s for chumps! That’s, like, what Havoc said? So, on guard... or whatever!”

Rarity panicked and dove out of the way as Insipid sluggishly swung her sword at her head. Luckily, it seemed that the blade was much too heavy for Insipid to wield effectively. Twilight and Zircon had said that the runic markings on the blade gave it its power, so perhaps they were ineffective unless he was the one wielding it? It was about the only things Rarity could count on to keep her safe at this point, and she galloped away again.

***

Twilight took another deep breath and racked her brain to rethink her plan. Starlight was right: Twilight didn’t want to risk using a barrier. Thus, Twilight’s only option, even if she had access to every spell she knew, was to try and keep herself out of Starlight’s blast’s radius. Easier said than done, and it used up her own actions just to get out of the way, letting Starlight get another shot that Twilight again had to avoid, ad infinitum.

Then, an idea struck. Twilight rolled her shoulders again, flared her horn, and after a bright flash, four new Twilights appeared where she once stood, this time spread out much further than before. She was disappointed that she had to resort to such a simple solution, but the those were often the best kinds.

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Repetition of your earlier strategy, Sparkle? I did not think you the type to fall into predictable patterns.”

“If I’m so predictable,” said all four Twilights together, “then you already know how to solve the problem, don’t you? Or are you worried you can’t widen your blast enough to hit all your targets?”

“A brazen taunt,” Starlight scoffed. “But, if you insist on advising me on my tactical decisions, then so be it!”

She flared her horn and fired another burst wide enough to hit the three Twilights on the right.

The Twilight on the farthest right flared her horn and vanished with a pop and a flash, reappearing behind Starlight in an instant.

Starlight smirked. “So, the false Sparkle is present in front of me. I wonder where the true Sparkle is?” she said as she started turning around. When she did, her eyes widened. There was not one Twilight behind her, but four.

“Oh, she’s here somewhere,” the five total Twilights said in unison.

“You... you utilized multiple spells!” Starlight spat. “Foul play if anything, Sparkle! I am astonished by your complete disregard for rules!”

“I disagree, Starlight,” the Twilights said. “You expressed rather plainly that we were allowed to utilize any spells in our repertoire. Spells, plural. Had you elected to say we could only use one spell from our repertoire, I wouldn’t argue the point, but here we are. As I cast the two spells in unison, it constitutes one action. You’ll find that magic duels and their rules are very open to interpretation and nitpicking over the fine details like that.”

Twilight elected not to mention that, so long as one of her duplicates was still maintained, she could keep the spell going without expending any additional energy. It was still technically using multiple spells, and she chose to observe that technicality, but it meant that, so long as Starlight couldn’t hit all of her duplicates at once, she could create more at the same time as teleporting; the two spells were too much otherwise.

Starlight snarled. “I see. Loophole abuse is a fundamental facet of magicks at a base level, so it would seem logical to apply that same philosophy to duels between mages.” She lit up her horn, casting a silver glow through the cavern. “What you failed to foresee in utilizing such a loophole, Sparkle, is that you enlightened me to its possibility! Simultaneous spellcasting is my strongest quality!”

Starlight’s horn flashed, and instead of one large blast, it fired four smaller ones, enough to aim at all four Twilight Sparkles currently in her sights. The one on just left of center flared her own horn and vanished with a pop and a flash. The three burst spells that impacted the duplicates exploded in fearsome bursts of magical fire, tearing apart the ice beneath them. The remaining blast sailed through empty space until it struck the far wall, blasting it apart.

“Continue fleeing, Sparkle!” Starlight spat as she wheeled around. “I shall dispel this illusion soon enough! And when I do, I shall tear your feeble body’s very molecules apart!”

“A chemistry lesson and a biology lesson all in one, then?” said multiple Twilights from around Starlight. “Perhaps you should consider seeing if you can mutate my atoms into different elements, so that you can demonstrate the fundamentals of alchemy as well.”

Starlight glanced to her left to see two Twilights. To her right, two more. And yet, still in its original place, was the duplicate from before. All of them bore the same confident grin on their faces, convinced their plan was working. Starlight’s scowl darkened, and she took a very long, deep breath.

“Five Sparkles is five too many, as far as I am concerned! I do not intend to allow you to make more additions to your number, Sparkle! Cease this course of action!”

“Mathematics now, Starlight? Let me guess: too many of me to focus on, right?” the Twilights taunted, hoping that Starlight would squander a turn in anger. The other unicorn’s temper was predictable and easy to take advantage of, and Twilight knew she needed every advantage she could get. “The thing about burst magicks is that they can only be fired in any direction within a forty-five degree forward arc. I doubt even you could manipulate a burst spell to strike all five of me in unison.”

“I shall leave the outcome to chance!” Starlight shouted as she fired another blast at the pair of Twilights to her left.

There was another flash and a pop, and when Starlight wheeled around, there were a dozen Twilights in a full semicircle in front of her. Neither of the two Twilights she’d struck had been real, and had been vaporized by the magical blast; the real Twilight had now not only created more of herself, but teleported somewhere in the formation, shuffling herself into the collection of copies.

Starlight growled, her eyes shifting between the dozen duplicates in an attempt to discern which was the real Twilight. “Cease this ridiculous strategy! If your intent is to elicit an enraged response, you have certainly succeeded in that task! I grow tired of these games, Sparkle! Face me like a true mage!”

“Actually, magic duels were originally developed as games of skill between two unicorns, usually for fun or social introductions,” the Twilights said, continuing her strategy; it was working like a charm so far. “Though they were also used as displays for mating in ancient times, before unicorns developed into a more civilized culture. So really, I’m just playing the game you wanted me to play, and I’m following the rules you put forth. You’re just mad that I’m winning.”

Starlight held her ears. “By the stars, hearing one of you rattle on is aggravating enough, but twelve of you is beyond bearable!” She took a deep breath and grit her teeth. “It is apparent that I may be required to adopt more varied tactics. In berating your predictability, I too have become predictable. I shan't make that mistake again, Sparkle!”

“If you’re so confident any other tactic you have will be more effective, then prove it,” Twilight taunted

Starlight flared her horn again, and the expanse of frozen lake beneath her and the Twilights began to shake violently, as though suffering through an earthquake. A loud snap resounded throughout the cavern, and the ice shattered beneath Starlight’s hooves. The crack spread outward, surrounding the Twilights.

After a short moment, the cracks snapped again, and a massive chunk of solid ice burst upwards from directly beneath the Twilights, lifting them all into the air. The icy mass twisted and turned, then burst apart into a mass of shards, sending all the Twilights plummeting to the ice below.

Twilight remained calm as she and her eleven copies fell, despite the great height from which that were falling. If she made it obvious which one was her, then Starlight would be ready. 

That gave her an idea. It would take a lot more power than she wanted to use, but if it bought her the chance to swing the advantage around, it would be worth it. All of her remaining copies would need to mimic spellcasting imagery perfectly, even if none of them would actually be casting anything, just to keep Starlight off the magical trail even if only for a few seconds.

She, and her copies, each lit up their horns. One copy immediately stopped falling and remained suspended in midair amongst the collection of ice shards; she teleported directly behind Starlight with seven of her copies spread out around her in a small circle, wide enough that she could still avoid the entire group being hit by a single spell, she hoped.

Twilight noticed that not all of her copies had been caught in her mass teleportation spell; she grimaced when the three that hadn’t been caught splattered against the icy lake before vanishing in a burst of magic. Seeing herself get killed wasn’t an enjoyable thing to watch.

Starlight paused for only a second, darting her eyes behind her to chance a glance at the safe collection of Twilights. She then wheeled around and collected the thousands of pieces of her formerly massive chunk of ice and rocketed them downwards, sending sharp spears of ice raining down with wide enough coverage that Twilight knew she couldn’t possibly dodge them all through mundane means.

Much to Twilight’s consternation, her suspended copy was easily caught in the storm of ice and torn to ribbons in the process of Starlight’s attack. So much for tricking Starlight into thinking that that Twilight was the real one.

“Oh dear,” the Twilights said in unison.

The Twilights teleported away again, to a relatively safe area nearby. Again, Twilight noticed she hadn’t managed to catch all of her copies in the spell; trying to mass teleport so many ponies was an incredible strain to do under such split-second conditions. Surrounding her now were only four other Twilights.

The multiple ice spears abruptly changed direction before impacting the ice below, swerving to rocket at the Twilights that had teleported. Some of the spikes did not change directly, and skewered the four Twilights that hadn’t made it to safety. Starlight was making sure to catch as many Twilights as she could in a single action.

Twilight decided that trying to mass teleport wasn’t working, and only teleported herself, her real self, to safety this time. She warped in behind Starlight in time to see her remaining copies be torn apart by thousands of razor sharp ice shards.

Starlight was quick to react, and wheeled around again and fired another burst of magical energy, a tiny one that fired off so quickly that Twilight barely had time to cast her own spell. Enough to be lethal, but not make a fuss about it.

She reacted on instinct, and cast a barrier spell. It wasn’t even until after the spell had manifested that she realized she’d cast it. Twilight braced herself for impact. She only had a split second to do so, but made the preparation nonetheless. 

However, despite this, the impact never came. She watched as Starlight’s horn flared again, and the magical blast she’d fired swerved and exploded against the wall, tearing another hole and sending ice and rock spraying out over the entire lake. Half the wall near the impact point cracked apart and crumbled out into the arena, completely ruining its uniform, symmetrical perfection.

Twilight blinked and glanced back at Starlight, surprised at how powerful that tiny blast could be. The other unicorn was panting heavily, as though she’d made a panicked, harrowing decision. Her eyes were narrowed, her face caked with sweat. She was glaring at Twilight, teeth clenched, her horn still aglow with leftover magical heat radiation.

Twilight let her barrier fall. “You... redirected your blast.”

Starlight snarled and blew air up at her horn to cool it off. “Were I you, Sparkle, I would not squander my action making base observations!”

Twilight huffed and lit up her own horn. A single second of action had completely changed her outlook on the duel. It was time to change strategies, and taking the offensive was just the beginning.

***

“Okay, like, stop moving around and let me squash you!” Insipid called as she chased Rarity through the snow, swinging Zircon’s sword wildly about. “Or would it be slice? I, like, totally have no idea what sword terms are and junk? Squish? Slash? Uh... spike?”

“Why do you keep doing this?!” Rarity demanded as she dove out of the way of another strike. She shook the snow out of her mane and wheeled around to face Insipid. “What did I ever do to you to deserve this?! I helped you! I tried to make you look beautiful, like you wanted!”

Insipid snarled, thrust the sword into the snow, and stomped her hooves again. “You tried, and you totally failed! I’m just an ugly mess! Not like you... you’re perfect!” She snatched up Zircon’s sword again and pointed it back at Rarity. “That’s why I’m doing this! Because you’re perfect, and I’m just, like, a cheap knock-off! I’m sick of being ugly!”

Insipid began the chase anew, and Rarity panicked when she managed to get cornered against a rock. Rarity circled around to try and avoid Insipid, but the other unicorn simply blasted the rock out of the way with a burst of lightning. 

When Rarity tried to clamor away, Insipid popped up out of her shadow, that same wide grin on her face. She turned and ran again, only to continue being pursued by the crazed unicorn swinging a sword around.

This was bad and going to worse, and fast. Rarity knew she’d been unable to handle Curaçao in a straight fight, and Curaçao’s combat powers were nowhere near as robust as Insipid’s current selection. She was stronger than Rarity remembered.

Stronger. If only Rarity had somepony around to help. It seemed so unfair that Insipid, when she’d stolen her powers in their first hostile encounter, had somehow managed to use Rarity’s strengthening magic on herself, whereas Rarity could not.

Or could she?

Rarity came up against another rock, having lost herself in her train of thought. This time, she just turned and faced Insipid down. The other unicorn slowed to a canter and pointed the sword at Rarity’s face, getting closer by the second. Rarity gulped and flared her horn for a brief instant, filling her mind and body with only one thought and intent: empowering her own magicks.

Insipid snickered and flittered her sword around in the air, twirling it like a toy. “Okay, I’ve, like, totally got you trapped now and junk! No more running,” she said. “So just, like, stand still and let me—"

Now or never.

Rarity pointed behind Insipid, her eyes wide in panic. “Look out!”

Insipid panicked and wheeled around. “What?! Where?!”

Rarity pelted Insipid in the back of the head with a snowball. Her throw had been much faster than Rarity had expected, and the force of impact actually knocked Insipid face-first into the snow. Had her spell worked? Of course it worked, otherwise what was this sudden influx of magical strength?

This is my chance.

“Oh my stars!” Insipid sputtered as she stood up, wheeling back around on Rarity. “Totally uncool!”

“On the contrary, darling,” Rarity said as she levitated another collection of snowballs, far more than she knew she’d have been able to handle otherwise. In fact, she was certain that even Twilight would be impressed with how many Rarity had managed to create and carry at once. “They’re snowballs. They’re the very definition of ‘cool’.”

“Wait, what?” Insipid blinked once, twice, then laughed. “Oh! Oh I get it! Snow. Cool. Ha! That’s a good—"

Another snowball, this one pelting her in the face, interrupted her.

Insipid spit chunks of snow out of her mouth. “Blegh! Hey! What the—"

And another snowball. And another. And another. Snowballs filled the air, creating Rarity’s own personal snowball storm.

“Not cool!” Insipid wailed as she began backing away from Rarity’s barrage of snowballs. “Or... super cool... since they’re snowballs! But not cool... ‘cause it hurts? I’m so confused!”

“Yes, darling, I know,” Rarity said as sweetly as she could manage while she continued to bombard Insipid with snow.

Insipid grunted and batted away a snowball coming at her, then another, then another. Severals snowballs later, she made to swing her blade at Rarity before another series of snowballs smacked her in the face, neck, and chest. 

She snarled and wildly swung the sword around, sweeping through torrents of snowballs but not quite getting them all. Several more hit her before she managed to gain any ground. “Cut it out! This isn’t fun!” she yelled.

Rarity hovered another few dozen snowballs around her head, circling them around like a halo. “I’m inclined to disagree, dear,” she said with a tiny smirk. “This is actually quite amusing.”

“Totally unfair! I, like, can’t block all these snowballs and junk?”

“If you insist, I’ll play nice and use one at a time, darling.”

Rarity tossed the first snowball straight at Insipid. Insipid attempted to block it; Rarity adjusted its trajectory. The snowball danced around Insipid’s blade and pegged her square in the nose.

“That’s it!” Insipid spat as she pointed her hoof at Rarity’s face. “Take this—"

“Look out!” Rarity shouted, pointing behind Insipid. Why not? It worked once.

“What?! Where?!” Insipid wheeled around and started aiming her hoof at random places, apparently hoping to blast whatever it was that intended to sneak up on her. 

Rarity latched onto Insipid’s borrowed sword with her magic, yanked it out of Insipid’s magical grip, and tossed it aside. The blade went flying for dozens of yards before it landed back in the snow, pointed end first as it seemed to have a habit of doing. Sir Zircon would be able to recover it later, Rarity thought.

“Hey! That was mine!” Insipid wailed.

“It was yours, darling,” Rarity said. “But I won’t let you toy around with Sir Zircon’s weapon any longer. You could put somepony’s eye out with that thing, the way you’re swinging it around like some maniac.”

“Cha. What-ever, that’s the point?” Insipid chuckled. “Get it? Point? Sword?”

Rarity blinked. “That was... actually quite well done.”

“See, I’m like, totally able to make jokes too and junk?” Insipid said before sticking out her tongue. She then glanced to the side, where the sword had flown. “Uh... but like, I’m just gonna go... get my sword back?” 

She flustered, tripped, and scrambled off in the direction the sword had flown, until Rarity lifted her out of the snow and flung her in the opposite direction. ‘

“I don’t think so, darling,” Rarity said.

She grimaced at the impact, and especially at the landing area; she’d lost track of the battle and had tossed Insipid dreadfully close to Lockwood and Zircon.

Insipid hit the snow and rolled for several yards before coming to a stop in a snowy heap. She burst out of the blanket and flailed her hooves around. “Okay, now I’m getting, like, super mad!” She glanced sideways towards the unconscious form of Lockwood.

Rarity noticed it. “Don’t you even think—"

Insipid fired a wild blast of lightning at Rarity, forcing her to dive to avoid it. This gave her plenty of time to scramble over to the limp pegasus and press a hoof to his barrel.

“Get your hooves off of him!” Rarity shouted as she latched on to Insipid again. She tossed her aside, making sure not to let the other unicorn land anywhere near anything that could impact the fight.

Insipid struggled to her hooves. “Um... okay, so like... yeah, no, this power is... weird? I have no idea how to use this thing. Oh whatever, I’ve, like, got cooler powers anyway!”

She took aim with her hoof, biting her tongue and squinting out of one eye. Her hoof crackled with electricity, and her mouth curled into a cocksure grin.

“I’m totally not gonna miss this time...”

Rarity pointed behind Insipid again. “Look out!” she shouted. Third time’s the charm.

Insipid chuckled and shook her head. “Nuh-uh. No way. Fool me once, like, shame on you. Fool me twice, like, shame on me. Fool me three times... uh...” She dropped her electrical charge to scratch her head. “Fool me three times... like, shame on... no wait, hold on...”

Rarity shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

She pegged Insipid in the back of the head with another snowball she’d floated around behind her.

“What the—" Insipid sputtered and turned to face the unseen assailant. “Who did that?! Shame on you!” she shouted, firing her charged burst in the direction the offending snowball had come from.

Rarity lifted Insipid out of the snow and slammed her straight back down, hard enough to hopefully curtail the other unicorn’s violent tendencies, but not hard enough to cause any lasting harm. Rarity had to admit, having this boost of power and finesse certainly made her confident enough in her control and strength to get the job done. Was this how Twilight felt all the time?

“Oww...” Insipid mumbled as she sunk into the snow.

“Darling, just give it up already,” Rarity said as she trotted forward, more snowballs in tow. “I don’t know what it is you want, but you’re not going to get it.”

Rarity felt sorry for the poor unicorn, who just wanted to be pretty but couldn’t get what she wanted. One thing confused her though: Insipid had started shaking now, as though from the cold, but she hadn’t been affected by it the entire fight. At first, Rarity had thought the gaudy silver jumpsuit was enchanted to protect from the elements, like her scarf was.

Insipid staggered upright, her breathing erratic, her body shaking. “What did you say to me?” she asked, turning her head slowly to look in Rarity’s direction.

Rarity raised an eyebrow, more confused now than before. Insipid’s voice had become deep and dark, very much unlike her normally bubbly demeanor. Her eyes were narrowed, and Rarity recognized the look of anger in them. Was she hurt? Rarity hadn’t intended to hurt her, just to keep her down. Still, if Insipid was back up, then she knew it would be best to stay on her guard.

“I said, whatever it is you want from me, you’re not going to get it,” Rarity repeated. “Leave me and my friends alone. You’ve done enough—"

Insipid laughed. It wasn’t a laugh Rarity had ever heard the other unicorn laugh before, as though amused by a silly joke. There was no snort or giggle at the end, as was usual for her. The laugh was darker, for lack of a better term, the same kind of laugh that Insipid’s more competent sisters were fond of. Rarity still remembered Grayscale’s from back in the canyon.

“What’s so funny?” Rarity demanded.

“You, like, don’t get it, do you?” Insipid said, turning herself so that her whole body faced Rarity now. Her mouth curved into a small grin; Rarity could see that a tooth had been knocked out. “I always get what I want.”

Rarity snorted. “Not this time, dear. What is it you even want anyway, hmm? Do you and your sisters still intend to capture us? What did we ever do to you to deserve being treated as enemies?”

Insipid shook her head and starting taking small steps towards Rarity. “Cha. That was, like, our old plan. We totally don’t want that anymore. Each of us, like, has something we want from each of you and junk?”

Rarity took a step back. “And what do you want from me?”

“Everything.”

Rarity blinked, confused. She took another step back, just to be safe. The way Insipid had said that word frightened her. “I beg your pardon?”

Insipid’s smile creeped wider. “You don’t get it, like I said. I want everything you have. Everything you are. You’re everything I, like, want to be. You’re pretty, you’re smart, you’ve got friends that respect you and love you and junk, and you’re totally talented. I don’t have any of that. I want all of it.”

Insipid continued stepping forward, her horn aglow with a bright, golden light. Rarity took another two steps back. Insipid’s sudden clarity and the bizarre, full-mouthed grin on her face were actually intimidating.

“I don’t see how coming after me is going to help you get any of that, dear,” Rarity said. She checked behind herself to make sure she wasn’t going to get backed into a corner. “If your intent is to capture me and force me to work as your slave—"

“Pfft... ha! Ha ha ha! You totally still don’t get it!” Insipid flipped her mane and pressed one hoof against her heart. “I don’t want to improve myself to be like you. What a total waste of time and junk?” She next pointed her hoof at Rarity. “I want to be you. You’re, like, perfect in every way... because you’re real. Not me though. We’re all, like, just twisted copies of you six.”

Rarity stepped back again, putting more distance between herself and Insipid. She was used to Insipid’s speech being odd and hard to understand, what with all the “likes” peppered throughout, but now she just wasn’t making any sense. Twisted copies? What did that even mean?

Insipid snickered. “But I can totally fix all that for me. I can become you... I can take everything you have, everything I want, because that’s just who I am! I just want, and take, and want, and take!” The hoof she had pointed at Rarity began crackling with electricity. “And what I want is your life, and I’m gonna take it!”

Insipid fired a bolt of lightning through Zircon’s sword as she swung it. 

In a panic, Rarity dropped her collection of snowballs and threw her magic into deflecting the blow, causing the sword to fire the blast of lightning straight into the sky.

Rarity turned back to look at Insipid, afraid at the sudden accuracy and aggressiveness, just in time to deflect another sword strike to the side. This one had come too close, and the lightning it fired melted a streak in the snow just inches away from Rarity’s hooves. 

Rarity found herself wishing very much that she knew proper barrier magicks.

Insipid stomped forward in tune with her lightning strikes, firing another one off with every step.

Rarity staggered backwards as she deflected them aside. The blasts were becoming more powerful, more difficult to guard against. She couldn’t even concentrate on distracting Insipid with another snowball.

Then, she backed up into another boulder. She turned to see if she could go around, then back to Insipid to see if she would have the time and room to do it.

But Insipid was gone.

“Uh-oh...” Rarity panicked and wheeled around in a desperate attempt to find her opponent.

“Mine!”

Rarity looked down at the source of the voice, and barely had time to let out a shriek as Insipid reached up from out of Rarity’s own shadow and latched onto her midsection. The pain shot through her instantly, and the swell of magicks she once felt flowing through her was gone in an instant.

Rarity tried to gallop away, but her legs were pinned in place, stuck in her own shadow. “Let... me... go!” she screamed.

Insipid snarled and slammed Rarity down on her side, then pinned her into the snow. “No! You, like, don’t get to tell me what I can’t have! Not you, not anypony, not anymore! Once I’m totally perfect and junk, nopony will ever be able to tell me what to do again! I’ll be... what did Star call it? Invincible!”

Rarity screamed in pain as Insipid pressed her entire body and all of her weight on top of her. The sizzling electrical surge expanded outwards far quicker than Rarity had expected, melting snow and causing the pair of unicorns to sink into icy slush.

Insipid giggled. “This feels so good!” she chirped, her mouth breaking into a giddy smile. “I can feel myself getting totally pretty! That Knockgood guy’s little weirdo power makes this even easier!”

“What are you... doing to me?!” Rarity panted as she tried to squirm out from under Insipid. The pain was familiar, like the first time Insipid had used her powers against her, but worse. It wasn’t just a shock anymore; Rarity felt as though she was being struck by lightning, again and again. 

Insipid’s grin widened. Rarity noticed that the other unicorn’s teeth were gradually becoming brighter and whiter, and that the tiny, unsightly gaps between them were closing up. 

“Well duh? I’m totally absorbing everything about you! Like I said: I’m gonna become you, because it’s the only way I can be perfect. Starting with your looks.”

Rarity flinched as another sharp pain shot through her, like millions of needles pricking every last inch of her body in unison. She glanced down at herself and noticed that the color of her coat had drained and now looked positively filthy. Her mane flopped down over her eyes, damp with sweat and melted snow. Several locks of her mane had lost their purple luster and become, to Rarity’s horror, bright yellow.

Insipid’s coat, on the other hoof, shone like it was freshly-cleaned, and the charcoal black lightened into a dark gray. Her mane, which had been as frizzy and unkempt as Rarity remembered, became naturally curly and gained an impressive luster, with purple highlights gradually streaking through.

“Do I look pretty, Rarity?” Insipid asked, batting her eyelashes. “Huh? Do I? What am I saying, of course I do. Cha.” Her coat continued to lighten from a dark gray to a lighter shade. The purple streaks were spreading out and coloring her whole mane. “Just a little more, and I’ll look just as perfect as you. Your perfect, sleek coat. Your perfect, groomed mane. Your perfect, bright smile. All of it will be mine! And when you’re dead and look like me, I’ll, like, leave my ugly looks behind, forever!”

“Why am... I the... perfect one?!” Rarity grunted. “Before... you used to think... Curaçao was—"

“Shut up!” Insipid pressed her hooves against Rarity’s throat. “Yeah, I used to think that. But she’s just as not perfect as I am!”

“Nopony’s... perfect,” Rarity choked.

“Nice try, Rarity,” Insipid chuckled. “You’re perfect. You’ve, like, got all the good looks, the totally cool talents, and you have all the bestest friends you could want! Look at you and Mutterfly!”

Rarity snorted. “Fluttershy.”

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Whatever! You have a totally perfect friendship with her! You’d do anything for her, and she’d, like, do anything for you!” She shook her head, her smile turning into an angry snarl. “I don’t have anything like that! I never did! Curaçao’s just a big fat liar!”

Rarity frowned. “If I’m so... perfect, then why... does Fluttershy hate me?”

“What?” Insipid loosened her grip for an instant, then shook her head and tightened it again. “Shut up! You’re just trying to, like, trick me and junk! I saw the way you and her act! You’re bestest friendsies, remember? You can’t lie to me! I saw it! You get her, and you get all your other friends, and you even get a totally hot boyfriend.” She cracked a wicked smirk. “Well, you did have a totally hot boyfriend. He’s mine now, by the way.”

Rarity paused. “Sir Zircon... is not my boyfriend. He never... was my boyfriend.” She took a deep breath, as deep as she could with Insipid choking her. “I... made a mistake... in allowing myself to be distracted by him.”

Insipid raised an eyebrow and quirked her head to the side. “Uh... what? That... doesn’t make sense? How could, like, being distracted by studmuffin over there be a mistake?”

“I lost sight... of what was important. Getting home is important, yes. But... repairing my friendship with... my closest friend is... perhaps more so, to me. Fluttershy... has been there for me... whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on. She’s been too kind to me... but now she is quite the opposite.”

Insipid snarled. “There you go again, trying to trick me with that whole ‘oh Fluttershy hates me and junk’ junk?” She pressed her hooves harder against Rarity’s throat. “Stop! Lying! To me! I hate being lied to! Why would she hate you?! You’re perfect!”

Rarity choked and put her hooves on Insipid’s. She desperately needed air. “She hates me because... of something I did. My actions... broke her heart... and she blames me for it. I am... hardly perfect.”

“Pfh, what-ever. I totally don’t believe you?”

Rarity stopped resisting. It was easier than trying to fight against Insipid’s superior, growing strength. “You say... you can take anything you want? See for yourself then. Take my memories. See how... imperfect I really am.”

Insipid paused, then huffed and pressed a hoof to Rarity’s forehead. “Fine! When I’m done, I’m, like, gonna totally take your stupid smarty smarts too!”

Rarity writhed in agony as the sensation of millions of needles all across her body shifted into a tightly-concentrated spot where Insipid’s hoof was. The pain was blinding; her vision went black. Her mind felt like it was on fire- no, like somepony had submerged it in liquid magma. 

Inside her head, she felt the probing of Insipid’s magicks forcing her to relive memories past. Insipid didn’t delve too far back, only a few weeks. She remembered first meeting Lockwood and finding him an enchanting individual; at first, she herself was attracted to him and considered pursuing a relationship. Then, she began to take more notice of his kindly, soft-spoken demeanor, and figured that he’d be just perfect for getting Fluttershy out of her shell.

Insipid laughed, then narrowed her eyes. “Ha! See, there we go!” she spat. “You’re totally trying to, like, hook her up with Dagwood over there? Trying to get her a boyfriend? If that’s not bestest friendsies, I don’t know what is.”

“Keep... going...” Rarity panted.

“Tch, fine.”

Insipid pressed her hoof harder against Rarity’s head, forcing Rarity to relive more memories. Hope’s Point, the Wyrm’s Head. Her memory was untarnished by alcohol, so she remembered Pinkie’s sudden fireworks display quite clearly. Back then, she’d been so happy that she’d begun putting together ideas for how to get Lockwood to come with them when it was time to go home. It was a long shot, but still.

Insipid laughed again. “Ha! Ha ha! Again, look at this! You found out from Shrinky Dinks that your, like, bestest best friend ever was totally smooching on somepony she likes. Success! I’ve never really done anything right... is this what it feels like to win? It feels good. Aww, look at her, she’s so totally happy and junk?” she cooed as memories from the following morning flooded in. “See, what’d I say? Bestest. Friendsies.”

Rarity took in what breath she could; Insipid’s grip had barely loosened. “You’re... almost... there...”

More memories of that morning followed, as she and her friends went with Briarthorn to see Queen Blackburn. She remembered the anxiety she felt in hoping her outfit would be met with approval. She remembered how most of that nervousness was washed away because of how happy she was for Fluttershy. Things were looking up. Then, they actually met Queen Blackburn.

Insipid raised an eyebrow. “Wait... who’s that, like, other mare? She talks funny.” She shook her head, her eyes wide with shock. “Whoa whoa whoa, huh? Duckfood is engaged? But like, didn’t you... try to set him and Fritterfry up?”

Rarity groaned, but found the strength to nod. “I did...”

“And you didn’t know he was, like, getting hitched and junk? She’s... wow, she’s all mad about it...” Insipid shook her head again. “She’s like... super mad?”

Rarity sighed. “Because by trying... to bring them together... I set her up... for a broken heart...” Her head was on fire, and just talking caused more pain than she felt was bearable. She didn’t care; these memories made her feel weaker than any pain Insipid could dish out. “It’s my fault.”

Insipid scoffed. “Cha. Nuh-uh? You totally didn’t know! She’s mad at you for something you, like, totally didn’t do on purpose!” 

Insipid loosened her hold just enough that Rarity could breathe again.

Rarity took a deep breath. The sharp pain in her head was finally gone, replaced instead by a dull grogginess. “Whether I did it intentionally or not... my actions caused her a great deal of pain. I just want her to forgive me for it.” She snorted and narrowed her eyes at Insipid. “If I were perfect, then I would have seen the signs. If I were perfect, maybe I would have been able to convince Lockwood to change his mind, loathe as I am to admit how wrong that sounds. So, as you can see... I’m not perfect. I make mistakes too.”

“Just like Curie...” Insipid shook her head. “She didn’t know... and... I got mad...”

Rarity was confused. Insipid looked as though she was very deep in thought, so much so that she’d completely abandoned her attempts to drain Rarity of anything. Her coat was gradually turning black again, while Rarity’s regained its white luster; her mane and tail sporadically tangled and knotted, while Rarity’s perked up. The pain completely left Rarity’s body, such that the only things keeping her from moving were Insipid’s weight, and her own curiosity. She knew Insipid was misguided, and even if she had been trying to kill her just moments ago, she wanted to help. It sounded stupid, but Rarity couldn’t stop herself; helping others was just what she did.

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” she asked.

“W-well, when we all found out what we, like, are, I kinda got mad at Curie, because she wasn’t as perfect as I thought she was,” Insipid sniffed. “No wonder I’m, like, not perfect and junk. Curie didn’t know... but I totally got mad at her anyway, because I thought she did? It, like, made sense to me at the time? Does she feel... like you do? Except like, with me instead of... Fluttershy?”

“She’s your best friend, is she not? I’m sure she feels tremendously awful about all of this... whatever you found out.”

“She... was my best friend. I, like, don’t know anymore?” Insipid sniffed and wiped her nose with her hoof. “I bet she hates me back... I’ve totally ruined everything, again. That’s all I do, is ruin things! That’s why my sisters are always, like, making fun of me, and getting mad at me and junk. They hate me too I bet!”

“Darling, she couldn’t possibly hate you back. None of them do,” Rarity assured her, reaching up and patting Insipid on the head. “Just because Fluttershy is angry at me, doesn’t mean I don’t still love her. She’s my closest friend, and I love all my friends dearly.” She took a deep breath, and let out a long, dreary sigh. “You say you want to be like me, do you?”

Insipid nodded. “Uh-huh... ‘cause... you’re perfect. Just like I said. Only somepony perfect could still, like, care for their friend even if their friend totally hates them. You’re more perfect than ever now... I don’t care if you say you’re not, you totally are. All I do is mess things up... I don’t want to mess things up anymore!”

“I’ve already forgiven Fluttershy for her anger,” Rarity said. “I know it’s misplaced, and I take the blame for it even if I didn’t know something that could have made a difference. It hurt, darling, but I do it anyway because I treasure her friendship. All I want is her forgiveness... and that’s all I should have been focused on doing. If you want to be like me, you need to forgive your friends for their faults, because they’re your friends. You need to give them the same love they give you.”

Insipid remained silent for a long moment. “Give...” she said at last. “I totally don’t even know what that means. Give, huh? Is that, like, that weird feeling I get when I want to do something? For somepony else, I mean?”

“That’s exactly it. Giving is doing something for somepony that benefits them with no thoughts as to benefitting yourself. Insipid, darling... what is it you really want?”

Insipid looked up into the sky and let out a deep breath. “I... don’t want to fight with Curie anymore. I want to be her friend again. I want to show her how, like, important she is to me, even if she does hate me back. So if that means I need to, like, give forgiveness and junk, then I guess I—"

Insipid recoiled, and staggered away from Rarity, groaning in pain. A faint golden glimmer appeared around her body, then faded away, followed by a black aura, then a white one that appeared and disappeared within seconds.

Rarity rolled over and stood upright. “Insipid? What’s wrong?” she asked as she trotted over to the other unicorn.

“It hurts!” Insipid wailed, clutching her stomach. “I feel like... I’m gonna totally burst!” A loud gurgle sounded from her belly, and she instantly put her hooves over her mouth. “Oh stars... I’m gonna—"

She heaved into the snow, spewing forth an unsightly ooze that didn’t look anything like vomit should. The goop glowed a faint purple, and was laced with other bizarre, unnatural colors. It melted the snow beneath it, giving off a sparking sound as it sunk down.

Rarity blanched at the sight. “Oh dear... maybe I was too rough on you.”

Insipid shook her head, keeping her eyes closed. “No... no it’s like... oh stars—" She heaved again, this time spewing out a totally black ooze. “Ugh... my tummy... my head... it hurts, Rarity, it—" She heaved again, another glob of black goop. “It, like, just keeps coming... I want my Curie...”

Rarity stepped forward to see if she could help. What in Equestria was happening here? She looked up into the sky in thought, hoping Twilight was okay, wherever she was. A peculiar sight awaited her up there: there were strange lights streaking across the sky, one in a straight line across, the other twisting around the former. Rarity was perplexed, having never seen a phenomenon such as this before. The skies above the northern and southern poles in her world had auroras, but this was something different. It was beautiful, whatever it was.

***

Twilight fired a burst spell, weak enough only to function as a stun, straight at Starlight. She knew it wouldn’t hit her intended target at all, but then again she knew nothing she did would likely connect without incredible lack of foresight on Starlight’s part. Starlight had proven as much over the last few exchanges, and at this point was just showing off how she could teleport and cast in unison, moving greater distances and firing more powerful bursts than Twilight felt safe attempting.

Starlight’s horn flashed, and she warped away, taking a large chunk of ice in her vicinity with her. When Twilight turned to face Starlight again, the other unicorn had formed the ice into a spear, which now sat imbedded in the frozen surface beside her.

Twilight glanced at the icy weapon, then back to Starlight. Starlight seemed to have calmed down immensely from her prior outburst if she was able to carve such an intricate weapon in seconds.

Twilight paid it no further mind, and fired another stun-burst bolt. Starlight teleported away again, but as she did so, she forcibly launched her ice-forged projectile at Twilight’s face. The missile came fast enough that Twilight had to raise a barrier to deflect it. 

She wheeled around to see Starlight standing behind her, another icicle embedded in the ice, a cocksure grin on her face. Only, it was her turn now, as Twilight had used hers on the barrier.

“You managed to reverse the advantage for a few short moments, Sparkle,” Starlight taunted, as she lit up her horn to crack apart more ice to form more icicle spears. “Your unwillingness to project more powerful burst magic prevents you from defending against my newest tactic without squandering your action.”

“I’m not going to kill you, Starlight,” Twilight said.

“And your weak-hearted sympathy will be your undoing.” Starlight laughed. “Were you possessed of a stronger resolve—"

“You speak of resolve when you flinched and diverted your own burst to avoid my barrier,” Twilight taunted back. She was hoping to waste time, if anything, but meant every word.

Starlight sneered. “I believe I instructed you to hold your tongue, Sparkle. Fifteen seconds have passed, thus—"

“Why did you divert your spell?” Twilight interrupted.

“Silence! Why must you press on with these frivolous inquiries?!” Starlight flared her horn again, lifting up both her current icicle and another five at once from all around her. “My action this time, Sparkle!”

Twilight grit her teeth, and when Starlight flung half of the projectiles at her from varying directions and fired a burst spell at the same time, she teleported away, behind Starlight; even without the feedback issue, that was a lot of power for a barrier to withstand safely. She wasn’t sure how Starlight had cast so many spells at once, let alone how she managed to put so much power into the burst spell.

However, when she turned around to face her opponent, Starlight was no longer there. Had she teleported while Twilight was doing the same? No, she had to have done it before, together with her other spells, otherwise Twilight would have detected it. That was a lot of spells to cast in unison, enough that Twilight couldn’t determine how many spells or what kinds had even been cast.

She wheeled around, and saw Starlight standing behind her, her remaining projectiles safely in her grip. Not just one Starlight either, but three, each with several projectiles of their own.

“How many spells did you cast?!” Twilight blurted, darting her eyes between the three Starlights. “I’m counting at least—"

“Four unique spells, spread over twenty individual casts,” the Starlights explained. “That you can observe at present, at least.”

Twilight gulped. This was a problem. If Starlight had enough power and focus to simultaneously cast teleportation, duplication, and teleport-tracking spells, then she was easily more powerful than Twilight gave her credit. Telekinetics was easy, and the burst fired was nothing special for Starlight’s power capacity, but those were just more layers of magic upon magic at this point.

Twilight immediately regretted giving Starlight the idea of simultaneous spellcasting being legal.

“It is my action again, Sparkle,” the three Starlights said.

“Why did you divert your spell, Starlight?” Twilight pressed. If anything, wasting Starlight’s turns talking was one benefit, but if she could just get Starlight to lose a little focus and use less spells, it would let Twilight attempt to regain the advantage again.

The three Starlights grunted. “Why do you insist on this inquiry, Sparkle?” they asked. “What importance does the answer hold for you?”

“You claimed that I lacked the resolve to risk using the barrier, and that’s what makes you superior. Clearly, I don’t lack the resolve, so what is it that makes you superior now?”

The Starlights remained silent.

Twilight continued: “Is it your power? If that’s what you think makes you stronger... I hate to tell you, but power isn’t an end-all be-all superiority. Someday, Starlight... there will be somepony stronger, and therefore superior to you. Even if it’s long after you’ve passed on, your legacy will be overshadowed.”

“All that matters is that I am superior to you, Sparkle,” the Starlights said. “That is my purpose in life, and thus is all that matters.”

“If that’s the case, then why did you divert your spell? If you’d struck, and the feedback killed me but left you alive, then you’d have won.” 

Twilight hesitated for a second, and only a second. She’d waited out Starlight’s turn, so now it was technically hers, but she knew if she took advantage of that, she’d never get Starlight to listen to reason, never get her to reconsider this horribly misguided course of action.

So she kept going. “But you didn’t. You were worried that maybe you wouldn’t survive the feedback either... weren’t you?”

Starlight—the real Starlight, the center one—sneered. Her two copies mimicked the gesture seconds later, way out of sync. Twilight knew she’d struck a nerve. “I flinched, nothing more. As soon as I execute you, I can return to my sisters and they may rejoice at my victory.” She took a deep breath. “May we continue? I have lost track of whose action it is at present, but will gladly assume it is yours. I will not flinch again when presented the opportunity.”

Twilight continued to press Starlight for answers, to try and keep the other mare talking. She could hear, in Starlight’s voice, hesitation, confusion, and worry. It gave Twilight time to think; if she couldn’t talk Starlight out of the duel altogether, then she’d at least try to find a way to talk her out of committing suicide if she lost.

“But you did flinch. Ponies only flinch out of fear—"

“How dare you! I am not afraid of you, Sparkle!” Starlight shouted. “Your power against mine is insignificant!”

“I didn’t mean afraid of me, Starlight. You’re stronger than me, yes. I can admit that, and you show no signs of letting me forget it. And while I may be more skilled with certain spells, you’ve proven that more power grants you access to incredible simultaneous spellcasting, thus reducing my advantage. So no, you’re not afraid of me. But you’re afraid of death, aren’t you?”

Starlight made to retort, then paused for half a second before shaking her head and responding. “If I perish proving myself superior... then I am still superior, and will perish having fulfilled my purpose. There exists no greater wish than to fulfill one’s purpose in life, and I would sooner succumb to death’s cold embrace that fail in my sole purpose.” She took a deep breath. “What use is a tool that cannot perform its intended function?”

Twilight frowned. She could hear the dejection in Starlight’s voice, and it confused her. The way Starlight was wording everything made it sound as though she’d been going over it in her head for a very long time. When exactly did Starlight learn this disconcerting truth about herself that inspired her to this course of action?

She sighed. “I see. Well, if proving yourself superior to me is the only thing that matters, then allow me to just teleport out of the arena. I’ll be disqualified, and you’ll have your victory—"

“My empty victory, Sparkle!” Starlight snapped. “I will not be deprived of my satisfaction! You are well aware by now that those meddlesome rules are merely a formality I implemented to grant you a fair opportunity!”

Twilight shrugged. “Well, if you insist,” she said as she raised a barrier; it was her turn, after all, if Starlight insisted on granting it to her, “then do it. Fire your spell and create the feedback, and we can both lie here and die together, buried under ice and rock. Your sisters will never find you to heal you, you know. We’re too far out in the middle of nowhere, and you’ve already blasted apart most of the arena.”

“I... am superior!” 

Starlight sneered and flared her horn, then fired a massive blast of energy. The beam sailed wide, missing Twilight’s shield by inches and exploding against the cavern wall.

“Why do I still flinch?!” she screamed, holding her head in her hooves. Her duplicates disappeared, and every single icicle spear she and they carried shattered upon the lake surface. “Why can I not accomplish this basic task?! Why can I not simply kill you?!”

“It’s because you are afraid, Starlight,” Twilight said, keeping her voice soft so as not to antagonize Starlight further. That blast had been too close for comfort and she didn’t think that if she gave Starlight reason to attack, she’d miss again.

“I have already made it plain that I am not afraid of you, Sparkle! I am superior to you! You admit it yourself, and I have witnessed enough to convince me of the fact. I am not afraid to prove my superiority to you!”

“You’re afraid to prove it at the expense of your life, though.”

“That is only logical!” Starlight snapped. “If I perish killing you, then who would believe my success? I could not enlighten anypony to the fact that I am superior to you! There would be no proof! I may take pleasure in proving it to myself but...” She paused. “But that pleasure would only be temporary.”

“Because you’d never be able to tell your sisters,” Twilight completed. “You fear death because... you fear abandoning them.” She nodded in understanding. She felt as if she were getting somewhere with all this; maybe Starlight really could be talked out of her single-minded lust for superiority. “Believe me, I know how it feels to think you’ve lost your friends forever.”

“I cannot fathom why this would be the case,” Starlight said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Being superior is all I was purposed for. Why can I not bring myself to fulfill that purpose? Because I fear never seeing my sisters again?” She snorted. “If I return to them without victory—"

“They won’t think any less of you,” Twilight said. She warily took a couple of steps forward, hoping the gesture would show Starlight she was trying to be friendly. Despite the other unicorn’s violent tendencies, she was still an intellectual. “Friends and family are supposed to stick by you through everything. If you went back to them a winner... then the more power to you. But, if you go back to them knowing that you couldn’t bring yourself not to see them again, then they’d still love you.”

Starlight grunted, but otherwise did not respond to Twilight’s forward steps. “Yet you would give me the opportunity to destroy you right now, to prove a point. What if I had taken it, Sparkle? Would you not be abandoning your own friends?”

Twilight paused, then smiled. She was just a few hooves away from Starlight at this point. “I care less about my superiority than I do about them.” She took a deep breath, and put her hoof over her heart. “I’ll be frank with you: I never intended to die here, whether I won or lost. Had that feedback occurred... I believe that I would have had the strength to teleport to Rarity, and would have faith in her to take me to safety. Just as you have faith that Insipid would heal you if you survived, feedback or no.

“The fact is, Starlight,” Twilight continued, “you’re absolutely right. You and I are the same.” She pressed her hoof to Starlight’s heart, and was genuinely pleased that Starlight did not move away. “The only difference between us, that I can see, is that I can admit that my friends matter more to me than beating you. But, I think you can admit that yourself now. You’ve proven it by hesitating to attack me, because you know the feedback might kill us both.”

Starlight paused, then shook her head. “No, you are mistaken. I only wish to assert my superiority over you by annihilating you, nothing more.”

Twilight sighed. Starlight was resisting, poorly. “Then why do you hesitate? I have granted you ample opportunity to defeat me with essentially a free shot, yet you choose not to use it. Why do you hesitate if all that matters is winning?”

Starlight shook her head again. “No. No, no, no! You are incorrect, you are deluded! I am superior to you, I am not afraid of what may happen to me!”

“Then why can’t you do it?”

Starlight seethed, and stomped her hooves on the ice. When she finally calmed down, she sighed in defeat. “I... suppose in a manner of speaking, I did indeed prove that I value my sisters more than I value exterminating you. I would not commit to the latter at the cost of abandoning the former. But... why do I feel this way, Sparkle?” she asked, putting her hoof over her heart. “It goes contrary to everything I have witnessed for myself and had disclosed to me.”

Twilight thought for a moment then recalled something that Gilderoy had made mention of. “Well... if you’re as similar to me as we think you are, then that could be what gives you your incredible magical power. I’ve learned that, while I am a talented user of all manners of spells, even I have my limits. However, when I think of my friends, and how much they rely on me, my limits become virtually nonexistent.”

“You claim that your power increases the closer you are to your friends,” Starlight said, eyebrow raised. She shook her head. “Then that just raises further inquiries. I have discovered that I am removed from my own limits when my confidence is at its peak. That... that is why as of late, I have not been in possession of the incredible might I once could wield.”

“Maybe you should consider thinking about your sisters and how much they look up to you?” Twilight suggested. “If you want to look at it from a logical standpoint, you and I are the Elements of Magic, right? Well, the way my abilities seem to work, magic and friendship coincide with one another on a basis of equality. In other words—"

“Friendship is magic,” Starlight completed. She sighed and shook her head, then looked Twilight in the eye. Twilight noticed a faint glimmer of light she hadn’t seen before. “A bizarre proposition, Sparkle, if there ever was one. Though... I suppose there may be some merit to it. If my own confidence could be redirected into my desire to be close with my sisters, then—"

Starlight recoiled and staggered away from Twilight, howling in pain and clutching her head. 

“Starlight?!” Twilight exclaimed as she clamored forward. “Starlight, what’s the matter?!”

“Aggh! My... head!” Starlight screamed. “My head... it hurts!”

“Oh dear...” Twilight bit her hoof, not sure if her attempting to use Restomancy might make things worse because of possible feedback. Something was seriously wrong if Starlight was using less eloquent vocabulary all of a sudden.

Starlight crumbled to the ice, her body spasming as though being shocked with electricity. Then, her horn fired a blast of white magic straight ahead, missing Twilight’s face by inches and impacting with the wall behind her. Twilight glanced back to see that the blast had not blasted the wall apart, but had turned the entire expanse of wall within several dozen yards of the impact point into a mass of charred ash. The wall crumbled apart like wet sand.

Twilight glanced back at Starlight, who had curled up on herself atop the ice, her body twitching as her horn fired off more and more light. Each blast of magic struck whatever was in its way and did things that Twilight knew were amongst the highest levels of magical talent, many of which she had never even witnessed before and could not properly describe because of how implausible they were. This was beyond age spells and turning apples into oranges; Starlight was twisting the fabric of reality around some of these impact points. 

After a moment, Starlight’s spasms gave out, and she slumped against the ice, exhausted. She staggered upright, clearly woozy, and wobbled away from Twilight.

“Starlight... are you okay?”

Starlight shook her head, and when she opened her eyes, they were bloodshot. Tears had clearly been running down her face. “I... must depart. Return... to your friend...” she mumbled. “If... she still lives...”

Twilight reached out to stop Starlight. “Wait!”

Starlight vanished.

Twilight slumped back on the ice behind her, deeply troubled at the developments and needing a moment to rest. If Starlight had been here with intent to kill, were her sisters out there doing the same? Twilight’s eyes widened; Starlight had specifically said that Insipid was nearby, and that meant-

“Rarity...”

Twilight flared her horn, and vanished from the cavern.

***

Twilight wasn’t quite sure if her teleport had been accurate at first, as while she’d certainly been to this location before, there weren’t any landmarks by which to judge her location. Nothing but a great expanse of white powder awaited her in all directions. She squinted to gaze out into the distance, hoping to catch some glimpse of her friends. The snowstorm she’d disappeared in was completely gone, giving her free range to look out into the snow to try and find her friends. Soon, she sighted the familiar purple of Rarity’s cape and mane off in the distance, and galloped towards her at a speed that would have even impressed Rainbow Dash.

“Rarity!” she called once she was within earshot. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Rarity turned, her face brightening as Twilight approached. She stood from her spot in the snow and brushed off her cap to give her fellow unicorn a warm greeting and hug. “Twilight, darling! You are okay! I worried that Starlight wasn’t entirely forthcoming.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Starlight was here? When?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, she came and left a few moments ago, and took Insipid with her. Twilight, you must have done quite a number on that mare, she looked a dreadful mess. What happened?”

“Long story short: magic duel. As for what happened to her, it wasn’t me,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “The entire time we were dueling, I barely even touched her. Apart from a few lucky breaks, I don’t think I would have won if we’d continued on to the end. But then something weird happened, and she started screaming about a pain in her head and firing off spells at random, then she just left. Very peculiar... and a little frightening. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Hmm... Insipid did the same thing sometime near the end of our own encounter, before Starlight came and took her away,” Rarity added. She put her hoof to her chin and hummed, deep in thought. “Heavens... I hope the others are okay.”

“I was thinking the same thing, Rarity. If Starlight and Insipid were here after us, then their sisters must be after our friends as well.” Twilight put her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “They’ll be fine, Rarity... I have faith in them.”

“As do I, darling, as do I... but I still worry. Oh!” she gasped. “That reminds me, I didn’t manage to get Applejack’s hat away from Insipid.”

“Applejack’s hat? Wait... Insipid has it? How... why?”

Rarity shook her head. “I haven’t the foggiest, darling. At least Applejack will be glad to know where it is... I hope.”

Twilight turned to where Rarity had been kneeling before, and her eyes widened when she saw the unconscious figures of both Zircon and Lockwood lying in the snow. “Lockwood! Sir Zircon! Oh dear... w-what happened to them?”

“Insipid happened, dear,” Rarity sighed. “I should say that were it not for matters of convenience, I would be right alongside them... though I would likely no longer be myself.” She shook her head. “But nevermind that, they need help, Twilight. I hope you can help them. Times like these make me wish I was as proficient in the healing arts as you are.”

“Well, if Insipid did this, then I can only hope that my magic can do... something. I don’t know what kind of injuries Insipid’s magic inflicts.” Twilight lit up her horn, then channeled a basic healing spell into the pegasus and zebra beneath her. 

Their bodies glowed white for a brief moment, and when the glow subsided, they stirred awake.

“Oh my aching head...” Lockwood groaned as he reached up to hold the side of his face. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.”

“You certainly took quite a blow to the head, Lockwood,” Rarity said. She patted the pegasus on the shoulder and sighed. “Thank you for stepping in like that, darling. You were hurt because of my own ineptitude—"

“Don’t mention it, Rarity. It was the logical thing to do, stepping in for somepony else’s sake. It hurts less than a crippled wing, I’ll say that much.”

Rarity turned to Zircon, who was silent, his face both pensive and sad as he sat there in the snow like a scolded puppy. “Sir Zircon, are you alright? That was quite a battle, dear.”

Zircon grunted and struggled to rise out of the snow, then shook his head and body to rid his mane and tail of white powder. He did not meet Rarity’s gaze directly, and instead looked off into the southern distance towards their destination. He spoke:

“I thank thee, that thou art concerned,  
though thy worry, I have not earned.  
My Lady, I will be alright,  
but my failure forced thee to fight.  
I only have myself to blame,  
and for that, I feel so much shame.”

Zircon stood tall and firm, and trotted with a subtle limp the short distance to where his sword had landed before yanking it out of the ground with his tail. He swung it about, wreathing himself in black fire and melting a great circle of snow around him, for a solid minute before he sheathed it at his side. When he returned to the others, he still looked quite sullen, and barely looked at Rarity at all.

“You don’t need to feel ashamed, Sir Zircon,” Rarity said, her voice sweet and airy. “I am touched that you stood up for me as you did. It was quite gallant of you, and I appreciate it greatly, even if it did not go quite as you surely thought it would. Please don’t be upset about it...”

Zircon sighed, then nodded.

“‘Tis thy wish that I be at ease,  
then thy wish, I shall now appease.  
My heart swells to see thee unharmed,  
the very heart that thou hast charmed.”

Rarity smiled and shook her head. “Really, darling, you needn’t lay on the charm so thick. As I said, I do appreciate your getting involved, and I do mean outside of the gallantry.” She turned to Twilight. “If I hadn’t been forced to deal with Insipid myself, I might not have learned a few choice tidbits of information that I’m sure Twilight and my other friends would find most... interesting.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Information? What sorts of things did Insipid tell you, Rarity? Starlight let me know a few interesting things as well.”

“Can we talk after we get some rest?” Lockwood interjected. “My head is pounding, and I seriously need an aspirin. I know this is important, whatever it is you need to discuss, and I hate sounding like a squeaky wheel, but—"

“It’s quite alright, darling, no need to apologize.” Rarity sighed. “Twilight, dear, can you do something for him? I don’t feel right leaving him like this until we get to Zeb’ra’den, seeing as it’s my fault he had to get involved at all.”

Twilight shook her head. “Any other magic I have would only be a temporary solution, we’re talking minutes at best. If his headache is this severe, he must have suffered an injury that my earlier spell couldn’t handle. We should get him and Sir Zircon some medical attention.” She turned to Zircon. “Sir Zircon, how much further is it to Zeb’ra’den?”

Zircon turned and pointed his sword south with a swish of his tail.

“Zeb’ra’den is, in fact, quite near,  
only two leagues southeast of here.  
We will arrive by suppertime,  
at my fair city, most sublime.”

“Two leagues... isn’t far, is it?” Lockwood asked. “I honestly have no idea about antiquated units of measure, apart from a few nautical terms. Blame Blackburn.”

“A league is about what one can walk in one hour,” Twilight explained. “So no, it isn’t far. Think you’re up to walking another two hours?”

“Ugh... if it means getting my head on a soft pillow and out of this blasted snow, yes, I’m up to it.”

“Good!” Twilight said with a smile. She turned to Rarity. “We’ll talk when we get there, Rarity, at least until we get a chance to meet the king. I have a feeling things have become very complicated.”

***

Rarity was certain of one thing, and that was that the zebras of this world were just a complicated mess when it came to their social structure. She made this decision as she and her friends followed Sir Zircon through the outer villages surrounding Zeb’ra’den. Here, the homes were nothing more than thatched-roof huts made of clay and wood, with a scant few using actual stone. Cooking fires smoldered outside of nearly every home in the village, lending credence to Zircon’s estimate of arriving by dinnertime. Zebra mares tended to simmering vegetables in pots of stew, and they were all cooking stew.

While this was nothing like she was expecting having seen how the zebras lived in Utopia, the zebras themselves were much like those Rarity had seen in the streets there: unclean and uncouth. None of the common zebras—she could only assume they were common by comparing them to Zircon—paid her the same attention as the soldiers from the embassy, and in fact seemed to look upon her and Twilight, and especially Lockwood, with either disdain or disinterest. 

Zircon, though, attracted a great deal of respect and attention, which she had indeed expected. Some zebras bowed low in his presences, other merely gave respectful nods. Some stallions his age approached him and cheered his name and adding his title, Knight of Black Flame, to it. Younger zebras, both fillies and colts alike, watched him with great, awed interest. Mares, on the other hoof, didn’t so much swoon as made great displays of their figures in an attempt to attract his attention. It was rather embarrassing to look at.

“You certainly are popular around here, Sir Zircon,” Rarity dryly observed, trying not to pay much attention to one zebra mare that clearly wanted to make sure everyzebra in the vicinity knew that she was of excellent breeding stock. “You certainly seem like the zebra everyzebra should know.”

Zircon laughed at the comment and gave Rarity a sidelong glance.

“Fearest not, it is but a show.”

He pointed his blade ahead of them, towards the massive walled structure they were approaching.

“But soft! There it is: Zeb’ra’den!  
We will arrive there soon, and then,  
my king uncle. shalt speak with thee,  
and heareth thine important plea.”

When the structure drew closer, Rarity was left aghast at the sheer size of it. The outer wall that surrounded the city stretched for miles across, far enough that Rarity could just barely see it curve. While not as tall as the wall surrounding New Pandemonium, nor as wide, it was clear to see where that city had perhaps gotten the idea. Like the zebra buildings in Utopia, the wall was constructed of a thick, black obsidian, and the structural supports were coated with a layer of high-quality solid gold. Massive banners depicting the Zeb’ra’den emblem hung over great stretches of wall alongside the giant gateway that led into the city.

One thing came to Rarity’s mind, a confusing conundrum that she was certain plagued Twilight as well. For as long as they’d been on their journey, there had been one clear fact that Tick Tock insisted on, and that even Gilderoy and Queen Blackburn agreed with: Utopia was supposedly the southern counterpart to Pandemonium, both the original and the newer, more modern version. Nihila made her home somewhere in Pandemonium, while Harmonia made hers in Utopia. It was simple and logical. Or at least, Rarity thought it was.

But, strangely, the Beacon was not in Utopia, but in Zeb’ra’den, a city that from the outside at least so far appeared to be comparable to Pandemonium in almost every way. The Beacon, incidentally, jutted out from what could only be the center of the city, and from here it was abundantly clear that Pandora Tower’s massive size was not some sort of exaggeration. This Beacon, though, did not generate a great beam of energy into the air that changed its color and composition. At least, not one Rarity could see.

The quartet made their way to the city gates, and were let in without a single ounce of trouble, only a nonverbal greeting from Zircon to the trio of big, burly guards standing in their way. The inside of the city was just as incredible as the outside, with great buildings constructed of the same obsidian and gold. They weren’t tall by any mean, but they all appeared to be either homes or businesses that could hold anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred easily. Zircon gestured to several as they trotted past, explaining what they were and what they sold.

Rarity found it difficult to pay attention to Zircon’s tour, finding it more interesting to compare and contrast two different facets of zebras society. The zebras inside the city were cut of a completely different cloth from the ones outside. If getting inside the city required getting past heavily-armed and armored guards, she could only guess that these were the zebra elite. The upper class, Rarity noticed, were well-mannered, well-educated, well-groomed, and well-spoken. They paid her the same attention that the soldiers back at the embassy did, with many of them dropping whatever they were doing to stare in awe. Rarity also noticed that Zircon purposefully slowed his pace to trot alongside her at this point. Was he getting protective? Jealous? Rarity wasn’t sure which, but admired the idea.

Rarity observed one thing in particular about their speaking habits that perplexed her, though: the meter that they spoke in. Rarity never considered herself an expert on poetry, though she had read her fair share of poems, both professional and ametuer, the latter of which often given to her by admirers. Ambassador Zamindari had spoken in iambic pentameter, while Sir Zircon spoke in iambic tetrameter. Some zebras hereabouts spoke like they did, but others spoke in other forms. They all still rhymed, though, and she noticed that in day-to-day conversation, the zebras seemed to improvise and created the verses in tandem.

A pair of zebras haggling over an elaborate cape spoke loudly enough to provide a good example:

“How much doth this cape cost?”  
“In bits, fifteen.”  
“‘Tis a fine cape.”  
“Aye, ‘tis fit for a queen.”

Rarity nodded to nopony in particular in agreement, even though she wasn’t involved in the conversation. The cape was certainly gorgeous; not as beautiful as her own, to be sure, but then again what was? “Sir Zircon, do all of the zebra upper class truly speak this way? In meter, I mean?” she asked, determined to strike up a conversation with him again.

Zircon laughed and gave Rarity what she knew by now was his most winning smile.

“Aye, ‘tis true, in meter we speak;  
which one dependeth on one’s clique.  
Tetrameter, speaketh a Knight;  
for others, one must earn the right.”

“Your social rank determines the type of meter you speak in?” Twilight asked. “So does that mean that Zamindari is a higher rank than you, even though you’re the nephew of the king?” Zircon merely nodded, leaving Twilight to shake her head. “This is all so complicated. How do you even keep track of it all? How many different ranks are there?”

Rarity gasped and pointed up ahead. “Forget all that, darling, look! Oh my, is that the royal palace? It’s... marvelous.”

The building they were approaching was, like Pandora Tower, built around the Beacon, though the palace did not cover much of it except the base. Like the other buildings around the city, it was built primarily of black obsidian and solid gold. The palace wasn’t uniform or symmetrical at all, as other materials, such as silver, iron, bronze, and various gemstones, were spread across different parts of the structure in entirely different ways to form oddly-shaped symbols and patterns. Rarity recognized the symbol on the northeast face of the lowest floor of the palace; it was the same hammer and flame that was on Zircon’s sword, constructed of brilliant silver and the most gorgeous fire rubies Rarity had ever seen. 

“What do all those symbols represent?” Twilight asked.

Zircon stopped and drew his sword, then placed his hoof upon the symbol of Wylundr, his face alight with pride.

“The palace is a holy place,  
and ev’ry emblem that doth grace,  
each and ev’ry hallway and wall,  
represents the gods that we call.”

“So this is where your citizens go to worship your gods?” Twilight hummed and nodded, her mouth curling in a smile that Rarity knew meant she was looking forward to studying. “A central place of worship, just like the cities of ancient Roam. This is fascinating stuff. Do you have any literature on your culture’s history and religion? I’d love to make some comparisons—"

The quartet approached the great silver gate that led into the palace grounds, and as before, Zircon simply nodded to the guards and they let him and his entourage through without incident. Rarity wondered just how much influence he had as the king’s nephew, since he was treated with a great deal of respect and courtesy not just from guards and other nobles, but the common rabble outside the city walls proper.

The zebras within the palace grounds, Rarity noticed, were of an even different cloth than those outside its gated wall. There were the requisite soldiers, of course, but most of these soldiers were dressed in more elaborate leathers and furs than those at the embassy and carried greater, heavier weapons; one in particular drew Rarity’s attention, a battle axe with a blade as large as the zebra who carried it. She wondered if perhaps this was some sort of compensation, or if it was social posturing; either way, it was getting ridiculous. 

Many other zebras wore robes of cloth or silk decorated in various colors that perfectly matched the symbols spread across the palace walls. These zebras were less physically robust and carried no weapons of any sort, but instead carried thick tomes wrapped in silk. Rarity assumed they were perhaps clerics or scholars, given the palace’s significance as a place of worship. While the soldiers pointed and stared at her, these robed zebras bowed their heads in her presence; the ones in the white robes with golden hoods in particular actually bowed all the way to the ground, their eyes wide and jaws agape.

“Those white-robed zebras, are they clerics of Harmonia?” Rarity asked, putting the pieces together. Zircon’s mention of Harmonia’s imagined white coat and golden mane seemed a dead giveaway.

Zircon nodded, and it was here that Rarity noticed he gotten closer to her again and was walking in step with her. He said:

“Aye, they serve Harmonia fair,  
and offer her a daily prayer.  
And, since thou art her avatar,  
they treat thee as one would a star.”

Rarity laughed, and waved to the zebras bowing to her, though she felt a little guilty about all the attention now. Insipid had reminded her of things that put her attitude into perspective, so being doted upon by so many zebras was getting awkward, fast. She was hardly as perfect as these zebras thought she was. She refused to mind Zircon paying her the same attention, however; the stallion had, because of his fascination with her, probably saved her life.

“It’s strange that the zebras that worship Harmonia don’t dress quite the same as the knight of the Harmony Guard, or for that matter don’t make their home in Utopia,” Twilight observed. “You’d think they’d be more involved with her Warden, what with serving the same goddess and all.”

Zircon grunted and shook his head, and was not doing a very good job at hiding his displeasure with the inquiry. If Rarity didn’t know better, she’d say Zircon was actually offended by the comment.

“Our clerics only follow her;  
they do not think that that good sir,  
truly is amongst her devout.  
His connection is what they doubt.  
The last Warden we believed real:  
Silvertongue, who served her ideal.”

“Again with Silvertongue’s name,” Twilight huffed. “Doesn’t anypony—or anyzebra—know what he—"

“Twilight, dear, it might be best to drop that line of thought,” Rarity suggested. She turned back to Zircon. “We’ve seen for ourselves that Harmonia’s Warden is true, Sir Zircon,” she said. “She spoke to us through him and knew things only we would know. I don’t mean to question you or your beliefs about the Wardens, of course, but I think that perhaps there is some degree of miscommunication between the two parties here.”

Zircon shrugged, but said nothing, and led them on ahead to the palace doors. Rarity found herself oddly worried that she’d upset him.

Once inside, Rarity was awestruck by the splendor of the palace interior. Sparkling gems of all varieties of colors coated the ceiling, with different colors leading different directions. The golds and silvers that lined the walls were spotless and of the highest quality, and the obsidian was cut smoother than silk. Guards were positioned in specific places and did not patrol about as they did outside, but the halls were crowded with more of the robed zebras in even more varied colors in all sorts of combinations. A few of the colors meshed very well, while others clashed horribly; Rarity wasn’t sure whose idea it was to blend pink and brown, but felt they should be dragged out into the street and lectured on the niceties of color and form.

Rarity noticed that even amongst the similarly-colored clerics, some wore more resplendent robes. If there was one thing Rarity knew, it was fashion, and her fashion sense told her that the more elaborate robes were given to higher-ranked members of the clergy. The lowest-ranks clerics, as far as she could tell, wore very plain-looking robes of one or two colors that matched the colors of the halls they walked through. Higher ranks had rows of stripes along the sleeves starting with the cuffs; more stripes, higher rank, Rarity guessed. A few clerics here and there had other symbols on their robes, typically near the flank or chest, though Rarity was unsure what they meant.

The quartet headed straight for the large stairway in the center of the central chamber after passing through the entrance hall. A trio of guards standing at the foot of the stairs barred their way, though they bowed to Rarity and greeted Zircon with a hoof-to-chest gesture before they did so. For once, Zircon actually made to speak to them instead of wordlessly gesturing for them to let him pass, trotting forward and giving them the same hoof-to-chest gesture. 

The forefront zebra, a large stallion wearing a single-horned helmet with the emblem of a red shield upon it, approached Zircon. His beard was so large that it reached nearly to the floor, even though it was braided to shorten the length. Rarity was astounded at how preposterous the zebras’ weapons were getting the further along into the palace they got, and this zebra in particular had a pair of swords as large as Zircon’s strapped to his sides.

He spoke first, his voice deep and gruff, and perhaps slightly slurred, and Zircon replied with his usual debonair civility:

“Hail, Sir Zircon, how fairest thee?”  
“As well, Sir Zain, as I can be.  
With mine uncle, I have business.”  
“Ah? Is that so? I must confess,  
thine uncle is... occupied.”   
“Oh?  
What business be this?”  
“...seeds to sow.”

Zircon paused, then laughed and nodded before patting the other zebra on the shoulder, who joined in the laughter, followed by the other two guards to his side. Rarity tried to keep anypony or anyzebra from seeing how red her face was. She knew full well what was going on, and she could tell Lockwood could as well by the coy smirk on his face. Twilight, on the other hoof, just looked confused as to why everyzebra was laughing.

Zircon turned to his pony guests, a bright smile on his face.

“Feareth not, my guests, ‘twill be soon,  
that thou shalt hast mine uncle’s boon.  
First, he hath a task most pleasant,  
hence, why he cannot be present.  
Let us go for now; follow me!  
A palace tour, I will give thee.”

“If it’s quite alright, Sir Zircon, I think we should get some rest,” Twilight suggested. She gestured to Lockwood, who had remained silent the entire trip and was still keeping his good wing pressed against his temple. “Lockwood still needs some relief for his headache, and I’m sure you’d like to get some treatment as well. You were rather badly injured, remember?”

Zircon chuckled and dismissed Twilight’s concern with a wave of his hoof.

“Lady Sparkle, ‘tis but a scratch.  
I earned it fairly in that match.  
Fearest not, I am in no pain.  
Honestly, I cannot complain.”

Rarity pouted and put her hoof on Zircon’s shoulder. “Sir Zircon, really, that injury is hardly something to scoff at. You’ve been fighting a limp the entire way here, and while I commend you for trying to hide your injury from me, you needn’t try so hard. We’re getting Lockwood treated, you should be treated as well. I won’t think any less of you, darling.”

Zircon paused, then dropped on one knee and took Rarity’s hoof in his. He kissed it, then spoke:

“Thou art truly a work of art ,  
that thou wouldst give such grace and heart.  
Forgiveth me, dear Rarity,  
For ignoring its severity.  
If healing it is thy desire,  
then healing I shall soon acquire.”

Twilight huffed. “Well at least he listens to you.”

“It’s just a matter of saying the right thing the right way, darling,” Rarity said with a wink. “You’ll learn how to do it yourself someday, dear.”

Zircon stood and led the three ponies away from the main stairway, then down a hall that was decorated with the same silvers and rubies as the wall outside this section of the palace. The clerics here all wore silver robes with red hoods, and while they simply nodded respectfully to Rarity, they bowed slightly to Zircon as he passed; Rarity noted that none of the other clerics paid him quite the same attention. Zircon delivered friendly nods to them each in turn, and even greeted a few of those of higher rank by name and title. Rarity noted that apparently, the clerics did not use Sir as a title, but Sage.

Zircon led his entourage down the hall and through a ruby-encrusted archway into a great chamber roughly halfway down. The chamber was darker than the halls outside, with the only lights being the rows of small torches along the walls, but Rarity could still make out the silvers and rubies that decorated the walls and high ceiling. Long benches sat on either side of the pathway leading up to an altar at the far end of the room, and while most of the benches were empty, some seats were taken by zebras bowed in prayer. The altar itself was raised up and had a large silver statue of a zebra that bore an uncanny resemblance to Zircon, holding up a great flaming hammer in his tail.

Zircon gestured towards the statue with a tilt of his head, and spoke:

“That is Wylunder’s image there,  
made of metals and gems most rare.  
Our great god of metal and ore,  
crafter of mighty arms of war.”

Zircon trotted up to the altar and was approached by another robed zebra, this one wearing silver robes decorated with actual rubies rather than ruby-colored silk. She spoke in a hushed whisper with Zircon, who paid her the same courtesy. Rarity noticed the occasional glance in her direction by both the mare and Zircon, and became more curious about what they were talking about each time they did so. At one point, the mare chuckled and patted Zircon on the shoulder.

She then approached the trio of ponies, Zircon at her side. He gestured to her and introduced her:

“This is Archsage Zealot, my friend;  
to thee, I asked her to attend.”

Zealot nodded and pulled back her hood to show her face. She was aged, but had aged very well, with nary a wrinkle in sight. Only her silver mane and tail belied her age, and were she a pony she might have passed for a mare less than half that. Zebras, on the other hoof, did not have such lavish colors in their own manes or coats.

“Greetings, pony friends, I welcome thee to our shrine.  
Here we worship Wylundr, one of the divine.  
I am told by Zircon that thou hast need of aid,  
so comest with me, and his debt shalt be repaid.”

***

Twilight was anxious, and impatient in waiting for Zircon to return from the throne room. Zircon had said that it wouldn’t be long until they’d be able to see his uncle, the king, but it had been over an hour already with no word from him. Sure, the inner chambers of Wylundr’s shrine were pleasant enough, and she and her friends were being treated well, but she’d rather get around to completing their task already. Her friends were depending on her, Rarity, and Lockwood to speak with the zebra king and acquire access to the Beacon, and worse, she had no clue how her friends were faring and desperately wanted to check on them. All this waiting around wasn’t doing anypony any favors.

Lockwood had luckily been taken care of and was no longer complaining about his headache. Twilight was fascinated by the magicks the zebras used, so much unlike unicorn magic that even the gryphons emulated. Their reliance on runes was an odd one, but they not only got by, they excelled to lengths that Twilight never thought possible. She’d never been fond of runic magicks, not when she was more than capable of using amongst the most difficult spells with her own magicks. 

A cleric had come into the room earlier and used some enchanted blue paint to trace a few runes on Lockwood’s face and other parts of his body he claimed were sore, and he was instantly soothed. Unfortunately, the paint didn’t seem to work on his infected eye and wing, which the zebra cleric had been unwilling to touch.

“I don’t look like a complete idiot, do I?” Lockwood asked, pressing his hoof to the paint marking on his coat. “Blue isn’t really my color.”

“I’m reminded of depictions of ancient earth pony warriors,” Twilight said. “They tattooed marks into their coats to signify clan allegiance before they were all united under one banner, long before the three pony races came into conflict.”

“They certainly have an interesting look to them,” Rarity remarked, her hoof on her chin in thought. “You say they remind you of earth pony warriors, Twilight? Well then, if anything, they’ll certainly add to the image of a great warrior we’ve been crafting for him.”

“Are we still trying to do that?” he asked with a sigh. “I still don’t see how we’re going to convince these zebras, who, I remind you, are hardened warriors, that I’m anything less than a scraggly pegasus with a penchant for putting my face in harm’s way.”

“I’m just glad to see you’re feeling better, dear,” Rarity said as she patted Lockwood’s shoulder. “I’m tremendously thankful that you tried to help me. Was that another one of those ‘boneheaded’ moves, hmm?”

Lockwood chuckled. “Considering how much of a wimp I am, I suppose it’s kind of odd that I keep getting into this habit of leaping into harm’s way to defend my friends. I suppose I learned a thing or two from Flathoof after all.”

“It’s an admirable quality to have, darling.” Rarity frowned. “Though... I do admit that that quality probably had a lot to do with Fluttershy’s attraction to you. I still have mixed feelings on how all that worked out. On one hoof, you did save her life, darling, and I thank you tremendously for that. On the other... well, she’s the way she is now because you saved her life and fell for you.”

Lockwood sighed. “Yes... I realized as much. Heh, if I’d known saving a mare’s life would get her to fall in love with me... well, my school years might have been more interesting.”

“Oh... don’t worry, darling, I promise I’m not going to fall head-over-hooves for you all of a sudden.” Rarity paused, then cleared her throat. “Did.. you ever do anything like that for Blackburn?”

“Goodness no!” Lockwood laughed. “Look at me, and then look at her, and you tell me when you think at any point she’d ever need me to play white knight for her. Quite the opposite, actually! I could tell you stories of times where she’s been pretty insistent about defending me and the like.”

Rarity chuckled. “No, I suppose you’re right. I suppose I’m just trying to think of what exactly it was that drove Her Highness to fall for you... not that I’m saying you don’t have any good qualities!”

“It’s okay, I know what you meant.” Lockwood let out a breath. “Okay, the thing is, Blackburn isn’t really into the whole ‘social norms’ thing. From what you girls have told me about your world, you’ve got a bit of a surplus of mares. Well, here, we’re the opposite: we’ve got a surplus of stallions. At least in Pandemonium, anyway. Seventy percent of the population is male.”

“Yes, we noticed darling,” Rarity said.

“Seventy percent, huh?” Twilight interjected. “If Pandemonium’s as populated as it is big, that’s more stallions than we have ponies of either gender in all of our own Equestria.”

Lockwood nodded. “Yes, well, because of that, society up north has pretty much become male-dominated. You’d be hard-pressed to find a mare in any kind of position of power, unless they were really, really talented. Blackburn doesn’t agree with the idea at all, what with herself being in the ultimate position of power within her society. I guess you could say I’m the mare of the relationship, what with being a gossipy hen and all.”

“I don’t follow.”

Lockwood scratched his chin. “Well, how do I explain this? She doesn’t dote on me or anything like that, she knows I hate it. She’s very protective of me. She takes charge in pretty much everything we do, from business to the bedroom—"

Rarity coughed. “And I think we don’t need to go any further,” she said. 

“Oh. Right. Well, I mean, I normally hate being doted on. If I may keep a long story short, my mother was very... loving. Unnecessarily and unnaturally so. I wasn’t overly fond of my mom because of this, and ever since, it’s sort of rubbed me the wrong way if somepony tries to baby me.”

“I... hope you’re not implying what I think you are, dear,” Rarity said in revulsion.

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Oh! Oh heavens, uh... no, nothing like that. Though... I don’t think you’re far off. But right, we were talking about Blackburn.” He let out a wistful sigh. “She was nothing like that at all. She wanted everypony in the vicinity to know that I was her stallion. It’s kind of... weird, actually. I don’t want to be treated like a child in need of help, like I can’t fend for myself, but... well, I like being dominated.”

“Dominated?” Twilight asked.

“Dominated,” he replied with a smile.

Twilight turned to Rarity. “Uh... dominated?”

Rarity flustered. “Too much information, darling! Ahem. I wonder what’s taking Sir Zircon so long.”

“I hope we won’t have to be waiting much longer,” Twilight agreed. “What could his uncle possibly be thinking, tending to fields at a time like this? It’s the middle of winter outside... somehow. That doesn’t even make sense, unless this Equestria doesn’t have a skewed axis.” She shook her head. “Still, it’s snowing, and he’s out plowing fields.”

“Tending to fields, darling?” Rarity asked, eyebrow raised.

“Oh, I’m sure he was plowing fields alright,” Lockwood laughed. He put up his hooves in defense when Rarity shot him a look. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s what the other guard said, right? That he was sowing seeds? Tilling fields involves sowing seeds.”

“I don’t- oh.” Rarity chuckled and put her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Oh darling, considering the context, I’m fairly certain that tilling fields was not what His Majesty was doing. You don’t get the joke they made, that’s perfectly okay. You should keep that innocence, dear.”

“Well then if he’s not tilling fields, what is he doing that could possibly take over an hour to do and involves seeds?”

Lockwood snickered. “Well, that all depends on the mare and the mood he’s in. I know sometimes when Blackburn gets particularly riled up we—"

“The mare? What? What does that have to do with tilling fields? Unless... the mare is helping him?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a given.”

Rarity elbowed Lockwood. “Lockwood, darling, please.”

“Sorry.”

“How best to put this?” Rarity asked herself as she tapped her chin “He’s... sowing his wild oats. No, that’s just another plant metaphor, and we’ve had enough problems with those as it is. He’s... going for a roll in the hay. Surely you’ve heard Applejack say that phrase before?”

“Uh... okay?”

“No? You... still don’t- oh what does it matter? We just need to be patient, dear.”

Twilight sighed. “I suppose I’m just getting fed up with being told to wait. Up north, everything happened so fast... or at least it felt that way, since everything that happened was so explosive and dangerous. The only thing we had to sit and wait for was Lockwood’s recovery, but that’s a practical thing. I’m not used to having to wait like this.”

“I hope he’ll be back soon too, darling,” Rarity said. “I’m as eager to continue on with our mission as you are.”

“I’m sure he’s eager to get back here as soon as possible too,” Lockwood said with a smile in Rarity’s direction. “Very eager, if you catch my drift.”

“I’m afraid I don’t, dear.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I’ve seen a lot of things, Rarity, but I’ve never seen a stallion fall over a mare quite like he is for you. Kissing hooves, unequaled devotion, compliments all over the place that would make me blush? That stallion is smitten.”

Rarity chuckled into her hoof. “Oh, darling, I’m certain his attitude has nothing to do with amorous feelings. All of the zebras of his social status treat me like I’m some sort of physical manifestation of a goddess. You saw Zamindari kiss my hoof too, did you not? It’s just polite. Besides, for a pony that can’t tell when somepony is head-over-hooves for them, you sure seem certain that somepony- er, somezebra is feeling the same for me.”

Lockwood waved his hoof. “I said I’ve always been blind to it when it came to myself, not to other ponies. It may have taken me months to notice that Blackburn was coming onto me, but heck if I can’t see how he acts around you. He does more than the other zebras, surely you notice that?”

“Fair enough. But really, darling, I think you’re over analyzing this.” Rarity glanced to the side and muttered: “Not that I wouldn’t mind, of course. He’s quite a debonair individual, and rather handsome as well. If I knew any stallions back home that were quite like him, I should say I’d have less lonely evenings.”

A knock came at the door, alerting the ponies. Zircon called from the other side:

“Sir and Ladies, I have returned,  
‘tis time for the chat thou hast earned.  
My king uncle awaiteth thee,  
let us go deliver thy plea.”

Twilight made to answer the door, but Rarity was the first to get up and was already across the room by the time Twilight had gotten to her hooves.

“Ah, there you are darling,” Rarity cooed as she opened the door. “We’re ready to go whenever you are.”

“I’m looking forward to this discussion,” Twilight said. “Meeting with Queen Blackburn was one thing, but negotiating a deal with foreign royalty is something entirely different. Oh... I hope we’ll be able to do this...”

“Not to worry, darling,” Rarity said. “You’ve got the best diplomats one could ever hope to have. We’ll have His Majesty’s approval in no time at all.”

***

The throne room in Zeb’ra’den’s royal palace made a mockery of any room that attempted to look more appropriately regal. “Appropriately”, Rarity noted, was an important term to consider here, and she did have to consider the zebras’ warrior-cleric influences in their décor. The walls were decorated with stunningly well-crafted weapons that Rarity felt were an unfortunately poor use of such precious materials: swords crafted with jewel-encrusted hilts, axes with silvery blades, a great lance with a spearhead made of a perfectly-crafted emerald, and so on. Under each one was the name of a former king, obviously the one who carried that particular weapon into battle. There were an awful lot of Zaratites, some Zincanes, and even a Zeolitic.

The rest of the walls were decorated with either the Zeb’ra’den emblem, or with another emblem that Rarity did not know the significance of, though she did recognize the manner in which it was drawn. The style was distinctly similar to Wylundr’s emblem and those of the other gods and goddesses she’d seen, drawn in the shape of an arrow with a flowery vine twisted around it. All the guards and clerics in the room wore armor and robes respectively that were colored the same brown with emerald green accents as the symbol. Guards stood in formation on the left of the aisle leading up to the throne, while clerics stood on the right.

The guard nearest the throne was the biggest zebra in the room bar none, and had a beard to match, styled in such a way that it had to twist around his shoulder to avoid dragging along the floor. He was missing an eye, and in its place was an emerald cut to fit into the socket. His armor was thicker than the other guards’, and his massive hammer easily dwarfed every other weapon in the room, barring a few on the walls.

The cleric nearest the throne was a much more average specimen, no taller than the majority of the zebras in the room. His robes were decorated with emeralds—very rare magical gems indeed—and his hood had been replaced by a tall, straight hat decorated with vines made of silk. Beside him was a chair with a trio of thick books upon it, each of them larger than any book Rarity had ever seen; from how Twilight was glancing at them, they were big enough to be quite distracting for her bibliophile friend.

The king himself sat on a throne decorated with furs and antlers and a gold-studded longbow; thankfully, Rarity thought, the king’s weapon was not outrageously large, and actually seemed quite practical. He was slouched just to the side with his chin upon his hoof, looking positively content though somewhat tired. Rarity recognized the family resemblance quickly. His Majesty was a strongly-built zebra that filled out his robed armor fairly well. He, like his nephew, was clean-shaven. His mane and tail were styled neatly but kept long, easily as long as Fluttershy’s, who was the pony with the longest mane and tail she knew outside of Princess Celestia. He maintained a stiff look at the three ponies approaching his throne behind his nephew, and Rarity was quite certain he was looking straight at her much more than her two fellow ponies. For once, the attention she seemed to attract from the zebras made her feel nervous.

Zircon gestured for the ponies behind him to stop, and they each bowed as he’d instructed them en route. He stepped forward and bowed as well, then drew his sword and rested it point-down beside the thick ermine rug beneath him on hard, stone floor. He did not, however, speak a word.

The guard to the king’s right drew his hammer with his tail and pounded its head, which was as large as he was, on the ground once, twice, three times, sending an great echo throughout the chamber. He spoke:

“All be silent! On this fine day, we have much to discuss!  
I, Warlord Ziggurat, shall now present our business thus:  
Presenting to this court, Sir Zircon, the Knight of Black Flame,  
may Wylundr, his chosen deity, blesseth his name.  
Presenting Sir Lockwood, Ladies Sparkle and Rarity,  
and may they, as ponies, meet our King with sincerity.”

The great zebra Ziggurat pounded his hammer three more times, the replaced it upon his back.

The robed zebra to the king’s left stepped forward and spoke next:

“All rise, that I may deliver a prayer to our goddess Dryklur.”

Zircon rose from his bow and gestured for the ponies to do the same. The guards in the room stood at attention, resting their weapons as Zircon had done, while the clerics placed one hoof over their hearts and began to hum in sync with one another, a tune that made Rarity feel as though she’d been filled with energy.

The high cleric continued:

“May the great Huntress, whose plentiful gifts to us are good and pure,  
grant blessings upon our fair Queen Zinkenite, our great King’s third wife,  
by granting to her empty womb the greatest treasure, that of life.”

The high cleric concluded the prayer with a series of grand, flowing gestures, throwing a strange, sparkling green powder into the air. The powder spread throughout the air and glimmered for a moment before melting away into nothingness. Rarity caught a whiff of it before it did, and noted the pleasant scent of vanilla and lavender with just a hint of something... else. As Rarity watched his display, she glanced to her side at Zircon; something about him all of a sudden made her feel happy just to be near him, and she couldn’t explain why. She saw him glance her direction, and when he caught glimpse of her doing the same, he very nearly lost his grip on his sword.

Once the high cleric was finished, everyzebra and the three ponies stood at ease.

Twilight subtly leaned over to Rarity and whispered: “Hold on now, that cleric said something that made me realize why were were delayed. The king was mating with his new wife, is that it? Seriously?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes, darling, that is exactly it. Hence, ‘seeds to sow’, and the other assorted metaphors I tried to use to explain it to you. As in, he was sowing his—"

“Okay okay, geez,” Twilight said, making a face. “I don’t know if we should be honored, or disgusted, both that we had to wait, and that we got to hear that... that prayer. I did not need to know what the king was really doing... ugh.”

Zircon stepped forward and addressed his uncle:

“My liege, I now present to thee,  
my honored guests, these ponies three:  
brave Sir Lockwood, bold for his size;  
Lady Sparkle, the strong and wise;  
and last, not least, this lovely mare,  
my Lady Rarity, the fair.”

Rarity giggled. “Oh my, Sir Zircon, you’re too kind.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely overanalyzing things,” Lockwood muttered as he rolled his eyes.

The king remained silent for a long moment, casting his gaze between the three ponies slowly. He did not move in his throne other than the occasional twitch of his nose. Rarity noticed him still cast occasional glances her way, but now he more often shifted those same glances back to Zircon. Finally, after several minutes, he shifted his position and sat upright.

“Zircon, my nephew, it is good to see thee well.  
After this talk, I hope that thou wouldst stay a spell.  
‘Tis been so long since I have seen thee last, indeed,  
and we have much to discuss. So, are we agreed?”

Zircon put his hoof over his heart and nodded.

“We are, mine uncle, I shall stay;  
but first, these three have much to say.”

The king nodded, then gestured with his hoof for Zircon to move aside and let the trio of ponies move forward. 

Rarity, feeling confident in her diplomatic ability and hoping her apparent status as Harmonia’s avatar would give her some pull, bowed low and spoke first. “Greetings, Your Majesty, and thank you for meeting with us.”

The king leaned forward in his throne and nodded, a small grin spreading across his face. Rarity took notice, and suddenly felt even more nervous than before. His grin wasn’t creepy or frightening, no, but strangely warm and friendly, and directed precisely at her, not her two companions.

“Thou art Lady Rarity, with thy coat so white.  
I am Aylur’s Soul, and I am King Zaratite.  
Well met, my fair maiden, and welcome to my court.  
I see my nephew hast fine taste in his consort.”

Rarity turned red. “I... I b-beg your pardon? Look here, I am most certainly not—"

“Rarity,” Twilight interrupted.

Rarity wheeled around to face Twilight, and dropped her voice to a whisper. “What? He is insinuating that Zircon and I are intimately involved, which I remind you we are not.”

“Not yet,” Lockwood added.

“Yes, precisely, not yet,” Rarity agreed. She stopped and glared at Lockwood, who’d just put on his best look of innocence.

“Look, maybe just let me do the negotiating?” Twilight interjected. She turned to the king. “Forgive my associate, Your Majesty, but we’ve been through a lot recently and we’re a little on edge. She didn’t mean to sound so abrupt. I don’t want to assume you already know why we’re here, so I’ll cut straight to the point: we’ve been sent by Mémoire, Harmonia’s Warden—"

The king snorted and held up his hoof, his expression hardening into a scowl. Many of the other zebras in the room, the clerics in particular, gave Twillight the same dirty looks. When King Zaratite spoke again, his voice was bitter.

“Harmonia’s Warden is no concern of mine.  
He readeth, and nothing more, from within her shrine.  
A mockery he maketh of all our devout,  
For he knoweth not what service is all about.”

Zircon stepped forward and spoke:

“Uncle, they do not serve—"  
“Yet they still use his name.  
He is never mentioned here, so I do declaim.”

Twilight shook her head. “Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to offend you or anyzebra. We weren’t under the impression that you and the Warden weren’t on friendly terms. Your ambassador sent us here right away when he saw the Warden’s letter. It was incredibly urgent that we speak with you.”

The king turned to Twilight again, and the scowl he’d been wearing softened slightly.

“Lady Sparkle, if thou hast urgent news to say,  
then speakest now, tarry not; we have not all day.”

“R-right.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, we spoke to Harmonia herself through... you-know-who, and we believe that the vision was real. She spoke of things only we would know, and gave us a task so that we can return home. You see, we’re not of this world. We’re from a different Equestria, and we’ve learned that being here may very well destroy both our world and yours in time.

“So, my friends and I are doing what we can to help Harmonia with the task of sending us home, because her powers have weakened and she can’t do so by herself any longer. Rarity, Lockwood, and I have been sent here to you because we need a power source that Harmonia can draw from. We need access to the Beacon.”

Many of the zebras around the room gasped, but they were silenced when the guard to King Zaratite’s right pounded his hammer upon the ground.

The king leaned back in his throne, his face pensive, and stayed silent for a long while. He gestured to the robed zebra beside him and said:

“Archsage Zucchetto, wouldst thou verify their tale?  
If ‘tis true, I wish to know what that might entail.”

Zucchetto bowed, then turned to the chair beside him and collected one of the heavy books, this one bearing a bright silver emblem on the front cover shaped like a halo atop a spear. He flipped it open to a page far in the back, then approached Twilight and stood in front of her. He nodded once, then placed a hoof upon the page, where Rarity noticed several dozen runes drawn in blue ink upon the paper.

“By the great Harmonia, I call upon the powers of light:  
telleth me what I wish to know, and if their tale be true and right!”

The runes upon the paper glowed a bright white, then the page they were written upon, until soon the entire book was shining. A burst of light shimmered out and pooled over Twilight’s head; she sputtered for a second as though she’d tasted something awful before regaining her composure. Zucchetto’s eyes glowed with the same white light, and he nodded periodically as the spell went about its course. A moment passed, and the light disappeared. 

Zucchetto slammed the book shut, nodded at Twilight, then turned back to the king.

“My liege, their story be as true as any rune upon this page.  
I swear it by Harmonia, and by my title of Archsage.”

The king nodded and waved his hoof through the air.

“‘Tis fair enough for me, if thou sayest it be true.  
The Beacon is what they seek, that I do construe.”

Now, he addressed Twilight directly:

“That thou hast sought me out is a sign of great ill.  
I shall grant thee passage; ‘tis Harmonia’s will.  
First, there are some things from thee that I wish to know:  
how hath Zircon become injured out in the snow?”

Rarity stepped forward before either Zircon or Twilight could speak. “That is my fault, Your Majesty,” she declared. “As no doubt your archsage could see, we’ve made some enemies in our time in your world, and they pursued us all the way from the north. One of them assailed me, and brave Sir Zircon came to my defense. He became injured during the fight, and Sir Lockwood and I had to step in and—"

King Zaratite nearly leapt off his throne and stared at Zircon, eyes wide and mouth agape. Zircon sighed and nodded. Zaratite asked, and ZIrcon replied:

“What?! Surely thou art not serious?”  
“Aye, ‘tis true.”  
“Rescued, by this pegasus, whose body is weak?  
Zircon, how can this be?”  
“I have no words to speak.”  
“Nephew, ‘tis an outrage!”  
“What wouldst thee have me do?”  
“Thy reputation is tarnished, filthy with shame;  
there is only one way thou canst make good thy name.”

Rarity stepped forward again. “Your Highness, please, surely you don’t intend to punish your nephew? He came to my aid against a dangerous opponent, one who uses magicks that I am certain your kind do not regularly face. He knew what he was getting into when he called her ‘Demon’.”

Zircon turned to Rarity, looking clearly embarrassed.

“Please, thou needest not shed a tear.  
‘Tis no bind; thou needest not fear.”

King Zaratite remained silent a moment, then nodded.

“His fate dost concern thee. Then perhaps I was right,  
and he hath bound thee to him, thus he is thy knight?  
‘Twould make sense to me, if he and thee shared a bed;  
‘twill be a celebration, when these two are wed.”

Rarity flustered, her face turning red again. “Why does everypony assume that he and I are in a relationship? The dear stallion is certainly attractive and charming, and I certainly wouldn’t mind being intimate, but—"

“Digging yourself deeper, Rarity,” Lockwood whispered.

“Did... did I say that out loud?” 

“Very loud,” Twilight interjected.

Rarity shot a nervous glance at Zircon, who face was alight with a smile, then cleared her throat. “Uh... w-well, as I was saying, I do appreciate what he did for me and Sir Lockwood, and I- we would be willing to step in and do something to show our appreciation for his actions. Isn’t that right, Lockwood?”

“Me? What? How did I get involved in this again?” Lockwood asked, pointing at himself.

“Well you are our resident warrior, are you not?” Rarity said through clenched teeth.

“I don’t see what that has to do with it.”

“Well naturally, if one warrior were to rescue another, then the rescued warrior would owe the rescuer some sort of life debt,” Twilight explained. She pointed at Zircon. “Since you saved him from Insipid, he owes you his life and honor, but seeing as you’re a pegasus and the zebras don’t seem to like pegasi, well... I guess it’s seen as an outrage.”

“So then it stands that you would want to help Zircon regain his honor, seeing as you’re partly responsible for his losing it in the first place, hmm?” Rarity insisted.

Lockwood sighed. “Sure, sure. He showed us the way here and helped us get audience with you, Your Majesty, so we feel that we owe him.” He leaned over and whispered. “Rarity, what are you getting us into? What are you getting me into?”

“Hush, darling, we’re just showing our appreciation,” she whispered back. She turned back to Zaratite and said: “So long as it doesn’t involve... what you seem to think Sir Zircon and I are involved in, we’d agree to whatever it takes to redeem him in your eyes.”

“It would be a lot easier for everypony if you and Zircon just—"

Rarity hissed, “Hush, darling.”

King Zaratite nodded and stepped off his throne, then gestured out into the court. The entire collection of zebras, save for Zircon, bowed at once. 

“Thy concern is impressive, so for thee I ask,  
good Sir Lockwood: wouldst thou complete a simple task?”

“Great, I knew it was gonna be me.” Lockwood sighed and nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. Whatever you ask, I’ll do.”

“So, since thou hast desire to redeem my great knight,  
thou must facest him in single combat, tonight.”

Twilight, Rarity, and Lockwood stood silent for moment, jaws agape. Then, Lockwood fell to the floor with a thump, out like a light.


	34. Impossible

Fluttershy never considered herself a good flier at any point in her life, and, for the most part, tried to stay on the ground. The only times she really flew for any extended periods of time were the rare visits to Cloudsdale to see her family and friends. So, it wasn’t an enjoyable experience, being asked to fly today, but she knew that it was for a good reason: going home and leaving this world for good. Then, she could see her Angel again, and just shut herself in at home with her animals, the only creatures who she knew wouldn’t do anything to hurt her and didn’t only care about themselves.

Of course, she knew a large part of her discomfort at the idea of flying to these Elysian Islands was the present company. Rainbow Dash flew at the front of the trio of pegasi, having looped for the third time after racing around, then coming back.

Rainbow swooped around Fluttershy, then pushed forward to fall into pace with the third member of their trio, Blackburn, who was only a few yards ahead and flying at less than maximum speed as well. “Geez, this is taking forever. How much further is it, you think?” she asked.

Blackburn grunted. “Estimated travel time at pace of slowest member: seven hours, seventeen minutes. Accounting for break, forty-six minutes to go.”

“Seven hours? Sheesh, it feels like we’ve been flying longer than that,” Rainbow said, looking back at Fluttershy, who was the “slowest member”, as Blackburn so bluntly put it. “Maybe it’s just getting to actually fly again that’s messing with my sense of time,” she added with a shrug. “I’m not complaining about the time, really. I mean, do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve had a chance to really fly, not counting all that dirty air up north?”

“Based on what memories Twilight Sparkle showed me, nearing seventeen days. Hourly measurement not precise; thus, an estimate.”

“Nopony actually asked you to answer,” Fluttershy spat. She’d grown tired of the other pegasus always having an answer for everything. “It was a rhetorical question, so you don’t need to show off how good you are at math.”

Rainbow frowned and turned to Fluttershy. “Hey, come on now Fluttershy, it’s okay for her to answer. You don’t need to—"

“Don’t tell me I’m being mean, either, Rainbow.” Fluttershy interrupted. “I have every right to treat her the way she treats me.”

“And how do I treat you?” Blackburn asked. “Interested in your evaluation of the situation.”

Fluttershy turned to Blackburn and snorted. “You treat me like I’m some sort of two-bit hussy that tried to steal your stallion. Well I’m not! I’m not even interested in that lying jerk anyway, so it’s not my fault nopony told me he was already in a relationship. If it’s anypony’s fault that anything nearly happened between us, it’s yours and his!”

Blackburn stayed silent for a moment before nodding. “Ah, good. Thought you had more, but it sounds like you’re done.” She slowed down so that she was flying side-by-side with Fluttershy, then shook her head. “You can blame my future husband as much as you want. Not going to change anything. He didn’t say, because you didn’t ask. No point in blaming Lockwood. No point in blaming Rarity either, because it wasn’t her job to inquire about your relationships. Might as well go ahead and blame all your friends for all the good it will do.” She poked Fluttershy in the chest. “You went to visit him, confessed your feelings, stole a kiss. Your responsibility to ask.”

Fluttershy huffed. “He should have told me the second I—"

“Told him you liked him? Been told he attempted. Been told that you, inebriated, forced yourself on him, then promptly passed out. You made a mistake, can’t change it, have to live with it. Am willing to forgive and forget your behavior, if you let it go.”

Fluttershy drifted away, shaking her head. She knew it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t even want to get together with him in the first place; it was all forced upon her, and she just went along with it. Rarity was the one that thought she and Lockwood would be great together, so it was her fault that the situation even came up in the first place, since she pushed for them to interact much more than they probably would have otherwise. Lockwood was the one that just kept sending mixed signals; if he wasn’t attracted to her, he shouldn’t have acted the way he did around her. Staying the night with her at the Goldridge checkpoint was something an engaged stallion should not have been doing.

Not anymore, though, Fluttershy thought. No longer would she let anypony lead her along into their own agendas against her will. Once she got home, she’d just stay at home with her animals, and nopony was ever going to take advantage of her ever again. Not Rarity, not her other friends, not anypony.

Rainbow swooped up alongside her. “Hey... Fluttershy, look—"

“This had better be good, Rainbow,” Fluttershy interrupted.

Rainbow sighed. “Look... don’t let anything Her Royal Pain-in-the-Flank back there says get you down, okay? I can see where she’s coming from, so I understand why she’s mad. Do you have any idea how mad I’d be if I knew somepony had been trying to get their mack on with my special somepony? Pinkie’s kinda too friendly and nice, like Lockwood is, so she probably wouldn’t think anything was going on.”

Fluttershy wheeled around on Rainbow and narrowed her eyes. “So you’re saying it’s my fault too, huh? For ‘macking on’ Lockwood?”

Rainbow held her hooves out. “No no, now hold on, I’m just saying I can see why she’s mad at you. She clearly loves that idiot, and she’s got a real territorial thing going on, so it makes sense for her to be protective of everything in her life, him included. Just... don’t let it get to you, okay? I’m not gonna try and tell you not to get mad at her right back; that’s your right. But, you’ve been kinda acting like a jerk to the others ever since—"

“Oh, well excuse me!” Fluttershy shouted, throwing her hooves in the air and making Rainbow flinch. “I’m sorry if everypony thinks I’m being so mean to them! Maybe if somepony wanted to talk to me and make me feel better instead of everypony just going along with everything the Almighty Blackburn says and does, I might be willing to give a flying feather what anypony else thinks!”

Rainbow frowned. “You haven’t given anypony a chance to try. Pinkie’s been trying for days to get you to mellow out, but you lash out at her just the same as Rarity. I get that you’re mad, Shy, but you’re taking it out on the wrong ponies. I did the same thing to you all, remember?”

“Whatever, if you’re just going to try and tell me to lay off or calm down or whatever it is you’re trying to do, I don’t want to talk to you, either.”

Fluttershy slowed her pace to fall out of formation. She was tired of her supposed friends trying to tell her what to do and how to act, and tired of them telling her how Blackburn was helping them, so she should be nice. She knew they all wanted to go home as much as she did, but did any of them have the heart to think about what she was feeling and going through, rather than trying to tell her she was just being mean? Did any of them want to tell Blackburn that she was being purposefully antagonistic? No, they just wanted to take the easy way out and be non-confrontational since it might help them get home faster. Well, Fluttershy was tired of being treated like the bad mare in this situation.

Almost an hour later, as the trio passed through another layer of cloud cover, the Elysian Islands came into view. Fluttershy had an expectation of how the place would look thanks to Mémoire’s information, but she certainly didn’t expect the sight that awaited her to be as impressive as it was. For one thing, she knew the islands were going to be airborne, but they weren’t situated on clouds as she’d expected. Instead, they were real islands that had once been in the sea far below. There wasn’t anything Fluttershy could see that would allow them to be here in the air; no machinery, no magical apparatuses, nothing of the sort, almost as if they were floating in the air of their own accord.

Even after thousands of years, the islands still had a distinct tropical look to them, though they now floated in the sky high above the ocean. Nature had begun to reclaim the islands some time ago, as most of the gryphon-made structures and roads had been encroached upon by thick ivy, growing trees, expanses of brush, and swaths of grass. How it came to pass with no natural water in sight was beyond Fluttershy’s comprehension. Some of the natural environment still seemed to be unnaturally organized: palms dotted the island edges in precisely-measured intervals, and green grass and white sand were left in neat, uniform patches in various locations. Perhaps the gryphons had maintained it during their time here, but there were no longer any gryphons here to keep the environment from taking over.

Apart from the remnants and regrowth of the tropical habitat, the chain of islands was covered in various buildings made of marble in mostly gold and silver, and decorated with vast amounts of gems in every color imaginable. The buildings were of all different sizes and shapes, many with unique architecture that made them stand out from the others. One island, far to her left, caught Fluttershy’s attention, as some of the buildings were curiously shaped like familiar animals; the central structure, to her displeasure, had a clearly draconian shape. Perhaps that was where the gryphons did their Zoolomancy research. Most of the structures were unrecognizable now, though she could still just make out a lion, a bear, and an eagle. Decorative pieces - statues, gazebos, and the like - dotted the rest of the landscape, making the chain of islands resemble a tropical resort, like the Haywaiian Islands back home. Was this really where the gryphons just came to do research, or did they actually live here, too?

The trio circled around the island chain until they came to the southernmost island, which had several bright, red lights set up around a clearing so that they could be seen for miles. This was their intended landing area, and where they would meet the members of the Harmony Guard that had been sent here ahead of them. As they got closer, Fluttershy could see dozens of knights, all of them pegasi, dressed just like those at the temple, in formation around the clearing.

The trio came in for a landing. A single knight flew out of the decorative archway at the edge of the landing area, leaving several fellow knights behind in the process, and made a beeline straight for them. The knight—a snow white pegasus with a red mane tied in a ponytail—wore the same armor as the other knights, but had a rather large crest on the center of her chestplate, bearing the emblem of Harmonia. She was rather well-built, for a pegasus, but not overly large like certain other pegasi Fluttershy knew. She greeted the trio with a brisk salute.

“Bonjour, mesdames,” she said, her voice rather velvety for a mare her size. “I trust zat you did not ‘ave any problème finding your vay ‘ere?”

“A straight flight northwest from Utopia wasn’t exactly difficult,” Rainbow said. “I could’ve made it here hours ago.”

“Ah, oui oui, c’est vrai. You must be Lady Dash, zen? I vas told you vould be zee vantarde one. Zat would make zee ozer one Lady Fluttershy, zen?”

“I’m Fluttershy, yes,” Fluttershy greeted.

The knight tapped her chin. “Let me see... I vas told I vould be meeting viz just Ladies Dash and Fluttershy, il me semble? ‘oo is zis troisième mare?”

“Hmm... you are Dame Marshmallow,” Blackburn said. “Recognize you from Newhaven’s Harmony Guard contingent. You’ve been promoted recently.” The knight made to speak, but Blackburn held up her hoof. “No need to confirm. Just making an observation.” Blackburn nodded. “Queen Blackburn, of Hope’s Point. Came along to help—last minute decision.”

The knight gasped, and immediately bowed low. “Oh! Pardonnez-moi, Votre Majesté, I did not recognize you vizout votre tenue formelle.”

Blackburn brushed the gesture away with her hoof. “Don’t bother with that. Wasting time.”

“Oui oui, pardonnez-moi, madame. Last I ‘eard, zere was un assaut on ‘ope’s Point, and you ‘ad left zee city but did not arrive in New’aven.”

Blackburn raised an eyebrow. Fluttershy found it a particularly odd sight; she’d never seen Blackburn caught off guard before. “Who did you hear that from?”

“Capitaine... Auroran. Not directly, but from some of zee vorkers at zee ambassade.”

“Auroran... hmm, curious. Even had invasion not occurred, not scheduled for deployment. Explain.”

Marshmallow frowned. “Je suis désolée, madame, I only know ‘oo zee captain vas and zat you vere supposed to arrive before ‘im. You are right, zough, ‘e vas not on zee schedule.”

“Something isn’t right here. Hmm.” Blackburn shook her head. “Will keep in mind for later—pay a visit to Newhaven after our mission here. Let’s move on.”

Marshmallow nodded. “Oui, madame, c’est zee best course of action. Quel est votre plan?”

Blackburn reached back into her side pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which she unfurled. Fluttershy knew Tick Tock had insisted on lending Blackburn her map, but she hadn’t expected to see it used. On the map, she could see that the entire layout was not blank, as it had been at the ruins of Aeropolis, but completely filled; Tick Tock had said that the map was designed by the gryphons, so Fluttershy figured its creator had perhaps lived here. Clearly, Blackburn had the same idea.

Blackburn opened the map and crumpled it into a sphere so that it became a three-dimensional display of the Elysian Islands, then showed it to Marshmallow. “Two structures would logically contain obidium stores: storage complex, and metallurgy research and development center. Have you explored either yet?”

Marshmallow looked over the map with great interest, apparently having never seen such an object before. “Which ones are zose?” she asked, pressing a hoof against the map’s surface. She seemed disappointed that her hoof didn’t pass through the translucent paper to touch the images of the islands.

Blackburn pointed at the far eastern island. At her hoof’s touch, that island’s image glowed yellow for a brief instant. “Metallurgy center.” She next pointed at the central island, which glowed as well. “Storage complex. Lack of obidium suggest your knights haven’t reached them, or there was no obidium to find.”

Marshmallow shook her head. “Non, ve ‘ave not gone to eizer yet. Ve ‘ave been vorking from zee ouest side and moving est, but ‘ave not gotten to zee central islands yet.”

Blackburn nodded. “You and your knights will continue to the central islands, then. You’re closer, less time coordinating; you’re greater in number, able to cover the larger area in less time. My team will explore the east islands.”

“Oui, madame, zat sounds acceptable,” Marshmallow said, with a salute. “Ve vill save time zis vay, n’est-ce pas? Une bonne idée. I vish ve ‘as known about zese locations earlier.”

“No trouble. Best of luck in your search, Dame Marshmallow.”

“Merci, madame. Bonne chance to you as vell!”

Marshmallow turned and took off, circling off towards where the rest of her knights were stationed.

“Let’s be off,” Blackburn said.

“Your team?” Fluttershy interjected. “Who died and made you leader? You’re not my queen, so I don’t have to take orders from you.”

“Tick Tock gave me her map. She was asked to handle organization; gesture signifies acknowledgement of leadership.”

“That’s it? Anypony could read that map and tell everypony what to do; you’re not so special. Leadership, heh. Not even a good queen anyway—can’t keep her city safe from a little invasion.”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Blackburn sneered in Fluttershy’s direction and made to speak, then paused and turned to Rainbow. “Ironic, that I must speak to you as the level-headed one. Neither of you are knowledgeable about navigating gryphon cities. Lockwood learned, taught me how. Have used Tick Tock’s map to piece together more. Will find obidium in no time.” She held the map out towards Fluttershy. “Don’t even really need this to do it anymore, but provided excellent visual aid for our ally. You want the map? Will it make you feel better?”

“I don’t want your fake charity. You’re just trying to act big. ‘Ooh, here, have the map because I’m so smart I don’t need it’,” she added, putting on her best attempt to sound like Blackburn. She snorted, and batted the map away.

“Whoa!” Rainbow yelped, and stretched out to grab the map before it fluttered away in the breeze. “Geez, Fluttershy, get a grip, would ya? Blackburn’s trying to help get us home, and this isn’t even her map; it’s Tick Tock’s. She’d be pretty mad if you lost her map, y’know.”

“Oh, boo hoo,” Fluttershy huffed. “Tick Tock cares even less about how I feel than the rest of you. All she cares about anymore is learning magic from Twilight, and getting us out of her hair.”

Rainbow sighed. “Look, the faster we find this obidium junk, the faster we can get to Zeb’ra’den and the others, our friends. You want to see them again, right?”

“Whatever.”

“Rainbow is correct. Working together saves us time, have no desire to be late,” Blackburn added. “Don’t like leaving Lockwood alone around zebras. Don’t trust them.”

“What? Why?”

“Zebras not fond of pegasi. Consider us cowards; seen too many pegasi use flight for fleeing, not fighting. Very few exceptions. His scars may or may not be of help in convincing them otherwise. Trust Lockwood to put them to his advantage, not be humble for once.”

“Hmph, so he’s still humble about those, is he?” Fluttershy huffed. “He doesn’t need to be anymore. It’s not like he’s going to impress me by being humble about being my ‘savior’. Still can’t believe I fell for that.”

“Not humble to impress. Never was. Humble because it is his nature. You would know that if actually knew him; can’t blame you for it,” Blackburn said, with a shrug. “Not your fault you knew him for two weeks and thought he loved you back. Simple mistake.”

“You’re right; it’s not my fault your loving fiancé couldn’t tell that I was attracted to him and had feelings for him. Simple mistake from a simple stallion, I suppose. You two have an awful lot in common.”

Blackburn sneered. “Insult me, if you want. Insulting Lockwood... ill-advised.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t be insulting him—it’s not his fault he’s had to live a lie for seven years, and tell everypony he wasn’t in a relationship,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe if he was allowed to be an honest colt and tell ponies he was with you, none of this would’ve happened. That stuff about trying to keep him safe is a bunch of baloney, and you know it. He’s resourceful, and—"

“I should know that?” Blackburn chuckled. “Resourcefulness of his kind good only for certain things. Business deals, things like that. Lockwood doesn’t involve himself with the military, has no connections with them, no way to keep himself out of trouble. Told him to be careful; never told him to lie to his brother. He did that on his own; did not disapprove.”

“Right, because lying to his friends and family is such a noble act that you would encourage it!”

Rainbow groaned, stepped between the two mares, and pushed them apart. “Geez, am I gonna have to break you two up every twenty minutes or what? I thought Twi and Tick Tock were at each other’s throats before they got all buddy-buddy, but man, you two take the cake! Give it a rest, will ya?”

Fluttershy glared at Rainbow and grunted. “Why do you even care so much about how I act around her, Rainbow? Or Lockwood, for that matter? Ever since you met Lockwood, you’ve hated him because you thought he just wanted to get physical with me and nothing more! And, you and Blackburn butt heads the second you met her, like when she pretended she was going to have you shot, remember? Why are you defending them all of a sudden?”

Rainbow frowned. “I remember all that, yeah. But being this close to home... I guess I’m just willing to try and get on good terms with everypony. I may have judged some ponies too quickly. Like Lockwood, I was wrong about him, wasn’t I? He obviously wasn’t trying to get you into bed with him by playing nice.”

“Yeah, obviously,” Fluttershy interrupted.

“And, Pinkie’s been trying to get me to calm down for weeks, so I guess I’m finally trying to take that to heart.”

“Calm down, or roll over? Is that why you’re gonna defend their feelings over mine? I thought we were friends, Rainbow.”

Rainbow balked. “Fluttershy, c’mon, I’m just trying to—"

“Whatever, just mind your own business, Rainbow Crash,” Fluttershy snorted. “I’m not gonna let Blackburn bully me around and insult me like it was my fault that I even liked her stupid fiancé in the first place. I’ll handle this myself, since my so-called friend doesn’t want to.”

“You’ll handle nothing,” Rainbow said. “Blackburn isn’t bullying anypony, and she isn’t throwing around insults. You are. You need to take a major chill pill, Fluttershy, before you do or say something you’ll regret. I am your friend, and I am trying to help you, but you need to—"

Fluttershy huffed and stomped away, not wanting to hear another word on the subject.

“Wasted words, wasted time, Rainbow Dash,” Blackburn interjected. She pointed east. “Let’s move. Need to find obidium soon; likely purer samples at the metallurgy center than storage complex, may be more useful. Come.” She took wing and flew east, Rainbow just behind her.

Fluttershy snorted and followed after them, wanting to help if only to get home more quickly. After passing by several islands, each with its own unique structures and landscape, Blackburn went into a dive to land at the easternmost island. The several structures upon it were decorated with metals Fluttershy had never seen before, in colors she never thought metal could be in: purples, blues, oranges, reds. She was used to seeing gems and cloths in these colors, not metals. The central structure was about the size of Harmonia’s temple, built in the shape of a hexagon. Punctuating each corner was a tall tower, each of a different color, and each large enough to hold a few hundred ponies.

Blackburn slowed her dive and swept towards the silvery tower on the northernmost corner, and continued to slow so that she fell in formation with Rainbow and Fluttershy. 

“There,” she said, pointing at the tower they were approaching, “Obidium development. Off-silver coloration matches pre-forged obidium.”

Fluttershy looked ahead towards their destination. The tower was in better shape than the others along the rest of the corners of metallurgy research center. It had been assaulted by less vines and erosion; if Fluttershy didn’t know better, she’d swear it was only a few years old, not thousands.

“I hope the gryphons didn’t pack everything up and leave,” Rainbow said. “Sure would suck if we came all this way and there wasn’t any obidium to take back.”

Blackburn shook her head. “Wouldn’t come as a surprise, but should not impact mission success. If there is no more to find, will make more.”

“Make more?” Rainbow asked. Her eyebrows rose. “Oh, because this is the development center! You think this stuff still works?”

“Consider it a likely outcome.”

Fluttershy followed the other two pegasi as they swooped down and landed on a platform roughly halfway up the tower, marked specifically for landing purposes with a large emblem shaped like a pair of wings. Ahead of them was a large archway leading into the structure, and a door larger than any gryphon Fluttershy had ever seen, including the artificially-large Gilderoy. It was marked in hierogryphics. The largest was a symbol in the shape of a winged shield. There was a large dent in the center of the shield that was clearly not supposed to be there.

“What’s with the weird markings?” Rainbow observed. “Tick Tock and Lockwood said they figured out that the gryphons used—"

“Logical symbols to represent locations on their maps,” Blackburn completed. “Obidium is a near-impenetrable metal, useful for protection. Thus, the shield. Obidium also light, known for ability to be grafted to wings. Before gryphons became pacifists, were known as brutal warriors using their wings as weapons.” She glanced at Rainbow. “Sound familiar?”

“Yeah... like that pegasus that keeps going after Tick Tock... and that killed—" Rainbow paused, then shook her head.

“An ancient technique. Lost. Requires very intricate magicks,” Blackburn continued, apparently unperturbed by Rainbow’s incomplete series of words. “Tick Tock claims attacker lacked these weapons prior to the Blood Mire. This... disturbs me,” she added with a frown. “Somepony gave him those wings; should not be a pony alive with the knowledge of how.”

She shook her head. “Getting off track. Distractions waste time. Moving on.” 

Blackburn pressed against the door, and ran her hoof along some of the symbols. As she ran her hoof along one that was shaped like a key, the door opened instantaneously with a loud swish. Rainbow and Fluttershy jumped back in surprise; the noise had been rather loud and sudden.

“Hmm... curious.” Blackburn stroked her chin in thought. “Door should have been locked, required a key. Opened automatically; suggests has been opened since gryphons left. Dent, however, suggests opening was forceful.”

“Well, this place had been here for a while, hasn’t it? Maybe some archaeologists came through here, Daring Do-style,” Rainbow said, with a sagely nod.

“Daring Do?” Blackburn asked, her tone betraying a hint of curiosity.

“Oh, right,” Rainbow said. “You don’t know who she is. She’s the star of this adventure book series, and is just like, the coolest pony ever. She’s an archaeologist that seeks out ancient treasures because they, and I quote, ‘belong in a museum’. Sometimes she had to get a little rough with the mechanisms in order to get past them.” 

She grinned, and gestured towards the tower with a wide sweep of her hoof. “This is like her adventure in Daring Do and the Fate of Abyssinia. Except the machine we’re looking for makes metal, not alicorns. And we’re not underwater, we’re in the sky. And there weren’t any gryphons in that book.” She paused, then scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Okay, so this isn’t like Fate of Abyssinia at all.”

“Archaeology not a popular subject in this world,” Blackburn said. She smirked. “To most. Have a particular interest in it for practical purposes. Obidium, for example. Might find interest in these books.”

Rainbow laughed. “Really? Well hey, if I could find a way, I might lend you some of mine someday.”

“Well, aren’t you two just buddy-buddy now?” Fluttershy mockingly cooed. “Give me a break, Rainbow. Can’t you see she’s just trying to get you on her side so that you’ll stop talking to me?”

“That’s not—" Rainbow sighed, then turned to Fluttershy and gestured inside. “Look, I’m not gonna sit here and argue with you, okay? C’mon, let’s just get searching. We’ll find all the obidium we need in no time.”

“Or method to create more,” Blackburn added, as she stepped into the archway. “If gryphons took remaining obidium, as theorized, may need facility’s development machinery. As said, have an interest in the subject. Access to obidium-creating techno-magic a boon for Hope’s Point. Come.”

The trio entered through the doorway and into the complex. The door closed behind them the instant Fluttershy was out of its way. Fluttershy found that unlike the ruins of Aeropolis, the interior of the structure was crafted of concrete and metal, not of polished stone. In fact, it reminded her much more of Pandemonium’s construction than anything else. The hall was kept alight by the faint glow of magical torches that hung from the ceiling from unseen wires. They reminded her of ones from the chamber she and her friends had been mysteriously warped to before meeting Gilderoy. The one thought that crossed her mind was, how were they still working, while the ones in the ruins of Aeropolis weren’t? Did the gryphons leave the power on?

“This place doesn’t feel like it’s been abandoned at all,” Rainbow said, apparently on the same mental wavelength. “Those ruins up north were all dusty and dirty, but this place looks—"

“Clean,” Blackburn completed, with a nod. “Likely gryphon magic, automatically cleans structure and maintains systems. Couldn’t turn off; logically, same system keeps islands afloat. ‘Ruins’ not a completely accurate term for this place.”

“So, where’s the Obidium development center in this ‘relic’?” Fluttershy asked. “The less time we spend hanging around, the better. I’d liked to get home as soon as possible.”

Blackburn glanced at the map. “Three floors down. Not far.”

“Thank goodness for—"

“Hey! Flutterbitch! Back here!”

Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Blackburn raised eyebrows and exchanged glances, then turned towards the source of the voice.

Rainbow groaned at the sight of the approaching mare. “Oh, what the hay? Havocwing? What the hay are you doing here? Wait, how did you even get here? Seriously, what?”

“Buck, I’ve been waiting here forever! You have any idea how long it took to get this set up?” Havocwing snorted smoke and cantered forward. “Whatever. I’ll be asking the questions here, Rainbow Dyke. And I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to Flutterbitch back there. Mind your own bucking business.”

Rainbow snarled and postured herself, ready to charge forward. “Uh, excuse me? Wanna run that dyke comment by me again, dragonbreath?”

“I said I wasn’t talking to you, so shut your stupid mouth!” Havocwing snapped. “My beef’s with the wimpy crybaby behind you. If I were you, I’d just step aside before I got hurt. You read me?”

“What, and you think I’m just gonna let you get past to do anything with her?”

Havocwing tilted her head. “Yeah?”

“Well fat chance, hothead. You wanna get to Fluttershy, you gotta go through me. Bring it on—I’m always game for kicking your tail.”

“Have to go through us,” Blackburn added, stepping forward to stand beside Rainbow. “Lockwood would be upset if Fluttershy allowed to be hurt.”

“I don’t need you stepping in to my defense,” Fluttershy snorted. “Either of you. I can handle this—"

“Yourself? Perhaps.”

Havocwing blinked, and raised a hoof in confusion. “Uh, and just who the buck are you?”

Blackburn grunted and took several steps forward. “Not important.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” Havocwing shrugged. “Not like I’m gonna be dealing with either of you anyway. I’ve got Flutterwimp, and you’ve got a bigger problem than me to deal with, Rainbow Crash. Not that I couldn’t kick your ass, but I don’t got dibs.”

Rainbow stepped up alongside Blackburn and rolled her shoulders. “Oh yeah? And what would—"

A loud crash from above made Rainbow leap back in time to avoid a large pile of broken machinery, as it tore a hole through the ceiling and ripped straight through the floor, leaving a hole wide enough to fit several ponies through.

“Holy hay!” Rainbow shouted.

Rainbow and Blackburn shielded their eyes to keep from being blinded by the spray of dust, smoke, sparks, and metal. Grayscale Force burst forth from the ceiling above them, crashed through the floor beneath them, and dragged them down with her. Fluttershy leapt back to avoid the falling debris, then realized she was left by herself. With Havocwing.

“I’ll hoof it to her, Gray’s got a real showy way of doing things when she wants, for somepony that doesn’t seem to care.” Havocwing cackled, and bounded through the smoke cloud so that she and Fluttershy were on the same side of the gaping hole in the floor. “Finally, here we are.”

Fluttershy shook off a layer of dust that had covered her, and glowered at Havocwing. Normally, she would be afraid and be running for help right now, but couldn’t afford to be weak anymore, and she wasn’t going to let some foul-mouthed pegasus stand in the way of her getting home and getting away from everything that hurt her.

“Yeah, here we are,” Fluttershy replied, keeping her voice steady. “How are you here, anyway?”

Havocwing shrugged. “What’s it matter? What matters is I’m here, and you’re here. I’ve been waiting a long time for this, you know,” she said, her mouth curling into a grin. “Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I’ve wanted to punch your stupid little face into a bloody pulp. I didn’t need any motivation to do what I’m about to do to you. This... is gonna be fun.”

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “So, you wanna fight me, is that it?”

Havocwing smirked. “Fight you? No... I wanna kill you.”

Havocwing lunged forward, pulled back her hoof and ignited it with fire, then swung it around to strike Fluttershy.

Her blazing hoof was caught inches from Fluttershy’s unflinching face by the hand of a spirit gorilla. Ophanim, standing just beside Fluttershy, whipped Havocwing around and slammed her into the nearest wall.

Fluttershy laughed, and stepped up behind Ophanim. He bent over so she could pat him on the head. “Good boy, Ophanim,” she cooed. “We’re going to show this jerk pegasus what we’re made of. Nopony is going to keep me from getting home.” She turned to Havocwing and narrowed her eyes. “You hear me?! Nopony! Especially not you!”

“Ow...” Havocwing grunted and staggered away from the wall, then rubbed her head. “Figures. I never expected you to let me just get your murder over with.” She snorted smoke and clicked her tongue. “Fine, sic your dumb ghost animal... thing on me!” she shouted, igniting both forehooves. “I’m gonna burn him to the bucking ground!”

Havocwing shot at Ophanim like a bullet, tackling the spirit creature more than twice her size and knocking him back into the opposite wall. She punched him with both forehooves in his midsection, and the force of impact blew apart the wall and sent him flying through it. The blast knocked Fluttershy aside, and she rolled to the floor.

Havocwing swept around towards her as soon as she was able. “Gotcha!”

The wall next to Havocwing exploded outward as Ophanim burst through in the form of a rhinoceros. Rubble flew every direction, knocking Havocwing out of the air and into the opposite wall.

“You can’t touch me, Havocwimp!” Fluttershy snapped as she rose to her hooves. She gave Ophanim, now in the form of a tiger, an approving glance. “Just give up! You’re all bark and no bite! Ophanim’s gonna teach you a lesson about messing with the wrong ponies.”

Havocwing snarled and shook off debris and dust. “I’m not the one hiding behind her pet like a bucking coward! Fight me like a mare, you pansy!”

“Talk all you want, you’re just mad that Ophanim’s better than you! You think you’re so tough, but you’re just a little wuss!”

“Buck you!”

Havocwing lunged back at Ophanim, flaring her hooves and sending flames sweeping in a frontal arc. Fluttershy had to duck behind a chunk of rubble to avoid getting hit, but Ophanim was not as lucky and caught a face full of flame. Havocwing swept at him and punched him in the face. As he was knocked through the hole he’d made and into the adjacent room, he managed to rake his claw across her face and knock her to the floor.

Havocwing snarled and rose to her hooves, and pressed her hoof to her forehead. Blood was trickling from the wound. She swung to attack Fluttershy again, but was pounced upon by Ophanim, now a wolf, and slammed to the ground. He roared in her face and pressed his paw down on her stomach; she roared back up at him, jammed her hoof into his mouth, then fired a blast that knocked Ophanim off her.

“Okay...” she panted as she struggled to her hooves. “So maybe... your little pet... has some... bite to him...”

Fluttershy smirked. “What’s wrong, Havocwimp? Having trouble keeping up?”

Havocwing spat blood on the floor and wiped her lip. “Just keep running your mouth. I’m gonna enjoy wiping that smug—"

Ophanim, now a lion, roared and leapt at Havocwing, claws extended and maw agape. 

Havocwing must have been ready for Ophanim this time, as she slid out of the way, then fired a fireball directly at him. Her mouth curled into a cocky smirk as the blast reached him, until he batted it aside with his great paw, and charged at her again.

“Buck this shit!” she snapped as she took to the air to avoid his lunge.

Once airborne, she lobbed another barrage of flames at the lion beneath her. Ophanim sprinted out of the way, taking the form of a cheetah as he did so, to avoid the blasts. He leapt over rubble and debris to enter the adjacent room.

Havocwing chased after him. “Get back here, you punkass cat!”

Fluttershy followed behind them to keep her eye on the fight, as she was still in command of Ophanim’s forms and didn’t want him to lose his advantage. Havocwing was tough and fast, but Ophanim was tougher and faster so long as Fluttershy kept Havocwing from establishing any sort of strategy. The room they were in now was a large circular chamber with all manner of assorted machinery covering the walls and placed in a predictable pattern around the area.

Ophanim used this machinery to evade Havocwing’s pursuit, slinking around the metal silo-like columns to keep his attacker from getting a solid bead on him. He shifted forms constantly to force Havocwing to adjust her aim, as differently-sized targets moving at fluctuating speeds required more thought than Fluttershy felt the other pegasus could handle in the heat of the moment. First a cheetah, next a swift, then an antelope, followed by a merganser, then a greyhound, then a teal-

“BUCK! THIS! SHIT!” Havocwing screamed.

She abandoned all pretense of trying to aim and instead just started launching fireballs in a chaotic volley, blasting through machines and spraying the floor with searing fire. Fluttershy was able to take cover behind one of the larger machines in the corner. One blast caught Ophanim in the wing and sent him careening into the nearest wall. He changed into a tortoise beforehand and hit the wall with his protective shell.

Havocwing swooped down and slammed into Ophanim, pinning him to the ground, belly up.

“Ha! Gotcha now you little rat bastard!” she spat as he squirmed under her.

Ophanim shrunk down, taking the form of a rat, and loosened himself from under her in a matter of seconds.

“What the hell?!” Havocwing yelled as he scampered up her leg. “Get off!”

She shook her leg to try and shake off the tiny rat, but Ophanim was already on her back by the time she reacted. She started flailing around to get him off, but he dodged her wildly-waving hooves and wings, morphing into various small-sized creatures to do so and infuriating her with every move. 

Ophanim took position on top of her head after several moments of struggle, morphed into a crab, raised both his pincers up, and snapped them down on Havocwing’s ears.

Havocwing’s pupils shrunk, and she screamed. “Owww! You little piece of shit!” She flailed around like she was on fire, rolling to try and dislodge the crab from her ears, but his grip was like iron. “Get off!”

“Like I said, Ophanim’s too strong for you,” Fluttershy taunted as she trotted over. “How does it feel, Havocwimp? To be called weak? To be called useless? It doesn’t feel good, does it?”

Havocwing snarled, and attempted to lunge at Fluttershy, but Ophanim, having just morphed into a bison, easily pinned her to the floor.

“You bucking punk-ass bitch!” she shouted as she attempted to squirm out from under the massive bear on top of her. “You wanna taunt me? Do it while fighting me like a real mare! You can’t call me weak while you hide in the corner and don’t do shit!”

“If you’re as tough as you say you are, Havocwimp, you shouldn’t have any problem getting out from under my precious Ophanim and beating me up.” Fluttershy chuckled. She nodded at Ophanim, who turned into an elephant at her command. “Looks like you bit off more than you could chew, huh?”

Havocwing tried to push herself out of Ophanim’s pin, but the spirit elephant didn’t budge an inch. “This is such a load of shit! If you didn’t have this stupid pet, I’d have pounded you into a little bloody pulp by now! It’s not bucking fair!”

Fluttershy sat down next to Havocwing and bopped the other pegasus on the nose. “I’m just doing everything you told me to do. I know it took awhile to sink in, but your lessons really opened my eyes. If I fought at all I’d probably fight fair, but now, I just remember lesson fifteen: you ain’t got a prayer, if you insist on fighting fair.”

“Did... did you just quote my lessons to prove your point?”

“What’s wrong? You don’t like it that I’m listening to your advice?”

Havocwing snorted smoke in Fluttershy’s face. “Kiss. My. Ass.”

Fluttershy waved her hoof in front of her face to drive away the smoke. “So I take it you don’t like my improved attitude?” She sighed. “I thought you of all ponies would approve of how I’ve decided I’m gonna do things from now on. I was tired of being a chewtoy. So, I needed to be more assertive, right? But just being assertive wasn’t enough; I needed to be able to back it up! Maybe if I had been stronger sooner... I could have made him—"

Fluttershy paused, then shook her head. “Of course,” she added with a shrug, “if you don’t like it... you only have yourself and your sisters to blame.”

Havocwing quirked an eyebrow. “Did... I take too many blows to the head or something? I swear I just heard you try to say it’s our fault you’re acting like a little bitch.”

“That’s exactly what I said, glad to hear you’ve been listening.” Fluttershy petted Ophanim’s trunk, and glared down at Havocwing. “See, your stupid sister Red Velvet went and frightened me back when I was just a little wimp that needed her friends to save her from the ‘big, scary meaniehead’. That caused a whole lot of trouble between us all, and led to us getting separated and going through this really nasty place called the Blood Mire.

“There, we encountered some monsters. Horrible things, monsters worse than anything I’ve ever seen. Ponies that had been turned into mutated... things. They attacked us, and Lockwood saved my life... and nearly lost his in the process.”

“Uh... I don’t see how that—"

“Shut up! Do I sound like I’m done talking yet?!” Fluttershy shouted, pressing her hoof onto Havocwing’s forehead. “See, when he did that... I thought it was because he really cared about me, and the little feelings I had before blossomed into something more. I began to think maybe... I was falling in love.”

Havocwing made a face of disgust. “Ugh... enough with the sappy stuff! What does this have to do with—"

“Turns out, he didn’t love me back! Not the way I wanted him to, anyway!” Fluttershy spat. “That other mare you saw earlier? That’s his fiancée! He doesn’t love me, he loves her! You want to talk about fair? Tell me that that’s fair!”

Havocwing quirked her eyebrow again. “Okay, how the buck is that my fault?”

“If we hadn’t gotten separated, he would have never had the opportunity to save my life like that! I wouldn’t have developed the feelings I did! I fell in love with him because you forced us into that situation!”

Havocwing laughed. “Wow... you’re just a heapful of crazy, aren’t you? I’ve heard some stories before, and I won’t say I’m some master of logic or anything, but... how does that make any sense? Listen to yourself. You sound like you’re bucked in the head!”

“I’m crazy? I’m crazy?!” Fluttershy snorted. “Lesson twenty-nine! If somepony thinks you’re nuts, you’ll have to kick their butts! It’s your fault I’m like this, so I’m gonna take all my anger... all my frustration... out on you!”

“See, now I know you’re crazy, because I don’t remember giving that lesson at all. We didn’t get that far.”

Fluttershy turned to Ophanim and stroked his head. “Ophanim? Time to get to work.”

Havocwing shook her head, and shouted: “Buck that! Either fight me without your stupid pet, or let me finish him off first!” She started squirming again, pushing up against Ophanim’s huge body but still not budging an inch.

Fluttershy cooed at Havocwing, like she was a foal. “Aww, what’s wrong, Havoc? Chicken?”

Havocwing stopped squirming, and her pupils shrunk. She slowly turned her head towards Fluttershy. She was trembling, and she grit her teeth, biting into her bottom lip with her fang. Smoke was escaping from her ears and nose. “What... did you just call me?”

Ophanim morphed into a chicken, perched himself on Havocwing’s muzzle, then pecked her rapidly on her forehead. 

Fluttershy snickered at the display. “Good boy, Ophanim! See, Havocwimp? Even Ophanim thinks you’re just a little chicken.”

Havocwing exploded, sending both Fluttershy and Ophanim flying. “I! AM NOT! A CHICKEN!”

Fluttershy recovered before she hit the wall, and landed safely on the ground on the other side of the room. The blast had singed parts of her coat, and ash stung her eyes. She blinked the discomfort out of her eyes and glanced up to see Havocwing glowing white-hot. The floor under her hooves started letting up spurts of steam in the presence of her intense heat. Ophanim leapt in to put himself in between her and Fluttershy, changing into a tiger midleap.

Havocwing glared over Ophanim’s head at Fluttershy, her eyes completely red, and pointed her hoof at the yellow pegasus. “You think you’re angry?! You don’t know angry! I am angry! If you think you can out-anger me, Flutterbitch, you’re dead wrong! You think it’s my fault you’re angry? It’s your fault I’m angry! It’s your fault I even exist!”

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” Fluttershy muttered, though she was cautious in saying it. “My fault you exist?”

“I was made from you!” Havocwing snarled. “I’m you, twisted from a pathetic, sentimental wuss into this hate-filled rage bomb with only two purposes: to hate you, and to destroy anything that gets in my way!” She shifted her gaze to Ophanim and barred her teeth. “I’m tired of your stupid pet getting in my way, so first, I’m gonna destroy him, then, I’m gonna destroy you!”

***

Rainbow groaned and groggily opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was an explosion and a crash. She grunted, and as she rose to her hooves, bits and pieces of metal debris flaked her body. She wobbled a bit, and almost stumbled into a large, blinking machine. It reached up to the ceiling of the grand circular room she was in, and she could see many other machines just like it spread about in a neat pattern. Each of them had glowing rings of neon blue and flashing strips of neon green; were the machines actually on? What were they even doing? She could see a large hole in the ceiling, and she guessed that that was how she’d come into her current situation. The pounding in her head certainly reflected that.

A low groan to her side drew her attention. She’d almost forgotten about Blackburn. The other pegasus had, at some point during the fall, donned her power-enhancing hoofguard, and used it to push a large chunk of debris off of her. She did not, however, look like she was able to stand on her own, so Rainbow offered a hoof.

Blackburn stared at the offered hoof, then took it with her unarmored one and allowed Rainbow to help her up. “Thanks.”

“You okay?” Rainbow asked.

Blackburn shook her head and pressed her unarmored hoof to her temple. She was apparently suffering the same light-headedness Rainbow was. “Ugh... uninjured, mostly. Some grogginess; likely cause, minor concussion. Wise to seek medical attention soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” Rainbow agreed. “What happened? Where are we?”

“We fell,” Blackburn observed dryly as she pointed towards the hole in the ceiling. “Everything happened too fast. Havocwing... not responsible,” she added when Rainbow opened her mouth to speak. “Too much damage. Trajectory from directly above us. Only one other pony is a likely candidate.”

Blackburn turned her head and glared at something behind Rainbow. Rainbow turned, and sure enough, Grayscale Force was there behind her, prone and leaning against one of the machines, eyes closed as though taking a nap. In her completely motionless state, she looked eerily statuesque, with her great wings tucked in tight against her body.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes; Grayscale was just the pony she wanted to see. She had a few choice words to share with her, and a few choice actions too.

“Grayscale...” Rainbow muttered.

Grayscale gave a great yawn and stretched her body out. Her eyes remained closed the entire time as she rose to her hooves, rolled her shoulders, and cracked her neck. When at last she opened her eyes, she craned her neck ever-so-slightly to look at the other two pegasi.

“About time,” she said, bringing her hoof to her mouth to stifle another yawn. “Long time no see, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow made to leap at Grayscale immediately, but Grayscale was quick to flex a wing; Rainbow fell flat to the floor less than a few inches from her launching point.

“Easy there, Dash,” Grayscale taunted. “I want this over quickly. Gotta get back to my nap, after all. But, we’re gonna do this my way. I have something important to tell you before I kill you.”

“You... you...” Rainbow trembled with barely contained rage, and slowly rose to her hooves. “After everything you said to me... did to me... what makes you think I wanna talk to you?! You’ve had a good flank-kicking coming for a long time, Gray!”

“Have I now?”

“I’m gonna make you pay for what you and your sisters did to my friends!”

Blackburn cut Rainbow off. “Remain calm, Rainbow Dash. Have said before, your hotheadedness invites trouble. Have seen this mare in action, via Twilight Sparkle’s memories. She requires more precision to deal with.”

Grayscale eyed Blackburn up and down. She grunted once. “Who the hell are you, again?”

“Not important.”

“You look like you’re raring for a fight, whoever you are,” Grayscale said. She pointed at Blackburn’s hoofguard. “Neat toy. I saw what you did with that. I’m actually interested to see just what else it can do. But anyway, if you’re here with Dash and are willing to team-up with her, you’re not just some nameless mook.”

Rainbow stepped forward. “She’s—"

Blackburn stuck out her hoof. “Will introduce myself, if you insist.” She stomped her hoof once, but stuck her nose up in greeting, exuding all the regal air Rainbow figured she could muster. “Queen Blackburn, of Hope’s Point.”

Grayscale hummed. “Hope’s Point’s queen, huh? I guess you escaped during the invasion. Shame you weren’t there to watch my sisters and I slaughter your militia.”

Blackburn’s eyebrow twitched. “My militia? You claim... no.” She took a deep breath. “Tone too level, eyes too focused. A truthful statement. Cannot let actions go unpunished.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Grayscale nodded and smiled. “Rainbow Dash and you, against me. This might maybe be a challenge. Nothing else matters to me anymore... I just need something to keep my blood pumping.”

“You... you killed ponies?” Rainbow asked. “Gray... that’s horrible. I knew you were bad, but... wow. I thought—"

“You thought you knew me?” Grayscale chuckled. “Dash, that is the dumbest thing I’ve heard today. You don’t know me. But... I know you. I know everything I needed to know... to make you snap. How does that make you feel, Dash?” she asked, her tone dropping to a steady monotone. “To be a tool? I know that feeling all too well, myself. Just another thing we have in common.”

Rainbow flared her wings and drew her goggles over her eyes. “I’m not gonna let you get away with what you did, Gray! Ponies like you... they deserve to face justice!”

Grayscale smirked and rolled her shoulders. “I look forward to seeing you try.”

“You have plenty in common with her,” Blackburn interjected. “Curiously so, in fact.”

Grayscale paused.

“Eyes have exact same hue, for example,” Blackburn continued. She cocked her head. “Claims to be a tool... theory has been expressed from multiple sources that you serve Nihila. Truth in that, ascertained.”

“What are you doing?” Grayscale asked, eyebrow raised.

Blackburn ignored her and continued on. “Servants of Nihila... interesting indeed. Together provide an interesting reflection of Twilight Sparkle and company.”

“Seriously, what are you doing? Are you... are you examining me?”

“She does that,” Rainbow said.

“Both parties ally themselves with a goddess most directly connected with their morals and beliefs,” Blackburn continued. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends follow the Light, while you and your sisters follow the Dark. Both groups contain six mares. Each possesses incredible magical powers beyond those of any normal pony.”

Grayscale’s mouth curled in a cocky smirk. “Ooh, I’m liking this train of thought you’ve got rolling. Saves me the trouble of revealing anything.”

“Revealing what?” Rainbow asked.

Blackburn shook her head. “Many theories could arise from this information alone. However, remember another event from Twilight Sparkle’s memories. Hoof Rot immunizations. Seemed suspicious, but all events in line with typical New Pandemonium policies. Seeing a clearer picture now. Believe events to be connected.”

Grayscale let out a single laugh. “You’re good, you know that?”

“What’s she talking about?” Rainbow asked, addressing Blackburn. She shook her head. “For that matter, what are you talking about?”

Blackburn cocked her head just slightly at Grayscale. “She possesses copies of your genetic code and magical capabilities, amongst other things. A clone, albeit one twisted for some other pony’s intentions. Grayscale Force, you will confirm my suspicions”

Grayscale merely shrugged.

Rainbow blinked. “My what? I have a what?” She shook her head. “This is... so... wow, I think I need a minute...”

“All information points to one theory,” Blackburn explained. “Grayscale and her sisters designed specifically to counter you and your friends. Personalities in stark contrast, but oddly compatible. You admit Grayscale corrupted your thoughts. As servants of Nihila, would make sense to force you to stray from Harmonia’s path.

“However, our world does not have ‘Elements of Harmony’, and thereby no ‘Discord’ to counterbalance. Tick Tock’s explanation made that clear. If these six counterbalance you, suggests they were artificially created.” Blackburn gave Grayscale a quick once-over. “Does not explain difference in body structure. Cloning process flawed? Or intentional?”

Grayscale shrugged. “Part of the process in making me Dash’s ‘counterbalance’, like you said. You’re pretty observant. I can respect that.”

“Pity. Cannot say same for you.”

Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, you’re going down, Gray!”

Blackburn put her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Remain calm, Rainbow Dash. Stay focused. Do not rush in. Gravity actually a weak force. Take advantage of that weakness.”

Grayscale scoffed. “Weak, huh? Here’s an experiment we can try: jump.” She jumped up into the air, then came crashing down on the floor, impacting the metal with a large crash and knocking Blackburn and Rainbow off-balance. 

Blackburn snorted. “Of course, gravity is relative.”

“Now, are we done talking?”

“Actually... I’ve got one more question,” Rainbow said. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

“Why? What does it matter, ‘why’?” Grayscale laughed. “The hows and whys don’t matter. I just... do. Nothing else matters... and soon, nothing will matter at all. Not for you, anyway.”

Rainbow felt the pressure lift off of her, and in that instant knew that Grayscale was on the attack. She bolted left, grabbing Blackburn as she did so.

Grayscale lunged forward and slammed her hoof into the machine just behind them. The construct’s base was torn apart by the impact, and the rest of it crumbled towards the ground. Grayscale flared her wings, and the debris and flames sharply diverted away from her.

Rainbow and Blackburn swerved around another mechanical column, then charged at Grayscale. Grayscale’s mouth curled in response, and she flicked her wings again.

Rainbow and Blackburn collided with the immense flat surface of the floor, which was now a wall. They began sliding down the new wall’s surface, and glanced up just in time to avoid falling debris from the destroyed machine and the ceiling, which was now another wall. The debris crashed through more of the now-horizontal machines, taking some of them to the new floor along with it.

Rainbow hovered in place and shook her head, completely disoriented by the new change in perspective. She caught sight of Grayscale standing on the wall as though it were perfectly natural, despite the broken chunks of machinery and concrete that still scattered past her towards the other two pegasi.

“Did she just flip the entire tower?!” Rainbow blurted, not able to believe such a thing possible.

“No,” Blackburn replied, “merely altered gravitational pull of the wall, now floor. Altered perception of balance. Remain calm. Not a major threat.”

Grayscale wordlessly swept around to another machine and broke it apart with a few short kicks. The flaming debris fell, and Rainbow and Blackburn prepared themselves to avoid it.

Then, Grayscale flicked her wings again. Suddenly, up was down. 

Rainbow and Blackburn found themselves falling towards the debris, which suspended in free fall long enough for them to catch up to it. They pushed upwards to avoid running into it, then caught sight of all the debris from above plummeting towards them as well. They darted in opposite directions to avoid the debris, even as it tore into more machines in its descent, sending sparks and flames blazing about the room.

“Gravity doesn’t seem so weak now, does it?” Grayscale taunted. “Come on, Dash, step it up. You two are just running around. I’m bored. When I get bored, it’s not usually a pretty sight.”

Rainbow was tired of playing defense. She rolled around and burst towards Grayscale with all the intensity of a lightning bolt, swerving between machines and absorbing their electrical current mid-flight. She drew her hoof back to deliver a blow, and rocketed towards her target after looping around one last mechanical tower.

Grayscale flicked her wings, one up and one down, and kicked the base of the tower closest to her. The tower swung like a pendulum straight into Rainbow’s path.

Rainbow swerved to avoid the tower, dropping out of her lightning state in order to maneuver properly. She then felt a fearsome tug to her left, and immediately began plummeting back towards the floor, unable to escape the sudden influx of gravity without her lightning’s speed. When she glanced beneath her, she saw all the abundant debris and wreckage flying up towards the ceiling.

“Aw geez,” she muttered.

She sprung back into her lightning state to fly away from the approaching chunks of metal and concrete. The pendulum machine from earlier swung back across her path; she dove to avoid it, then suddenly found her dive to be gravity-assisted. She pulled up just in time to avoid the new floor, only to feel another sharp tug and find herself hurtling towards the ceiling.

The debris from before, however, hadn’t changed its path in the slightest. Rainbow spun to and fro to avoid as much of it as she could. Luckily, she made it through without a scratch. One thought kept pressing in her mind though: Where’s Blackburn?! She didn’t get hurt or anything, did she?

Grayscale yawned. “Still can’t do anything but run, run away. They don’t call you ‘Dash’ for nothing. But, if that’s really all you’ve got...” She shrugged, and flicked her wings again. “Then I think we’re done here.”

Rainbow prepared herself to avoid the storm of debris as it abruptly reversed directions to tumble towards her. “We’re not done until I say we’re done, Gray!” she called.

Instead of focusing entirely on avoiding the falling wreckage, Rainbow kept a portion of her attention on Grayscale’s current position. She bobbed and weaved between shards and chunks of metal; some struck true, scraping into her coat and skin and drawing blood. She pressed on, and the second the opportunity presented itself, she bolted towards Grayscale, exploding into her lightning state midway.

Rainbow noticed Grayscale’s movement a split-second before she made it; Grayscale was becoming easier to predict, and just a twitch of a wing was all Rainbow needed. She swerved early in order to avoid whatever attack was coming. Grayscale flicked her left wing, and the shattered machine just to her left swung towards Rainbow.

Rainbow was able to avoid it, just grazing the side, and used the opening to close the distance between her and Grayscale. She punched Grayscale in the face with everything she had; in that same instant, she snapped backwards to loop around for another strike. Grayscale slammed into the machine just behind her, but was back on her hooves again in no time. 

“I may only have my speed,” Rainbow taunted as she surged in to deliver her next attack, “but that’s all I need!”

Grayscale saw Rainbow coming this time. “Nope.”

She swung her metal-plated hoof forward to meet Rainbow’s blow.

Rainbow bounced off and rolled to the floor, then grabbed her hoof in pain. All of the impact force had been transferred to her hoof; it felt like she’d cracked it.

She started to pull herself up, but Grayscale simply flicked her wings. Rainbow found herself pinned to the floor, and though she tried to get up, she couldn’t force herself out of the pull.

“Now you see the futility of it all. Fast just isn’t good enough, Dash,” Grayscale said, taking large steps in Rainbow’s direction. “You need a little something better than that. Pathetic. I can’t believe I was even spawned from you.” 

She stepped up to Rainbow and lifted one hoof, preparing to stomp down on Rainbow’s head. 

Blackburn swooped around from behind the wreckage of the nearby machine and swung her gauntlet straight at the back of Grayscale’s head. Grayscale reacted in time to block the strike with her own hoof; the impact created a shockwave that knocked Blackburn back, and Blackburn’s gauntlet flashed a bright blue.

“Surprise an acceptable addition to speed,” Blackburn said.

In this instant, Rainbow was able to move, and took the time to tackle Grayscale, crushing her against the same machine Blackburn had used as her hiding place.

Grayscale flared her wings, and Blackburn and Rainbow instantly fell sharply away from her towards the newest floor. She then perched herself on the wall and rubbed her chin, wiping away blood.

“Thanks, Your Majesty,” Rainbow said, not a hint of sarcasm in her tone, as she and Blackburn regained their balance and took wing.

Blackburn grunted. “As said: focus. She is keeping you from utilizing speed. Location chosen specifically for that purpose. Must relocate.”

“That really is a fancy toy you’ve got there, Your Highness,” Grayscale interjected. She lifted a hoof up and mockingly displayed her metal boot. “I still think I like mine better.”

Rainbow noticed Grayscale shaking, taking deeper breaths.

Blackburn apparently noticed too. “Grayscale Force. You are unnerved. I am to blame?”

Grayscale snorted. “Just caught me off guard, that’s all. I honestly thought you were hiding.” She shrugged, and rolled her shoulders. “Not gonna fall for that again. Let’s see you two handle my next trick.”

She flared her wings, and the room gave one fierce shake. Rainbow felt herself pulled to the side, the wall her new floor; Blackburn, however, dropped like a stone towards her own floor, hoofguard-clad hoof-first. She struck with enough impact to shatter most of the wall, and crumbled in a heap within the rubble. Several pieces of debris slammed into the rest of the wide floor, creating holes large enough to fit a pony through.

Grayscale then tucked her wings in and leapt forward into a dive. Rainbow swooped down to intercept; Grayscale rolled on her side, flicked a wing, and Rainbow found herself fall towards her floor, pressed upon by a heavy weight.

Rainbow pushed; she needed to get the speed needed to supercharge into her lightning state again. Grayscale’s dive was drawing in wrecked machinery as she soared towards Blackburn, accumulating in a trail behind her, drawn to her own intense gravitational pull.

Rainbow strained against the pull of her own floor, and at last she snapped off as a bolt of lightning, resisting the gravity’s pull easily. She shot after Grayscale. Blackburn was just recovering from the impact. Grayscale was closing fast. Rainbow pumped her speed as much as she could. She was gaining. Grayscale was within reach. She rolled to the side and slammed into Grayscale as hard as she could.

Grayscale was knocked off course just enough to impact the floor only a yard away from Blackburn. The floor was shattered further, but managed to hold. Blackburn, now able to move, lifted her hoofguard and swung at Grayscale’s face. 

Grayscale flicked her wings again; Blackburn went sailing past Grayscale and into a mechanical pillar, and Rainbow went sailing the other direction into her newest floor yet again. She slammed into a machine pillar, and found she was unable to dislodge herself.

Grayscale sneered, and with another flick of her wings, the machine that Blackburn had crashed into began to emit a loud whine. Seconds later, it began to crumble in on itself, wildly sending sparks flying outwards in all directions.

Blackburn snarled as a spurt of static-charged shrapnel sprayed into her face. She could move her body just fine, but her hoofguard was caught in the machine’s construction. She pulled to get it out, screaming in anger and pain as she did so. She finally dislodged it, and swung around, only to come face to face with Grayscale.

“Your toy is getting on my nerves,” Grayscale said. “Let’s see what you can do without it.”

Blackburn swung, but Grayscale caught the strike easily. With a flick of her wings, Blackburn slammed face-first to the floor. Grayscale placed the hoofguard between her hooves, and started to squeeze; Blackburn howled in pain, then hardened her features and tapped two buttons on the side in unison with her other hoof. The gauntlet gave a high-pitched whine and began to glow not blue, but red, and Blackburn’s hoof fell right out of it.

A second later, and the tiny gauntlet exploded in a fierce blast of energy, flinging both Blackburn and Grayscale away in opposite directions. Blackburn impacted the same machine that had held her prisoner seconds earlier. Grayscale rolled along the floor, her face and forehooves emitting a faint trail of smoke.

Grayscale’s concentration was broken, and Rainbow found herself abruptly removed from the machine she was attached to and able to move freely. Blackburn fell from her own machine towards the floor—the original floor—so Rainbow darted forward to catch the other pegasus and, without a second thought, shot through one of the myriad holes in the wall.

Rainbow flew some distance away before she let Blackburn fly on her own. She took a look around. It had been some time since they’d entered the tower, it seemed; the sun had finally set. The larger of the planet’s two moons was just peaking over the horizon, while the smaller lingered high in the sky.

Blackburn cradled the few bits of scrap that remained on the leg where her gauntlet had been, then pulled her hoof close to her chest for a moment before she let them drop away. “Trusted partner, and treasured gift, that weapon.” She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “Sad to see it go. Leg not broken, though. Relief.”

Rainbow grunted. “So you okay then?”

“Minor injuries. Will recover, but can be of no further assistance.” Blackburn pointed at the tower they’d just left. “Grayscale Force will come soon. Relocated, so you have advantage. Take it slow... stay calm, be focused.”

“You’d better get out of here, and pick up the, uh, obidium. And check on Fluttershy... please.”

Blackburn nodded. “Affirmative, on both counts.”

A shrill screech filled the air, followed by a loud crash as a massive chunk of assorted metal blasted through the hole-filled wall and sailed through the air towards Rainbow and Blackburn. They yelped and shot higher to avoid it, then watch it plummet to the sea far below.

Blackburn gave Rainbow a small sideways glance. “Will leave you to it, then. Want more advice? She doesn’t like to lose; shares that quality with you. Loses focus all the same.” She smirked, and patted Rainbow’s shoulder. “Pretend you are fighting yourself. Make her flinch.”

“Right.” Rainbow saluted. “I’ll take it from here. Just help my friends get home, okay?”

Blackburn dove out of sight beneath a cover of clouds, leaving Rainbow alone in the sky.

***

Havocwing lunged at Ophanim, hooves ablaze, screaming at the top of her lungs. She tackled the tiger and pulled him to the ground, then proceeded to punch him with explosive force, ignoring him grabbing onto her sides and digging his claws into her coat. Each burst she unleashed crushed him further into the concrete.

Ophanim shifted into a smaller shape, a hummingbird, to escape Havocwing’s assault, and darted away as quickly as he could. Havocwing rocketed after him and was on him again in less than a second, forcing him to change again to defend himself, now as a wolf. They wrestled on the floor, claws and flaming hooves flailing.

Ophanim pinned Havocwing to the floor again, taking the form of a gorilla to hold her body steady with his two large hands. He growled in pain as he did so, as the heat of the pony’s body was too intense to handle easily.

“Stop flinching, Ophanim!” Fluttershy shouted. “She’s gonna get loose!”

Havocwing squirmed for a few seconds before snarling, opening her mouth, and letting loose a torrent of flame from her throat, straight up into Ophanim’s face.

Ophanim jerked, releasing his grip and allowing Havocwing free. She was on him instantly, rapidly pummeling him and knocking him around like a rag doll with every blow. Ophanim recovered, and they traded fierce blows in quick succession. Fluttershy was baffled at how Havocwing was able to even stand after taking a punch from a silverback gorilla.

One powerful strike sent Ophanim flying through a nearby machine. Havocwing lunged through the collapsing wreckage to get at Ophanim again, but he vanished before her eyes in a flash of light.

Fluttershy glanced at her bracelet, and noticed the orb was glowing again, but with a dimmer light. “Ophanim?” she muttered. She knew full well that the only reason he’d return to his orb was if he’d taken extreme damage.

Havocwing snarled and bolted out of the wreckage, and immediately began taking large steps towards Fluttershy. “There, your stupid pet can’t help you anymore!” She raised a hoof and ignited a flame large enough to count as an inferno. “Now it’s your turn, Flutterbitch!”

Fluttershy snorted, and held out her leg that had her bracelet attached. “Ophanim, we’re not done yet. Be a good boy, and keep this pony away from mommy,” she commanded.

Ophanim did not immediately come out of the orb.

“Ophanim!”

Ophanim slunk out of the orb, taking the form of a small dog as he did so, and turned his head to give Fluttershy a nervous, pleading look.

“Don’t give me the puppy dog eyes!” Fluttershy shouted. “She wants to hurt me, and you’re supposed to protect me from her! Get to it!”

Ophanim whined, then stepped towards Havocwing again after morphing back into a lion. His light had dimmed since he was last out of the orb, and he flickered a little with every step he took towards his mistress’s assailant.

Havocwing growled. “Back for more, huh? Fine! I’ve still got loads of anger to let out! Come and get it!”

She bolted forward and tackled Ophanim again, ignoring him biting down on her back and raking her sides with his claws. She smashed him against a wall, grabbed his tail, then swung him around into the floor, rage fueling her strength and allowing her to toss the great lion around without trouble.

One more solid hit was all it took. Ophanim staggered away, then crumbled to the floor and remained still. His light flickered and dimmed, until it was no more than a faint glow barely bright enough to keep his surroundings alight.

Havocwing gave a loud, deep-throated laugh. “Eat it! Nopony, and I mean nopony, messes with Havocwing!” She turned to Fluttershy, and her mouth curled into a wide grin; Fluttershy could see that her fang had been knocked loose in the scuffle. “Your turn.”

“Ophanim, get up!” Fluttershy shouted.

Havocwing lunged at Fluttershy, only to have Ophanim slam her to the floor.

“Bucking dammit!” she screamed, her eyes flashing a brighter red. “You just don’t let up!”

Ophanim gripped her tail with his teeth and dragged Havocwing away from Fluttershy, but was clearly putting a lot of effort into just doing that much. 

“Ophanim! Stop messing around!” Fluttershy shouted, angry that her pet wasn’t effectively stopping Havocwing.

Havocwing flipped over and launched a fireball at his snout, forcing him to release his grip, then rocketed at him again, slamming him into the nearby wall. She punched him once, then again, then again, and she did not stop even though he was not fighting back. Every punch was punctuated with a loud scream and a fierce explosion.

Ophanim’s light flickered and dimmed with every strike, and he gradually changed color from his normal pearly white to a gritty orange that grew brighter and brighter. He tilted his head just slightly in Fluttershy’s direction, his expression sollem and his eyes dim with sorrow. Fluttershy quirked an eyebrow, unsure what what wrong.

Eventually, Ophanim’s light got so bright that Havocwing stopped mid-punch. “What the hell?” she muttered. “What’s up with—"

Ophanim exploded in a flash of orange and red. The force of the blast rocketed Havocwing into the wall opposite the machine, hard enough to crack the concrete. She fell, limp, to the floor.

Ophanim crumbled in a heap, his light losing its luster instantly.

He did not get up.

“Ophanim?” Fluttershy peeped.

She took a step forward, then stopped when she heard a crack. She glanced down at her bracelet; the gem had a large gash that had not been there before. She watched in horror as the crack widened until the entire gem was nearly split in two. Fluttershy glanced back at Ophanim, whose bright orange light had become white again, and was quickly fading. She rushed to his side, and cradled his head in her hooves.

“Ophanim? Ophanim!” she pleaded. “Speak to me!”

Ophanim did not respond.

“Oh... oh no...” Fluttershy sniffed. “Ophanim... please, get up.”

Ophanim did not move.

“Ophanim, please...”

Fluttershy stroked her hoof along Ophanim’s back, then pulled it away when a sharp burning sensation shot through it. She glanced at her hoof, noticing a faint glow there that matched Ophanim’s color. With a quick glance down at Ophanim’s back, she saw strips of his light disappearing. He was coming apart in her hooves.

“No... no!” 

Fluttershy pulled Ophanim in tight, holding onto him for dear life. Seconds later, his light vanished entirely, spreading into the air like dandelion seeds, and she was left grasping air. She fumbled around to try and catch a part of his fading flickers to no avail. Just like that, he was gone. Fluttershy slumped back on her hindquarters, her limp gaze focused on the scorch marks Ophanim had left behind on the floor. 

“Ophanim... p-please... don’t go. D-d-don’t leave me!”

She cried, harder than she had ever cried before. In desperation, she grasped at the air around her, trying to catch some of the flickering remnants of Ophanim’s light, but her hooves just passed right through. The air around her felt cold, unnaturally so, and that cold gripped at her heart. She was now truly lonely, and that loneliness sank in with alarming speed.

Her sobbing continued for several moments. She pawed her hoof weakly at the floor beneath her, keeping her eyes focused on the gem in her bracelet. She was half-expecting the little orb to regain its glow; that Ophanim hadn’t disappeared, but had just gone back into his home. 

“Wh-what have I d-d-done?” she whimpered as she curled into a ball and stroked her tail. “He’s gone. He’s really... g-gone. Th-th-this is all m-my fault. It’s my fault... he’s dead because of me.” She took a deep breath, and started crying again. Now she knew why he’d given her that sad look. “He’s... d-d-dead because of me... he s-sacrificed himself f-f-for me...”

Other thoughts flooded her, and made her feel even worse. 

“It’s all my fault...” she murmured. “My f-friends think I’m a j-j-jerk... because of h-how I acted. I treated them all... like dirt.” She sniffed. “Blackburn... Lockwood... Rarity. It’s my fault... that I t-treated them the way I did. Blackburn’s right... it’s not their f-fault things happened the way they did... but... I s-s-still chose to react the way I did.” 

She sunk back to the floor, cowering behind her mane from an unseen foe. “Oh... h-how could they ever... f-f-forgive me? I was worse than a monster... I was... I was...”

A sudden thought came to Fluttershy. Had she really made the decision to act the way she did entirely on her own? Fluttershy knew she’d had problems with her anger before, but not like this, and she’d always felt bad about it afterwards. This time, though, she felt that all her anger was justified, just like Havocwing did.

“Just like... Havocwing,” she muttered. “Oh... oh my...”

Fluttershy connected the dots: if Rainbow Dash, the most loyal pony she knew, could be convinced to abandon her friends by Grayscale Force, then maybe it wasn’t a stretch to think that Havocwing had done the same to her, and had done so so covertly that she hadn’t even noticed. But why?

A low groan from nearby snapped Fluttershy from her reverie. She turned her head towards the wall just to her left, which still bore a large impact crater from where Havocwing had slammed into it. Havocwing herself lay limp on the floor beside it, her body no longer glowing white hot, her mane and tail no longer ablaze. The impact had been intense and had caused the other pegasus severe injury that just added on to the myriad injuries the rest of the fight had given her. She was out cold, barely breathing, bleeding from multiple cuts and scrapes, and her left wing was bent at an awkward angle. Fluttershy cringed.

Fluttershy rose to her hooves and took a step towards the other pegasus. She took another, and another, keeping her steps slow and quiet. Havocwing remained still, so Fluttershy took another step. She grew bolder the closer she got, increasing her pace to close the distance between her and the other pegasus, until eventually she was right at Havocwing’s side. From this close, everything looked worse; Havocwing’s multitude of injuries were so severe that Fluttershy was astounded the other pegasus was even alive. Just another thing that Fluttershy knew was her fault. Another thing she needed to fix.

Without a second thought, Fluttershy set about tending to Havocwing’s wounds, though she was worried about her lack of materials. She settled on tearing her blouse and using the cloth as bandages, as Rarity had done for Lockwood. Havocwing’s wounds were not as severe, but they were much more numerous; Ophanim had really done a number on her. The only thing that worried Fluttershy was Havocwing’s wing, which, with its awkward bend, did not look flight-capable. She did her best to wrap it so that it was straightened out, and was thankful that Havocwing was not awake and thus couldn’t squirm around.

As Fluttershy was applying the sling, though, Havocwing did wake up.

“Ugh... my head,” Havocwing muttered. “Who hit me with a bucking house?”

Havocwing attempted to stand, causing Fluttershy to skitter back in surprise. Havocwing didn’t make it more than a step before she stumbled and fell, giving a low groan as her body cashed back to the floor.

“You shouldn’t move yet,” Fluttershy said, keeping her voice calm in an attempt to be soothing, though her mind was racing with worry and panic.

The effort had the opposite effect, as Havocwing jerked sideways in surprise and landed hard on her side. “W-w-what the hell?! You’re still alive?!”

“Oh dear... please be careful. You really shouldn’t be moving right now. You’re hurt.”

Havocwing snarled. “Shut up! Don’t tell me what to—" She flapped her wings, and immediately winced in pain and stopped moving. “Ow! Son of a—"

“Oh... um... you definitely shouldn’t be trying to use your wing. It looks like it might be broken.”

Havocwing glanced at the cloth wrapped around it, then narrowed her eyes and switched her glare over to Fluttershy. “What did you do? What is this crap?”

Fluttershy smiled. “It’s a sling. It’ll keep your wing still so the bone can set. I put one on your leg too.”

Havocwing glanced back to confirm it, then returned her gaze to Fluttershy. “You... wrapped my wing and leg in slings? So they can heal?” She tilted her head, her mouth slightly open as if the idea confused her. “What’s your game here? Is this some trick to let my guard down so you can sic your pet on me again?”

Fluttershy frowned and shook her head. “He... w-won’t be attacking you anymore today...” she said, though it was hard to do.

Havocwing snorted. “Then nothing’s stopping me from blowing you into teeny tiny bits.” She raised her hoof and aimed it Fluttershy, then ignited a fire.

Fluttershy remained calm, despite having a raging inferno just a foot away from her face. The heat bothered her and so she had to back off a little, but she otherwise tried her best to show Havocwing that she wasn’t scared.

Havocwing quirked an eyebrow. “You’re serious, aren’t you? He’s not hiding somewhere just waiting for me to attack?”

“No.” Fluttershy paused. “He’s... g-gone.”

Havocwing smirked and attempted to unleash her blaze, but the fire sputtered and died the second it left her hoof. Fluttershy peeped as the embers harmlessly flickered against her face.

Havocwing lowered her hoof slightly, and gave it and its smoldering flames an accusatory glare. “Buck... dammit...” she growled as she held her ignited hoof with her other one, her face contorted in pain. She returned her glance to Fluttershy. “I guess you’re... telling the truth. If your pet was around, he would’ve been... all over me for that.” 

She frowned for half a moment before shaking her head and returning her mouth to a scowl. “What gives then? I’m trying to kill you... and I was out for who knows how long. I... your pet is gone because of me. You could’ve ended me, but you wrapped me all up... and tried to heal me. Why?”

“Because I’m sorry I hurt you,” Fluttershy said with a sweet, genuine smile.

Havocwing’s eyebrow raised further, until it disappeared into her mane. “‘Sorry’? I was trying to kill you—you’d be stupid not to try and hurt me! Seriously, what’s your game here?”

Fluttershy frowned. “I’m... j-just showing you a little kindness. You’re h-hurt, and—"

“Kindness? Don’t give me that crap. There’s something else here you’re after. I’m not stupid. I can smell a trick coming a mile away.” Havocwing spat on the floor. Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice the obscene amount of blood mixed in with her saliva. “You’re still weak! You could’ve been done with me, but you’re gonna show me mercy? What kind of a bucking idiot are you?”

“If I’m an idiot for helping somepony in need... then I’m content with that.” Fluttershy sighed. “I don’t know why you’re so angry, Havocwing, but you say that it’s because of me. If it’s my fault that you’re like this... then I’m sorry.”

Havocwing quirked an eyebrow. “Again with the apologies? Seriously, what’s—"

Fluttershy swept forward and wrapped Havocwing up in a hug.

“Whoa! Whoa whoa! Not cool!” Havocwing snapped as she tried to squirm out of Fluttershy’s hold.

“I’m sorry, Havoc.”

“Ugh! Get off me with that crap!” Havocwing spat as she pushed Fluttershy off. She winced when she attempted to flap her wings again; true enough, her injured wing bent awkwardly and didn’t come close to giving her any altitude. “Sorry’s not good enough! I hate you!” She sneered and raised her hoof. “I oughta just blow your top off right now. Then I can go back to my sisters, and tell them I did what I said I’d do, and we can all figure out what to do from there.”

“I just don’t understand, Havoc,” Fluttershy said. “Why do you hate me so much? I’m s-sorry about whatever it is I did, b-but... w-what did I do? I want to m-make amends.”

“Shut up!” Havocwing ignited a flame, and launched a fireball at Fluttershy. It screeched just past Fluttershy’s head and blew apart the wall behind her so that the sky outside could be clearly seen. “Just... just shut up!” she yelled, grabbing onto her flaming hoof with her other one, once again contorting in pain. “I don’t know, okay?! I don’t know why I hate you! I just... I just do! I hate everything! I’m a hate machine! It just comes naturally to me... to be angry at everything...”

Fluttershy felt nothing but pity for the other pegasus, who was so angry at the world but didn’t even know why. She went back to tending to Havocwing’s wounds, ignoring her constant squirming.

“I’m s-sorry that whatever I did to you... made you like this,” she said, “b-but I know you’re not so filled with hate that... you can’t love. I’ve seen the way you act towards your sisters. I know you girls fight a lot, b-but lots of families do. I can see that you’re not like... this. You’re not a hateful pony, deep down—"

“So I love my family, big bucking deal! What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, d-do you think you’re happier being angry, or... being together with your sisters?”

Havocwing paused. “I... I never thought of—" She shook her head. “So what? That doesn’t mean a damn thing. What’s your point? That the way I treat my sisters is the same as the way you treat your friends?” She snorted and tried to get up and walk away, but collapsed after only a single step. “I’m nothing like you. I’m strong, I’m aggressive, I’m not afraid of anything. We’re nothing alike, don’t try to compare us.”

Fluttershy frowned and returned to Havocwing’s side. She was trying to get the other pegasus to stay still, but Havocwing just seemed more and more eager to get away with each passing second. “Oh... w-well, if that’s the way you feel... b-but—"

Havocwing’s eyebrow twitched. She didn’t seem to like it that Fluttershy wasn’t outright agreeing with her. “I’m not some nicey-nice wuss!” she shouted. “I don’t do that sympathetic crap!”

“You don’t necessarily... have to be a ‘n-nicey-nice’ pony to be kind to others.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense!”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Well... kindness is really all about compassion. You don’t have to be nice, necessarily, because you can help them without them knowing it. You probably do that for your sisters, right?”

Havocwing tapped her hoof to her chin. “Well... I’ve been trying to help Curaçao and Insipid—" She shook her head. “No, hold on... that’s not because I’m being kind or anything. I just hate seeing them fighting! See? I hate seeing them fight. Hate. Hate hate hate. No kindness there. Just hate.”

Fluttershy tilted her head to the side and dropped the bandage that was in her mouth. “Insipid and Curaçao are fighting? What—"

“None of your business! Shut up! I didn’t say anything!” Havocwing spat. “Okay, fine, so maybe I hate seeing them fight, maybe I want to do something to stop them from fighting, and maybe that something isn’t lighting them both on fire until they stop. So what?! Does that make me kind?”

“That sounds pretty kind to me,” Fluttershy said, with a smile.

Havocwing sputtered. “I... no! What? No! Stop agreeing with me! I’m not nice! I’m a lean, mean, killing machine! The best damn fighter this side of Pandemonium! So I love my family, what of it?! I’m not nice! I’m not kind!” She pushed herself upright and pressed her face right against Fluttershy’s. “I’m not some sentimental wimp! I’m. Not. Nice.”

Fluttershy stood firm. “Is it really so bad to be kind? Your sisters love you. I’m sure they’d be glad to know you love them back so much.”

Havocwing paused, then snarled. “I... but...” She snorted and slumped back onto the floor, giving Fluttershy the opportunity to tend to her again. “Well, I... it feels good to know they’re happy, I guess. You’re saying I’m supposed to feel that way? That that’s the right way to feel?” She rolled her eyes and snorted smoke out her nose. “Well if that were the case, then that would mean I’ve been wasting my time hating you.”

“Well... isn’t it a waste of time?” Fluttershy asked. “What do you think you’ll accomplish by... k-killing me?”

Havocwing frowned. “I... I don’t know. I just...” She rested her chin on the floor, her face suddenly paling as if she’d come to a horrible realization. Fluttershy equated it to how she looked when she first realized how much she wanted to go home. “Have I really been wasting all my time going after you, when I could’ve been trying to start a new life with my family? They’re more important to me than all this crap...”

She grunted and lurched upward, placing a hoof to her chest. The color of her coat drained instantly. “Oh... b-buck, I c-can’t breathe. Ah... d-dammit...”

“Havocwing? A-are you okay?”

Havocwing shook her head and closed her eyes. She looked like she was in severe pain. “W-who turned down the heat in here? It’s... c-cold...” She clutched her sides and tucked herself into a ball, and began stroking her tail. “B-b-buck... m-m-me. W-what’s going on? I c-c-can’t feel m-my h-h-hooves.”

“Oh dear... um... here, let me help,” Fluttershy squeaked. She frantically looked about to see if there was anything left of her blouse she could use to keep Havocwing warm.

“Sh-shut up, I’m t-t-trying to think! I don’t n-need your stupid k-k-kindness right—" 

Havocwing’s eyes widened, and she slowly turned her head around to look at Fluttershy. Fluttershy took a half step back. Havocwing’s eyes weren’t filled with rage. 

They were filled with fear. 

“Y-you! Y-you did this to m-me! Didn’t you!?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I d-don’t know! I d-didn‘t do anything—"

“I f-f-fell for it! Oh sh-shit... I f-fell for your l-little t-t-trick! I g-g-gotta get outta here!”

Havocwing scampered past Fluttershy and headed for the gaping hole in the wall leading outside, limping all the while.

“W-wait!” Fluttershy called, realizing Havocwing was going to try and fly away. “Havoc, your wing is hurt! You shouldn’t be flying—" She gasped when Havocwing ignored her and leapt straight through the hole. “Oh no!”

Fluttershy galloped towards the hole and leapt out of it herself. She could see Havocwing below her, tumbling through the air and desperately trying to right herself. Fluttershy dove as quickly as she could, and was glad that the tower wall had been facing outwards so that Havocwing wasn’t falling towards the island it was built on, but towards a layer of fluffy clouds below.

Unfortunately, Havocwing didn’t hit the clouds and stop, but kept going straight through, so desperate to get away that she chose to keep falling. Fluttershy increased her speed, and crashed through the clouds in pursuit of Havocwing’s falling form. She heard a popping sound, but paid it no mind. But, when she broke through the layer of clouds, Havocwing was gone.

Fluttershy gasped and frantically looked about to try and find the other pegasus. “Oh dear... um... Havocwing! Havoc! Where are you?!”

Havocwing was nowhere to be found, and this worried Fluttershy greatly. There was nothing but ocean beneath the islands, so Havocwing should have been easy to spot. So, where was she? She didn’t just up and vanish, did she? Fluttershy briefly scanned the cloud cover above her, hoping to see Havocwing somewhere in the fluffy white layers. How could the other pegasus even fly properly with that injured wing?

Fluttershy sighed. If Havocwing was hiding, there wasn’t much good she could do here now. Any further attempts to help might just make the situation worse. “Oh... I hope Rainbow’s okay. And Blackburn too...” she murmured as she swept back up through the clouds.

The island came into view again, and Fluttershy got the chance to take a good look at the tower. One side of the tower was riddled with so many cracks, holes, dents, and tears that Fluttershy was surprised the tower was even still standing. Only one hole, far, far above her, was familiar; the others must have been caused by-

“Oh no...” Fluttershy muttered. “Rainbow...”

Fluttershy flew up towards the side of the tower and made to investigate, but stopped when she heard somepony call her name. She turned, and saw Blackburn approaching, looking rather worse for wear than Fluttershy remembered from seeing her last. Her jacket was torn, and her gauntlet was gone.

“Your Highness! Are you okay?” she asked when Blackburn swooped up to her.

Blackburn did not respond immediately, but rather raised an eyebrow. “Uninjured... “ she said slowly after a long moment. “You are well. Outfit torn... reminiscent of Rarity’s dress when treating Lockwood. You tended to Havocwing.”

Fluttershy blinked. “W-well... yes. She was injured from the battle, and I couldn’t leave her like that.”

“Then she cannot fight back.” Blackburn glanced at the hoof that was missing her gauntlet. “Will have to make due. Must administer justice.”

“Justice?”

“For deaths she inflicted upon my soldiers.” Blackburn shook her head. “Grayscale admitted to killings; can assume her sisters participated as well.”

“Oh...” Fluttershy frowned, and reached a hoof out to try and comfort Blackburn. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry...” Blackburn raised her eyebrow again, but only for a second. “Take me to her.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I... um... can’t. She ran away, I don’t know where she is.”

Blackburn frowned. “I see. Unfortunate.” She glanced down at Fluttershy’s hooves. “Your bracelet is damaged. Eyes are red... suggests crying. Assumption is that Ophanim... my condolences.”

Fluttershy teared up, and swept forward to hug Blackburn. The other pegasus was the only pony she could express grief to right now. To her surprise, Blackburn put a hoof around her back and tapped her a few times in an awkward comforting gesture.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty...” Fluttershy whimpered. “I’ve been—"

“Told you, would forgive if you let it go,” Blackburn said. “If truly sorry about what has happened, apologize to Lockwood.”

Fluttershy sniffed. “I will.”

Blackburn nodded. “Come, then. Let us find obidium and leave this place.”

***

Rainbow was not alone for long. Grayscale swept up faster than Rainbow Dash had ever seen her move before, pulling cloud cover along in her wake. Her face was covered with soot and minor burns, and for the first time, Rainbow saw tiny blemishes on her otherwise always-impeccable boots.

“Where’s your friend?” Grayscale asked. Her composure was still there, but only just. Her wings flapped in slow and even beats, and her face was placid and relaxed, but the fire in her eyes was unsettling.

Rainbow took in a deep breath. Do I look like this when I’m angry?

“You’re not dealing with her anymore, Gray. You’re after me. So here I am.”

Grayscale snorted, then shrugged and landed on a thin layer of cloud. “Fair enough. I’m not gonna play anymore; we’re fighting for real, now. Just you, and me. Winner take all.”

Grayscale spread her wings to their full length. Rainbow did not feel any change in her surroundings, nor did she see any movement in any of the nearby objects. The display was just that: a display. Rainbow kept her gaze on her clone, now noting how truly odd it was that Grayscale possessed such a completely different build. It didn’t make sense.

“That’s just the way I like it,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “I always win. That’s what I do.”

Grayscale’s mouth curled into a tight smile, then she let loose one great laugh. “That’s why I’m going to make you lose. All your boasting, all your confidence, all your ego; they mean nothing. You don’t see it, but I do. I will make you see just how worthless you are.”

Rainbow rolled her shoulders. “Yeah, well, we’ll see about—"

Grayscale flicked her wings, and Rainbow dropped like a stone. Rainbow beat her wings to regain upwards momentum, and almost missed Grayscale dive-bombing towards her. She abruptly twirled around and shot downwards instead, bursting into her lightning state immediately.

She chanced a glance above her and saw Grayscale still diving, trailing not too far behind. She beat her wings, gaining speed and increasing the distance between the two. She punched through a layer of clouds, spinning as she did so to whip them into a trail behind her. With just a little effort, the white, fluffy clouds became black and smokey.

Rainbow took a deep breath, and kicked the storm cloud behind her with all her might. A torrent of hailstones fired to her rear, aimed directly at her pursuer. She kicked again and again, launching volleys in quick bursts.

Grayscale slowed her dive with a small spread of her wings and a tiny twirl to the side to avoid the volley; it was enough to give Rainbow more distance. In doing so, the hailstones that had been fired at her missed. However, they did not just pass her by, but curved around her in passing; Grayscale was using herself as a slingshot to aim the hailstones right back at Rainbow.

Rainbow twisted around as the hail whizzed by her head, gathering the hailstones in a wind funnel. She kicked her cloud again and beat her wings to push the twister backwards, gathering up more and more ice. When at last her storm cloud was spent, she let it melt away, and turned to bolt straight at Grayscale.

“Incoming!” Dash taunted.

Grayscale tucked her wings and went back into full dive. “Bring it on, Dash!”

Rainbow kicked out of her tornado, sending the hundreds of hailstones flying straight up at Grayscale.

Grayscale flicked her wings and deflected the lot. Those that still managed to approach simply burst apart against her body, but Rainbow noticed Grayscale wince at each strike. Her altitude and speed dropped from the spread of her wings.

Rainbow zipped in and punched Grayscale in the gut. Grayscale shrugged it off, caught Rainbow with her body weight, and headbutted Rainbow in the nose. Rainbow tumbled through the air, hoof to her nose, for a moment before she regained control in time to avoid Grayscale streaking towards her.

Rainbow snorted, and pulled her hoof away from her nose. Blood stained her hoof, and she could feel it trickle from her nostril to her lips. 

She swooped around to avoid Grayscale again. “If this is all you’ve got, Gray, I’m not impressed!”

Grayscale narrowed her eyes and gave a loud snort. “Me? All I’ve got? Please, Dash, you still can’t do anything but run away. Such... a pain.”

“And all you can do is chase me around,” Rainbow retorted. “If you could keep up with me, you might actually be a challenge. You’re the boring one.”

Grayscale’s eyebrow twitched. “Dash... no,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not going to tell you. I’m going to show you just how wrong you are. Say ‘hello’ to the ocean for me.”

Rainbow bolted forward just as Grayscale flared her wings, and before she’d even made it near the other pegasus she was falling through the sky like a rock. With a quick glance downward and the sight of the swiftly approaching sea, she knew what was coming. She’d hit the ocean surface in under a minute.

She attempted to flap her wings, but found them too heavy to move. She flailed about in the air in an attempt to slow her fall, but could barely even spin. Every movement strained her body as though she were lifting the heaviest weights imaginable.

This is bad, she thought. 

Fifty seconds. 

Her thoughts raced as she tried to think of something, anything she could do to get herself out of the fall. But every idea she had ran headfirst into the notion that, as much as Rainbow knew about aerodynamics, she was used to adjusting for her own, normal weight. This was different.

She closed her eyes, and now her thoughts turned to worry. If she couldn’t get out of this fall, she’s hit the ocean below; one of the first things she learned in flight school was that hitting water at this speed was fatal, and she was gaining speed every second. If that happened, then what would happen to her friends? They’d all be in danger, and likely already were. Without Rainbow to stop her, would Grayscale go off to help her sisters with Rainbow’s friends? Were they going to be okay?

Forty seconds.

No, Rainbow thought, she wasn’t going to let that happen. Grayscale wasn’t going to win, not as long as Rainbow was still alive and kicking. She knew what she needed to do.

She tucked her wings, strained to adjust her goggles to make sure they were straight, took a deep breath, then pushed herself forward, embracing the fall and turning it into a dive. Blackburn’s tactic had worked, even it hadn’t been Rainbow’s intent; Grayscale had given her the opportunity to not just make a Sonic Rainboom, or to become a lightning bolt, but something better. Something stronger.

Thirty seconds.

Her body went faster and faster with her own prodding, assisted by the greatly-increased pull of gravity. Without any effort at all, she approached the sound barrier and then slammed through it, creating a Sonic Rainboom. Despite having done it so many times, the sensation of flying faster than sound still excited her. 

Ten seconds.

She kept diving, faster and faster. Supersonic speed wasn’t enough anymore; gravity could still greatly affect something going that fast. A split second attempt to flick her tail proved Grayscale’s gravity was still pulling her down. She wasn’t going fast enough to escape it.

Five seconds.

Faster and faster she went, unafraid of putting everything she had into her dive. The ocean was approaching so fast that she was sure she’d hit it within the next few seconds. Faster and faster. She pushed harder than ever, tucking her legs in tighter than ever until she was a missile.

One second.

Then, with one final strain of every last ounce of energy she had, she pushed herself faster than she’d ever gone before, or could ever hope to go again.

A Hyperspectral Rainboom.

A rapid series of rainbow stars exploded outwards along her trail, each one a different color and each one as bright as the sun. They expanded first, then merged with her in-flight, creating a shockwave that parted the sea beneath her. The world around her exploded into a prismatic display, flooding her vision with every color of the spectrum for just a fleeting second. She couldn’t feel the wind around her, she couldn’t feel the sensation of movement, and most importantly, she couldn’t feel the pull of gravity. Her body fully embraced the speed, and in her mind she knew: this was her next level. Flying as fast as a rocket, as a bullet, even as lightning, was nothing compared to this.

Rainbow came to a complete stop just inches above the ocean surface, then rocketed straight upwards at the same speed she’d just been traveling.

She smiled, and glanced at the tiny dot that was Grayscale Force. “Let’s do this.”

She raised a hoof in front of her face, but instead of glimpsing her familiar cyan coat, she saw a multicolored energy that traced her movements. The Hyperspectral Rainboom had merged with her body, turning her into prismatic pseudo-light; she felt solid enough, as if she were merely sheathed in light. 

It had taken her nearly a minute to reach the ocean from the instant Grayscale had made her fall. She was back at Grayscale’s level in an instant.

Grayscale balked at Rainbow’s new pseudo-energy form literally warping in front of her face. “What the—"

Rainbow reared her hoof back and punched Grayscale in the gut. The assault happened so fast that Grayscale hadn’t even had time to react. She wheezed and fumbled backwards.

Rainbow did not let up. She swept forward and kicked Grayscale in the side, once, twice, three times. Each kick landed almost instantly after the last, and each hit before Grayscale’s body could even register having been struck. She swung around and smashed Grayscale’s jaw with an uppercut, then twirled into a spin and kicked Grayscale in the stomach.

To Rainbow, Grayscale moved in almost slow-motion, tumbling backwards through the air like a crumbled-up chunk of paper; the few seconds it took Grayscale to recover felt like minutes to Rainbow. 

Rainbow lunged forward again, closing the distance in an flash, and tackled Grayscale. She drew Grayscale upwards with her, moving so fast that Grayscale was still in the process of reeling when the two pegasi were within a stone’s throw of the Elysian Islands. They burst through all the layers of clouds so quickly that it was almost simultaneous.

A split second later, and they were above a wide clearing on one of the smaller islands, in what appeared to be the middle of some sort of garden. Rainbow body-slammed Grayscale, back-first, into the concrete with enough speed that Grayscale created a shallow impact crater.

Rainbow looped around and dove into the crater, and rapidly pummeled Grayscale with every ounce of force she could. Grayscale raised her hooves to curl into a defensive ball, but took so long to do so that Rainbow was able to punch her several dozen times. 

Rainbow did not let up her assault until Grayscale managed to push her off. She twirled around and landed on the ground with no shortage of flair and style, and remained still so that Grayscale could recover.

Grayscale pushed herself out of the crater, grunting and groaning as she did so. Her body was covered in bruises and scrapes, and she wobbled as she walked. She rubbed her lip, and drew back blood. She glared at the stain on her boot like it was the most offensive thing in the world, then turned the glare to Rainbow.

“What is this?” she asked, her voice belying her enraged curiosity.

Rainbow chuckled. “That’s called ‘blood’, Gray,” she said, her voice carrying a slight, high-pitched static with it. She paused, then snickered. “Whoa, is that my voice? Man, Pinkie’s gotta hear this.”

Grayscale sneered. “I know what blood is, idiot. I’m talking about you. What’s happened to you? How did you get so fast?”

Rainbow flexed her wings and legs. “The Hyperspectral Rainboom,” she declared.

Grayscale narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “The what?”

“No? You don’t like it? Well, how about the Sonic Rainboom Mark Two?” Rainbow suggested. Grayscale continued to give her a blank, half-lidded stare. “Still nothing. Okay, how about... the Rainbow Blitzbomb?”

“Are you making fun of me by giving it these cheesy names?” Grayscale asked, her body trembling with anger.

Rainbow shrugged. “Whatever, it’s a work in progress. But with this, I’m going to show you just how wrong you are, Gray. Let’s go. Round Three.”

Grayscale remained silent for several long moments; to Rainbow, it seemed like forever. At last, she said, “You know what’s funny?” She rolled her shoulders and settled back into a relaxed state. “You think that beating me even matters. So you beat me. So I lose. Big deal.”

“Uh... yeah?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “For somepony that was so bored and cocky a minute ago, you sure have changed your tune. Why so serious, Gray?”

“Beating me doesn’t matter, because I’m nothing special.” Grayscale shook her head. “And beating you doesn’t mean anything anymore anyway, so why should I care? You move faster than I can keep up with. I gave you a challenge... and you rose to surpass me. Just like you said you would. Bravo.”

“Well, yeah. I told you, it’s what I do.”

“But here, even if you do, it means nothing in the end. Do you know why?” Grayscale pointed towards the tower in the distance, the one where she and Rainbow had been fighting earlier. “My sisters are after your friends... and even if you were able to beat me in the end, do you think your friends will fare the same?”

Rainbow stared at the tower for a moment. She knew Blackburn had managed to get away, and she believed the other mare would be able to help Fluttershy... if she arrived in time. But what about the others? Twilight and Rarity were being escorted by Lockwood, who could contribute practically nothing in a fight against either Starlight Shadow or Insipid. Who had went with Applejack and Pinkie again? Fireburst? She was a miner and a treasure hunter, so maybe she was good in a scrap, but fighting Red Velvet or Curaçao wasn’t exactly a “scrap”.

She shook her head. No... they’re gonna be okay. If I can beat Grayscale, they can beat their clones too. They’ll be fine.

“You still think they have a chance, don’t you?” Grayscale asked, snapping Rainbow from her reverie. Rainbow nodded; Grayscale smirked. “Maybe... maybe. Maybe everything’s already over, and all my sisters lay defeated right now. If that’s the case... then all of our goals and dreams really don’t matter, not just mine. I thought, maybe...”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Gray... seriously, why are you doing this?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Grayscale said. She chuckled. “Nothing matters. I’ve been delusional, Dash, but you’ve opened my eyes. I thought maybe, just maybe, my goal of beating you and proving how insignificant you are was something worth fighting for, if only for a moment. That maybe there was some reality to my existence. I was wrong. I can’t beat you... not like this. And if that doesn’t matter, well... then what does?”

“Gray... are you—"

“Nothing. Matters,” Grayscale snarled, her voice cracking. She took a deep breath, and stared at Rainbow, the rage in her eyes dimming and being replaced by a sadness that Rainbow had never seen before. “I have one last challenge for you, Dash.”

“Go on...” Rainbow said warily.

Grayscale flared her wings out to full wingspan. In that instant, the entire island began to shake tremendously, and within seconds the ground began to crack. 

Rainbow took wing to avoid the ground giving way from beneath her, and turned her gaze to Grayscale. Small chunks of the island that shattered off were being drawn towards her: gravel, bits of dirt and concrete, blades of grass, chunks of marble. They crumbled into dust before reaching her, crushed under incredible pressure. Even Rainbow, in her new form, could feel the pull.

Grayscale then pointed upwards. “See if you can keep up.”

“Wh—" was all Rainbow managed to utter before Grayscale rocketed into the sky. The island completely shattered and fell towards the sea below, covering the great distance in seconds.

Rainbow shook her head to collect her wits, then without hesitation, bolted up after the other pegasus. She caught up in just over a second, and that made her realize just what altitude she was climbing to. While her new form seemed to be making it possible to breathe this high up without worry, she did not know how Grayscale was doing the same.

They climbed up, up, up, punching through the top layers of the troposphere, then through the stratosphere and into the mesosphere, which glowed with all the colors of the rainbow. The small moon was brighter than ever this high up, almost blindingly so.

Rainbow swerved to avoid small chunks of rock that were burning up in the atmosphere; Grayscale just slammed through them without stopping. As Rainbow passed through the aurora, she absorbed the light and carried it with her, creating a corona of light in her wake.

Grayscale stopped several miles up into the thermosphere.

Rainbow looped around to come to a stop as well. She looked around, confused, mostly as to how Grayscale was breathing. She noticed a sort of bubble around Grayscale’s body, as if she was using her weight to keep air around her, at least enough to breathe. The air was so thin up here that Rainbow was glad her new form didn’t seem to need it.

“Okay, Gray... why are we here?”

Grayscale turned to Rainbow, and spread her hooves wide. “From up here, you can see it all, can’t you Dash?” She slowly turned around, sweeping a hoof out over the sight. “The whole planet. The entirety of Equestria.” 

Rainbow glanced below her. True enough, they were so high up that she could see almost everything: the tiny dots of the Elysian Islands directly below; the wide fields of grass that stretched for miles to the south; tiny swaths of dark green forests that broke up the lighter green of the grasslands; the brown mountains of Deepgrove; the white lights of Utopia in the distance; the expanse of white snow of the southern tundra. Only the northern hemisphere still remained a mystery to her, covered still by a churning cloud of murky orange.

Rainbow had never flown this high before, and the sight was rather overwhelming. “Yeah... it’s pretty cool...”

Grayscale shrugged. “Take a good look while it lasts, Dash. Because when I’m done with it, it’ll just be a smoldering cloud of rock and dust.”

Rainbow made to speak, but before she could say a word, Grayscale swung around and launched herself in the opposite direction. All Rainbow could think of in that instant was, how did Grayscale get so fast? It really didn’t matter; Rainbow knew she was still faster. She took off after Grayscale, and caught sight of the other pegasus within seconds. She was bothered by how long it was taking to catch up, and that Grayscale seemed to be getting faster.

When she finally managed to pull up alongside Grayscale, she had to push herself and her new form to its limits to remain at her side. “Gray! What is this?!” she shouted over the din of air whipping past their heads. “What are you doing?!”

Grayscale rolled over so that she was flying with her back to the planet. “It’s called an ‘orbit’, Dash.”

“Okay... I get that! But—"

“I’ve always wondered how I know about things, but why I don’t remember learning about them.” Grayscale set her hooves behind her head. “I remember talking with Starlight and my father about it. Knowing those conversations never really happened... well, it really puts things in perspective.”

“And what would that be?!”

“Everything about my existence is just made-up. I’m just sompeony’s idea made into a thing. My opinions and hopes and dreams are meaningless, because they’re not mine. They’re just somepony else’s ideas.” Grayscaled leered at Rainbow . “Why should you get to have any of that, but not me?”

Rainbow remained silent and let Grayscale talk, not to be polite or because she was particularly interested, but because Grayscale was still moving faster than ever, and even now was pulling ahead without seeming to expend much effort.

“My control over mass and gravity requires me to have a firm grasp on the concepts of physics. I know now that I had that knowledge implanted within me in the process of my birth and conversion.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Gray, you’re more than that, and you know it! Stop acting like everything about you doesn’t matter! It does!”

Grayscale ignored her. “Did you know that if an object with enough mass strikes another object with enough velocity, both objects will pretty much be destroyed?”

Rainbow thought for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization. Grayscale was moving faster than Rainbow now, and was still gaining speed. If that continued, and if Grayscale put everything she had into increasing her own weight, could she really do what she thought Grayscale was implying? Could she crack the planet? Rainbow had heard a lot of crazy plans over the years, but this was just plain beyond crazy.

“You can’t be serious, Gray! You couldn’t do that even if you tried!”

Grayscale shrugged. “I intend to perform this experiment, regardless of how impossible you think it is. That’s what science is all about: proving the impossible, one way or another.” She chuckled. “That’s funny, coming from me. But whether you think I’m right or wrong doesn’t matter. If I’m right, everything down there goes ‘poof’. Are you really ready to take that risk?”

Rainbow grit her teeth. “Of course not!”

“Then just try and stop me.”

Grayscale turned back around and returned to her orbital path. She gained more speed with every passing second, until, soon enough, she’d pulled far ahead of Rainbow.

Rainbow snorted, and pushed herself further into her flight, focusing every ounce of energy she had into catching up with Grayscale. She closed in within seconds, just as Grayscale dipped down and dove towards the planet, hooves first. Rainbow dove in pursuit, but Grayscale was pulling ahead, her metal-clad hooves glowing white-hot. Rainbow felt the effects of re-entry heat upon her, just barely, as her light form seemed to be nearly impervious. But she wasn’t fast enough. Grayscale would enter the upper mesosphere soon, and it would take seconds to strike the planet from there.

She took another deep breath, and pushed herself harder than ever; she didn’t think it was even possible to keep pushing her limits, but every new barrier she broke gave her new limits to break.

She rocketed towards Grayscale’s form; the other pegasus glanced behind her in surprise. Rainbow reached out to grab Grayscale, but she was still too far away. The strain and intense heat made Rainbow’s entire body ache. She pushed herself forward again, pulling closer inch by inch, until at last she was close enough and snagged Grayscale’s tail.

“Gotcha!”

She used Grayscale’s tail as leverage to pull forward and grab hold of Grayscale’s body. Grayscale kicked Rainbow in the face as Rainbow tried to pull further up; Rainbow felt like she’d been smacked in the jaw by a runaway cart. She nearly lost her grip, but held on with everything she had.

Grayscale snarled. “Let go of me, Dash!” she shouted over the din of re-entry.

She twisted herself into a tight roll; Rainbow hung on for dear life as Grayscale’s tail whipped back and forth through the spin. When that didn’t work, Grayscale kicked her hooves back at Rainbow’s face, but Rainbow twisted Grayscale’s tail to avoid them.

“Let go, dammit! You can’t stop me by just going fast anymore! Anywhere we hit, the planet goes ‘bang’!”

“I’m not gonna let you do this, Gray!” Rainbow shouted back.

“Fine. If you insist!” Grayscale swung around and wrapped her own hooves around Rainbow. “Then you can join me! More mass to add to my little world-cracking bullet!”

Rainbow was surprised at the sudden turn, and struggled to get out of Grayscale’s hold. “We’re not... going to destroy... anything!”

Rainbow fought with all her might to get out of Grayscale’s deathgrip, but the other pegasus was too strong and too heavy. Her wings were locked against her body, her legs and head were positioned inconveniently to strike Grayscale and break the hold, and she could barely breathe.

The panic began to set in when she looked ahead to see just how close they were to the planet. She knew she had to do something, anything, to stop Grayscale from pulling off this crazy stunt. Even if they hit the ground, even if they were killed by the impact, she knew that she had to do whatever it took to prevent Grayscale from destroying the planet and killing everyone. From killing her friends.

To Rainbow’s surprise, as she thought about making the ultimate sacrifice to ensure her friends survived, her body began to glow. Not just glow, but shine, so brightly in fact that the sheen began to overtake Grayscale’s body as well. Then, an idea struck her: in her energy form, she had less mass; in this form, she wouldn’t be able to destroy the planet. If Grayscale was enveloped in that form as well...

Maybe she and Grayscale would still hit the ground, and maybe the impact would kill them... but everypony and everything would survive. Her friends would survive.

Grayscale noticed the effect as well. “What are you doing?! Do you care so little about your life that you’re willing to die with me?!” she shouted.

Rainbow glanced up at Grayscale laughed. “If giving up my life is what it takes to save my friends... then that’s the price I’m willing to pay! I’m not like you, Gray!”

Grayscale continued dive towards the planet, even as her body began to glow with the same prismatic sheen as Rainbow. “You won’t stop me, Dash! You won’t—"

Rainbow heard a screeching blast as they tore through the atmosphere, and her vision filled with green as the planet’s surface raced towards them. Then, everything went white.

***

Rainbow opened her eyes, slowly at first; her head was pounding, and her vision was strained. Every inch of her body felt like it was on fire; it hurt just to think about moving. She could taste blood in her mouth. She could feel the wind in her mane again, though it was a weak breeze that barely ruffled her mane. She stumbled to the side, realizing she was on solid ground, then tripped over an indent within a massive crater.

“Ow...” she muttered through a mouthful of dirt.

She spat out the undesirable stuff and rose to her hooves again. She glanced around her, and noticed she was surrounded on all sides by vast, green grasslands, minus the twenty-yard crater below her. It was nighttime, and she could clearly see the moon far above them. Directly above them, in fact. How long had it been since they left the islands? Well, she thought, at the very least, everything’s still here.

A groan from below drew her attention. She turned to see Grayscale laying on her stomach in the crater, covered in dirt, bruises, and blood. She had landed hooves-first, so her boots had served their purpose and absorbed the entirety of the impact; neither her nor Rainbow had been killed by the blow that had created the giant crater they now resided in. Rainbow had to wonder what might have happened if her Hypersonic Rainboom hadn’t worked, and Grayscale had been able to impact with more force.

Without a second thought, Rainbow climbed into the crater and shook Grayscale’s side. “Hey... hey Gray!” she shouted. “Get up! C’mon, don’t you die on me after I just finished pulling that off!”

Grayscale slowly opened her eyes, and glanced at Rainbow. Her expression remained dim, and she turned her glance skyward, ignoring Rainbow.

Rainbow snarled, and jostled Grayscale roughly. “Don’t you ignore me, not after all we just went through! Look at me!” Grayscale remained silent, and did not shift her gaze. Rainbow jostled her again. “Look at me! I want some answers!”

Grayscale shook her head, and muttered, “You messed it all up. I really am nothing...”

“Yeah, I did. I wasn’t about to let you blow up the planet, Gray,” Rainbow scoffed. “What the hay is wrong with you, huh? Why were you even trying to do that? You’re messed in the head, Gray, you know that?!”

“And I failed,” Grayscale said, her voice barely audible, a colossal frown on her face. “Proof that I was right all along...”

Rainbow snorted. “Still harping on about that, huh? Are you trying to make me feel bad, Gray? You just tried to blow up the planet, and you want to make me feel bad?”

“Whatever.” Grayscale rolled over so that her back was to Rainbow. “What do you care about a nothing like me?”

“Be glad that I do,” Rainbow snapped. “After everything you’ve done, after everything you’ve attempted to do, you don’t deserve my sympathy or concern. You deserve to be punished for what you’ve done, just like Blackburn said. But most of all,” Rainbow added, her mouth turning in a frown, “you deserve my pity.”

“Pity... I don’t even deserve that. I’m a failure. A nothing. What—"

“Shut up!” Rainbow snapped. “Listen to yourself! You’re so filled with self-loathing and uncaring crud that you’re willing to give up on life! You think you have it so bad that you’re going to just kill yourself! What happened to the Grayscale I used to think was cool, huh?”

“She found out she was just a worthless copy of somepony else,” Grayscale said in a flat monotone.

“So that’s what all this is really about, huh? You’re my clone, and you think that that makes you worthless? Any clone of mine would know they’re more than that! No clone of mine would give up just because of something so stupid! They’d rise to the challenge! They’d try to prove themselves better!”

She offered her hoof to Grayscale to help her up. “Get up. Or are you just weak? Rise to the challenge, Gray!”

Grayscale snorted. “Leave me alone. We both know you’re better than me, so why bother? Nothing matters anymore...”

Rainbow huffed. “For somepony that keeps telling me how ‘nothing matters’, you sure seemed to be dead set on beating me earlier.”

Grayscale made to speak again, then stopped, her face pale. She turned to face Rainbow at last. “Wait... no... I... what?”

“Yeah, you heard me! I just told you how you’re messed up in the head! You keep telling me nothing matters, but you were just all ready to blow up a planet to prove a point! What is it, huh? Do you care about beating me, or not? Because if you do, then get up! Get up, and we’ll go again! I’ve still got plenty left in me, I’ll take you on!”

“You... no, that’s not... but...” Grayscale paused, and grit her teeth. “I... I don’t care about beating you...”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and groaned. “By Celestia, you’re getting on my nerves. So then, why do you want to do all this? If you don’t care, why not just let it go, huh? Why not just find some spot to lay down and just chill? No, you come after me! Why, huh?! Is it about what I said, proving you’re better?”

“It’s... it’s because... because my sisters wanted to. I said I’d do my part, because—"

“Because you care what they think? What a load of horseapples!” Rainbow kicked Grayscale in the side again. “Stop lying to me! You just told me nothing matters again, and now you’re trying to tell me your sisters suggested this whole crazy idea and you went along with it! Make up your dang mind!”

Grayscale paused. “I... I d-don’t...”

“You don’t even know what you want anymore, do you? Do you want to beat me, do you want to lay there and feel sorry for yourself, do you want to go find your sisters, what?!”

“Find... my sisters...”

“Yeah, I bet you would. Because My friends have probably beaten them, just like I beat you.”

Grayscale paled.

Rainbow laughed. “So that’s it, huh? See? I told you you were full of it. You care about them, don’t you? That’s why I don’t think you could’ve gone through with this little game of yours.” She snorted and shook her head. “Blowing up the planet. Man, here I thought you were really serious about that. What a waste of time.”

“What... do you mean?” Grayscale asked, eyebrow raised.

“Well, if you destroyed the planet, you’d have killed them too. You weren’t serious about all that, right? That was just you trying to goad me into messing up. Well it didn’t work! I stopped you, because I’m better!” 

Rainbow paused at Grayscale’s blank expression, perplexed by the long silence. Grayscale’s mouth was just barely moving, as though she was whispering the words to herself. Was she really thinking Rainbow’s words over that intently? Rainbow frowned as the implications sunk in. Did she hit a nerve? Did Grayscale really care about her sisters, but... not realize her attack would have killed them too?

“Right? Gray?” she asked moments later. “Hello?”

Grayscale paled again. “I... no... wait, what—" 

Grayscale suddenly collapsed to the ground, holding her head in her hooves and screaming in pain. She writhed around for a moment before the screaming finally stopped, and she lay completely still.

Rainbow took half a step back. “Uh... Gray?”

Grayscale shook in place and crumbled into a ball. Rainbow heard a sound that was all too familiar from years of being Fluttershy’s friend, but it was not a sound she ever expected to hear out of Grayscale. She was crying. A lot.

“Gray, are you okay?”

“No! I’m not okay!” Grayscale suddenly wailed. “What was I thinking?! I... I could have killed them! Oh stars, what was I thinking?!”

Rainbow bit her lip. “Oh man... I... I didn’t mean what I said. I wasn’t trying to say—"

“Yes you did! And you’re right!” Grayscale cried. She slammed her hoof on the ground, and to Rainbow’s surprise, the dirt was barely even reacting. “You’re right! Dammit, you’re right! What the hell is wrong with me?!”

Rainbow tentatively reached out a hoof to touch Grayscale’s shoulder. “Hey... uh—"

To her surprise, Grayscale sprung up and wrapped Rainbow in a hug, burying her face in Rainbow’s chest and bawling her eyes out. Rainbow, on instinct, tucked her hoof around Grayscale to return the gesture in the most awkward way possible. Grayscale was so much bigger than her that it was hard to do.

“I got...” Grayscale sniffed loudly and wiped her nose with w hoof. “I g-got so focused on nothing that I f-f-forgot I have something that matters! I w-was so determined... to kill you that I c-could have killed them! What is wrong with me?!”

Grayscale sniffed loudly and pulled her face away from Rainbow to look her in the eyes. Her eyes were wide and red with tears. Rainbow suppressed a gasp; not only was seeing a pony like Grayscale crying a weird experience, but those eyes. Blackburn was right; Grayscale’s eyes looked exactly like her own. It was extremely awkward to her to see Grayscale cry, and she didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because Grayscale was her, and they shared some sort of connection? She knew she’d be embarrassed as all get out if anypony ever saw her cry.

“Hey... c’mon Gray, your weird plan wouldn’t have worked anyway,” Rainbow said, trying her best to comfort the other pegasus.

“But what if it did?!” Grayscale cried as she shook Rainbow. “W-what if it did work?! It’s n-not as impossible as it sounds, Dash! I c-c-could’ve done it!”

“Naw, c’mon, you totally... couldn’t have,” Rainbow said. She wasn’t sure if she believed it or not, and knew she didn’t sound convincing. “Look... I, uh... I only tried to stop you because you could have killed yourself. There’s no way you could’ve—"

Grayscale held her head in her hooves, and stammered, “M-m-myself? Oh stars... if... if I d-died... I’d be leaving them all alone! W-what if they needed me?!” She gasped. “What if they n-need me now?!”

Grayscale abruptly broke the hug and took to the air.

Rainbow balked. “Whoa, Gray! What’re you doing?! You can barely fly!”

“I’ve gotta find them!” Grayscale shouted. “I have to make sure they’re okay! They’re all I have left, and I need them to be okay!”

“Gray, wait!”

Grayscale bolted off into the distance with surprising speed. Rainbow took wing and made to follow, then decided against it. Grayscale wasn’t looking to hurt anypony; she was worried about her sisters. Rainbow took a deep breath, and slowly glided off into the breeze, the only thought on her mind pretty much the same as what was on Grayscale’s: Are my friends okay?

***

Blackburn let out a heavy sigh as she looked out over the chain of skybound islands. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny digital watch to check the time. She was growing tired of waiting for Rainbow Dash to arrive, tired of assuring Fluttershy that her friend was okay. Blackburn wasn’t worried; no, she knew full well that Rainbow would be able to surpass the other pegasus. There were a few moments that she and Fluttershy had been concerned, sure. An extremely loud explosion about four hours ago, for example, which came just seconds before Blackburn noticed Tick Tock’s map changing to reflect the complete disappearance of one of the islands.

Blackburn, however, had remained focused on her task, despite Fluttershy’s objections and protests. After many hours of searching, they’d managed to find the machine that actually constructed obidium, and with it, made enough to send with the knights on their way to Zeb’ra’den. She knew in her heart that Lockwood would be there to receive it.

The other reason she wasn’t worried was because of Tick Tock’s map. Rainbow’s dot was not only still on the map, but moving back towards the islands. The dot had disappeared a few hours ago, about the same time that one island had disappeared, but had reappeared only a few minutes ago. Reappeared a few hundred miles away in the middle of the grasslands to the south, to be sure, but reappeared nonetheless.

A dull clank to Blackburn’s side made her turn her head.

“Is she almost here?” Fluttershy asked.

Blackburn was still of the opinion that Fluttershy looked ridiculous in the suit of Harmony Guard armor that she’d been loaned, courtesy of Dame Marshmallow herself. The color was okay, but even though Marshmallow and Fluttershy were the same size and logically the armor should’ve fit snuggly, it somehow seemed too big. The helmet, in particular, kept dipping over Fluttershy’s eyes, forcing her to lift the visor to see.

“At rate of travel, will be here in minutes,” Blackburn answered. She stroked her chin in thought. “She is moving faster than usual.”

Fluttershy sighed. “I’m glad she’s okay. Thank you for staying here with me to wait. I know you could have left with the knights—"

“To see Lockwood sooner, yes.” Blackburn shook her head. “Very important to see him... but must ensure safety of you and Rainbow. Made promise; will keep it.”

A minute passed. And another. And another. Several minutes later, Blackburn and Fluttershy noticed a light on the horizon. The light grew brighter as it drew closer; they knew what, or more accurately, who, it was. Fluttershy anxiously walked in place, and continued to do so until at last Rainbow burst through the air over their heads, at which point she gasped in awe. 

Rainbow had come to almost a complete stop just above them, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.

“Hey down there!” Rainbow called as she glided down, her prismatic sheen vanishing as she descended. She touched down just in front of Blackburn and Fluttershy and removed her soot-coated goggles; Blackburn noticed that she looked as though she’d take quite a beating, and her clothes were littered with both burn marks and signs of frost damage. “Nice digs, Fluttershy. You two okay?”

Blackburn nodded. “Experienced no further troubles since your departure. Fluttershy would agree; fear not, she is uninjured.”

Fluttershy peeked her head out from the bush she’d used as shelter. “Oh... um, yes. We’re just... f-fine. M-mostly.”

“Good, glad to hear it.” Rainbow looked between the two and raised an eyebrow. Her mouth curled in a small grin. “You two... uh, seem to be getting on a bit better. I honestly didn’t expect to have both of you waiting for me. What gives? Did you two—"

“Make amends, yes,” Blackburn said. She glanced at Fluttershy and gave the other pegasus a friendly nod. “Forgive and forget, good policy with subject matter. Would gain nothing from antagonistic relationship, hence why tried to make amends earlier. Fluttershy’s eyes opened during fight with Havocwing. Realized who she was emulating. Just like—"

“Just like you with Grayscale,” Fluttershy completed with a smile. “I’m... s-sorry, Rainbow. I’ve b-been a real j-j-jerk lately... and—"

Rainbow laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Shy. I know you didn’t mean it. You’re right, you really were acting just like that idiot. Well, minus all the swearing. So, you really fought Havocwing, huh?” She raised her hoof to give Fluttershy a hoofbump. “Way to go! I never knew you had it in you. How’d you take care of that hothead?”

Fluttershy squeaked and muttered something under her breath, though she did hesitantly hoofbump Rainbow back.

“Say again, Shy?” Rainbow asked, leaning forward.

Blackburn interjected, “She said she handled Havocwing... at a cost.”

Fluttershy frowned and gestured towards her bracelet, cracked orb and all. “Ophanim’s gone, Rainbow...”

“Oh? Oh.... oh geez...” Rainbow frowned and put her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy... are you gonna be—"

“I’ll be alright,” Fluttershy interrupted, shaking her head. She put her hoof on Rainbow’s and gave her friend a small, kind smile. “It hurts, but... but I’ll be okay... trust me. Thank you, though...”

“Are you sure?

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ll m-miss him... I’ll miss him terribly, but... b-but I know he did not die in vain. He saved me... and helped me see w-what I was becoming.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Thank you, Rainbow... for asking.”

“That’s what friends are for, Shy. If you need anything... you tell me, okay?” Rainbow turned to Blackburn. “Well... did we at least—"

“Obidium is en route to Zeb’ra’den,” Blackburn completed. “Dame Marshmallow taking care of transport. Intended to follow immediately after your return; have decided otherwise. You need medical attention.”

Rainbow snorted in amusement and flexed her wings, though it was clear she did so with some strain. Blackburn frowned; Rainbow had flown all that distance with injured wings? “Ha! Good one, Your Majesty. I’ll be fine. Let’s just get going. I’ve taken harsher beatings than this, trust me. This is foal’s play.”

Blackburn shook her head. “Insist upon it. Your friends would appreciate gesture, at any rate. Ulterior motive: also curious about information gleaned in regards to one of my captains. Will seek answers while you are given treatment. Should not take long.”

“Oh come off it. Look—"

“Please, Rainbow?” Fluttershy pleaded. “You d-don’t look so good. I... I don’t w-want anything to happen to you...”

Rainbow sighed, then shrugged. “Right, right, whatever you say. Sheesh, guilt me into getting bandaged up, why don’t you? Where we headed then? Utopia’s too far to be worth—"

“Newhaven,” Blackburn said pointing off to the southeast. “Not far from here. Origin point of knight detachment sent here to aid us. Site of Hope’s Point embassy, can get assistance there.” She strode to the edge of the island and spread her wings. “Come,” she added, with a tilt of her head.

The trio took wing and immediately set off to the southeast. 

Newhaven was only an hour’s flight from the islands, and they arrived before it was too late in the evening. Blackburn led the trio straight to the Hope’s Point embassy, the third-largest building in the port city. She’d always found Newhaven’s old-fashioned architecture quaint, and as such tried to show her support to the city which kept their port neutral by constructing their embassy with the same style. 

The embassy was a circular building made of dark red bricks, with wood used as further support. The wood had been painted dark gold to match the Hope’s Point colors. The roof was dome-shaped and made of gold-painted wood as well, with a great flag bearing the Hope’s Point emblem at the top. The grounds were mostly empty, only dotted by a few guards and workers here and there. From up here, it was easy to see the elaborate patterns purposefully set into the cobblestone walkways.

Despite the open-air grounds, Blackburn paid all of the same attentions to protocol and decency expected of anypony and landed in front of the large iron gates. The jaw of the armed and armored guard stationed there could not have dropped faster if it weighed a ton.

“Y-Y-Your M-Majesty!” He straightened up in a brisk salute. “W-w-what are you—"

Blackburn nodded in greeting and gestured for the soldier to drop his salute. “At ease, soldier. Making a brief visit, on a strict time limit.”

“Of course, ma’am! Right away ma’am!”

The guard tapped a button on the small console beside the gate, and the large iron bars slid open to allow Blackburn and her entourage inside. While the embassy grounds were mostly empty, the few guards and workers still working all dropped what they were doing to bow in Blackburn’s presence immediately. Blackburn nodded to each and every one.

In a panicked fluster, an elderly, suit-wearing green earth pony stallion rushed out of the front door to the building before the trio of pegasi had even made it halfway across the grounds. How such an old pony could move so fast was always a surprise to Blackburn, and a welcome one as well. He was followed by a young mare with a hot pink coat and a fiery red mane, wearing a suit much like the stallion was, as well as a skirt. Blackburn was curious; she’d never seen the mare before and was usually always on the up-and-up on new additions to her staff.

“Your Majesty!” the stallion greeted, bowing in unison with the mare at his side. “What a surprise at this late hour! We were not expecting—"

“Not a formal visit, Concord,” Blackburn dismissed as they continued towards the building. 

They reached the door, and the stallion opened it graciously for all the mares in the group before following them inside. The interior of the embassy was not quite as old-fashioned as the outside; while the architecture was the same, several displays of modern techno-magic were prominently featured around the walls. The group moved past swiftly-bowing ponies, towards the large doors at the far end of the central hall.

Blackburn glanced at the mare that was walking at Concord’s side, whose nose was still buried in a datapad and hadn’t glanced towards Blackburn more than once or twice. “The newcomer is diligent. Hmmm... finally training your replacement.”

Concord laughed and nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty! You never cease to amaze me. It only took me a decade, but I’ve finally found somepony that I trust with taking up the mantle as your ambassador.”

“Have known you for a long time, Concord. Will be sad to see you go.” Blackburn looked over the mare once again. “Introduce me.”

Concord patted the pink mare on the shoulder. “This is Shroud, Your Highness. Just arrived from Pandemonium City itself, and has the most impressive résumé I’ve seen in years. She used to work in Pandora Tower itself, can you believe it? And she has an incredible understanding of every filing procedure, averages one hundred words per minute—"

“Sold me. Pandora Tower well-known for prestigious bureaucratic affairs. Trust you to pick an excellent replacement, Concord. But, as said, not a formal visit.” Blackburn gestured to Rainbow. “Associate here requires treatment.”

Concord saluted. “Right away, Your Highness.” He turned to Shroud and nodded. “Shroud, if you would make a call please?”

Shroud nodded back and pushed a few buttons on the datapad she was carrying in her hoof. “Medical personnel are already en route, Ambassador Concord.”

“She’s been picking it all up so fast,” Concord said with a smile. “Only been here a day and she’s already learned almost every single procedure we have. Can you believe she used to just be some fat business mogul’s secretary? What a waste of talent!”

“Glad to hear it. Will need capable replacement when you retire. You can stop selling her; as said, already sold.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I’m just so surprised that there’s somepony out there able to keep up with me. I can’t help it! Tell her how giddy I’ve been, Shroud.”

“Extraordinarily giddy, sir.” Shroud looked up from her datapad and glanced at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. She raised an eyebrow. “Huh...”

“Huh?” Concord blinked. “Yes, Shroud? Something the matter?”

“You two... look familiar,” Shroud said. “Have we met?”

Rainbow and Fluttershy shared glances. “Uh... you don’t look familiar,” Rainbow said sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t really remember much about any ponies we saw in that city. Maybe you saw us on some sort of form or something? We did a lot of that stuff in a really short time.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it. My boss was the CEO of the NPRD, so I might’ve passed through your forms at some point.”

“Making his secretary do the grunt work like that... hmph!” Concord shook his head in disgust. “To be able to keep track of everything in a city that size, you truly must have been a prodigy. All the happier to have you, Shroud.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Blackburn interjected with a loud snort. “If praise-slinging is complete, would like to redirect topic to purpose of visit: seeking answers. Heard Captain Auroran was here earlier in the week; Asteroid was not on departure list this week. Explain.”

“The Asteroid... ah yes, Double Time cataloged its arrival.” Concord quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, you’re right, that was an odd situation. It was an emergency deployment, according to Captain Auroran himself. He arrived with some members of the Harmony Guard that were in Hope’s Point. Wouldn’t be the first time—"

“A dupe. Had no Harmony Guard knights on my registry,” Blackburn said. She hummed, distraught by the information. “Was a ‘Starlight Shadow’ amongst them?”

Concord tapped his chin. “Starlight Shadow... ah! Yes, Your Highness. She and four of the others were entry-level recruits serving under a Dame Curaçao.”

Rainbow sputtered. “What?! You guys brought them here?! What’s wrong with your pilots that they’d bring those six maniacs over here?!”

“Calm yourself, Rainbow Dash,” Blackburn said. “Likely threatened to kill more ponies if they were not granted passage. Will need to return to city soon to determine casualties. Most distressing...” she added with a sigh.

Blackburn could not shake the thought that perhaps she had made a mistake in agreeing to assist the Elements of Harmony in returning home. Ever since she had, she’d lost so much. In less than a week, more damage had been done to her city than had been since her father’s rule. Were these six ponies really that magnetic to strange and dangerous occurrences?

“Casualties, Your Majesty?” Concord asked, drawing Blackburn from her reverie. “Threats? Were those six not—"

“No, not with the Harmony Guard at all. A clever ruse, though, and understand the confusion. The Curaçao mare speaks Romantique as fluently as any knight, if not moreso.” Blackburn sighed again. “Very... unfortunate. Have lost many ponies in such a short time. Gadget... Crossfire... Briarthorn...”

Concord paled. “Gadget and Crossfire are... g-gone? No... they can’t be.”

“Perished en route when Briarthorn’s Thunder crashed. Briarthorn himself killed prior to crash, fending off enemy stowaway.”

“Oh... Your Majesty, I am sorry to hear this news. Gadget and Crossfire were valued allies and friends. I will see to it a proper memorial is arranged.”

Blackburn paused a moment, then snorted. “You are forgetting somepony, Concord. No sympathy for Briarthorn? Know he was... eccentric; still expect respect to be given due. Expect... better—" She continued walking for a moment, then stopped and turned to Concord, who raised an eyebrow at her accusing glance. Her eyes widened. “Where is he?”


	35. Inconceivable

With a bright flash and a pop, a blue unicorn stallion clad in resplendent silver armor appeared in the center of a small plateau atop a large, rocky hill. Half an instant later, three other ponies appeared at his side. Two of them, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, stumbled away before recovering. The third, Fireburst, slumped to the ground and heaved.

“Y’all okay there, Fireburst?” Applejack asked with a chuckle. She walked over behind the sickened unicorn to pat her on the back. “Ya look like ya just got off a rollercoaster.”

Fireburst wiped her mouth and laughed nervously. “Sorry ‘bout that. This here’s my first time teleportin’. Is it natural fer everythin’ ta taste like a color? ‘Cause everythin’ tastes pink right now. Maybe red, I dunno. Not a real, uh… color connoisseur.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go with red. Ta be fair, I’m used to Twilight’s teleports, which almost taste the same. They kinda taste... purple, I guess.”

“With a hint of periwinkle,” Pinkie added. She licked her lips. “Mmm… periwinkle…”

Fireburst huffed. “Yeah, well, it’s weird that teleportin’ makes ya taste colors. Don’t that get old?”

Pinkie giggled. “I’m getting used to what all the colors taste like, thanks to all this teleporting. I love tasting new flavors! Now, if only I could figure out how to make cupcakes taste like colors. With a little work, I could make rainbow-flavored cupcakes! I bet Dashie would get a kick outta those!”

Applejack shook her head. “There she goes, thinkin’ ‘bout dessert again. It ain’t even lunch time yet.” She sighed and turned to face the stallion that had accompanied them, whose stony expression showed no cracks. “Thanks again fer the teleport Mister—er, Sir Leaf,” she said, reaching out to shake his hoof. “Y’all saved us a heap o’ time gettin’ here.”

“De rien,” the stallion replied, accepting Applejack’s hoof. The unicorn’s firm hoofshake surprised Applejack. “You will meet votre connaissance at zee bottom of zee hill”—he pointed behind Applejack—“pas loin d’ici—not far from here.” He then turned and stepped to the edge of the plateau. “Maintenant, I must bid you adieu, as I ‘ave ozer clients waiting pour moi.” He bowed. “Au revoir, mesdames.”

He lit up his horn and disappeared in a flash, leaving the three mares alone on the plateau.

Applejack took a deep breath. “Well, time ta get movin’, I s’pose.” She turned towards where the stallion had directed her. “We got somepony ta… meet. Whoa, golly… would ya look at that.”

Her eyes widened. Below her was an immense canyon that stretched far beyond the horizon. The entire city of Deepgrove was built into the canyon walls from the top to the bottom far below. Each building used the canyon as its foundation, as though the earth had been molded into the desired shape. The array of buildings were connected by a series of walkways, stairwells, and pulley-operated elevators that criss-crossed the canyon, all of them made of stone and wood. It gave the city a charming, old-fashioned appeal that reminded Applejack of Appleloosa or Dodge Junction, if they were built into cliffs.

“Hoo doggy, ain’t that a sight? So this is yer hometown, huh?” Applejack asked Fireburst.

Fireburst, getting over her dizziness, smiled and replied, “Sure is, AJ. Ain’t it somethin’?”

“Well, I sure ain’t gonna say ‘no’ ta that! Y’all got a real connection ta th’ earth here, an’ that’s real swell. My kind o’ ponies.” Applejack shook her head in disbelief. “Looks like all this here was built by hoof.”

“Down ta the last outhouse,” Fireburst said, puffing out her chest. “We Deepgrove folk take real pride in workin’ with our hooves. We got our fair share o’ unicorns, o’ course—yours truly amongst ‘em—but we only use our magic for gemcuttin’ ‘n’ appraisin’, since magic’s more exact that way.” She scuffed her hoof on the ground. “Well, ‘cept fer yours truly. Busted horn ‘n’ all.”

Pinkie sprung ahead of the pair and pointed down the trail ahead. “Ooh! Ooh! Look! Somepony’s coming!”

Applejack and Fireburst glanced down the trail, which twisted around the hill towards the city entrance. Sure enough, a pony dressed in the Harmony Guard armor was approaching. The pony, a light pink earth pony stallion with a bright blue mane and tail, circled up the path before coming to the mares, and bowed low in greeting.

“Bonjour, mesdames. I am Sir Sherbet,” said the stallion. He rose and looked between the mares. “Ladies Pie and Applejack, n’est-ce pas?” he said, addressing Pinkie and Applejack. He raised an eyebrow at Fireburst. “And ‘oo is zis troisième jument? I was only told to expect deux juments.”

“This here is Fireburst,” Applejack said, draping her hoof over the unicorn’s shoulder. “She’s our friend, an’ she said she’d like ta come along with us an’ help, seein’ as Deepgrove is her home an’ all.”

Fireburst nodded enthusiastically and offered her hoof for the stallion to shake. “Howdy! Sure is an interestin’ experience, meetin’ all you Harmony Guard ponies. I never really talked ta y’all before. Can’t understand a word y’all say, if’n ya don’t mind me sayin’.”

“Je vois,” Sir Sherbet replied. “Romantique is not an easy language to learn, en effet.”

“Well, now that y’all’re here, we can get started,” Applejack said. “We got the easy job, so this shouldn’t take long. We’re just here ta pick up this here... uh…” She turned to Pinkie. “What was it called again?”

“The Eternal Eye!” Pinkie said with a bounce. “Ohh, all the magical gems have such cool names! This is straight outta my fourth edition rulebook!”

“Right, that. We were told y’all were supposed ta have it ready for us when we got here. All we had ta do was pick it up, then head on out.”

“Oui, zat is correct,” Sir Sherbet agreed. Then, he sighed. “Malheureusement, zere ‘as been un retard in zee plans. A delay.”

Applejack frowned. “A delay? What sort o’ delay?”

“Zee worst kind.” Sir Sherbet turned and started back towards the city. “Allez. Come.”

Applejack turned to the other two mares and shrugged, then followed the knight. Pinkie and Fireburst followed close behind.

“I ‘ave been told zat you ‘ave puissante magie, so you may be able to ‘elp,” Sir Sherbet said as they circled their way down the hill. “If you want zee Eternal Eye, zen any ‘elp you can offer would be merveilleux.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Help? Help how?”

Sir Sherbet tilted his head back to address Fireburst. “Mademoiselle, you know of zee araignées de verre, oui?”

Fireburst blinked. “The... what-now? I told ya, I don’t understand fancy-speak.”

“Pardonnez-moi. Zee, euh… glass spiders.”

“Yeah, everypony in Deepgrove knows ‘bout those.”

“Zen you understand zee gravity of zee situation when I say zat zere is somezing wrong wiz zee spider in zee A-level mine. She ‘as been acting étrangement all afternoon, and zee miners are terribly worried. Zere ‘ave already been some injuries.”

“Oh dear.”

“What’s a glass spider?” Applejack asked.

“Is it a spider made out of glass?” Pinkie asked. “Because that would be weird.”

“Well, it’s... a spider,” Fireburst replied, “an’ it’s big enough that it can hurt ponies pretty bad if she were gettin’ all ornery. They ain’t made o’ glass, though. The miners ‘round here would get right upset if there was somethin’ wrong.” She turned back to Sir Sherbet. “What’s wrong that’s got everypony all worried, though?”

“She ‘as been acting aggressive. Violent,” Sherbet said, shaking his head. “She attacked many of zee miners ‘oo went down to ‘arvest your gem today.

“Zee spider of zee A-grade mine, she is zee only one zat makes Eternal Eyes, and she ‘as one big enough for zee mission zat zee Warden ‘as assigned.”

Fireburst sighed. “They’re normally right docile, so havin’ one bein’ all aggressive-like ain’t good. Miners can’t get ta her nest ta harvest gems, see? We kinda have a thing goin’, like a... a... cymbalonic... no, stimbionic.... uh...”

“Symbiotic?” Pinkie offered.

“Yeah, that. They make them gems down there, and we’re allowed ta harvest ‘em ‘cause we give ‘em the food that they use ta make the gems in the first place. Nice lil’ system, huh?”

“You feed them?” Pinkie asked. “What do glass spiders eat, anyway? Because regular spider eat bugs and stuff, so—” She gasped. “It’s not ponies, is it?!”

Fireburst blinked. “Uh... no? Why would we feed them with ourselves? That don’t make no sense, hun.”

“Glass spiders eat gems of a lower quality zan zose zey make,” Sherbet answered, giving Pinkie a reassuring smile. “Do not fear, Lady Pie. You will not be nourriture pour zee spider today.”

“Wait, y’all said glass spider thing... makes gems?” Applejack asked, perplexed. “How’s that possible?”

“Well, like Sir Sherbet here said, they eat low-quality gems,” Fireburst said. “Then, they turn them low-quality gems inta higher quality ones. The better the gems they eat, the better the gems ya get. Neat, huh?”

Applejack curled her lip in disgust. “If they turn ‘em inta better gems the way it sounds like they do, uh... that’s… kinda nasty.”

“Nasty? I don’t follow.”

Pinkie giggled. “Fireburst, you’re harvesting spider poop.”

Fireburst paused to think, then shrugged it off. “Meh. I ain’t got no problem with that. Them spiders are what makes Deepgrove the richest city in Utopia. Ya tend ta ignore the nitty gritty details of how the gems’re made when y’all’re holdin’ a ruby the size o’ yer head in yer hooves.”

“Uh-huh. Head-sized ruby or not, spider poop is still spider poop.”

Sir Sherbet cleared his throat. “En tout cas, zis is most chanceux!” he declared, turning to Fireburst. “Mademoiselle Fireburst, if you know so much, you must be un miner, non? If you are friends wiz Ladies Applejack and Pie, zen per’aps you can guide zem in zee mines? Zee ozer miners are refusing to go inside.”

“Can’t y’all accompany us?” Applejack asked.

He shook his head. “I do not know zee layout of zee mines. I am just un soldat.”

“Well, I don’t rightly know how much help I can be, ta be honest,” Fireburst replied with a sheepish grin. “See, I might be a unicorn, but I’m... not exactly the greatest spellcaster, y’see, so I can’t rightly work in the high-grade mines. I’m down at X-grade, and those mines ain’t particularly complex. I mean, I’m sure I can help a lil’ bit. Layout can’t be that difficult ta figure out.”

“Well, every lil’ bit helps!” Applejack said, patting Fireburst on the shoulder. “We’d be glad ta have ya, if ya wanna tag along.”

“Yeah, the more the merrier!” Pinkie cheered, wrapping Fireburst and Applejack up in a hug.

“Y’all’re sure ya want me along?” Fireburst asked.

“O’ ‘course we’re sure!” Applejack said. “Y’all’ve been a real good friend, Fireburst. Ya kept me company when I was lonely ‘n’ helped me get through... a lot of depressin’ stuff. I’m more’n glad ta have y’all along.”

Fireburst smiled. “I’m glad ta hear that. Ta tell the truth, I was worried about what y’all thought ‘bout me when that royal friend o’ yers gave me that grillin’ session earlier. I ain’t never been asked so many weird questions before ‘bout things I don’t usually give much thought to, y’know?”

“Aw, don’t mind Queen Blackburn none. That’s just how she is. She gave us all the same hardball questionin’ treatment when we all met.” 

Applejack looked around the city as they walked along, trying to get an idea of the folks and lifestyles in Deepgrove. After all, Fireburst was just one pony, and Applejack knew that judging an entire city’s society on one pony was silly. Rarity couldn’t be considered a representation for Ponyville any more than Rainbow, or Fluttershy, or even Applejack herself.

The city walls, at least at the level they were on, were lined with shops loaded with gemstones of different sizes and cuts; were Rarity here, she certainly would have been critiquing each and every one. Some of the gems were even comparable to the ones Applejack remembered from Goldridge Pass. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and breeds bartered, traded, bought, and sold gems at a rapid pace; it reminded Applejack of the farmers’ market in Appleoosa. She never imagined that ponies could sell gems the same way they could sell crops, but here they were.

Then again, it made perfect sense. Fireburst had described the gem-growing and harvesting process in much the same way that Applejack would describe growing crops. The miners here were essentially farmers, tending to their crops and selling their excess, and were likely plagued by similar drought seasons and infestations that required careful attention. Fireburst had, of course, neglected to mention this “glass spider” factor, so Applejack was curious how such a creature lived in such harmony with the miners. She was even more curious how such a creature even lived in the first place; it seemed so strange.

The group entered the mining district of the city. While the trading district was alive with the hustle and bustle of business, the sounds of hard labor filled the mining district was filled. A crew of ponies worked to break apart an empty section of the canyon wall large enough that she could watch them from almost any point in the district. Earth ponies, hanging along the wall via suspension cables, planted explosives in the rock below. Unicorns contained the force of the blasts and the sprays of rock that followed.

“What’re they doin’ down there?” Applejack asked.

“Une nouvelle mine,” Sherbet said. “Zey construct a new set every year. Zis is zee last in zee set. Zen, zey will move zee spider eggs into zee proper mines.”

“Huh, kinda like tillin’ a new field.”

Applejack noticed that a crowd had gathered on the opposite wall; hoots and hollers erupted with each explosion. Every pony was covered in dirt; they must have come out just to observe the explosive displays. Perhaps it was timed to coincide with the happenings at the problematic mine. She asked Sir Sherbet as much.

“Oui. Zis is a new A-grade mine, to replace zee mine you are to go down today. Zee miners came out to rush because it is, ‘ow you say, ‘a rush job’? Normally, zee diggers actually dig wiz shovels and picks, not explosives, but zee mine needs to be replaced quickly.”

“Replace? Ya mean, after we’re done here, they’re closin’ this mine down?” Fireburst asked. 

“Bien sûr! Zee miners do not ‘esitate to close down a mine zat is of no use to zem. If you were not ‘ere today, zee mine would already be closed.”

“Right… yeah, o’ course,” Fireburst grumbled. “Finally get ta go in an A-grade mine and it’s gettin’ collapsed tomorrow. Probably already cleaned out all the good stuff…”

Sherbet pointed down the pathway just ahead. “Ah! Mesdames, we are ‘ere. A-grade mine, numéro un.”

The group rounded a bend and came to the grand mine entrance, larger than any that Applejack had seen along the canyon wall, with a big number one above the entry arch. Mining equipment lay abandoned at the opening.

Sherbet turned to the trio of mares and bowed low. “I will not be accompanying you into zee mine, so zis is where je dois partir. Mademoiselle Fireburst should be a great ‘elp to you, so I am glad to leave you in ‘er capable ‘ooves. I will be waiting up ‘ere for you to return. Soyez prudentes.”

Fireburst stomped a hoof on the ground and beamed. “Well, shoot, guess the pressure’s on me then, ain’t it? Well, don’t you worry, gals. I’ll getcha in ‘n’ out o’ here in no time at all.” She started into the mine entrance, a certain pep in her step.

“Thanks for the escort, then, Sir Sherbet,” Applejack said. She beckoned for Pinkie to follow. “C’mon, Pinkie, let’s mosey on down. We got us a gem ta find.”

“Roger!” Pinkie said with a salute.

Applejack was eager to see just how hardy these Deepgrove ponies were, and to get a feel for how the mine shaft was constructed. The stone walls of the cavern were smoothed into polished rock and lacked features one might use to get their bearings, other than the occasional wooden beam. Small lanterns hung above the pathway every ten paces, and they shook as the cavern rumbled around them.

The cavern around her now felt like it had a serious itch that desperately needed to be scratched. Applejack figured that the glass spider was responsible for the minor tremors, but it didn’t take much guessing. The earth itself spoke to her, telling her that some massive creature was far, far below, and that it was the source of its irritation. It was an odd sensation, feeling the earth beneath her as though it were a living, breathing thing. 

Ever since Applejack had admitted her feelings to Flathoof and why she’d been so cross with him lately, her powers seemed to come more naturally to her. The grasslands she’d crossed to reach Utopia sang to her, happy and healthy as a bird in the spring, and that brought with it an elation within herself to match, as though she and the earth shared an emotional bond.

In order to find what she and Pinkie were looking for, they’d have to somehow deal with that “itch”. She wished the earth could focus itself for a moment to help her find her way. The trio had just rounded the same corner for the third time in ten minutes. Or at least, she thought it was the same corner. All the twists and turns looked the same, and she had lost track of where she was. They were descending into the earth, at least, but without any way to tell where they were going, she wasn’t confident they were getting anywhere. The throbbing in her head and the earth wasn’t making it easy to concentrate.

“Y’all sure ya know where y’all’re goin’?” she asked, addressing Fireburst.

“I told ya, AJ, I ain’t never been in an A-grade mine before,” Fireburst grunted. “I’m just goin’ on my intuition here, from what I know of what my mine looks like. The mines’re s’posed ta be pretty uniform, but the higher-grade mines might be different. I don’t rightly know for sure.”

“We should be drawing a map as we go,” Pinkie suggested. “Adventurers are supposed to keep a map updated whenever they’re exploring a dungeon.”

Applejack sighed. “A map, yeah. Y’know, we could really use Tick Tock’s map right now… if it would even be of any help. I figure this mine ain’t even old enough for the map to know what its layout was before today.” She shook her head. “Any idea what we’re lookin’ for, Fireburst? Like, is there some kinda sign that we’re gettin’ close?”

“Webs, o’ course,” Fireburst replied. “The closer ya get to the spider’s lair, the more webs you’ll see.”

“Well, since the spider doesn’t eat ponies, I don’t suppose it’d be draping skeletons of its prey over its web, in weeks creating a macabre shrine of remains,” Pinkie suggested.

Applejack and Fireburst both stared at Pinkie, confused and disturbed. “What in the hay brings that on, Pinkie? That’s mighty grim, comin’ from y’all.”

“Hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t write the song.”

“Song? What song?”

“Glass Spider. Duh.”

“There ain’t no song ‘bout no glass spiders, Pinkie.” Applejack paused and turned to Fireburst. “Uh… is there?”

Fireburst shook her head. “Nope. Not that I’ve heard.”

Pinkie sighed. “Never mind.” Then, she pointed ahead of the trio with great enthusiasm. “Ooh, ooh! There! Up ahead!”

Applejack turned to see what Pinkie was pointing at, and caught sight of thin strands of white thread stretched across the cavern. They were thicker than any spider webs she’d ever seen before, easily as thick as healthy celery stalks. What really piqued Applejack’s curiosity were the gem shards laced throughout the webs, each thread cluster with its own unique color. The shards were tiny, no bigger than an apple seed at their largest.

“Golly, I’d bet all my bits that Rarity would do anythin’ ta get her hooves on this here thread.” Applejack stepped up to a strand, and ran her hoof along it. It felt silky smooth and was not sticky in the least; the gems were so ingrained in the material that the texture was unchanged. “She’d make a dress outta this stuff so fast it’d make yer head spin.”

“We’re gettin’ close,” Fireburst said, keeping her voice low. “Y’all feel that too, right? The tremors, I mean.”

“Yeah, I feel ‘em,” Applejack replied. “They’ve been gettin’ stronger the deeper we go. This spider must be pretty dang big ta make the earth shake this much. How do y’all handle one o’ these things?”

“Very carefully.” Fireburst chuckled at her own joke. “Like Sir Sherbet said, they’re not normally violent, but they’re big ‘n’ strong, so they’re dangerous. We don’t need ta worry ‘bout her sneakin’ up on us, but we still better be careful movin’ forward.”

“Right…”

The trio continued down through the mine shaft, passing more and more of the silky threads. The tremors grew stronger as they descended; the mine walls shuddered, shaking loose dust and dirt and creating a wobbling cacophony of vibrating gem strands.

At the end of the corridor, the mine opened up into a massive chamber large enough to house a small village. Gemstones of every color covered the wall, giving the cavern a bright rainbow glimmer even in the dim glow of the few lanterns that dotted the ceiling high above. The similarity to Goldridge was so strong that Applejack wondered if a glass spider had been responsible for that as well

The tremors in this chamber were the strongest they’d been yet. Light bounced erratically around the room as the lanterns shook; Fireburst and Pinkie could barely keep their balance. Gems and rocks jostled about in the walls, some coming loose and falling to the floor.

“This must be near the spider’s lair,” Applejack said.

“As close as we’re probably gonna wanna get,” Fireburst agreed. “This here looks ta be a major gem horde, though, so this is probably where she eats. Probably why there’re so many different kinds o’ gems; she probably has ta eat a specific combination or somethin’. If we’re lucky, she deposited—"

“Pooped,” Pinkie corrected.

Fireburst rolled her eyes. “Deposited the gem in here, and we won’t have ta go searchin’ much deeper.”

Applejack stepped out into the chamber. “Well, c’mon, let’s find this here gemstone we’re lookin’ for. Harmonia’s Warden said it’s a teeny-tiny pink thing that sparkles like a star. If ya think ya found it, give it a spin, ‘cause it’s supposed ta make noise. An’ make it snappy, ‘cause we wanna get moseyin’ on out before that there spider gets back.”

Fireburst pointed along the chamber walls. “The way this here collection is organized, most o’ the gems she’d have deposited are spread along the walls. So, we’ll comb the walls. AJ, you wanna come with me along this way?” she asked, pointing along the left side of the chamber.

Applejack nodded. “Sure.” She turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, y’all head along the other side.”

Pinkie saluted, clanking her hoof against her helmet. “Roger that, AJ! I’ll find that gem in a jiffy!”

“An’ remember, as soon as y’all find anythin’, just holler and we’ll meet back here. I wanna get outta here before—"

A fierce rumble knocked everypony off-balance.

“Aw, horseapples.”

The floor in the center of the chamber burst apart as a massive arachnid crashed through from below, sending rock and shattered gemstones spraying around the room. A thin, greasy mucus covered the spider’s body, giving its armored exoskeleton and bristling fur a sheen so clear that it reflected the spider’s surroundings like a mirror.

The spider hoisted itself out of the hole it had created and clamored about before it finally came to a stop. It slowly turned its head until its gaze fell on Applejack and Fireburst; Applejack noticed its movements were twitchy, as though it weren’t entirely stable. It let out a shrill screech, spewing gem flakes, saliva, and blood in their direction.

Applejack leaned over to Fireburst, and whispered. “Y’all stay behind me, y’hear? An’ the second ya see an openin’, make a break for it and get yer butt back ta the surface.”

“B-but what about you?” Fireburst asked.

“We’ll handle it. Trust me, this ain’t the biggest thing we’ve ever fought.”

The great spider stood still for a long while, just staring at Applejack and Fireburst. After several tense moments, it finally turned its head again, shifting its gaze towards the other side of the room until it fell upon Pinkie Pie. Pinkie didn’t flinch when the beast roared at her; she just leveled her forehoof at the creature’s face, charged up her repulsor, and lowered her face shield.

“Bring it, Shelob,” Pinkie said.

The spider moved with a speed unbecoming of such a large creature, and slammed its four forelegs into the rock around Pinkie with astounding force. The earth beneath Pinkie crumbled, and both went tumbling through the gaping hole in the floor.

“Pinkie!” Applejack yelled, rushing to the hole the spider had torn into the floor. She desperately searched the darkness for any sign of Pinkie, but the hole was too deep. “We gotta help her,” she said, turning to Fireburst.

To her surprise, Fireburst was splayed out on the ground, covering her head with her hooves. “Applejack help!” she screamed. “Somethin’s hitin’ me!”

Applejack’s eyes widened; Fireburst lurched unnaturally on the ground as if something, or somepony, had delivered a swift kick to her gut. There wasn’t anypony else in the room, Applejack thought, but Fireburst was under attack. She only knew one pony capable of such a thing.

“Hold on sugarcube, I’m comin’.”

Applejack charged Fireburst’s position, covering herself in a layer of rock. She passed through nothing but air.

“Fireburst, are you alright?” she asked, helping the unicorn up.

“I’ve been better,” Fireburst said, brushing herself off. Her cheek was already swollen from where she’d been hit. “What in tarnation just happened?”

“Remember when I told ya that me ‘n’ my friends were bein’ chased by a bunch o’ no-good mares?”

“Yeah?”

“This here looks like the work o’ one of ‘em. Curaçao’s her name, an’ she’s a sneaky lil’ thing that can turn all see-through.”

“She can turn invisible?” Fireburst asked, bewildered. “I thought y’all said she was an earth pony. Turnin’ invisible is unicorn magic.”

“Ain’t any harder ta believe than me havin’ this here earth magic, is it?”

Fireburst paused, then nodded. “Good point. Okay, so… how’re we gonna deal with this? We can’t see her, so we don’t know where she’s comin’ from.”

Applejack frowned and took a few steps away, scanning the chamber for any possible sign of Curaçao. “I should be able ta sense her. Every time she puts her hooves on the ground, the ground should be tellin’ me where she is. She may have caught me off guard this time, but now that I know she’s here there ain’t no chance of that.”

Fireburst raised an eyebrow. “Y’all can do that? Well, what’s the ground tellin’ ya now?”

“That there ain’t nopony in here but you ‘n’ me.” Applejack gave Fireburst a reassuring smile. “Now, if you’re okay to move, we still need ta get down ta help Pinkie; if Curaçao’s here, that means some o’ her sisters might be, an’ Pinkie’s got a big problem ta deal with as it is.”

“I’ll see if I can find a path that leads further down—"

“No time for any o’ that,” Applejack said, shaking her head. She trotted back to the edge of the hole and rolled her shoulders. “Just grab onta me an’ I can ask the earth ta slide us on down. Piece o’ cake.”

Fireburst shifted in place. “I dunno… that sounds awful dangerous.”

“Trust me, we’ll be fine. I can ask the rock here ta take us down all safe-like.”

Fireburst gulped. “R-right. Okay, Applejack.”

While Applejack focused on forming a slide down, something swept Fireburst’s legs out from under her. She gasped for air and grasped at her throat. A pained gasp escaped her lips: “H-help!”

“Dagnabit!” Applejack abandoned her slide and charged at Fireburst’s attacker, but again, she met nothing but air.

Fireburst took a deep breath of air and rubbed her throat. “W-what happened?” she asked, trembling. “I thought you were supposed to sense her comin’ or somethin’?”

“I know, I know,” Applejack huffed. “I should, but I don’t feel anypony here but you ‘n’ me.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do? She could come from anywhere!”

Applejack took a deep breath. “We’re gonna do the only things we can do: stick together, and keep movin’. Sittin’ ‘round here waitin’ ta get attacked ain’t doin’ us any good. We need ta find Pinkie, find that there gem, ‘n’ get the hay out of here.”

“And what do we do about Curaçao?”

“You just leave her to me sugarcube. Curaçao’s a coward,” Applejack spat, loud enough that she hoped the invisible pony would hear, “plain ‘n’ simple. She ain’t never tried ta take on more’n one of us at a time, and she ain’t never tried ta go after me.”

Fireburst nodded, and her trembling ceased. She met Applejack’s gaze for just a moment before speaking. “Let’s just get outta here in one piece, okay?”

Applejack smiled. “We will, an’ that’s the honest truth.”

Applejack trailed close behind Fireburst as they headed for the passage leading deeper into the mine, keeping her wits about her and looking every which way for any sign of Curaçao. She knew this would take longer than just sliding down, so she just hoped that Pinkie could handle herself until they arrived.

The tunnels felt more foreboding than before: narrow, cramped, and growing dimmer the deeper they went. Curaçao could be lurking in any dancing shadow, around any corner, behind any rock. For that matter, she could be right in front of Applejack, for all she could see. So, she focused on what she could see. Signs of the mine’s former activity littered the passage, eerie reminders that ponies had been working here just that morning: displaced mining equipment; a trampled picture of a young colt next to a hard hat; the remnants of an unfinished meal amongst an equally unfinished game of poker.

An eerie silence had formed between Applejack and Fireburst as they walked, amplifying every little sound the mine could throw at them. A hoof—no telling who's—sent a pebble skittering along the ground, and Applejack burst into action. She sealed the passage behind them with a massive sheet of solid rock; a resounding boom echoed through the passage.

Fireburst jumped at the sound and backed herself up against the wall, grabbing a nearby pickaxe to defend herself. After realizing there was no danger, she groaned and stamped her hoof. “Dagnabit, AJ, ya scared me half to death! What’d ya do that for?”

Applejack let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, and turned to Fireburst. “Sorry. I’m just a lil’ worked up, y’know?”

“That don’t mean ya need ta go sealin’ up every tunnel we pass through. For all you know ya could’ve caused a dang cave-in!”

“Well it’s better than doin’ nothing,” Applejack spat back. “Who knows, I might’ve sealed her behind us, an’ now she can’t follow us. Or… she could still be ahead of us… and I just put us in a right pickle.”

Fireburst sighed, and took the lead down the passage again, shaking her head as she went. “What have I gotten myself into? I tell ya, if I’d have known I’d be gettin’ hunted down by an invisible killer just for meetin’ ya, AJ, I might’ve taken a different route ta Utopia.”

“Sorry ta get y’all involved in all this, Fireburst. I don’t even know how these mares got down south in the first place.”

“Why’s she goin’ after me anyway? Why is she tryin’ ta kill me? I don’t even know this mare.”

“I reckon y’all don’t fall under her ‘non-lethal’ orders,” Applejack murmured. “She’s probably worried y’all’d be able ta help me find her, even with your… uh…”

“Handicap,” Fireburst whispered, glancing up at her horn for a moment. “Well, even if I was able ta use magic, I don’t know how much help I’d be. You can feel ponies trottin’ around with your earth magic, and you can’t even find that mare. You don’t think she’s got some sort o’ power y’all don’t know about, do ya?”

Applejack pondered a moment. “I don’t think so, but I can’t really think of anythin’ else that could let her do this. Unless she could fly or somethin’...”

“Maybe she’s got some sort o’ ghost power. She’s already got the invisibility, so who’s ta say she can’t pass through walls and stuff, too.” Fireburst paused at an intersection in the tunnel for a moment, then beared a left.

“I don’t even want to think about somethin’ like that,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Besides, if she could do that, why would she hide it? That kind o’ thing would give her all kinds of advantages in a fight.”

Fireburst shrugged. “It gives her more of an advantage to hide it until she needs it. If ya don’t know what yer opponent is capable of, ya can’t defend against it until it’s too late.”

“Ya sure know a lot about fightin’ fer somepony that ain’t ever got in a fight,” Applejack said.

“It ain’t just a fightin’ tactic, it’s a business tactic. Fer example, if my mine suddenly started producin’ better quality gems, why would I advertise that before I could make the best profit from it? The higher-grade mines are serviced by more than one miner, so they split profits; if I sold the same gems, I keep it all ta myself.

“Same deal here. She’s got this unknown power that we know nothin’ about, so she can bide her time until she’s got the perfect time to strike. Then, BAM!”

Applejack flinched. 

Fireburst took a breath. “It’s off with our heads. Or something like that.” Fireburst took a long breath to calm herself. “What I’m sayin’ is, I hope you have some tricks up your sleeve, too.” She leaned in for a whisper. “Like, for example, makin’ your coat somethin’ stronger than rock. Any one o’ these minin’ tools could crack right through that. Can ya make your coat inta metal or somethin’?”

Applejack whispered back, “No can do. My magic only works on whatever natural material I’m touchin’, so unless there’s natural metal down here that ain’t been crafted inta somethin’ else, I’m stuck with just rock.”

Fireburst sighed. “As the Harmony Guard say, ‘Say lovey’.”

The pair continued through the passageways down towards the mine bottom, unmolested by their unseen stalker. The shaking below had stopped as well; Applejack wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. After what seemed like an age of walking, the pair came across a metal gate blocking the entrance to a much larger chamber.

Fireburst gestured towards the chamber on the other side. “That chamber’s got an elevator system that leads inta the glass spider’s nest. That’s our fastest way down.”

“Why’d they block it all up? That spider can plow through rock. It’d make quick work o’ this here blockage,” Applejack said.

“Maybe so, but ya haven’t seen any gems in a while, have ya? That’s ‘cause the spider never comes this way. This is only fer the mine’s forepony, who uses it ta tend ta the spider, so he or she’s the only one with the keys.”

“Keys? We don’t need no stinkin’ keys.” Applejack smirked and took the lead. “Y’all just stand back now, ‘cause I’m gonna bust this here wide open.”

Fireburst dropped back a few paces. Once she was clear, Applejack reared up on her hind legs and slammed her hooves to the ground; the rock around the gate shook. The passage itself crushed the gate, dropping it into the chamber beyond before returning to its normal state.

As soon as they way was clear, Fireburst made a sudden mad dash into the chamber.

“Fireburst? Hey! Where’re ya goin’?!” Applejack exclaimed.

She rushed after her into the chamber and looked everywhere, but couldn’t see her friend. Then, she sensed movement to her side. She turned to see the glint of metal. There was a sharp pain in her skull.

Everything went black.

***

Pinkie slammed into the floor, and though her armor absorbed the brunt of the impact, she still felt extreme pain. She did not take the time to take in her surroundings or recover from the landing; she needed to move to avoid the massive arachnid barrelling down on her from the abyss above. She propelled herself off the ground, avoiding the great creature as it crashed into the ground where she’d been.

She snapped her hoof up to aim her repulsor at the spider, just as it turned its head in her direction. It let loose a shrieking roar and stormed towards her; she popped off a single shot that struck it directly between its two centermost eyes.

The spider didn’t react in the slightest, and speared a leg towards her. She leapt aside to avoid it as it pierced through the rock below, and popped off a few more shots at the joint connecting the leg parts together. The bursts fizzled harmlessly against the spider’s thick exoskeleton.

“What’s this thing made of, indestructium?” Pinkie muttered as she slid back against a nearby wall.

To Pinkie’s confusion, the spider was having trouble dislodging its leg from the floor, so she took a moment to examine the cavern around her, trying to find where she could move to get some sort of advantage. The cavern was expansive, such that she couldn’t see the wall on the other end, and blanketed with gem-laden strands of spider silk.

The spider screeched, finally having freed itself, and rushed at Pinkie again. She leapt aside to avoid it; it crashed into the wall behind her, crushing rock like tissue paper. Pinkie was dismayed at how creature moved abnormally fast for its size; however, she was confused that it didn’t have much balance, moving with erratic, exaggerated movements, giving it the bizarre appearance of something not totally in control of its actions.

The spider turned towards Pinkie again, then lumbered forward, but its former speed was inexplicably gone. Pinkie readied herself and leveled her hoof cannon again, then fired another shot between the spider’s central eyes. This time, the shot had an effect; the spider screeched in pain and staggered away, collapsing to the floor like a limp noodle.

With a loud squelch, the spider’s entire body contorted unnaturally; it let out a loud squeal of pain. A great bulge popped up upon its back, and slid along its abdomen up to its head, then lingered there a moment, bubbling away like a festering boil. Then, the bulge burst outwards in a spray of bright green ichor; Pinkie shifted to avoid the mess.

A pony-shaped figure sprung from the massive rupture left behind in the spider’s head.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” shouted Red Velvet, her legs raised up in triumph as she landed on the cold stone floor.

The great spider, its eyes dim and lifeless, crumbled flat on the floor, dead. A great torrent of visceral fluids streamed forth from its great wound, as well as from many others that appeared across its body. They flowed in Velvet’s direction, curled about her like a snake, then slid up along her spine and entered her body. She shivered as they did so.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Velvet said, a wide smile on her face. “Long time no see! Nice costume.”

Pinkie nodded. “Red.”

Velvet smirked. “Aww... you don’t look happy to see me.”

“The last time I saw you, you tried to kill one of my friends, scared the living daylights out of everypony, and were all ready to try and kill the rest of us before Dashie showed up. So, no, I’m not happy to see you.” She lifted both forehooves and aimed her repulsors at the other pony, charging up a burst in each. “Besides, I know you’re not just here to chat. Let’s get this over with.”

“Ooh... I kinda like it when you’re all serious,” Velvet tittered. “Sure beats the whole goofball-moron routine. What gives?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Source material dictates that while I may be a genius billionaire playcolt philanthropist, I take my work very seriously.” She leveled her hoof cannons again. “So c’mon, let’s go. This oughta be fun! See if you can keep up with me this time.”

“I think I’ll manage.” Velvet chuckled and slicked her mane back with some of the spider’s lingering blood. “So, we both know the drill here. Where’s your fancy little toy that plays your tunes?”

Pinkie tapped the side of her helmet, and an upbeat tune flowed into the air, filling the cavern with echoing sound. “Let’s do this.”

“Yes. Let’s.”

Velvet unleashed a series of tendrils from her back and snapped them at Pinkie with lightning speed; Pinkie propelled herself to the side with a brief spurt from her repulsors to avoid them, then popped off her charged shots.

Velvet pooled her blood together to form a shield, deflecting the blasts easily. One blast reflected upwards and struck the ceiling above Pinkie, knocking loose chunks of rock; Pinkie dodged backwards with another repulsor burst.

In the instant Pinkie was distracted, Velvet lowered her shield and sprinted forward, brandishing a large blood spike and guiding it with her foreleg. She leapt into the air and thrust it down at her target.

Pinkie jetted forward, narrowly avoiding the strike; she swung herself around to slam her iron-clad hoof into Velvet’s jaw.

Velvet staggered back, but shook off the blow. She swung a pair of blades in a narrow arc.

Pinkie jumped to avoid the first, but did not avoid the second and was knocked off balance, falling to the floor.

Velvet pounced on Pinkie, blade poised to strike, but Pinkie fired a powerful burst from her rear repulsors, propelling herself out from under Velvet before the other pony could slice her apart. Velvet growled, and pursued.

Pinkie rose to her hooves, and deployed a small, shoulder-mounted cannon, then fired a tiny missile directly at the charging pink maniac coming towards her.

Velvet’s eyes widened. “Oh sh—"

The explosion sent Velvet hurtling into the cavern wall and tumbling to the floor. She struggled to her hooves, disoriented, and staggered in place for a moment. Then, she leered at Pinkie, a strange smile on her face.

“You okay there, Red?” Pinkie asked, eyebrow raised.

“If this is really the best you have to offer, Pinkie, you’re in for a world of hurt,” Velvet said. She healed her bruises as easily and quickly as one would flip a switch, looking none the worse for wear. “I’ve taken worse hits from more talented ponies. You’re gonna have to bring more than a few wussy potshots to take me down.”

“Is that so? Well then, maybe a little genre shift is in order.”

The music in the air came to a screeching halt.

Pinkie’s suit clinked and clanked, opening up to allow its occupant to step out. Pinkie’s clothes underneath the armor changed, and she now wore a bright orange martial arts uniform with a blue shirt underneath, kept tight around her waist by a blue belt. She also stood firm on only her hind legs, upon which she wore a pair of blue boots. A tiny white emblem with black writing was emblazoned on the left of Pinkie’s chest, and a matching emblem took up the entire back. Also, the armor vanished into thin air behind her, as though it had never existed.

“Oh, this is rich,” Velvet chortled, hoof over her mouth. “You look ridiculous. Then again, you always look ridiculous. What are you supposed to be this time, huh?”

Pinkie maintained a firm expression of unflappable determination. “I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things who cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth.” She jabbed her hoof in Velvet’s direction. “Ally to good, nightmare to you!”

Velvet smirked. “Nightmare, huh? Sweetie, your cute little spiel might sound intimidating to some ponies, but you forget who you’re talking to. I am nightmares incarnate.” She laughed and bared her sharp teeth. “I may have lost my ability to see into your darkest dreams, to feed off of what you fear most... but I still know more about what brings terror than you could ever hope to imagine. No matter how tough you think you are, I am not afraid of you. And do you know why?”

She turned and gestured to her side. Pinkie followed the gesture, and for the first time she took notice of the large wound in Velvet’s midsection; she wasn’t sure how she’d missed such a huge injury. For a fleeting second, Pinkie worried that she’d been the cause of it; no matter what Velvet did or who she hurt, Pinkie’s intent had never been to cause her any lasting harm.

“You know where I got this?” Velvet asked. “Hope’s Point. My sisters and I fought against some of the soldiers there when they decided to be… less than cooperative. They used guns, like those stupid robot soldiers do. Funny thing about their weapons though, compared to the ones I’ve seen you use? They actually do damage.”

“You might know nightmares, but I know funny, and that’s not funny at all,” Pinkie said.

“Maybe not to a nicey-nice wimp like you, but it’s funny to me. I’ve fought you a few times now, and each time I do, I get tossed around, blown up, shot, punched and kicked with flaming hooves, electrocuted, and so on and so forth. While I may be more resilient than the average pony, some of these things should be near-lethal to even ponies like me.” Velvet shrugged. “And yet, I just get back up like nothing ever happened, with nothing more than a bruise or a bloody nose.”

She chuckled, and stroked her hoof along the wound with pride. “At first, I thought it was because I was invincible! This gutshot here proved me wrong... but it showed me the truth about you. Your weapons hurt just a little bit, because you’re only trying to keep me occupied.”

“Well, duh,” Pinkie snorted. “I’m not trying to kill you, Red. I know you’re a violent, scary meanypants, but that’s just not my way of handling things. I figured if I can just knock a little sense into you, maybe we can go back to being friends.”

Velvet let out a great, roaring laugh. “Friends? Ha! Ha ha ha! Okay, now that was funny. We were never friends, Pinkie, and we never will be.” She snarled and drew her tendrils around her. “I’ve always wanted to see you dead, ever since the day I was ‘born’.”

“You make it sound like you’re some sort of—" Pinkie paused, and held her hoof up high in realization. “Ohhh, I get it now. This is like one of those clichéd science fiction dealies where I have to face my evil twin!”

“I am not a cliché!” Velvet spat. “I’m not your stupid ‘evil twin’, this is totally different!”

Pinkie put her hoof to her head. “It all makes sense now! I mean wow, I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out before. You look almost exactly like me, you sound almost exactly like me, you act almost exactly like me, but all it just has a liiittle evil twist to it.” She shook her head and chuckled. “And now the evil twin wants to kill the original. Cliché. What’s the deal here? Do you want to replace me or something?”

“Replace you? Ha! Why in Equestria would I want to replace you? You and I are going to become one, in a manner of speaking.” Velvet grinned, bearing a mouthful of fangs. “See, I’m not going to just kill you... I’m going to eat you. I’m going to devour you, body and soul. Just because I can.”

“Ooh, scary.” Pinkie settled into a fighting stance. “Not gonna happen, Red. Nopony’s eating anypony.”

“We’ll just see about that. Bon appetit!”

***

Applejack awoke when she felt herself abruptly heaved through the air, as though tossed out of bed. She groaned and shook her head, and immediately regretted it; her head ached something fierce. When she attempted to move, she found herself unable to, and the sound of rattling chains filled her ears. Her eyes sprang open in panic. She could see the mine floor yards beneath her; thick chains wrapped around her, and she was suspended by a large hook.

“What the hay is goin’ on?” she growled. She struggled in vain to break her bonds, but they held tight. “Curaçao, when I get my hooves on you!”

“No need for any more threats now, AJ,” said a voice from below—Fireburst’s, to be exact. She stepped away from a large panel of mechanical instruments and clicked her tongue. “Ain’t no way y’all can carry ‘em out anyway.”

“Fireburst, what in the hay are you talking about? Get me down from here!”

Fireburst merely shook her head. “What’s the matter, hun? I thought y’all had those strong earth powers ‘n’ all that jazz. Can’t ya break out on yer own? I think I’m just gonna leave ya hangin’ ‘round up there ‘til I decide what ta do with ya.”

“Decide what to… why you-! I think I should’ve left ya hangin’ from that dang ol’ vine!” Applejack spat, spinning in place. “I thought we were friends Fireburst, but you’re just in cahoots with Curaçao and her sisters, ain’t ya?”

“Cahoots with Curaçao and her sisters?” Fireburst tapped her chin. “Hmm… close. Very close.”

Applejack grunted. “But that don’t make any sense. They couldn’t have known anypony ‘round here before we did. What in the hay’s goin’ on, here?”

“C’mon, now, y’all can figure it out. It ain’t that hard.”

“Well, if’n they did somehow meet ya before ya met me, then I just got one question: are y’all really working for them, or are they holdin’ somethin’ over your head?”

“What?”

“Whatever it is, just tell me, and I can help ya. I promise.”

Fireburst rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Holy smokes, you’re dense. The only thing being held above my head is you, AJ.” She shrugged. “Do I really have ta explain it to ya?”

“I reckon ya do, ‘cause right now I ain’t got any idea why my ‘friend’ would suddenly knock me out, tie me up, an’ string me up in the air like some sort of piñata.”

“I guess bein’ an honest pony like yerself just makes ya trustin’, don’t it?” Fireburst shook her head and sighed. “Listenin’ ta y’all talk ‘bout how bad Curaçao ‘n’ her sisters were, I figured y’all would be less willin’ ta trust somepony so quick-like. I can’t believe how easy y’all made it. You even told me how ta keep you from using them fancy powers o’ yers. Bless your heart, hun.”

“Fireburst, you little snake! Let me down!” Applejack snapped, spinning around again and rocking back and forth—anything she could do to free herself. “I bet you’ve been working for them the whole… time...” Applejack’s jaw clenched in terror. Fireburst had been treated as a friend and made privy to all of the goings-on. She knew everything she’d need to know to help plan this ambush: who was going where, with who, and why.

Fireburst chuckled. “It sounds like ya almost got it all figured out. You’re so close, but y’all’re missin’ just one little detail.”

Applejack glared at Fireburst, her mouth contorted into a vicious snarl. “No,” she said, “I see everything as clear as day. I trusted ya… I considered y’all a friend… and now, thanks ta that, my friends—the only thing I’ve got in this blasted world o’ yers—are in danger! It’s all because of you! You ‘n’ them other no-good mares! Well I ain’t gonna sit here ‘n’ wait while those mares capture my friends and do Celestia knows what to em’.” She swung herself a little bit towards the nearest wall, but didn’t get far. “Y’all get Curaçao in here right now, so I can put ya both in a hole so deep you’ll never see the sun again!”

“Goodness gracious, hun,” Fireburst sighed, “I knew y’all were dense, but I didn’t think I’d have to explain everythin’ to ya like teachin’ a filly ta read. But, if y’all want Curaçao out here so badly…” She took a deep breath, and gave a sly grin. “D’accord.”

She stood in place and lifted a hoof into the air. A soft glow enveloped her, and her body morphed in place. The changes were minor, but enough to make Fireburst look like a completely different pony. Her horn shrunk into her head until it vanished; her body became less robust and more lithe, and she grew about an inch or so taller; her mane and tail shortened immensely; her vest melted away into a full-body jumpsuit.

The glow subsided, and the pony that was Fireburst was no more. Standing in her place was—

“C-Curaçao?!” Applejack choked. “What- how- you- no.” Applejack writhed in her chains. She simply couldn’t process what was going on any more. All she knew was that the object of her rage was standing right there below her. 

Curaçao ran a hoof through her mane and smoothed her headband across her forehead, then let out a single small laugh, like the chirp of a triumphant bird. “Oui, c’est moi! I would say it ‘as been a while, but obviously, zat is not zee case.”

“Y’all can change shape?!”

“As I said earlier, ‘iding it gives me un avantage, n’est-ce pas? If you do not know what I can do, en ‘ow can you defend yourself? C’est simple: I ‘ave magic, just as you do, Applejack. While you control zee terre, I control mon apparence. I was ta copine Fireburst zis ‘ole time.”

Applejack’s response was a blank stare. “No,” she growled through clenched teeth. “You rotten snake! When I get my hooves on you!” She swung herself towards the wall again, but it was still much too far out of reach

“Ah, so eager pour combattre.” Curaçao shook her head. “But, tu as tort about why I am ‘ere, and what I ‘ave come ‘ere to do.”

Applejack stayed quiet and continued her attempts to reach the wall.

“Toi et tes amies will be quite safe after all of zis is over wiz, Applejack. You do not to worry about zeir safety.”

“Liar!” Applejack spat, shifting her weight once more. Each time she did, the distance from the rocky mine wall was just that much shorter.

Curaçao smirked. “Ah, oui, c’est vrai. I do lie. Frequently. Wiz enviable perfection, tu ne crois pas—wouldn’t you agree? But je m’éloigne! I do not lie tout le temps—all zee time. Sometimes, Applejack… telling zee vérité is the best way to take advantage of zee situation.”

“Ha! Real rich,” Applejack grunted. “The second I get outta this pickle, I’m gonna bury that no-good lyin’ mouth o’ yours under two tons of dirt, you hear me?! And when I’m done, I’ll find Pinkie and do the same thing ta whichever o’ yer sisters is after her!”

“Applejack, you refuse to understand, and zis distresses me. I always zought zat you were plus raisonnable zan zis. Per’aps if I make zis clearer pour toi, you will listen.” Curaçao cleared her throat. “You want to ‘elp Pinkie Pie, non? You are ‘elping ‘er, by being ‘ere wiz me. And, you are also ‘elping Red Velvet. So long as you stay ‘ere, everypony wins. Hourra, n’est-ce pas? As for why I tied you up…” She shrugged. “Je suis désolée. I did zink you would trust me enough to stay put.”

“Oh, so tyin’ me up was your plan to get me to trust you? Real genius work there.”

Curaçao sighed; Applejack drew closer to the wall of the mine with every swing. Still, she stood firm and continued to speak. “Applejack, crois-moi, I want to ‘elp toi et tes amies to complete your tasks. I ‘ave nozing to gain wiz sabotage, and everyzing to gain if tes amies are victorieuses. As a token of bonne foi, I ‘ave ‘ad Red Velvet collect zis.” She reached into an unseen pocket on her jumpsuit and pulled out a tiny pink gem. “Zee Eternal Eye. Small, pink, and it makes an ‘igh-pitched wail when it is spun, just as it was described. You may take it when we are done.”

Applejack blinked in disbelief, then shook her head. “Yeah, right. If my friends winnin’ were to yer benefit, y’all’d let me down right now.”

“Tes amies can only do what needs to be done if zey are alone. You must ‘ave confiance—faiz—in zem. You do, don’t you?” Curaçao frowned. “I know zat… I do.”

“Don’t y’all lecture me about faith,” Applejack said with a sneer. “Y’all’re a lyin’, cheatin’, no-good sneak! Y’all ain’t got no faith in nothin’ or nopony, and that’s the truth!”

Curaçao flinched. “I am afraid I must disagree, Applejack. I most definitely ‘ave confiance zat if mes sœurs continue wiz zeir plan, we all lose.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and continued to swing towards the wall. She was nearly there, just a few hooves’ reach away.

“I see you need clarification. Fort bien. Per’aps, Applejack, you remember a certain conversation wiz your copine, Rarity? It was quite some time ago, just after we all first met.”

Curaçao’s form melted away and reshaped itself into that of a familiar white unicorn, complete with fancy dress. “I believe we had a little discussion about the ramifications of your crush on dear Captain Flathoof, darling,” she said in a perfect imitation of Rarity’s voice. “If I recall, your brother was also involved in our discussion. I have never met the gentlecolt, but what you told me of him was enough to make the connection, and that was all I needed to instill uncertainty in your feelings. The bit about Tick Tock, however, was entirely a fabrication.”

Applejack sputtered, and she completely forgot swinging towards the wall, blinded with rage. “It was you! Y’all’re the one that made me doubt myself and distrust Flathoof! It’s your fault I treated him like dirt for all that time!”

Curaçao shook her head as her form melted back into her normal self. “No, Applejack, zat was all you. Everyzing you did after zat conversation was your own doing. All I did was manipulate tes pensées. You stopped trusting Flathoof. You treated ‘im like dirt. You lied to yourself!” Her mouth curled in a tiny grin. “All I did was plant zee idée in your ‘ead. Zat was zee original plan: to corrupt toi et tes amies. And it worked. Parfaitement.”

Curaçao sighed and continued, “What you did not know is… zee reverse was also true. As moi et mes sœurs spent more time wiz toi et tes amies… we grew closer. We began to see each other as a real family… despite our tenuous status as real ponies.” She laughed once. “When we found out we were nozing more zan clones, we ‘eld on to zat fact. Wizout it… I doubt any of mes sœurs would ‘ave enough motivation to even live, let alone scheme to destroy toi et tes amies.”

Applejack shook her head, confused. “Ya lost me. Y’all’re… clones? Like, copies?” She growled. “Wait, y’all just said you ‘n’ your sisters are tryin’ ta kill us! Ha! Y’all are lyin’!”

“Everyzing I am telling you is la vérité, Applejack,” Curaçao said with a small smile. She shook her head. “But, I came to une conclusion not long after mes sœurs came up wiz zis plan: zey would not be heureuses wiz all zee killing. Oui, zey would be for a short while—seconds, hours, days—but it would not last. And when zey were no longer pleased wiz zat… zen what? What would zey do? I’ll tell you: zey would kill again. And again. And again. Zey would not stop, because zey would zink zat zee only zing that gives zem bonheur is killing, because we were born wiz great evil inside us.”

Applejack grunted. “Yeah, that part I figured out.” She swung just a little closer to the wall. She could almost touch it; just a few more swings.

“Mes sœurs ‘ave already shown me what zee darkness wizin zem will lead to. In ‘ope’s Point… mes sœurs killed many ponies, Applejack. Some in self-defense, but most, not so. Zey were so focused on zeir pursuit of toi et tes amies zat zey killed everypony zat stood in zeir way.” Curaçao shuddered. “I tried to limit zee bodycount, but…”

She paused, and took a breath. “Did you know, Applejack, zat evil magic resists even zee concept of good? I did not, not until I began to consider stopping mes sœurs. Every step I ‘ave taken to stop zem causes me pain. Mon cœur—my ‘eart—is in severe pain even now, as I ‘ave zis honnête conversation wiz toi. It is zat pain that keeps my mind clear. It is zat pain that distracts me from my nature, and my desire to destroy you.” She sighed. “Zat is ‘ow I know zat, if my sisters killed toi et tes amies, it would do nozing but fuel zee darkness inside zem. Zey would be lost to zeir own madness, never truly heureuses.

“Do you see, Applejack? My plan is not to ambush tes amies to kill zem. My plan is for tes amies to do what we tried to do to you, but in reverse. Tes amies would fight mes sœurs, oui, but I ‘ave confiance zat zey will be safe. Mes sœurs want to convince zemselves zat zeir way of zinking is right, because zose ‘oo are unaware zey are walking in darkness shall never seek zee light. Zey will not kill tes amies until zey ‘ave ‘ad zat opportunity. And when zey try… tes amies will convince zem zat zey are the ones ‘oo are wrong!”

Applejack remained silent and wound back one last swing. She was sure she could make it to the wall this time. 

Curaçao’s face lit up, and she smiled brightly. “Mes sœurs are already close to zee light, because zey know love. Zey just need to know that they know it, to know that our love for one anozer can make us heureuses. Tes amies shall provide it for zem. Je suis désolée—I am sorry if you do not like all zis, but it was necessary. Everyzing I ‘ave done, I ‘ave done for the eventual bonheur of mes sœurs!” She laughed triumphantly. “Ma famille will be redeemed! Zey will be freed from zeir inner darkness, and toi et tes amies will be free to go ‘ome. In zee end, everypony is ‘appy, and everypony wins, n’est-ce pas?”

“Wrong!”

Applejack’s swing brought her close enough to tap the very tip of her hoof on the mine wall, and that was she needed. In that split second, Applejack’s skin and coat hardened into rock and expanded enough to shatter her bindings. She dropped and cratered the mine floor. As the dust cleared, she settled her gaze on Curaçao, glaring daggers at the other earth pony. With a thought, she asked the earth to seal the room; the earth complied, and the only tunnel out caved in.

Curaçao steeled under Applejack’s gaze. “I would razer not get mes sabots dirty, but it seems I must.” She shrugged, then settled into a defensive stance. “Ces’t la vie. Just another sacrifice I must make for the greater good. Pardonez-moi if I bring you any ‘arm, Applejack.”

***

Velvet lashed tendrils out in all directions; Pinkie charged forward under the barrage, then swung her hind leg at Velvet’s head; Velvet blocked it with a tendril.

Pinkie drew her leg back and kicked again, and again, and again; she kicked so rapidly that Velvet should barely have been able to see the kicks coming. Still, Velvet blocked each and every one.

“What’s wrong Pinkie?” Velvet taunted. “Is this all you’ve got?!”

Velvet coated her hoof in a blood spike and slashed at Pinkie’s throat. Pinkie blocked the attack, but the blow was enough to knock her off balance. Velvet used this opportunity to lunge forward and launch an assault of her own.

Pinkie dodged most of the attacks, but was forced to block the few she couldn’t. Velvet was, to her surprise, moving much faster than she was accustomed to. Until now, Velvet had always been a brute force opponent with little defense against Pinkie’s speed.

“I’ve seen you so much more, so why not now?” Velvet shouted as she rapidly jabbed her tendrils in Pinkie’s direction. “Are you scared, Pinkie? Let’s see what you have to offer!”

Velvet gathered up a group of tendrils and bashed them into the side of Pinkie’s head, knocking Pinkie flying. Pinkie rebounded in the air in order to land safely on her hooves.

“You wanna see what I can really do?” Pinkie asked, a big smile on her face. “Fine then.”

Pinkie took a deep breath and dug her boots into the ground, drawing her forehooves to her side. She let out the breath she was holding and focused all of her energy into her center. Her body began to shimmer; white at first, then rainbow-colored. A second later, her body erupted with burning energy that expanded outwards into a pink glow.

Pinkied smirked, and drew one hoof back. “Kaio-ken!”

“Kaio-what?” Velvet blurted.

Pinkie thrust her hoof forward. Velvet flinched back in time to avoid the ground from under her being torn apart by an unseen force.

Velvet staggered back and attempted to ready herself before Pinkie could move in, but Pinkie’s hoof was already right in her face. The punch knocked Velvet reeling enough that Pinkie was able to rush in and deliver another rapid series of punches to Velvet’s midsection before she could even hit the ground.

With one final punch, Velvet was sent flying through the cavern.

Pinkie made to capitalize on it, flying to meet Velvet in midair. Velvet sneered and flipped herself upright in time to meet Pinkie head-on with a powerful blood-coated kick to the chin. She rebounded off the kick and landed gracefully on the ground; Pinkie, despite having just been kicked in the face, landed just as gracefully several yards away.

“Is this still all you’ve got?” Velvet taunted.

Pinkie took a deep breath again, and wiped her mouth to clean it of the faint taste of blood.

So this is what she’s like when she’s not worried about killing me, huh?

“I guess you’re all talk, then, aren’t you?” Velvet continued. She lazily pushed her blood-drenched mane out of her face. “In that case, let me give you some motivation. You realize that my sisters are going after your friends, don’t you? If you figured out what my relation to you is, then you surely know that my sisters are the same.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and settled into her fighting stance. She knew in her heart that Velvet’s words were true, but she was not about to let that worry give Velvet an opening again.

Velvet smirked. “No reaction then? Guess you’ve just accepted your fate.” She rolled her shoulders. “Time to die!”

Velvet lunged forward again and thrust her blood spike at Pinkie with such speed that Pinkie barely had time to block. The blow struck her hard and sent her flying, but she spun around to recover. She slid along the ground before coming to a stop, and when she looked up, Velvet was already barreling down on her.

“Kaio-ken... times two!” Pinkie shouted.

Her aura doubled in intensity, and with it her speed and power increased; so, when Velvet was within hoof’s reach, Pinkie as able to swing her leg around to slam Velvet in the face.

Velvet bounced back, then flipped and sprung back at Pinkie, swinging blood tendrils all around her. Pinkie blocked each strike, though she did so with great effort. Velvet feinted left, and Pinkie went to block it; but, Velvet swung her tendrils right, and slammed Pinkie in the side, knocking her sliding along the cavern floor.

Pinkie regained her footing and came to a stop. She prepared herself for another attack, but Velvet remained still and glanced over at Pinkie, a cocky smirk on her face.

“You’re made of tougher stuff than I thought,” Velvet said. She snickered, and twirled her tendrils about her again. “I’m actually enjoying this!”

“You’re enjoying me kicking your butt, huh?” Pinkie chuckled. She glanced to her side and noticed her shirt had been torn, so she tore the rest of it off, leaving only her hind legs and flank covered. “Good. So am I.”

Despite her taunting, Pinkie knew she was in trouble. Velvet was holding back, something Pinkie wasn’t used to seeing, but at the same time was giving her a rough time. She had to wonder if Velvet was just toying with her—playing with her food, in a manner of speaking.

I’m going to need to push myself further. I just hope my body can take it.

“Do you have more tricks up your sleeve, Pinkie? If you do, now’s the time to whip them out. Because, if you don’t…”

Pinkie smiled, and brought her forehooves in to her sides, taking a deep breath as she did so. She grunted, and her body pulsed with energy.

“All right, here goes nothing! Kaio-ken… times three!”

Pinkie’s body erupted with pink light again, overheating the water vapor in the air around her and turning it into steam. The rocks around her burst apart, and the entire cavern rumbled around her.

Velvet quirked an eyebrow. “Ooh... now this is impressive.”

Pinkie burst forward at Velvet. Velvet raised her blades to block, but Pinkie was already in her face, her hoof drawn back in a ridiculously-telegraphed punch. Even so, Velvet could not react in time to block it, and Pinkie’s colossal attack struck her in the jaw and knocked her flying.

Velvet bounced along the floor like a skipping stone; Pinkie shot off after her, and overtook her before she could react. Pinkie swung her leg and kicked Velvet in the back, sending her flying towards the ceiling.

Velvet snarled, and flipped herself around in the air just as Pinkie was approaching. She swung her blades down, and missed; Pinkie had swerved around her so fast that Velvet couldn’t react. She turned to try and block again, but Pinkie had already struck her hard with both legs, firing her towards the floor.

Velvet slammed through a massive boulder and then crashed into the cavern wall, tearing a hole straight through it. Velvet’s blood-curdling scream echoed through the cavern, and the wall around the hole exploded outwards. Velvet burst out of the rubble, her blood spraying about her and shredding rocks apart like paper. Her eyes were red with bloodlust.

Pinkie raced at Velvet, forehooves at her sides in preparation for an attack, and ducked around Velvet’s side. Velvet snarled, and twisted around to try and meet her, but Pinkie was easily able to swerve around again, and punched Velvet in the back of the head, knocking her sailing through the cavern.

Velvet roared and spun around, slid along the cavern floor to a stop, then charged at Pinkie as Pinkie approached. She focused all of her blood into one massive blade, and swung it as Pinkie drew close.

Pinkie dodged just below the swing, and brought her hoof up in a fierce uppercut to Velvet’s stomach.

Velvet grit her teeth so hard they threatened to shatter. She then staggered back, grasping her stomach. She was gasping for air. Blood and saliva dripped from her open mouth. She coughed several times before she caught her breath. She glared daggers at Pinkie.

She bounded away, landing on a small boulder. Pinkie remained where she was, breathing heavily. That last series of blows had taken a great deal out of her; her whole body was on fire.

Velvet hissed, and leapt at Pinkie, her hoof coated with a bloody spike. Pinkie raised a hoof to block it, and did so easily, then swung her hoof up into Velvet’s chin, knocking her reeling. 

Before Velvet could recover, Pinkie rushed up and kicked her in the stomach, then grabbed her hind legs and slammed her into the ground. She then slammed down on Velvet’s back, grabbed her and threw her into the air, then punched her the rest of the way into the ceiling. Velvet tumbled to the floor and landed in a heap.

Pinkie staggered back, reeling from exhaustion. She winced as her shoulder shuddered with pain; the last attack had been more draining than she thought.

Velvet dragged herself to her hooves, gasping for breath. “You... where did you get so strong? Where was this power... the last time we fought?”

What in Equestria is she made of? She just won’t give up. Well... neither will I, then. Come on body, don’t fail me now...

Pinkie took a deep breath. “I bring all the power I need to bring, Red. You weren’t this much of a challenge before, either.”

Velvet snarled, and glared at Pinkie. “Are you mocking me?! You pathetic pink piece of garbage!”

She screamed and charged at Pinkie, blood blades flailing through the air, tearing apart the entire cavern floor around her. The cave rumbled as its very foundation was torn apart; at this rate, Pinkie knew they’d both be crushed.

Pinkie winced as her body’s intense pain set in further. I can’t keep this up much longer... my body’s worn out! My only chance... is to hit her so hard she can’t get up! Now or never!

“Kaio-ken times three!” she shouted, screaming more out of pain than anything.

Pinkie’s body erupted with pink flame again. She pushed both hooves together in front of her, then drew them around to one side and cupped them together. Velvet was closing in, fast, her eyes red with anger, her enraged scream filling the cavern.

“Kaaa... meee...”

The ground around Pinkie shuddered, and nearby rocks burst apart under the intense pressure. The air around her crackled with energy.

“Haaa!”

“Die, Pinkie! Die, die, die, die, die!” Velvet screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Meee!”

Pinkie’s aura exploded outwards at nearly three times its prior size, engulfing rocks and vaporizing them.

Velvet lashed out with hundreds of blades and spikes at once. “DIIIEEE!!”

“HAAA!”

Pinkie’s aura suddenly turned bright blue, and she thrust her hooves forward. A powerful explosion ripped through the air between them, firing a massive energy blast at Velvet. It tore through rock and dirt as it traveled. Velvet’s spikes and blades met it halfway, and it burned its way through them like a wildfire. As the blast approached Velvet, she drew her blood in and raised it in front of her as a shield; the impact struck her sliding back along the ground.

Velvet came to a stop several yards back, then, to Pinkie’s horror, she began pushing back. Not just pushing back, but rushing back. Velvet was running straight through the blast with her blood shield in front, and as she got closer to Pinkie, her blood began to seep outwards along the beam’s trail.

Pinkie screamed as the pain from all the energy she was expending ripped through her body. But, she did not let up.

I’ve got to take it further.

“KAIO-KEEEN—" Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs. “TIMES—" Her body shined with a powerful glow. “FOOOUUURRR!”

The energy beam expanded and exploded forwards, blowing apart Velvet’s blood shield, colliding with her, and exploding. There was a great flash of light, so bright that Pinkie had close her eyes lest she be blinded. The cavern shook like never before, as the blast tore apart a great swath of rock and dirt. Massive clouds of dust blanketed the air.

When the dust settled at last, Pinkie opened her eyes. Her entire body cried out in agony, but she moved anyway. She needed to make sure Velvet was not only down for the count, but would stay down for the count, at least for now. She lumbered forward, forcing her legs to take her to the great crater she’d created. Velvet lay in the center, unmoving but still breathing, even if just barely.

Pinkie slid down into the crater, grunting and groaning all the while. She dragged herself the rest of the way to Velvet’s limp form. Once there, she stood tall over her defeated opponent. Velvet’s body lay in a pool of her own blood, and was covered with scorch marks; were it not for Velvet’s endurance and affinity for the visceral fluids, Pinkie would have been worried.

She took a deep breath. “Whew... that took a lot out of me...” she breathed, letting her limbs fall slack. “Thank goodness that’s finally—"

Velvet snapped up and thrust a single blood spike straight into Pinkie’s chest. “Game over!”

The pain was beyond anything Pinkie had ever experienced before. She could not register anything else besides the intense burning in her chest. She staggered backwards several paces before losing her balance. Her hoof absently crawled to her chest, then pulled away at the terrifying wetness that should not have been there. When she glanced at her hoof, she saw it was covered with blood.

Her blood.

“Yes... yes!” Velvet cackled, stomping towards Pinkie with great, broad steps. “I did it! I did it!” She began to dance about in celebration. “I win! Yes, yes, yes! Ha ha ha! Who’s laughing now, moron?!”

She’s laughing, but… this isn’t funny. 

“Okay, Red, calm yourself,” Velvet muttered. She took a breath, then let out a squeal. “Oh, I just can’t hold it in! Muahaha!”

This isn’t funny… at all…

“Man, I kinda wish I had a camera right about now. This is a picture perfect moment.”

Unless...

Pinkie reeled back, clutching her chest. “Urgh… you… you got me…”

“Yes! I did! I got you good. Right in the heart!” Velvet snickered and licked her hooves clean. “Tasty, tasty, tasty.”

“Everything is… getting dark…” Pinkie coughed and teetered to the floor. “I don’t want to die…”

“Yes, well, you should’ve thought of that before you messed with me, you great, pink buffoon.” Velvet trotted over to Pinkie and kicked her in the stomach. “I could just eat you now, buuut, this is too good. You have no idea how long I’ve waited to see you die.”

“Hold me, Red… I’m so cold…”

Velvet blinked. “Hmmm… y’know, just seeing you die would be great, but getting to feel you go limp might be a neat experience. Sure, why not?” She bent down and cradled Pinkie in her hooves. “Okay, you may continue dying now.”

Pinkie turned her head and coughed. “Red… tell Auntie Pie to let Old Yeller out…”

“Uh… okay…?”

Pinkie turned her head and coughed again. “And tell little Pip that… I won’t be coming home for Hearth’s Warming Eve…”

“Sure… uh, right…”

Pinkie turned her head, then turned back and coughed in Velvet’s face. “And tell Rainbow Dash… she still owes me thirty bits…”

“I… wait, what?”

Pinkie convulsed, and went limp in Velvet’s hooves.

“Geez, finally,” Velvet huffed, dropping Pinkie to the floor. “Way to take the fun out of it, jerk.” She stood up and trotted away. “Now, to find out where Curaçao—"

Pinkie coughed, loudly.

Velvet’s ear twitched. “No… no, that’s quite normal. Dead ponies cough all the time.” She turned. Pinkie had risen to her hooves and was staggering about. “And… get up and walk about. Completely normal.”

“Ohhh… the agony!” Pinkie wailed, pastern of her hoof upon her forehead. “The paaain! Oh, woe is me! Please, Red! Put me out of my misery!”

Velvet stared at Pinkie in disbelief. “Oh, come on already! That’s it, I’m putting an end to this. Dead ponies should stay dead.”

She stepped over to Pinkie, loosing one bladed tendril as she went, and brought the blade down. Pinkie raised her legs to defend herself; her legs lopped off and fell to the floor.

Velvet stared in awe at the bloodless carnage. “What the—"

Pinkie stared at her the empty space her limbs once occupied, then glanced up at Velvet. “Uh... can you lend me a hoof here?”

Velvet chuckled. “Okay, that was—" She stopped herself. “Stop it! Stop! Let me kill you, dammit!”

“So are you gonna help me or not? Come on, shake a leg.”

Velvet swung her blade down. Pinkie didn’t even bother to roll out of the way. Her head came clean off, and rolled forward to bump Velvet’s leg.

Velvet snarled and picked Pinkie’s head up. She shook it violently. “Why?! Why won’t you just die?!”

“Whoa! Hey! Chill out!” Pinkie blurted in between shakes. “No need to lose your head!”

Velvet chuckled again, then shook her head—her own, that is—and gave Pinkie a stern look. “You should be dead! I’m better than you! I’m stronger, faster, more lethal!”

Pinkie’s body shrugged. At least, it attempted to with half its limbs missing. “Guess I just know how to pull ahead of the competition.”

Velvet sputtered, then started laughing. Big, genuine laughs that actually surprised Pinkie with how real they were. She didn’t think anypony shared her sense of humor, least of all Red Velvet.

Then, to Pinkie’s surprise, another tendril of blood oozed from out of Velvet’s spine. It took shape, creating a face complete with top hat and monocle. The face glared at Velvet’s laughing fit, and reached out a tendril of its own to smack her in the back of the head.

“Hey!” Velvet blurted. She shot the tendril-face-thing a glare and rubbed her head. “Clottles, that’s not very nice!”

The tendril open its mouth and began to speak, though Pinkie could see that it was actually Velvet speaking in a terribly bad attempt at a dignified gentlecolt’s voice.

“My dear, aren’t you supposed to be trying to murder this pathetic pink putz?”

Velvet shrugged. “Well, yeah... I’m getting around to it. I’ll admit, she’s funny.”

The face—Clottles—rolled its eyes. “Funny? Those jokes are simply horrible! Such incredibly trite puns!”

“Hey, they’re not that bad,” Pinkie said. “Go easy on me, you’re making me lose face.”

Velvet snickered.

“They’re terrible!” Clottles spat.

“Sheesh, no need to bite my head off.”

Velvet had to cover her mouth with her hoof to keep from laughing too hard.

Clottles groaned turned back to Velvet. “My lady, I must insist you finish killing this cretin.”

Velvet held up a hoof. “Now, hold on, I fully plan to do that, but... can’t I wait and see what else she’s got? This is actually pretty fun.”

“Fun? Fun?!” Clottles shouted.

Velvet and Pinkie each quirked an eyebrow. Clottles had spoken in a voice very much unlike Velvet’s poor ventriloquism. Velvet herself hadn’t even moved her mouth. This new voice was much more imposing, almost sinister, full of equal parts hate and rage, and with a slight feminine touch. It was almost like talking to another creature entirely.

“You’re not supposed to be having fun, you miserable dreck!” Clottles bellowed, loud enough to shake the walls. “Kill her! Kill her now!”

“Clottles, what has gotten into you?” Velvet asked, her hooves on her hips. “You don’t get to talk to me that way. That’s very rude.”

“I’ll talk to you however I please, wretch! KILL HER!”

Velvet snorted. “If you’re going to be such a jerk, maybe I won’t.”

Clottles seethed, and his tendril began to grow black in color. His monocle and top hat dissolved into the rest of him “You... are refusing to kill her?”

“For now, anyway,” Velvet said. “I’ll just keep her around until you’re ready to apologize to me for being rude. Though maybe I won’t. I dunno... she’s actually kinda funny. I know the jokes are lame—"

“Heyyy,” Pinkie interjected.

“But something about it seems... right. It’s weird, but like, I suddenly just don’t feel motivated.”

Clottles continued to blacken. The color spread throughout more and more of Velvet’s blood. “Kill her.”

“No.”

“Kill her now.”

“No.”

Clottles snarled. His black color now fully spread throughout all of Velvet’s other tendrils. “So be it.”

The black mass that was Clottles abruptly retreated back into Velvet’s body.

“Clottles? Hey, what’re you doing?” Velvet asked, perplexed and annoyed. “Get back out here this instant, I wasn’t done talking to—"

Velvet screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, dropping Pinkie in the process. Pinkie watched wide-eyed as Velvet clutched her sides; her body distended and rippled, as though something within her was writhing through every inch of her insides. Pinkie pulled herself together, but hesitated to approach; Velvet was obviously in severe pain, but then again, this could be another trick.

Velvet finally ceased thrashing about, and the chamber became calm, undisturbed by her anguished cries. She slowly stood, though she kept her head down; her breathing was labored, and her knees were shaky.

Pinkie warily rose to her hooves and backed away, unsure what to make of the whole thing. “Red? Are… you okay?”

Velvet brought her head up and opened her eyes; they were now totally black. She smiled, showing off full rows of fangs. Then, in a voice that sent a fierce shiver down Pinkie’s spine, she said, “This body belongs to Red Velvet no more, mortal.” 

***

Applejack called out to the earth again. Curaçao bolted aside just as the ground beneath her hooves gave way; she landed gracefully on the edge of the new sinkhole.

“Ha! What a joke y’all are,” Applejack said.

The ground under Curaçao rose towards the ceiling at an alarming pace.

“Why do you laugh? You, of all ponies, ‘ave no right to laugh at moi,” Curaçao huffed. She jumped off the rising pillar of stone and dove straight at Applejack. 

Applejack formed a stone dome to protect herself. It shattered like an egg on impact; Curaçao had crashed right through, unharmed, and unleashed a flurry of punches. She raised her hooves to block, only to find her stone armor crumbling under the furious assault. Somehow, Curaçao’s hooves and much of her body had been encased in a hard sheathe of metal where her jumpsuit had once been. She tensed her muscles and called more rock to replenish her armor.

“You talk of honesty,” she snarled. With a strong push, she heaved Curaçao off of her and into the air. “You talk of sacrifice.” She swung her tail as hard as she could, batting Curaçao away like a rag doll. “You talk of family!”

Curaçao twisted her body in midair and landed on her hooves, none the worse for wear. “Oui… and ‘ow is zis funny to you?”

“Because all I see is a sad little filly who don’t know the meanin’ of any o’ those words. All you’re doin’ is hurtin’ everypony around ya!”

Curaçao snorted, dusted herself off, and vanished from sight; Applejack was able to sense her movements, but she leapt about such that they were erratic and difficult to predict.

“I will concede zat somepony may get injured,” she said, “but physical pain est momentanée. Tes amies ‘ave proved zemselves strong enough to put up a fight, and zey are not zee type to kill anypony. So, what are a few bruises compared to moi et mes sœurs breaking free from zee chains of darkness?”

Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her thoughts. With a jolt, she swung her tail around to block Curaçao’s strike. Curaçao wrapped her leg around Applejack’s tail and used her leverage to pull Applejack into a chokehold.

“Some sister y’all are,” Applejack snarled as she struggled to free herself of Curaçao’s hold. “Sendin’ your family into a fight an’ expectin’ ‘em ta lose. Y’all don’t care about ‘em one bit.” 

“I do care Applejack, more zan you know,” Curaçao grunted.

She pushed all of her weight into Applejack’s back. Applejack sucked in her breath, and her rock armor burst outwards, throwing Curaçao off of her.

Curaçao twirled and skidded on the ground, then vanished once again. “Everyzing I’ve done, I’ve done for zem. Do you zink it’s easy sending mes sœurs off to lose? Zey will feel zee same pain I do when zey consider les mots de tes amies, and I would not wish zat pain on anypony, but it is zee only way!”

Applejack concentrated on finding Curaçao again, but the other pony was moving too fast to track easily. She struck with her tail again where she suspected Curaçao might be, but her blow hit nothing but air.

Curaçao capitalized on the miss and pummeled Applejack mercilessly, her hooves moving fast as lightning. Applejack relented under the assault; whatever the metal was that had replaced the other mare’s jumpsuit, it allowed her to crack Applejack’s own armor and inflict intense pain. She sunk beneath the earth like it was water and swam to safety to bide her time and replenish her strength.

She was not about to give Curaçao the same luxury. The cavern shook violently. The ground heaved and shook, crumbling beneath Curaçao's hooves. Rocks rained down from the ceiling as they were broken loose by the cavern's shuddering. No steady purchase was left; no place was safe from falling rock. Applejack made sure of it.

Curaçao evaded every projectile that came her way, big or small, with all the grace of a ballerina. Those she could not avoid, she shattered with a stiff hoof.

Eventually, Applejack saw her opening, and sprung from the earth. She tackled Curaçao in mid-air, and the pair crashed into the nearest wall. 

***

Velvet raised a hoof up to her own face, examined it, and frowned. “This form ill suits me. It lacks a certain panache,” she said. Her voice was distorted with an odd echo, and it didn’t sound entirely like her own. “A pity that she was the only one to be tempted, if even for a moment; I’d have much preferred the body of Starlight Shadow.” She extended a blade of blood from her hoof and examined it. “This one does have some value to it in terms of power, though, even if not Starlight Shadow’s equal by any means. Not a complete loss… but a change will be in order soon.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes; this wasn’t Red Velvet talking, and whoever it was had done something to the other mare. “Who are you?” she asked. “What did you do to Red?”

Velvet—rather, whoever was speaking through her—turned to Pinkie and looked at her as though she were a bug. “What concern is it of yours, mortal? Red Velvet was not your friend. Your compassion is unwarranted, and unwelcome.”

“Even if Red was a violent meanypants, that doesn’t mean she deserves… whatever it is you’re doing,” Pinkie huffed. “Who are you?”

“That is of no concern to you, mortal. You will be dead soon, so worry yourself not on such trivial matters.”

“As if.”

Velvet ignored Pinkie and continued to examine her various blood appendages. “The element of surprise may give me an advantage. That traitorous whelp will not live long enough to rue the day he betrayed me. Though… it may be wise to attempt to persuade this one’s ilk to assist me. I am unsure if this guise could destroy him efficiently, what with his ascension.”

“Hey, don’t ignore me!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Silence, mortal!” Velvet snapped. “These precious moments you have left should be used less foolishly. I grant you now with a rare kindness in not killing you immediately, like I should have with you and your worthless friends the moment you arrived in my realm.”

Pinkie blinked. “Huh?” She stopped a second to think, then, it clicked. “Hang on a sec, I’m getting some weird vibes here. You call me a mortal, which would make you immortal; you talk about us arriving in your realm, up north; and, you want to kill us now, but you didn’t before. Mister Gilderoy told us Red Velvet and her sisters were servants of Nihila, the immortal goddess that ruled the north. You’re her… aren’t you? You’re Nihila.”

Nihila sneered. “If you wish to address me, you will refer to me with respect, mortal. My counterpart may put on a pretense of modesty, but I demand acknowledgement of my power and authority.” She snorted. “But what does it matter to you who or what I am? Cease talking, fool. I wish to evaluate this mortal body’s capabilities in silence.”

“So, you really are Nihila, then?” Pinkie shifted into a fighting stance. “If you’re Nihila, then that means you’re trying to stop me and my friends from getting home, and now you’re trying to kill us. If you think I’m just gonna keep quiet and let you, you don’t know me very well, do you?”

Nihila narrowed her eyes. “I sense anger within you, mortal. You wish to stop me, do you?” She brandished a full arsenal of blood-crafted blades, spikes, tendrils, and other lethal weaponry. “Conveniently, I had wished to test the capabilities of this body anyway. If you wish to throw yourself into the slaughter so eagerly, then you will be my first test subject.”

“Bring it on! Kaio-ken!”

Pinkie’s body burst with energy, and with a sharp lunge, she punched Nihila in the face.

Nihila stood her ground, barely even affected by the punch. She turned her head back towards Pinkie, and grinned. “Unlike my daughter, I gain no enjoyment from limiting myself. Now, allow me to demonstrate the full power this body possesses.”

She swung a tendril around and bashed Pinkie in the stomach, sending her flying across the room. Pinkie hit the wall hard enough to make a Pinkie-shaped indent before falling to the floor.

Pinkie rose to her hooves and shook off the dizziness. Without a second thought, she cupped her hooves at her side. “Kame hame—"

Nihila smashed Pinkie in the face with another tendril, cutting her off and knocking her over. “Cease this silly game, mortal. My power exceeds yours.”

Pinkie rose again, and lifted her forehooves high into the air, standing on just her hind legs. A ball of light appeared near the ceiling of the cavern. “We’ll see… about that! Spirit Bomb!”

Nihila noticed the light, and laughed, then turned back to Pinkie. “An attempt at collecting what little Light energy there is in this chamber. A simple gesture from a simple mare.” She lashed out one tendril at the ball, and swatted it away; it fizzled out. “With but a small fraction of this body’s might, I can crush you like a grape. Your blood will flow like wine when I am finished with you, mortal.”

Pinkie slumped to her knees. “No way… that ball was made of one hundred percent positive energy. It should hurt somepony with as much hate and evil as you have.” She shook her head. “Shoot, I knew I should have charged it for another three chapters. Episodes. Or whatever.”

“Fool!” Nihila shouted. “You think your feeble strength is enough to defeat me?” She smashed Pinkie in the face with a blunt tendril. “I am the very embodiment of war!” She wrapped the tendril around Pinkie’s leg. “Bloodshed!” She cratered Pinkie into the floor. “Destruction!” She crushed Pinkie against the wall. “Death!” She tossed Pinkie across the room through a boulder, then moved towards her upon a hundred legs made of blood. “These things are all under my dominion; one cannot hope to wield them against me! Your worthless attempts to fight against my daughter failed, even while she was in control!”

Pinkie paused, and thought for a moment. In a way, it was true, insofar as Pinkie didn’t actually “defeat” Velvet. Then again, “winning” involved keeping Velvet away from her friends, which is exactly what she did. Velvet, however, was definitely not lacking in toughness, and it took everything Pinkie had just to keep her at bay. No matter how hard Pinkie struck, Velvet would always get back up, angrier than ever but without so much as a scratch. The only time Velvet’s bloodlust ever seemed to falter was—

When she laughed. She couldn’t keep her composure when I made her laugh before. Maybe… hmmm…

“I see you have accepted your fate, mortal,” Nihila cooed. She manifested a plethora of bloody blades and strode in Pinkie’s direction. “You shall be the first to fall before I ascend back to my rightful place as the true power of Darkness in this world.”

“Not just yet!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’ve got one last trick up my sleeve. Or mane, rather!”

She reached into her mane and yanked out a bright blue cannon on magenta and pink wheels adorned with white flowers. In the process of taking out the cannon, she ditched her martial arts uniform, and dressed herself in something a little more unique: a green propeller cap that did not mesh with a black denim jacket with the collar popped much too high, which did not work together with the bright, gaudy yellow t-shirt she wore underneath that had printed on it the logo from a children’s program. She wore red roller skates too, which did not help complete her ensemble in any possible way. It felt like it had been ages since she’d worn it.

Nihila chuckled at the sight of the cannon and Pinkie’s new ensemble. “Another change, is it? I know not how you are able to summon such whimsical contraptions, but such knowledge will be irrelevant once your demise is at hoof.”

“It’s my Party Cannon!” Pinkie explained, a wide smile on her face. She lit the fuse. “I never leave home without it!” She put her hooves over her ears. 

“One last attempt to destroy me, then? Very well. It would be fitting to kill somepony that so clings to life that they would attempt to succeed against insurmountable odds. Despair in the face of—”

The Party Cannon fired.

Nihila balked when the pastry projectile struck her in the face. She licked her face to clean off the mess of flaky crust and gooey yellow filling. “What… what manner of weapon is this, that fires edible ammunition?”

“Oh, I’m awfully sorry,” Pinkie chirped as she zipped over. She frantically wiped Nihila’s face clean with a napkin. “Ooh, I’ve made a terrible mistake. You wanted”—she smashed another pie in Nihila’s face—”cherry pie!”

Nihila seethed. “Why you, you imbecilic—" She paused, and her mouth curled up in a tiny smile, and her eyes regained their normal, bright blue color for just the briefest moment.

Pinkie grinned.

Bingo.

Nihila shook her head. “Your will pay for your insolence, whelp!”

“♫My name is Pinkie Pie,” sang Pinkie,  
“I worked on a Merry-Go-Round,  
The job was swell  
I did quite well  
Till the Merry-go-round broke down.  
Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo-hoo!”

Nihila drew back her blades. “Die!”

Pinkie bounced in place. “Hoo hoo! Hoo hoo!”

And like lightning, Pinkie was gone. Nihila’s strike missed; Pinkie was halfway across the cavern.

“Run while you can, coward!” Nihila shouted, giving chase. “You cannot escape me!”

Pinkie stopped when she came to the opposite canyon wall, and hurriedly yanked a bucket of paint out of her mane. In a flash, she coated a section of the wall to give it the appearance of a train tunnel, and, with Nihila close behind her, she hopped through it.

Nihila, however, slammed straight into the wall. She staggered away, then glared at the wall, her eyes alight with fire. “What manner of illusion is—"

A train whistle resounded from the wall, and a bright light appeared in the painted patch. The light drew closer every second, and the sound grew with it. Just as the approaching light drew closest, Nihila put a shield of blood in front of her to deflect whatever object was approaching from beyond the wall.

Nothing happened, save for a tiny gust of wind brushing against Nihila’s face, no stronger than a breath.

Nihila blinked in confusion. “A ruse? Cursed ignoramus! Cease these foolish tricks!”

Pinkie tapped on Nihila’s shoulder, and chomped loudly on a carrot right in her ear. “Ehh, what’s up, doc?”

Nihila turned and growled. “I tire of these shenanigans.”

As she took a step towards Pinkie, she slipped on a banana peel that Pinkie had dropped, and landed hard on her back. As she tried to get up, she let out a small giggle, and her eyes returned to normal for a moment.

“♫The guy that worked with me,” sang Pinkie,  
“Was a horse with a lavender eye,  
Around in whirls, we winked at girls  
Till the Merry-go-round broke down.”

Pinkie whipped a flute out of her mane and played a little ditty for a brief moment, before tossing the flute away and offering her hoof to help Nihila up, without saying a word.

Nihila—or Velvet, as she seemed to be in some modicum of control at the moment—reached up and took Pinkie’s hoof, only to be shocked by Pinkie’s potent hoof buzzer.

“Meep meep!” Pinkie bolted off again, leaving Nihila reeling from the shock.

Nihila seethed. “Stand still you—heh—great lummox! I—hee hee—will not be—" She stopped to let out a loud laugh, then shook her head. “Enough games! I tire of this!” She shrouded herself in blood, taking off after Pinkie with blazing speed. “I am death! Your soul is mine!”

She caught up with Pinkie and swung one blade at her prey; just as she did, she fell into a pitfall that had just appeared beneath her. She grumbled—and laughed—as she crawled out of the hole, then resumed her chase.

“♫Up and down and round we sped,” sang Pinkie,  
“That dizzy pace soon went to my head.  
Now you know why I'm dizzy  
And do the things I do  
I am a screw, and you'd be too  
If the Merry-go-round broke down.  
Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo!”  
Pinkie took a deep breath.  
“♫If the Merry-go-round brrroookkkeee ♫  
down.”

Nihila finally cornered Pinkie a moment later. “I have you now, mortal! No more games!”

“You sure do!” Pinkie chirped. “Here, hold this.”

She handed Nihila a comically-oversized slingshot, took hold of the rubber ends, then rapidly backpedaled into the corner before placing a large boulder into her end and letting go; the boulder crashed into Nihila’s face and burst into a thousand pieces.

Nihila shook off the impact. She laughed, snarled, giggled, and screamed all in quick succession. Between each outburst, she struck at Pinkie with a thick, spiked tendril; each strike missed, impacting and becoming embedded in the wall behind Pinkie.

Pinkie then delivered the coup de grâce: tickling her opponent’s hooves with a feather. “Coochie coochie coo!”

Nihila let out a raucous burst of laughter for several minutes, even after Pinkie had stopped tickling her. When she stopped laughing, her eyes had returned to normal, and tears—real tears—were streaming down her face.

“Man, I haven’t laughed like that in, well… ever!” Velvet breathed. “That felt… good.” She frowned. “Why did it feel good? That’s… that’s weird.”

“Laughter is good for the soul,” Pinkie said with a smile.

Velvet shook her head. “It just feels… wrong, somehow. I’ve got a icky feeling in my stomach, like I ate some bad meat.”

“Huh… well, glad to have you back, Red. Better than the alternative.”

“What happened to me? Last thing I remember was arguing with Clottles, then it all went dark.”

“Clottles… kind of took over for a minute there,” Pinkie said. “Or rather… Nihila did.”

“Mom—er, Nihila? Pfft, yeah, right. My dad blew her to pieces a week ago; she’s long gone. Clottles must’ve been playing a trick on you or something.” Velvet shrugged. “Well, whatever, glad that’s over with. Now we can get back to what we were doing before.”

Pinkie paused. “And what, exactly, were we doing?”

Velvet scratched her chin. “I dunno, exactly. I was gonna kill you, but all of a sudden, I just… didn’t want to. I don’t know why I don’t… and that bothers me.”

“It’s because I made you laugh. Like this, see.” Pinkie yanked her head off her shoulders and dribbled it around like a basketball.

Velvet snickered, then suddenly stopped and shook her head. “S-stop! Don’t… don’t do that. Laughing… it feels good, but… it hurts.”

“It… hurts? And feels good? That don’t make no sense, Red.”

“I need to get out of here—away from you,” Velvet said, her eyes darting around the room. “I gotta find my sisters. They’ll know what’s going on.” She made to leave, but couldn’t remove her tendrils from the wall. “Hey, what gives?” She struggled to detach herself, and panicked when she couldn’t. “What’s going on here?!”

“Red… you okay?”

The slit along Velvet’s spine tore itself open, and a single, thick tendril of black blood reared itself out of her body.

“Uh… what’s that?” Pinkie asked, backing away.

Velvet turned around and raised an eyebrow. “I… I have no—"

The tendril let loose a shrill hiss. “I am Nihila! My will be done!”

It then exploded in a shower of visceral fluids; Velvet’s other tendrils followed suit, spraying blood everywhere and over everything. Velvet screamed in agony as each appendage burst. Most of the blood evaporated away into a fine, black mist; what didn’t remained splattered about. Velvet collapsed to the floor. 

Pinkie panicked, and scrambled to the other pink pony’s side. “Red? Red!”

Velvet gurgled in response. Blood oozed from her mouth, ears, nose—every orifice, in fact. Here pupils were dilated, and she trembled erratically; she’d gone into shock.

“Red! Snap out of it! You gotta heal yourself!” Pinkie shouted, holding Velvet close. The other pony didn’t respond; she only continued to bleed. “What’s going on?! Red! Oooh, this wasn’t supposed to happen!”

A flash and a pop behind Pinkie drew her attention. Her eyes widened; she certainly didn’t expect to see who’d just appeared behind her.

“Sister!” Starlight shouted. She glared at Pinkie. “What did you do to her?!”

Pinkie raised a hoof in defense. “I… I didn’t do this, I swear! That weird Clottles… Nihila… whatever did, I promise!”

Starlight winced as she stepped forward; Pinkie noticed that Starlight was seriously out-of-sorts, though she didn’t seem injured. Velvet must have been telling the truth about her sisters battling Pinkie’s friends. “Let her go.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I said ‘let her go’,” Starlight repeated. “She needs help. You cannot help her.”

Pinkie hesitated, then stepped away from Velvet. In a flash, both she and Starlight were gone. Pinkie shook her head in disbelief. “Man, today sure is weird.” Then, she gasped. “Wait, if Red was here to fight me, and Starlight was fighting somepony else—probably Twilight—then that means… Applejack! She’s in danger!”

Without a second thought, Pinkie rushed off into the darkness of the cavern, searching for a way to the surface.

***

Curaçao slowly picked herself up out of the debris. She breathed heavily, her eyes darting about in search of her opponent. With no sign of Applejack in sight, she made to lift her hoof to wipe her brow, only to find she could not move. The dust and dirt around her hooves gathered and solidified until she was completely trapped.

“I’ve had enough of yer fancy hoof-fu,” Applejack said as she rose out of the dirt in front of Curaçao. She, too, breathed heavily; every one of Curaçao’s punches had left an impact, a burning pain unlike any Applejack had felt in a long while. How the other mare could shatter her stone armor was beyond her. Havocwing at least had the power of explosive force behind her punches, but Curaçao shouldn’t have had any such strength. “This ends now.”

Curaçao smirked. “Applejack, if you really want zis to end, you would end it. Yet, you don’t. Pourquoi pas?”

Applejack sneered. “Listen here, missy. Y’all say ya wanna break ponies, is that it? Are ya really so eager to see the only family you’ve got shattered because of yer actions? D’ya really think y’all can pick up the pieces?” She shook her head. “Ya say this is all for yer sisters’ happiness, but ya could’ve fooled me.”

“What do you know about being broken, Applejack?” Curaçao asked with a scowl. “We were created to be used as tools. Our purpose was served, and so we ‘ave been told zat our lives no longer ‘ave any meaning. I ‘ave already seen mes sœurs broken, but zey ‘ave been given a false ‘ope by zee evil in zeir souls. Zat ‘ope must be broken, too. It is zee only way to fix zem!”

Applejack shook her head. ”Broken ponies don’t make it for very long Curaçao, I know that much. They give up on their hopes ‘n’ dreams. They give up on their friends ‘n’ family. They give up on life. If yer sisters become as broken as you want them ta be… d’ya even have any idea what they might do?”

Curaçao scrunched up her nose. “So be it.”

Applejack balked. “Beg pardon?”

“J’ai dit, ‘so be it’!” Curaçao snapped. “If zey continue along zee way set before zem now, zen zey are better off dead!”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “If that’s what y’all think… then ya ain’t got any right ta call those mares yer family...” She shook her head in disgust. “If anypony needs somepony to talk some sense inta them, it ain’t yer sisters. It’s you. This little scheme o’ yers… it ain’t right. Y’all think you’re doin’ good, but y’all ain’t got any idea how wrong y’all are.

“Y’all talk about family, but like I said, y’all don’t know what that word even means. Family don’t treat family like tools, like means ta an end. Family don’t try ta break one another just ‘cause that’s what they think is right. Most of all, family don’t wish one another dead, no matter how awful they may be. What y’all’re doin’ ta yer sisters ain’t love, Curaçao, it’s betrayal.”

Curaçao snarled. “You talk about knowing what it’s like to be broken, Applejack. You can’t know what moi et mes sœurs ‘ave been through. ‘ow can you lecture me on what family means when you ‘ave never seen your family reach zese lows?”

Applejack paused a moment in consideration. Then, she let out a sigh. “I know what it’s like, Curaçao. I know what y’all ‘n’ yer sisters are goin’ through.” She turned away from Curaçao and stared at the ceiling, eyes closed, deep in thought. “It was after lil’ Applebloom was born. Fightin’ broke out durin’ a border dispute with the gryphons. Stallions everywhere got drafted ta serve in the Royal Guard. My pa was one of ‘em. Lots o’ ponies ‘n’ gryphons died. It weren’t a long war, and at the end o’ the day, the borders stayed just like they always had been.

“My pa returned, but he’d… changed. The fightin’ left him a shell o’ what he once was. He’d wake up with nightmares about what had happened out there, about what he’d done. One night, he woke up, went out ta the barn… my ma found him that mornin’ when she went out ta milk the cows.” Applejack shook her head and fought back tears. “We was devastated, but nopony was more devastated than my ma. She wouldn’t eat or sleep for days. She just… lost the will ta live. Nothin’ we did could knock her out of it. She passed three months after my pa. Just gave up on life.

“So let’s say y’all’re right,” she said, turning her attention fully back to Curaçao. “Let’s say yer sisters do lose ta my friends, like ya think they will, an’ my friends talk ‘em outta doin’ evil. Let’s say they see the light, and they realize that everythin’ they’ve done and tried ta do was wrong. Will they be strong enough ta decide ta keep on livin’? Or will they regret what they did so much that they decide they don’t deserve livin’? Maybe not the next day, or the day after that, but sometime far in the future. Will that make y’all or them happy then?”

Curaçao remained silent, but narrowed her eyes; they were alight with anger, but Applejack paid it no heed.

“I thought not,” Applejack snorted. “The sad thing is, I’m sure if you ‘n’ yer sisters truly love each other as much as ya say y’all do, and ya told ‘em what y’all were doin’ an’ why… yeah, they might be mad at first. But in the end, they’d forgive ya, because y’all treated ‘em like family.” She shook her head. “But no, y’all don’t even plan on takin’ any responsibility for it. Ya think that whatever happens, happens, and that y’all’re justified in what y’all’re doin’. Ya know why? ‘cause y’all know that if ya told yer sisters what y’all had done, they’d hate ya for it.”

“Tais-toi!” Curaçao screamed.

She shattered the earthen prison around her hooves with a sharp jerk of her legs, and with an equally sharp jab, she smashed her hoof into Applejack’s forehead, throat, and chest in rapid succession. Applejack’s stone armor shattered beneath each strike, exposing her soft, furry coat; she gasped for air and crumbled to the floor.

Curaçao pressed her hoof against the back of Applejack’s neck, shoving Applejack’s face into the dirt floor. “You zink you know me?! You know nozing! Everyzing I do, I do for zee good of mes sœurs! Quand ça sera fini, everypony will zank me for what I ‘ave done! Toi! Tes amies! Mes sœurs! Zis is for zee good of everypony!”

There was a flash and a pop. Curaçao turned from Applejack to see Starlight Shadow and arrived. Applejack was able to just barely see for herself that Starlight did not look at all well; she was pale, sweaty, and off-balance.

“Sister!” Starlight called, collapsing to her knees. “We need your help!”

Curaçao made to speak, but fumbled with her words. She shot a glance at Applejack, and shook her head. “I… euh, oui. I am just finishing—"

“No time for that, this cannot wait!” Starlight said as she stumbled forward. “We need to go, now!”

Curaçao frowned, and nodded. “Fort bien, let us go.” She stepped off of Applejack and over to her sister. Without another word, they vanished in a flash.

Applejack grunted and pulled herself out of the dirt and brushed herself off. She glanced to the side, to where Curaçao had placed the gem she’d taken from her pocket earlier, and stepped over to it. She took it in her hoof, and gave it a spin, eliciting a high-pitched wail that echoed throughout cavern. It was the right gem, that was for certain. Curaçao had been telling the truth.

She shook her head and placed the gem in her shirt pocket, then turned to the elevator shaft in the center of the room. If Pinkie was alright, she was down there, somewhere. She leapt over the railing and latched onto the side of the shaft, and began her trek down into the darkness.

***

Havocwing let out a low groan and rolled over on her back. The soft grass was suitable enough to rest on, but it didn’t do much to alleviate her pain. A fierce chill had gripped her heart and doused her flame, so now everything felt deathly cold from the second she considered Fluttershy’s words and how much her sisters meant to her. She couldn’t ignite a spark, no matter how hard she tried. It felt as though something inside her had been damaged the instant she diverged from her path of blind, unfeeling anger towards the other mare, and that frightened her. Was she dying? Of what? Kindness? Could you die from that?

Havocwing glanced off to the side at the sound of a loud wretch. Insipid didn’t appear to be in any better shape than Havocwing was, though she hadn’t been dealt any sort of physical injuries. Nonetheless, she hadn’t stopped vomiting for more than a few seconds at a time; said vomit was a nasty black substance that definitely wasn’t normal, and couldn’t possibly be healthy. She could barely even get a word out in between all the heaving, and while typically that would be something Havocwing considered a blessing, now, it worried her.

Ever since Havocwing had arrived in the clear meadow that Starlight had taken her to, nothing seemed to add up. How had Insipid even been placed into such a position? What had Rarity done to her? In fact, could Rarity have even done anything like this in the first place? It didn’t seem to be her style, and she probably lacked the power to do it if it was. This seemed more like the sort of thing Twilight would or could do.

Speaking of Twilight, what had she done to Starlight? Havocwing had noticed her sister’s odd state after she’d caught her and teleported her here to the clearing. Like Insipid, Starlight was physically unharmed. Mentally, though, she seemed completely out of sorts, and didn’t quite sound like herself. For one thing, Havocwing could understand every word she said. She also seemed terribly drained of energy. She didn’t seem to be in the same state Twilight had left her in after their first battle together—she could still use her full magic, after all, and was just as accurate and focused with it as ever. So what was wrong with her?

Havocwing’s thoughts were dashed by a fearsome whoosh overhead, as though a jet had been flying too close to the ground.

“Havoc! Insipid!” Grayscale called. She crash-landed beside her two sisters, much to Havocwing’s shock and dismay; Grayscale was never a graceful flier, but she wasn’t inept. When she stumbled out of the crater she’d made, Havocwing noticed she was crying. “Phew... thank the stars... you two made it. Where’s... everypony else? Are they okay?”

“Star’s off getting Red and Curaçao, but she looked like shit,” Havocwing muttered. “Still looked better than me and Insipid here, at least. I don’t know how the others are, only that they’re alive.” She shook her head. “What about you, though? You don’t look so hot.”

“Me? Don’t worry… about me. All that matters… is that all of you are okay. I was worried… I wouldn’t find this place… without… Star...”

Without warning, Grayscale crumbled to the floor, exhausted.

“Gray? Gray!” Havocwing exclaimed. Grayscale didn’t respond. “Shit…”

A flash and a weak pop drew her attention; Starlight was back, and she’d brought somepony with her.

Unfortunately, said somepony was not in the best of shape.

“Red!” Havocwing blurted. She ignored the severe pain caused by standing up to scramble over to her younger sister. 

Havocwing thought she was in terrible shape, but Red Velvet was even worse. She was bleeding from just about everywhere; her coat, mane, and tail were completely soaked with thick, dark blood. Her pupils were dilated, and she was shaking erratically, as though gripped by a fierce chill. The slit along her spine that normally dispensed her blood tendrils was torn open, as though something inside her had exploded violently outwards, exposing muscle and bone.

“What the hell happened?!” Havocwing asked.

“I do not know,” Starlight said, shaking her head. Her breaths were labored, and Havocwing noticed her horn was giving off erratic sparks “I found her like this... when I arrived.”

“What did Pinkie do to her?”

“Pinkie Pie denied responsibility. I… believe her. This seems unlike anything she would do.” Starlight sighed. “I... do not know what we can do, and I do not know what is happening. But... Curaçao was nearest to her, so she may have some idea... either for how to help, or of what happened. I will return... shortly.” She lit her horn again, though doing so seemed to cause her great pain.

“Star, we have to do something here!” Havocwing pleaded, stopping her sister’s retreat. She wrapped Velvet in a hug, not at all concerned about getting blood all over herself. “She’s gonna bleed out if we don’t do something!”

Starlight stopped her spell and thought a moment. “Perhaps... you could cauterize the wound?” she suggested.

Havocwing frowned and shook her head. “I… I can’t feel any heat inside me. I can’t make any fire, Star.” She buried her face in Velvet’s mane. “I can’t help her…”

“Then… I see no solution we can provide.” Starlight frowned. “This… is distressing. I must fetch Curaçao... immediately.”

She vanished in a flash.

“Shit, this is bad,” Havocwing muttered. She cradled Velvet in her hooves, holding her tight. “You’re gonna be okay, Red. You hear me? You’re gonna be okay.”

Velvet’s only response was the blood gurgling in her throat.

Starlight returned seconds later, Curaçao by her side. Havocwing was pleased to see that Curaçao hadn’t been injured in any way whatsoever. She was less pleased to see that Starlight could barely stand on her own anymore.

Curaçao’s eyes widened, and she swept over to the huddled mares in a flash. She shook her head, putting a hoof to her lips. “Quelle horreur! Zis… c’est terrible! Zis was not supposed to ‘appen.”

Havocwing stared up at her elder sister but did not release Velvet from her embrace. “Curaçao! What do we do?! Red’s gonna bleed out if we don’t do something quick!”

Curaçao remained silent and shook her head, her face distraught.

Havocwing blinked. “Curaçao? Hello? Hey! Snap out of it!”

“Sister? Please... speak to us,” Starlight said, limping up alongside Curaçao, out of breath. “We… we need to do something quickly, or Havocwing... will be correct, and... our sister will bleed out. She needs help, but… but I know not what to do. I am... not confident in using healing magic, and Insipid... is in no shape to lend any help.”

Insipid confirmed this with a loud dry heave.

Curaçao gulped. “Per’aps… you could try your ‘ealing magic. It is zee only zing zat I can zink of.”

Havocwing nodded. “Yeah! C’mon, Star, just… just give it a shot.”

Starlight frowned. “B-but… I have no idea what to do. I have never used this sort of spell before.”

“If Insipid can do it, so can you!” Havocwing exclaimed. She took a deep breath; the chill in her heart was overpowering, and she could barely stave off the pain. “Please… please, Star. It’s our only hope at… keeping Red alive. You’ve gotta try.”

Starlight paused, and she took a deep breath. “Okay. I will try.” She lit up her horn, gritting her teeth in pain. She could not even cast her spell before succumbing to whatever agony using her magic was causing her; her horn dimmed, and she stumbled to the ground.

Havocwing hung her head. “No… that was our only shot.”

Starlight whimpered. “My magic... failed. I failed. What else... can we do?”

“I dunno… maybe we need to get her to a… a doctor or... something.” Havocwing winced and bit her lip; the pain was impossible to ignore at this point. “I think we... all need a doctor…”

A still silence hung over the mares.

Curaçao shook her head and backed away. “Zis… was not supposed to ‘appen. Zee effects of defying your inner natures should not ‘ave been zis severe…”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow. “You keep saying that, but what’s it supposed to mean? And how’s it supposed to help?”

“Zis was not supposed to ‘appen… it was not supposed to be zis bad,” Curaçao muttered, continuing to back away.

“Sister... what are you talking about?” Starlight asked, weakly drawing herself upright.

“Zis was not supposed to be zis way!” Curaçao snapped.

Havocwing flinched away. “Whoa, sis, what’s gotten into you? You’re acting… kinda weird.”

Velvet gasped weakly, and coughed spurts of blood on Havocwing’s chest.

Havocwing shook her head and tightened her embrace on Velvet. “Forgot all that! We need to help Red! Think of something, anything!”

Curaçao slumped to the ground. “What ‘ave I done? It was not supposed to be zis way.” She clutched at her heart. “Zis… zis is my fault…”

“Curaçao! Get a hold of yourself and get over here!”

“Sister, please,” Starlight pleaded, kneeling down beside her eldest sister. “We are out of time... and options. I do not know... what to do.”

“Zere is nozing you can do!” Curaçao snapped. “I did not account for zis! It was only supposed to be une douleur minimale. Some scrapes, maybe some bruises, but no more. No broken bones. No damaged ‘orns. No videment de sang!”

“What are you talking about? You are speaking nonsense.”

Curaçao grabbed Starlight’s face. “Zis is my fault!”

Then, without warning, Curaçao clutched her heart and snarled in pain, collapsing to the ground.

“Sister!” Starlight wrapped her hooves around Curaçao’s shoulders. “What is wrong? Are you hurt? Did Applejack hurt you?”

Havocwing looked from Velvet, to Curaçao, back to Velvet. “Why is this happening to us?!” she shouted up into the sky.

“Please, sister, you must get up,” Starlight pleaded, attempting to pull Curaçao to her hooves, and failing; her own lack of strength only made things worse as she collapsed on top of Curaçao. “Our sisters... need your leadership.”

Curaçao took a deep breath. “My leadership… I did zis. I manipulated you all… into zis. Zee Elements of ‘armony… zey were to convince you… zat what you were doing… was wrong. Zat what would make you heureuses… was famille.” She bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood. “I did zis… it is my fault zat… ma sœur is dying. My fault zat you all got ‘urt…”

Starlight paused, and shook her head. “You… manipulated us? Why? How?”

“Because… I zought… it was zee best zing to do. Zee best way… to save you… from zee fate zat we were destined for.” Curaçao’s breaths became rapid and strained. “I... should ‘ave told you… in… zee first place. But I did not zink… zat anypony would listen. So, I sent you… against your targets… face-à-face. I knew you… would tell zem… everyzing. I knew zey would… try to talk some sense into you. And when zey did, Nihila would resist… just as she is wizin… me.” She laughed. “La vérité fait mal—zee truz ‘urts.”

Suddenly, Havocwing’s sisters howled out in pain, one by one, creating a cacophony of earsplitting anguish. She wanted to call out to them, to find out what was wrong, but her words caught in her throat like foul-tasting mud. Her sisters doubled over, their eyes wide open and filled with a horrifying, soul-crushing darkness. She could feel an energy radiating from them that sapped what remaining heat she had left in her body. All of it, in an instant.

Then, Havocwing clenched at her own heart, and her senses became overwhelmed with an agonizing, terrifying sensation, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Her body felt as though it were being torn apart from the inside out; everything screamed in pain from her skin to her bones, her muscles down to her blood. An impenetrable black void flooded her vision, though as her agony grew, it melted into a blinding, burning light. The taste of fresh blood flowed across her tongue, followed by the taste of darkness itself. Burning fur and flesh singed her nostrils. She could only hear the anguished screams of her sisters.

Then, there was nothing.


	36. Identity

CRISIS: Equestria  
Chapter Thirty-six: Identity

Starlight Shadow could not feel much of anything—a blessing, as the last thing she remembered feeling was unfathomable pain. Her senses were dulled and muddy, and her body was all but numb. Her mind was still very much alive, and raced with worry and mounting questions. She saw nothing but pure and gentle light in all directions; it pulsed with an energy that flowed into her mind and reignited her senses. Her body felt pleasantly warm as the light ebbed and flowed around and into her. She could hear tiny whispers in her mind, as though it were trying to communicate with her, and though she couldn’t understand exactly what it wanted to tell her, it’s presence put her at ease.

She reached out with her thoughts, attempting to respond, hoping it would be no more difficult than attempting to commune telepathically with her sisters via magic. “What fate has befallen me? Where am I?”

A voice spoke directly into Starlight’s head. “Thou art safe, my little pony. Safe in body, safe in mind; safe, in all senses of the word.”

“Where is ‘safe’, strictly speaking? If my physical form is occupying such a location, then surely it has some latitude and longitude by which I may navigate to it. I require this information so that I may apprise my sisters of it, either so they may locate me or vice-versa, or so that I may determine if they, too, occupy a similar location. Are they ‘safe’ as well?”

The voice laughed, in a manner of speaking; it wasn’t so much a laugh as it was a ripple in the warmth that brought incredible joy to Starlight’s heart. “Thou hast a manner of speech that brings to my mind many a happy memory of years long past, of ponies I held very close to my heart. But, to answer thy question, ‘safe’ hath no physical location of which to speaketh, at least not in common words, or uncommon words, as thou mayest be more comfortable with.”

“Then where, precisely, am I?” Starlight prodded. “I assure you that I can comprehend any explanation you give me, no matter how outlandish or fantastical.”

“To put it simplest, thou art within my sanctuary, a realm where my light and warmth reigneth supreme, where pain and suffering hath no hold over the hearts and minds of mortals. A realm of dreams, sayeth some.”

“Some higher plane of existence, then?”

“If that is how thou choosest to see it. I can say nothing more on the subject, my little pony, for mine influence upon thee and thy sisters must not be too great. T’would sully my purpose to inflict such blatant interference upon mortal affairs.” The voice grew sad as the brightness dimmed, and Starlight’s own heart grew heavy. “I have wrought too much of mine influence already, as of late, and I pray I am not required to impose myself further.”

“I have no understanding of the context of which you speak. Please, enlighten me.”

“I cannot do so, my little pony, for reasons I have made clear to thee.” The voice’s warmth returned, its confidence renewed, and with it, Starlight’s comfort. “Fearest not, for I wish no harm upon thee, Starlight Shadow.”

Starlight’s heart leapt into her throat. “You... possess knowledge of my name?”

“I possess knowledge of a great many things, young one, of thee, and thine ‘Originals’, as thou callest them.”

“And yet I possess no knowledge of you, be it your identity or your intentions, but your association with Twilight Sparkle troubles me. With that consideration, you may deduce why I might be predisposed to concern myself with security, both my own and that of my sisters. How can I allocate any credence to you if I am not acquainted with this required information?”

“I do not blame thee for thy mistrust, nor can I say anything that would truly convince thee of my good intentions. For that, I beg thy forgiveness. But, thy time here draws to an end; t’was only meant to be a momentary excursion into my realm, to... ‘cleanse’ thee and thy sisters. I leave thee with four simple words: chooseth thine own fate.” The voice’s warmth receded, leaving Starlight feeling empty and alone. “Farewell... my little pony...”

“W-wait!”

In an instant, darkness replaced the light, and Starlight was alone.

***

Twilight Sparkle paced impatiently across the cobblestone floor of the gateway into Zeb’ra’den. Every so often, she’d shoot a glance towards the royal palace, specifically at the large green runes on the southern wall. She’d learned from Sir Zircon that they were used for timekeeping, and had learned enough about reading Zebra-accented runes in the past few hours that she could almost read the runes as well as she could read a clock. Almost. According to the runes, she’d been here somewhere between an hour and three years. Give or take.

“They’re late,” she said, not addressing anypony in particular. It was just something she felt the need to say, even if nopony responded.

Lockwood stepped alongside her and patted her shoulder. “Perhaps they ran into some, uh… ‘trouble’, same as we did? We do have to consider that possibility.”

Twilight turned and shook her head. “I don’t even want to think about what they would have been put through if that’s the case. If Starlight and Insipid were out for blood… well, that means the others were too.” She frowned and shut her eyes. “I just want to believe they’re okay. I want them to be here soon...”

“I have no doubt that they’re okay, and on their way right now. They have to be. If you and Rarity were able to stand up to your opposites, then everypony else can, too.” Lockwood gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t let your worries spoil everything you’ve worked for. Look forward to the evening. Be happy. You’re going home, Twilight. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be asleep in your own bed.”

Twilight sighed. “I certainly hope so. But… I can’t help it, Lockwood. This entire journey has been one miserable turn of events after another. Things were finally looking up when Applejack came back to us,” she said with a small smile, which turned quickly into a frown, “but then Starlight and her sisters showed up again. I can’t help but think that… had I said something different, or moved in just the wrong way… I’d be dead right now. So might Rarity. So might all of my friends…”

Lockwood frowned. “But you’re not. You came through against the greatest adversity yet. I have the confidence that everypony else will make it through. You should, too.”

“I suppose so...”

Twilight shook her head, and her smile returned. She was glad Lockwood was here to keep her company and provide moral support; the zebra soldiers encircling the gateway chamber certainly weren’t much for conversation. Neither was Rarity, for that matter. Twilight glanced in the other unicorn’s direction at the edge of the chamber, where she sat on a bench next to Sir Zircon. The two had been completely inseparable for the past few hours, barely saying a word to anypony—or anyzebra—but one another. They always seemed to be whispering and laughing, and couldn’t keep their hooves off each other. It was distracting.

Lockwood noticed Twilight’s shift in attention. “It’s not polite to stare, y’know,” he whispered.

Twilight flustered. “I… wasn’t staring. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on with those two. I mean, Zircon challenged you to a duel, right? What ever happened to that?” She paused, then shook her head. “N-not that I want to see Zircon beat you senseless. And n-not that he would! I just mean, you know… he made such a big deal about it at the first meeting, and then sort of… dropped it.”

“Well, while I appreciate your… vote of confidence, yes, I am aware I was challenged to a duel. And thanks to Miss Rarity over there, I’m still conscious with all of my limbs attached and wits about me.” Lockwood chuckled. “Pardon me if I don’t complain that Sir Zircon has become quite distracted. Especially since that charming distraction has been contributing a great deal to our negotiations’ success. Greater than I anticipated, at any rate.”

“Yes, well, at this rate I’m beginning to wonder why either of us even needed to come along,” Twilight grumbled. “I barely said a word during the entire contract agreement. Rarity could’ve handled the entire thing by herself. Those zebras were ready to sign the whole kingdom over to her if she wanted.”

Lockwood smirked and slid his hoof around Twilight’s shoulder to pull her into a half-embrace. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous, Twilight. That doesn’t seem like you.”

“Hmph… jealous? No. Just confused.” Twilight shook her head. “What exactly is Rarity doing that’s so endearing to the zebras, Sir Zircon in particular? I just can’t figure it out. Aside from the whole ‘looks like Harmonia’ thing; I understand that… sort of. But that can’t be the sole reason.”

Lockwood smiled, putting his other hoof over his heart. “My dear Blackburn has shown me how far one pony is willing to go to follow their heart. The zebras surely can’t be so different as to not to have the same passions.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

He hung his head in defeat. “You’ll learn someday, Twilight. Maybe you just need the right somepony to show you how powerful the heart’s passion truly is.”

“Well, whatever that means, I just want everypony to get here already so we can move finally go home. Not to sound like I want to just leave our new friends, but… I’m really looking forward to it.” She turned her gaze skyward. “Like you said, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night under my own sky.”

Lockwood clapped her on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit!”

A distinct hum in the air drew Twilight’s attention: the familiar sensation of teleportation magic. She quickly drew Lockwood with her away from the center of the chamber, where the magic was coalescing. There was a flash and a pop, and a trio of ponies warped into the room: one unicorn stallion with a golden coat and silver mane, and two earth pony mares. She was intrigued by the unicorn’s expertise with teleportation magic. Deepgrove was hundreds of miles away; she wasn’t confident she could travel the same distance with two passengers. Before she could greet the unicorn responsible, however, he teleported away.

The missed opportunity was soon forgotten, though, as Twilight refocused her attention on her friends. “Applejack! Pinkie!” She rushed forward to embrace her friends, who’d only just recovered. Lockwood approached next, followed by Rarity and Sir Zircon. “Thank goodness you’re finally here! Are you two okay?”

“We’ve been through worse,” Applejack said with a smile. “T’ain’t nothin’ we couldn’t handle. Ain’t that right, Pinkie?”

Pinkie bounced excitedly in place. “Piece of cake!” Twilight noticed that Pinkie had strangely redressed herself in the outfit she’d chosen from way, way back in New Pandemonium City. The weird mish-mash of clothing had looked out of place before, but here in Zeb’ra’den, she looked even more bizarre.

“You’re late,” Rarity said, stepping forward to embrace the two as well.

Applejack and Pinkie gave each other a short glance. Applejack spoke first: “Well, we sorta ran inta some trouble, an’-”

Twilight raised a hoof. “Say no more. I know exactly who and what ‘trouble’ was, and since you two are here, and all in one piece it looks like, I think I know what happened: our ‘clones’ showed up, tried to kill you, you talked them down, then weird stuff happened and you’re not really sure what was going on. Is that about the gist of it?”

Pinkie nodded; Applejack shrugged.

Twilight raised an eyebrow in Applejack’s direction. “No? Something else?”

“Well, that is about the gist of what y’all ‘n’ Pinkie an’ probably everypony else went through, I reckon. Accordin’ ta Curaçao, that’s exactly what her plan was all along. She even cherry-picked how it all worked out the second she found out what we were doin’ an’ where we were goin’.”

“Wait, Curaçao? How could she have known anything we were planning? I mean, sure, she can turn invisible, but how would she have been able to find us?”

“Yes, that does seem rather difficult to believe,” Rarity added. “I know she’s intelligent, but-”

“It’s because she was hidin’ out as Fireburst the whole time,” Applejack huffed. “Turnin’ all see-through ain’t her only trick. She’s also some kinda shapeshifter. Packs a mean right hook, too.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “A shapeshifter, you say?” She lit up her horn, and without another word, blasted both Applejack and Pinkie with a spell.

Nothing happened.

“What the hay was that, Twi?!” Applejack blurted.

Twilight smirked and shook her head. “Just a little spell that would alert me to any illusion magic you might be using. I researched it after my brother’s wedding, just in case I’d ever need it. I kinda wish I’d known earlier that I did need it. Seeing as nothing happened, that means you two are the real deal. So, please, continue.”

Applejack blinked, and shrugged. “Well, anyway, Curaçao planned out the whole thing, claimin’ that she wanted ta save her sisters from some dark, terrible fate if they kept doin’ what they were doin’. She used us talkin’ ‘em down ta do it.”

“That… doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “What dark fate? What does that mean?”

“It means Mister Gilderoy was right,” Pinkie chimed in. “See, AJ may have found out all that weird spy stuff about Curaçao, but I found out why we’ve been dealing with those six in the first place: Nihila was in charge of our clones all along. I mean, we already had our suspicions, but-”

Sir Zircon grunted and grit his teeth.  
“That foul demon hath returned? How?  
I must warn my king of this, now.  
Our defenses, we must prepare,  
lest she bring unending despair!”

“Don’t fret, darling,” Rarity cooed, putting her hoof to his cheek. “I don’t think this situation has anything to do with Zeb’ra’den at all. Nihila and her servants are after us.”

Zircon frowned, and put his hoof over his heart.  
“Thy words bringeth me only fear,  
for I hold thy safety as dear.”

Pinkie shrugged, and cleared her throat. “Well, anyway, something… weird happened while I was fighting Red. Nihila kinda, I dunno, possessed her or something, then started going on about taking over Starlight’s body instead because it was the only thing powerful enough to get revenge on somepony for betraying her or something. I didn’t follow it too well, but she was pretty angry about it.”

“So… something happened to Nihila that caused her to need to take over somepony else’s body for a revenge plot, and Curaçao is trying to… what, exactly? Turn her sisters good?” Twilight paused, and let out a harsh breath. “Wow. That’s… a lot to take in.”

“But forget all that right now, Twilight! We were given a mission, and we completed it!” Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a small pink crystal, the same one Twilight recognized from a book Warden Mémoire had shown her. “One Eternal Eye, courtesy of the Pinkie Pie and Applejack Delivery Service! ‘Come rain, sleet, snow, or evil clones, we always deliver,’ that’s our motto! Though I guess you could say technically Curaçao delivered it to us, first.”

Twilight shook her head. “What? Why?”

“Long story short, it was her attempt ta get me ta trust her. Still don’t, but anyway, we should focus on gettin’ these pieces all put together so we can mosey on home,” Applejack said. “I’ve got a feelin’ our ‘clones’, or whatever they are, have quite a lot ta talk about amongst themselves. The faster we get everythin’ taken care of, the faster we can get away from ‘em.”

“Yes, that would be for the best,” Twilight agreed.

“So where’re the others? They’re late too?”

“Certainly seems that way.”

“Well, if Pinkie ‘n’ me could handle what we did, I’m sure the others’ll do just fine.”

“I want to make sure I have this clear,” Lockwood interjected. “You’re telling me that Curaçao was Fireburst this whole time, yes?”

Applejack nodded. “That’s the skinny, yeah.”

Lockwood sighed. “That worries me. She’s a lot smarter than we thought, then, if she could trick Blackburn into trusting her.”

“But enough chit chat about mopey stuff in the past,” Pinkie said, throwing her hooves in the air. “Time to focus on positive things in the present, like meeting new friends.” She waved at Zircon. “Hi there, Mister Zebra!” She leaned over to Twilight and whispered, “Who’s the zebra?”

Rarity cleared her throat, and presented Zircon with a flair of her hoof. “This handsome fellow is Sir Zircon, our escort and guide. He’s been ever so helpful in getting things worked out on our end. I don’t think we could have gotten as far with our negotiations as we did if we didn’t have him.”

Zircon bowed low in respect.  
“Ladies Jack and Pie, welcome, then,  
To our fair city, Zeb’ra’den.”

Applejack and Pinkie stared at Zircon for a long moment, until Pinkie blurted, “Okay, seriously, what is this, Shakespony in the Park?” She cleared her throat. “Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?”

Twilight and Rarity each put a hoof to their face; Lockwood barely stifled a laugh.

Zircon made to speak, but Rarity put her hoof to his. “Don’t worry, darling, that’s just Pinkie being her usual self. It’s best to just smile and move on.”

Applejack coughed. “Well, uh… yeah. Howdy there, Mister-”

“Sir Zircon, Applejack,” Rarity corrected, nose in the air. “If we are to maintain good relations with the zebras, please be sure to address them properly.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Sorry. Howdy there, Sir Zircon.” She turned to Twilight. “And here I thought Zecora’s rhymin’ was just her own thing. Do all the zebras here do this kinda stuff, or just him?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, every zebra. And, every zebra seems to have a different poetic meter, too, based on their status within zebra society; nobles speak differently from the common soldier, who speak differently from their priests, and so on. I still haven’t figured out exactly what meter corresponds to what status, though I did notice that the peasantry didn’t speak in meter or rhyme. It’s... complicated. Very complic-”

She shook her head when the familiar hum of teleportation magic filled the air again. She turned to her friends. “But nevermind all that everypony, the other team is coming in. Clear the circle,” she said, ushering them away. 

Almost immediately after they’d moved, a small flash and pop preceded the arrival of a unicorn stallion accompanying a quartet of mares: three pegasi, one unicorn. Twilight recognized the stallion as the same who’d arrived with Applejack and Pinkie, but he warped away before Twilight could grab his attention. She was impressed that he had enough energy to teleport so far so many times in such quick succession.

“Is everypony okay?” Twilight asked, shooting Rainbow and Fluttershy worried looks. She made to step forward, but Blackburn held up a hoof to stop her, and stepped forward into the group herself.

Lockwood was at her side immediately, wrapping her in a tight embrace. “Oh, BB, am I glad to see you. You’re late.”

Blackburn grunted. “Ran into opposition. Resolved problem inefficiently.” She gave Lockwood a quick once-over, and narrowed her eyes. “You were injured.”

Lockwood gave her a nervous smile. “Sheesh, can’t even hide zebra healing from you, can I? Don’t worry, hon, it’s nothing. I was injured. Now, I’m not.”

“Unacceptable. Injury inflicted by… melee weaponry. Zebra-made. Damage done by blunt of weapon, not blade, but… impact was sloppy, unintentional. Weapon was zebra-made, not wielded by zebra at time of injury.” She glanced at Zircon briefly, her eyes brightening at the sight of his massive runesword, then shook her head. “Will investigate more later. Now, expecting additional cargo. Will arrive shortly; gave small delivery itinerary, desired to explain situation briefly.”

“So your team found the Obidium, I take it?” Twilight asked.

“Sure did, Twi,” Rainbow said, stepping alongside Blackburn. “We would’ve had it here sooner, all shaped up and ready to go, but you can blame a couple of certain someponies for us being late.” She glanced about the group; Twilight could see she was worried. “Where’s Pinkie?”

“Dashie!” Pinkie dropped from above the group to tackle Rainbow in a vigorous hug, lifting her into the air in the process. “Oh thank goodness you’re okay! I was so worried! Who did you fight? Did you win? What am I asking, of course you won. Sheesh. Did you kick her butt, whoever it was? I bet it was Grayscale. Was it Grayscale? Did she hurt you? What did she say to you? Oh gosh I was so worried about you!”

Rainbow chuckled and patted Pinkie on the back. “Whoa, Pinks, take it easy. I’m alright, okay?” She pulled out of the hug to look Pinkie over. “How about you? I’ll bet fifty bits that Red Velvet went after you again. That psycho didn’t do anything to you, did she?”

Pinkie put her hoof over her heart, and sighed. “Nothing a little giggle couldn’t solve.” She turned to look at the unicorn mare that had joined the group, a bespeckled pony with bright blue eyes, a hot pink coat, and fiery red mane, all dressed up in drab grey business attire: skirt, suit, and tie. “Who’s your new friend?”

Blackburn gestured to the mare with a sweep of her hoof. “Ambassador-in-training at Newhaven. Brought her along, should learn political and diplomatic procedures first-hoof.”

“Oh, I see. So… what’s her name?”

“Shroud,” said the mare with a dip of her head. “A pleasure to meet you… Pinkie Pie, correct?”

“Yup! That’s me!” Pinkie greeted, giving the mare an energetic hoofshake. “I love meeting new friends. Two new friends in one day calls for a party! I’m gonna throw something together super quick, before we all have to go home. What’s your favorite soda flavor? Is it grape? You look like a fan of grape soda. Or root beer. Do you like root beer?”

Shroud, bewildered and awestruck by Pinkie’s energy, turned to Twilight and cleared her throat. “Moving on… you are Twilight Sparkle, if I am not mistaken.” She next turned to Rarity and Applejack, acknowledged their presences, then turned to Lockwood and bowed low to the floor. “Future-Prince Lockwood! It is a pleasure to meet you as well, your soon-to-be-Highness.”

Lockwood snickered and nudged Blackburn lightly in the side. “I think I enjoy all the convoluted almost-royal titles more than the real ones.”

Shroud paused when she looked at Zircon, but extended a hoof after a moment. “And a resident of Zeb’ra’den, clearly of some importance if he’s here to greet our entourage. A pleasure to meet you, Sir…?”

Zircon took her hoof in his and gave it a dainty shake.  
“I am Zircon, Knight of Black Flame,  
and yes, my lineage hath fame.  
I serve our city’s consulate.  
Not my best use, I must admit,  
but mine uncle is our great king;  
for him, I’d do most anything.”

“Ah, fascinating. The king’s nephew and a member of the Utopian consulate.” Shroud took a small pad out of her suit pocket and tapped it numerous times with her hoof. “I hope that we may remain in contact once Her Majesty’s errands here are complete. If you are close to both the Zeb’ra’den ambassador and its ruler, it may be mutually beneficial for us to maintain close ties.”

Blackburn laughed. “Already looking to forge new relations. Admirable.”

Zircon turned to Blackburn.  
“Now, as for thee, strange-spoken dame  
I’m afraid I know not your name.”

“Blackburn, Queen of Hope’s Point. First time in Zeb’ra’den, myself,” she replied with a nod.

“A visit, here, from royalty?  
To Zeb’ra’den, I welcome thee.  
I hope we do not disappoint,”  
Zircon said with a bow. He hummed in thought.  
“‘Tis familiar, this ‘Hope’s Point’.  
We once had a visitor here,  
though long has passed many a year.”

“My grandfather, King Flashfire. Would like to hear more about his visits here. Have always admired his spirit for diplomacy.” Blackburn turned to Fluttershy, who until now had remained completely silent and stayed hidden behind the others, and gestured for her to approach. “But for now, other matters. More important.”

“Oh, r-right,” Fluttershy said. She gulped, stepped forward, and cleared her throat. “Um… everypony… if it’s okay with you, I’d… like to apologize for how I’ve been acting lately…”

The group fell silent for a moment as everypony gave Fluttershy odd, inquiring looks.

“Oh… Fluttershy, darling,” Rarity said, breaking the silence, her eyes wet with tears. “You needn’t apologize-”

“I do, Rarity,” Fluttershy asserted; her tone was firm, but sad, not angry. She looked about the group, making eye contact with everypony present. “I... need to say that I’m sorry for what I’ve said and done to all of you over the past few days. I’ve been… a… well, I mean… I’ve been acting like… like a...”

“A jerk?” Rainbow completed with a huff.

“Rainbow Dash, really, have some tact,” Rarity sputtered.

“No, Rainbow’s right, Rarity,” Fluttershy sighed. “I’ve been a real… jerk. I know that the ponies I was mad at didn’t deserve my anger”—she glanced to her side at Blackburn and Lockwood—“and that it wasn’t right to blame somepony else,” she added, turning back to Rarity. “I know you were just trying to be a friend, Rarity. You couldn’t have known then what we know now. Can you forgive me?”

“Fluttershy, dear, of course I can forgive you. But I can’t just let you apologize for all this and take all the blame,” Rarity said, stepping forward and wrapping her friend in a hug. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard to do something like that, and it got way out of hoof. It’s not my place to play matchmaker for you; you’re a grown mare, you can do just fine on your own. I… I thought I was being generous, but all I was doing was what I wanted, what I thought was best for you. Can you forgive me?”

Fluttershy returned the hug with earnest. “Oh, Rarity…”

Rarity looked about for a moment, then turned back to Fluttershy. “Where’s Ophanim? I usually see him floating about you-” She stopped when Fluttershy hung her head. “Fluttershy? Darling, what is it?”

“Ophanim… died,” Fluttershy murmured. 

“What?!”

Fluttershy shook her head, and she showed the Bonding Bracelet to everypony. The central gem was thoroughly cracked well beyond repair. It was a wonder it hadn’t shattered. “He sacrificed himself… to protect me.”

“How?” Twilight asked. “I thought he was indestructible.”

“I don’t know, but that’s what happened. He died because I urged him to fight against Havocwing.”

“Why that no-good punk!” Applejack snarled. “I don’t care what Curaçao says, her sisters ain’t got anythin’ left in ‘em to redeem!”

“Oh, Applejack, that’s not true,” Fluttershy said. “Havocwing… I could tell she was sorry about what she’d done, after everything that happened. And… she’s not really to blame-”

“I still say she was just saying that because she was almost bleeding to death and you were busy saving her life,” Rainbow grunted. “She’d have said anything to get you to keep going.”

“No, Rainbow, she was being genuine. Don’t ask me how I know, I just… I just do, okay? Let’s just drop it.” Fluttershy sighed. “After everything that’s happened, I see now what anger can do to myself and others. So, I’m sorry, everypony.”

Blackburn cleared her throat. “Water under bridge. Other important matters to discuss; second teleport scheduled to arrive soon. Needed to transport Obidium construct separately, due to size. You two”—she turned to Applejack and Lockwood—“come.” She gestured for them to follow her to a spot closer to the central circle. “Surprise arriving with second teleport.”

“Beg pardon?” Applejack tilted her head, confused, but followed Blackburn’s lead anyway. 

“A surprise? Oh, BB, you shouldn’t have,” Lockwood chuckled.

Twilight raised an eyebrow; she, too, was confused by the whole situation. What did Applejack and Lockwood have to do with anything in particular? She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she felt the hum of teleportation magic in the air. One flash and a pop later, and a large metal cargo container materialized in the center of the chamber, accompanied for only a brief moment by the familiar unicorn from before.

Twilight gawked at the size of the container, which stood nearly three times her height and twice as wide. The Harmony Guard unicorns had certainly efficiently constructed the foundation pieces for Tick Tock’s portal; she only wished she could see inside at what all the pieces looked like. “Impressive work,” she said, stroking her chin. “Tick Tock’ll be-”

She froze in shock when a figure came up and over from the other side of the container to take a seat on the top. “Is… is that…?”

“World savers! Beware! I live!” shouted Briarthorn, flourishing his wings and leaning back on his hooves.

He held the pose for a long moment, and to Twilight, it seemed as though nopony could decide on how to react.

Then, there was a flurry of movement as Pinkie cheered and cartwheeled around him. “He’s alive! Aliiive!”

Rarity clapped her hooves. “Goodness, this is a wonderful turn of events, knowing that somepony else survived that terrible ordeal.” She turned to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “It must have been hard, keeping a lid on that little secret long enough to surprise everypony.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Rainbow huffed, glancing around the other side of the container.

Pinkie cartwheeled over to Rainbow and stopped, ending up upside-down. “C’mon, Dashie! Turn that frown upside-down! This is a happy occasion! A reason to celebrate! This calls for a party!”

“You’re the one who’s upside-down, Pinks.”

“Oh. Right.” Pinkie shrugged, and continued cartwheeling.

Twilight stood quietly, taking a good, long look at Briarthorn, or rather, the myriad scars and bruises that marred his body. He hadn’t survived his experience in the Thunder’s engine room without paying a terrible toll, that much was for certain. Each cut definitely bore the telltale signs of being magically healed, which meant some wounds had to have been inches deep, and he’d clearly broken several bones and both his wings. His piloting uniform and his outfit underneath had been replaced by a simple green shirt, nothing more. 

Briarthorn dropped off the container and landed in the middle of Pinkie’s cartwheel circle, and took a bow. 

“Whoa!” Twilight gasped as Pinkie pulled her and Lockwood along with her in one final twirl.

They collided with Briarthorn in a big ball of revelry, and without missing a beat, Briarthorn wrapped the trio up in a big group hug with both hooves and wings, as if the whole thing had been planned out beforehoof.

“We sure missed you, goldenrod!” Pinkie exclaimed. She had somehow found her way out of the pile and was hugging Briarthorn’s head. “Now I have another thing to add to the party list: a ‘Welcome Back’ party! Those are always really fun, way better than ‘Going Away’ parties. Those always seemed contradictory to me. Who wants to celebrate leaving their friends?”

“I can see why some ponies would celebrate others leaving,” Rainbow grunted.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just grumpy because you saw her naked in a flashback spell,” Pinkie whispered.

Lockwood laughed and patted Briarthorn on the back. “Briarthorn, you old rascal, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see that you’re alive.”

Briarthorn smiled and tightened his wing around Lockwood. “You too, old buddy.”

He turned to Twilight next, and smiled for a brief moment before turned his gaze outside of the circle, becoming strangely quiet; Applejack had sidled up to the group hug from behind Twilight. He snatched her into the hug with a sudden movement of his other wing—Applejack gave a loud protest—and his familiar bravado petered out.

“Well hey there, Applebottom,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. “I didn’t think you’d be so quick to welcome me back, too. Does this mean you like me? Maybe we could go have us a little rematch later, see what happens, if you catch my drift.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and patted Briarthorn’s shoulder. “Yeah, uh, that ain’t gonna happen, pardner.” She turned to Blackburn and scowled. “Not ta sound ungrateful, Yer Highness, or that I don’t think it’s pretty dang fantastic that somepony else survived that whole disaster, but-”

“Not seeing how Briarthorn pertains to you. Not directly,” Blackburn completed. “Understandable. Apparently positioning prior to teleport was inaccurate. Surprise is on your left. Relevant to Lockwood as well.”

Applejack and Lockwood each turned to look to their left. Their jaws dropped. “Uh… are y’all seein’ what I’m seein’?” she asked.

Lockwood nodded. “Yeah… I am. This is real, right? This isn’t a dream?”

“Nnnope,” replied Flathoof.

Twilight was sure she was hearing things, but sure enough, there Flathoof was, alive and well. He, like Briarthorn, had not come out of the engine room ordeal unscathed; while most of his face and body was also covered in the same cuts and bruises as Briarthorn, there was also something critically different. Namely, his right foreleg was gone, replaced with a shiny metallic leg covered in small electronics. She was reminded of Mister Gilderoy’s bionic limb replacements; as he’d predicted, ponies had developed more advanced versions over the years. He, too, was wearing a simple shirt and nothing else, though his was blue.

Lockwood was the first to break out of Briarthorn’s hug to rush forward to meet Flathoof. “Flathoof!” he exclaimed, clapping his forehooves on the bigger stallion’s shoulders. “Oh stars, it is you, isn’t it? You’re alive!” He pulled Flathoof in for a hug. “You’re alive! Thank the stars!”

Flathoof chuckled. “Good to see you’re alive too, Lockwood. I was worried sick about you, you know?”

Applejack stomped over to the pair and slapped Flathoof across the face. “Hmph, he’s real alright.”

“Applejack!” Lockwood blurted. “What in Equestria was that for?”

“Don’t worry, Lockwood, I’m pretty sure I know what that was all about,” Flathoof said, rubbing his cheek, though his smile didn’t falter.

“I bet ya do, ya dumb galoot!” Applejack snapped. “Y’all got some nerve, doin’ what ya did back there.”

“What did he do?” Lockwood asked.

“I pushed her into the escape pod in the engine room when it looked like we were in trouble,” Flathoof explained. “She was a little upset that I did. Guess she still is.”

“Ya dang right I am! Last thing I saw was you ‘n’ Briarthorn fightin’ that nutjob assassin, knowin’ dang well what he was capable of doin’ and more than willin’ ta do.” Applejack snorted and stomped her hoof. “I was tryin’ ta help!”

“And you did help, AJ, by staying safe so that I wouldn’t have to worry about you. You were in no condition to fight, not without your earth magic. He could’ve killed you. He almost did.”

“That ain’t no reason-”

Flathoof took her hoof in his. “Look, Applejack… I was not about to let you become another… another Snapshot. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what we talked about in that engine room… a lot of time to think about what it all meant for us. If… if there even is an ‘us’...”

Applejack turned red and grit her teeth. “Dangit… ya just had ta bring that up, didn’t ya? This ain’t the time or place ta discuss it, sugar.”

Flathoof frowned, and his hold on her hoof loosened. “Oh… oh I see…”

Applejack shook her head, took Flathoof’s hoof in hers, and looked Flathoof straight in the eyes. “I mean, we’ll talk about it later, after everypony gets all situated and we figure out what we’re doin’. We’ve got all night. Okay?”

Flathoof’s smile returned. “I would like that very much, Applejack.”

Twilight watched the scene unfold, growing more and more confused by the minute. She shook her head. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m glad you survived that horrible tragedy. It’s good to see both of you alive and well. Er, mostly well.”

Briarthorn brightened and slid up alongside Twilight. “It’s good to see everypony else survived too, Twily. Seeing all your smiling faces makes me glad to be alive. Certainly makes up for what happened out there. Not that anything could really make it all better.” He hung his head. “We lost a lot that day. Good ponies, all of them.” His smile returned. “But! We can’t let that get us down! You all have something to look forward to tomorrow, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes,” Twilight said with a smile. “Now that we’ve gathered all the materials, Tick Tock just needs to piece the portal together and we’ll be on our way home. It feels like it’s been forever.”

“I can’t wait to get off this planet already,” Rainbow grunted. “No offense to anypony present, but I really need to get a good night’s sleep in my own bed.”

“If there is anything I can do to help personally escort you to your assuredly-luxurious bedchambers, Dash, please, don’t hesitate to ask,” Briarthorn said with a bow.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Ugh. I’d sooner give up flying.” She held up her nose at the smuggler, but the look on her face surprised Twilight; Rainbow looked more tolerant than disgusted.

Briarthorn put his hoof over his heart in exaggerated pain. “Ooh, you wound me, Dash. And after all that’s happened lately, believe you me, I know quite a lot about wounds.” He paused, and brought his hoof to his head. “Speaking of which… if I start to seem more distant than usual, it’s because I’ve got this wicked migraine, and it is definitely rearing its ugly head again. Ow. Ow ow ow.”

“Are you alright? Do you need anything?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, more of those sweet, sweet painkillers the doctors have been giving me the past few days,” he muttered. He shot a quick glare over at Blackburn. “Funny how they’ve been giving medicine to keep a bunch of my organs from shutting down too, huh Queenie? Shame nopony could do anything about that earlier. Very strange. Right? Right?”

Blackburn avoided his eyes, all of her focus on what must have been the most enchanting tapestry in all the world.

Briarthorn shrugged slowly, stiffly. Twilight winced to see him freeze in place for a moment, his eyes shutting. “Well, unless somepony here has a big bag of heavy-duty aspirin in their pocket, I’m outta luck until we can get some of that zebra booze in me.”

“Briarthorn, darling, should you really think about drinking when you’re still recovering from a serious hospital stay?” Rarity asked, worried. “Alcohol could very well worsen your condition.”

He held his head. “Oh, my lady Rarity, at this point all I’ve got left to look forward to is a solid drinking session. The doctors tell me no, but those piddly little painkillers last for like five minutes. It’s all I can think of to get my mind off my mind, you follow me?” He gave Rarity a sly glance. “Though, of course, the company of a beautiful mare wouldn’t be awful. Can I get reimbursed on some of that reward earlier? It would be a medical emergency.”

He swept forward and made to reach for her hoof, but Zircon deftly intercepted the motion, blocking Briarthorn’s body with his own. Briarthorn seemed surprised. “Oh. Rephrase that: company of whoever. Hey there… Sir Studly. What’s up?”

“Taint not my Lady’s presence, knave;  
thou knowest not how to behave,” Zircon snorted.

Briarthorn grinned madly, but said nothing as Rarity put her hoof on Zircon’s shoulder. “There’s no need to be so defensive, my dear. Captain Briarthorn means me no harm. He’s just… eccentric.”

Briarthorn blinked, and he looked between Rarity and Zircon before tilting his head so he could look straight at Rarity. “He seems genuinely nice, milady. Though... I don’t suppose it’s true what they say about zebras, is it?”

Rarity gave Briarthorn an apprehensive look, and hesitated for a long moment. ”Wh-what do they say?”

Briarthorn rubbed his head and closed his eyes in thought. Then, he threw a hoof into the air, and with a great, booming oration, said,  
“My dear madame, please forgive me, for I must inquire;  
is what’s said of zebras true, regarding desire?  
That the dawn just beyond the night just before  
left all, unsuspecting, tender or sore?”

Rarity flushed and cleared her throat. “Yes, certainly eccentric,” she deadpanned.

“I’ll take that as a ‘don’t know yet’ then.” Briarthorn bowed in apology, then winced, holding his head again. “Ugh! Serves me right, right? Stupid migraine. I’m only trying to have some fun here. Trying to make my... golden years,” he hissed, making Blackburn flinch slightly, “tolerable, but this thing has been popping up constantly since I woke up. And of course, the doctors here keep insisting on never having any booze again. Kinda sucks, don’t it?”

Twilight brightened as an idea struck her. “Hang on, I know just the spell for healing a migraine. I started studying it after my brother’s wedding.” She lit up her horn, and a bright green light encompassed Briarthorn’s head. 

In frantic futility, Briarthorn rolled his eyes around trying to look at the light filling his face. “Excuse me, what the f-wuh-hah-hoo... hoo?” His eyes glowed for a brief moment, and he stumbled back a step before landing on his rear. When Twilight’s horn ceased glowing, so too did his eyes. He shook his head and sat there in a stupor for a long moment, holding a hoof to his temple.

“Ah? You...? Oh, it’s like... it’s like...” He stared at Twilight, his eyes wide and bright with emotion. He sprung forward and wrapped her in a big hug. “Oh. Thank you, Twily. It’s like you pulled a splinter the size of... New Pandemonium out of my skull! You’re an angel. No. Goddess. I proclaim thee the divine Twilight Sparkle, Goddess of Analgesics. I’ll get to work on a temple immediately. Thank you. Thank you… so much.”

Twilight returned Briarthorn’s hug slowly, unsure what to make of his abundantly gracious reaction to her spell. “You’re very welcome, Briarthorn. It was nothing special, really, just a simple migraine reduction spell. It won’t last long, unfortunately, but it’s a lot stronger than any pill you might have been taking.”

“Oh, it is. It is, it is, it is. My head is clear! It’s actually clear. It doesn’t just not hurt... it’s... it’s... I can think.” Briarthorn swelled with elation, lifting himself and Twilight slightly with a beat of his wings. “You’re a miracle worker! Truly. If anypony ever doubts you, you send them my way, got it? I’ll set ‘em straight. I’ll fill the tabernacle choir. I’ll get some pyramids built,” he gushed, whirling her around in the air.

Twilight flushed red at the praise and tried not to meet anypony’s eyes. “W-well, I’m glad it made you feel better.”

“Hate to disrupt touching display,” Blackburn interrupted. “Movement imperative. Proposed itinerary suggests final arrival will occur shortly.”

Twilight paused; she felt a familiar hum in the air. “Oh! I forgot what time it was.” She broke from Briarthorn’s hug, dropping the short distance to the floor before ushering the others away from the chamber center. “Come on, everypony, we’ve got company.”

Seconds later, two more unicorns warped in. The first, the same stallion responsible for all the efficient transportation, departed again before anypony could even speak to him; Twilight knew he was likely reporting to Harmonia’s Warden to inform him of the successful handling of the assignments tasked to everypony. The other unicorn stepped out of the chamber center and brushed off her sweater vest and adjusted her bow tie.

“I have to say, long-range teleportation is the only way to travel,” Tick Tock said. “From Point A to Point B in seconds, with nothing more than a little dizziness and some dust. Beats walking any day. Far less dangerous, might I add?” She shook her head clear of the teleportation haze, and took a cursory glance around her. Her eyes first focused on the cargo container just to her right. “Ah, and this must be our portal structure. Jolly good show, everypony.”

She turned towards the rest of the group, and froze. Her eyes focused on Briarthorn and Flathoof, and she stood in silence for a while. “Twilight,” she said, “is one of the side effects of teleportation sickness ‘extreme hallucinations’?”

Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing’s been proven in the past thousand years teleportation magic has been in practice back home. Everything you’re seeing is real. Briarthorn and Flathoof are alive.”

Briarthorn waved excitedly. “Hi, Tickity! Glad to see me?”

Tick Tock’s eyebrow twitched. “I think I need a cup of tea…”

“Well, now that we have a moment to talk, how did you two survive, anyway?” Lockwood asked. “From Applejack’s description of events leading up to the engine room exploding, we all sort of jumped to the logical, albeit painful, conclusion.”

Flathoof and Briarthorn looked at one another and simply shrugged. “We’re as confused as the rest of you,” Flathoof said. “I pushed Applejack into an escape pod, then the engine core started shouting about going critical. There was an explosion, and after that, nothing but black.”

“We woke up just outside Newhaven,” Briarthorn continued. He sighed and slumped to the floor. “My baby was nowhere in sight. Not even a hint of wreckage or debris. Poor Thunder… I’d just finished paying off the paint job...”

Flathoof shook his head. “We didn’t know what to think, as far as if anypony was alive or not. The only pony I knew was alive… was you,” he said, squeezing Applejack’s hoof.

“What happened to that nutjob who attacked us?” Applejack asked.

“Who knows?” Flathoof snorted. “We couldn’t see hide nor hair of that rotten bastard. Didn’t have much time to look, neither, ‘cause we were found by some ponies from the town. When they found out who Briarthorn was, they brought us to the embassy to recover. A search started for you guys immediately, especially since they found out Queen Blackburn was on board.”

“Just missed us,” Blackburn huffed. “Storm cover over wreckage site prevented adequate search efforts for days. Odd weather pattern for Utopian continent.”

“Odd indeed,” Tick Tock mused. She shook her head. “But enough dwelling on all that. It’s good to see you two blokes alive and all, but time is of the essence if I am to get the portal constructed and prepared for activation. Harmonia’s Warden is scheduled to arrive early tomorrow morning, and I don’t wish to keep him waiting.”

Zircon snorted.   
“The Warden can wait, my good mare,  
if thou valuest his welfare.”

Tick Tock smirked, and held out her hoof for Zircon to shake. “I was told the zebras wouldn’t be particularly welcoming of him. Considering you’re here with my friends, you must be the guide assigned to assist with the entry negotiations. A pleasure, even if you’re not too fond of the Warden. I assure you, our relationship is strictly business.”

Zircon took her hoof and gave it a small shake.   
“‘Tis a fine pleasure, all the same.  
I am Zircon, Knight of Black Flame.  
Judging from the reactions here,  
thy story I would like to hear;  
thou must be of some great import,  
if beside him thou must consort.”

“Tick Tock, Chronomancer, at your service.”

Zircon’s eyes widened, and he bowed low.   
“A Chronomancer? My, oh my!  
“‘Tis a thrill, I cannot deny.  
Thy kind’s feats be celebrated,  
though the tales are all quite dated.”

“I love how zebras can just... do this kind of talk, all snappy-like. Can I keep him, Rarity? Maybe we could work out a schedule. Every other day, maybe?” Briarthorn beamed.

Both Zircon and Tick Tock ignored him. “It has been a while since a Chronomancer even came to the southern continent, hasn’t it.” She paused for a second, clearly doing the math in her head. “Seven-hundred and forty-nine years, six months, eighteen days, six hours, to be precise… give or take some minutes and seconds. Seeing as you know who and what I am, what do you say we get this show on the road, hmm? I have a portal to construct.”

Zircon eyed the cargo container warily and stroked his chin. After a moment’s thought, he stomped his hoof.  
“Right away, ma’am, it shall be done.  
although it surely weighs a ton.  
Fearest not, Chronomancer Tock;  
we shall prove we are not all talk.”  
He signaled for the surrounding zebra soldiers to approach, then turned back to Tick Tock and offered his hoof.  
“Now then, if thou followest me,  
I’ll escort thee personally,  
to our Beacon’s superb courtyard,  
which is under substantial guard.  
But, if this action I condone,  
knowest that thou must come alone.”

“Right. Warden Mémoire explained to me how your zebra customs work. I guess I should be glad I’m even bloody well allowed in for such a long period of time.” Tick Tock turned to Twilight and smiled. “I’ve got this part covered for now, Twilight. As for all of you, you can get some well-deserved rest. I’m certain you’ve earned it.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Pinkie said with an exaggerated wipe of her forehead.

“You heard her, everypony,” Twilight said, turning to the others. “Sir Zircon and his uncle have provided us with some first-class living arrangements to use for the night, and I don’t know about you, but I could use a good night’s sleep. And remember: tomorrow, we’re going home.” She looked skyward, and took a deep breath. “We’re finally… going home…”

***

Curaçao opened her eyes and looked out onto the green fields of the south. Her head was as clear as the endless orange sky above; the sun was just setting over the horizon. She could smell the sweet, crisp scent of the healthy grass; she could feel how soft the grass was beneath her hooves, and the cool, refreshing breeze in the air. She found that her strength had returned in full, so she stood tall and took a look about. Around her were her sisters, and they too had awoken and were rising to their hooves.

“Is everypony alright?” she asked.

Havocwing turned sharply to face her, stomped over, and got in her face. She bared her teeth and blew smoke from her nostrils. “What’s it to you?! Huh?! After what you pulled, you have a lot of guts asking us how we are!”

Curaçao took a step back, and winced. “You must understand, ‘avoc-” 

Starlight stepped over and prodded Curaçao in the chest. “What particular matter of contention is Havoc experiencing difficulty in understanding? Direct your concerns to me if her fathoming your intentions is so heinously misplaced. After all that has transpired, you are under obligation to deliver justification for your actions. You... you have had this all devised from the outset; some underhoofed scheme intended to manipulate us and our Originals into interacting for some purpose that is still unclear, despite your brief explanation earlier.”

“It’s plenty clear why she did what she did,” Havocwing snarled. She snorted smoke in Curaçao’s face. “All this time I thought we were working together, but here Curaçao is doing what she feels like doing, and going behind our backs to do things her way! She’s so smart, she knows what’s best for everypony, right?”

“Zat was not-” Curaçao started.

“We trusted you, Curaçao! You were supposed to be helping us do what would get us back in dad’s good graces, and now look! Look at what you did! Dad’ll never give us the light of day now!”

“Father would express much disappointment in our failure, sister,” Starlight huffed. “Not to mention that said failure nearly resulted in our demise.”

“I assure you, you do not understand,” Curaçao said stiffly. From all sides, her sisters approached. Havoc and Starlight were seething; Velvet was doing her best impression of Grayscale; Grayscale, however, seemed curiously concerned. Insipid’s expression was blank. “I... I only did what needed to be done! You do not know what was ‘appening to us!” She took a deep breath, and faced Insipid in particular. “And... z-zat is my fault. I did not explain it to you. To any of you. I should ‘ave told you all when I found out… but I did not zink zat you would believe me!”

“So you didn’t trust us, is that it?!” Havocwing sneered and turned her back on Curaçao. “You thought that if you told us what was going on, we wouldn’t trust you? Well, great job! Look what happened! Look at your little plan’s outcomes. All of us… all of us got hurt, some of us way more than others! Star’s right: some of us almost got killed! And, when we asked you for your help, you just stood there! You stood there and and cried because things didn’t go how you wanted them to!”

Starlight pointed at Velvet. “I discovered our sister expending such volumes of blood that it threatened to rob her of life! My cranium felt as though it were about to split open! Havocwing suffered catastrophic bone and wing fractures!”

“Yeah. I almost died, Curaçao,” Velvet interjected, though her voice was low. It barely carried across the otherwise quiet meadow. “For a while there, I thought I was going to. I… I was afraid.”

Starlight’s voice grew louder as she went on. “Your manipulative nature led to a near-fatal calamity that we had no methods of recovering from. The fault of all that has transpired lays solely at your hooves!” She shook her head. “I know not how we managed this miraculous recovery, but that does not excuse your actions, sister. This situation demands some manner of comeuppance.”

“‘Comeuppance’?!” Havoc flared, her voice dripping with murderous rage. “She already saw what we went through to make her ‘plan’ work. I think she needs to feel what she made us go through! Maybe then she’ll understand what pain really feels like!”

Curaçao dropped to her knees, and only just kept herself from collapsing under sheer weight of words. She couldn’t stop the trickle of tears sliding down her face. Her heartbeat slowed to a crawl, and her vision blurred. She fought to breathe, and she could feel her chest heaving from the effort.

Everyzing zey say… c’est vrai... 

“You are right,” she said. “When I did what I did… I did not zink of what any of you would deal wiz in zee process. I believed zat we would be better off dead zan continuing along wiz what we were doing…”

“You what?!” Havocwing snapped. “Excuse me, but I think I need to make sure I’m not going crazy and hearing things. Did you just say, ‘we’d be better off dead’?” Curaçao nodded. “Buck you! Who the buck do you think you are, huh, to decide that kind of bullshit?! If that’s what you really think”—she ignited a hoof—“then maybe I oughta-”

Then, Curaçao heard a gasp, and felt hooves wrap around her; she saw Havocwing back off in a hurry.

“Enough!” shouted Insipid, tears in her eyes, her otherwise perfectly-applied eyeliner running down her cheeks. “Leave Curie alone! Leave her alone, right now!”

Curaçao gawked at Insipid, unable to think of anything to say due to the sheer unexpectedness of the situation. “Insipid? Wh-what are you-”

Starlight took a deep breath, lit up her horn, and latched onto Insipid with her magic. “No. No, Insipid. Cease this myopic effort to espouse-” At Insipid’s blank stare, she snorted. “I... I will use... small words for you to understand. Curie,” she hissed, “planned out her family’s foreseeable… expected pain. From the... beginning, Insipid. The beginning. It was all her doing that has sent us into this agonizing... made us hurt. Do not begin to use platitudes- stupid little saying to try and... make up for what she has done!”

She pulled her horn back, dragging Insipid along and away from Curaçao; Curaçao did nothing to keep Insipid close.

“Shut up! Let me go!” Insipid snapped. She fought against the magical aura, plodding one step towards Curaçao for every two that Starlight pulled her back.

Starlight grunted and turned to Havocwing. “Some assistance would be appreciated at present.”

“Right,” Havocwing murmured. She fluttered over to Insipid and grabbed hold of her, yanking her into the air. “Listen to Star, sis. Curaçao did something bad, and she deserves-” 

Insipid flailed about. “No! No no no! Let go, jerkface!” She smacked Havocwing in the nose.

“Ow!” Havocwing lost her grip and fell to the ground. “Watch it, moron! I already lost enough teeth today, thanks.”

“I’m not the moron: you are!” Insipid snapped. “You don’t even know why Curie did what she did!” She turned to Curaçao. “I do, though…”

“Yeah? You know?” Havocwing said, snorting smoke. “You get every little part of it, huh? Sorry if I don’t believe you right away.”

“Yes, I do! She did what she did because she, like, wanted us not to hurt anymore!”

“What a crock of shit.”

Starlight grit her teeth and tugged Insipid away with more urgency. “You little ignor- pea-brain, she sent us off knowing we would be injured! She likely knew we may die as a result of Nihila resisting our Originals’ attempts at coerc- sweet talk, and has even admitted that she considered that the superior option. You do know what dying is, do you not? I do not believe it is a fun thing to do, certainly not superior to any alternative!”

“Oh, is that what this is about? Blaming Curaçao for almost getting everypony killed?” Grayscale interjected. She looked incensed, not at Curaçao, but at Havoc and Starlight.

“It kinda is, a little bit, yeah, Gray. Glad you could buckin’ join us!” Havocwing spat.

Grayscale glared at her with palpable disgust. “Yeah? Well, I didn’t say anything because Curaçao’s not the worst pony here, not by a long shot. Here’s a newsflash for you: when I was fighting Rainbow Dash, I felt like I’d lost everything I had.”

“No shit! We all did!”

“No, you bucking idiot, think about what that meant for me. For me. Out of all of us, I had no other reason to live. So when I knew I was losing, do you know what I tried to do? Do you?”

There was a heavy pause.

“Tell us, sis,” Velvet prodded, her voice still quiet.

“I tried to kill everyone and everything on the planet, yourselves included. With the right mass at the right velocity and angle, I’d break straight through the planet like a bullet and crack it apart. There would be no survivors.”

Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped peacefully. A dead silence hung in the air for a few tense moments. Everypony stared at Grayscale, their faces contorted in fear and dismay.

“That’s what I was going to do,” Grayscale said, staring up at the sky, her voice more despondent than usual. “I’d sunk so far into my self-loathing that I was willing to destroy everything.”

Starlight sharply clicked her tongue. “Your unprovoked nihilism always categorically bore the dangers of a contemporary and extemporaneous apocalypse, Grayscale. I possess no measure of astonishment for your deeds. However, they do not lessen the weight of our eldest sister’s actions in the slightest. The fault still lies with her!”

“How can you say that? She didn’t try to kill anypony; I did,” Grayscale said, more surprised than angry. “I’m worse than she is by a long shot. You should all be ganging up on me, not her.”

Velvet scratched her chin. “But Grayscale, think about it: if Curaçao hadn’t manipulated us into the position of those duels, you would have never made the choice to try and kill everyone. Starlight is angry because Curaçao brought us to those places. Anything we did once there is Curaçao’s responsibility. The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone.”

Curaçao sunk to the ground. She had no idea that Grayscale had hit bottom hard enough to try and do what she almost did. And Velvet was right: she put Grayscale in that position in the first place. Her tears flowed stronger than ever now, just short of all-out bawling. 

Insipid dropped her head sideways to look up at Curaçao from below. “Like, it’ll be alright, Curie. Please stop crying!”

“Non, ma chérie, non...” Curaçao muttered. “Zey are right. Of course zey are right. I ‘ave always seen what... what ‘must’ be done, but it was always my choice. Always. So ‘ow can be it alright?”

Through her tears, she looked up at Havoc, and sure enough, she could see that Havoc wasn’t just angry. She was hurt. Turning to Starlight, the answer was the same.

“Applejack said zat I ‘ad done nozing but ‘urt you all. She said zat I did not deserve to call you ma familie. She was right. She was right about everyzing…” Curaçao’s voice was barely above her tortured breaths at first, but her voice picked up as she went on. “‘ow can it be alright? La trahison est ma nature...” she finished, sobbing loudly.

Havocwing snorted again as more smoke poured from her nostrils.. “You stop that right now. You did that before, you know that?! I’ve had it with your crocodile tears.” She stomped her hooves, igniting the grass around her. “I actually felt sorry for you! You all remember when Insipid got that stupid hat from Dad’s assassin? Curaçao pulled me aside after that and cried! She cried about how Insipid being mean to her and how awful she was! I said to myself”—she crossed her eyes—“‘Gee, Havoc, there’s no way she could be faking that! After all, she didn’t even cry when Insipid spat in her face’!”

Insipid tugged her hat over her head, and she looked positively horrified. “Nooo! I didn’t... I didn’t mean it!” She reached for Curaçao’s hoof. “Curie, I was just, like, being dumb! I didn’t mean-”

“You’re still dumb! You’re a moron for believing that she deserves sympathy. She faked it then, and she’s faking it now! You’re a moron, and we were morons for ever believing she cared about us!”

“Non, non, non!” Curaçao cried, shaking her head. “Je vous aime... vraiment, je fais...”

Velvet pursed her lips, and hummed. “Now, hold on on a second. Curaçao does care about us, Havoc. Otherwise, why not let the sniper kill us all? Why help us take him down? He didn’t even know she was there until she stepped in to distract him… after I got shot.”

Havocwing shot her a nasty look, but said nothing.

Starlight grimaced. “And this is to be the rationale that bestows some pardon upon our dear sister? Love does not guarantee respect, and- ow! Insipid?!”

Insipid had batted Starlight’s horn, breaking her sister’s magical hold over her. She also intensified her horn’s glow until sparks sputtered from the tip, preparing to resist any further attempt to contain her. She had stopped crying, and was wiping her eyes; her mouth had curled in a furious scowl. “No! No, you all are, like, gonna listen to me!”

“Insipid...” Starlight said, lighting her own horn to match Insipid’s.

“No!” Insipid shouted, an otherworldly echo edging into her voice, cracking like thunder. The birds stopped chirping, and the meadow was silent again. The group stared at her nervously.

Curaçao put her face in her hooves, wishing it would end. First, her sisters wanted to punish her, and now they were fighting amongst themselves because of her. She’d made things worse by her actions, not better.

“What do you mean... ‘no’?” Starlight said, her voice shaking just a little. If anypony was aware of what Insipid was capable of, it was Starlight. 

“Insipid… sis, take a chill pill for a sec, okay?” Havocwing said, backing away just a little. “There’s no need for anypony to get all bent out of shape. Right, Star?”

Starlight nodded. “Indeed. Calm yourself, sister, and I will listen.”

Insipid looked between her sisters, and when she saw how they looked back, she paused and hung her head; her horn’s glow petered out instantly. “I... I’m sorry, but, like, it’s just... you guys never, like, let me talk? But... I’m going to talk now!” She stomped her hooves and looked up again, her eyes alight with passion. “I totally get it. I do! Like, you all think that I’m just dumb and nothing else, but I see things too!”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Havocwing asked.

“Like that the only reason Curie did what she did was because of us! Like... like me! You all thought I was, like, super scary just now, right? That’s because I wanted something, and I wasn’t getting it.” She paused to take a breath. “But this time, it felt... like I wanted it for the right reason: I just want Curie to stop crying! That’s not wrong!” She reached a hoof up to adjust her hat. “But... when I wanted this hat... I was scary. I’m... like, I’m tired of that. I’m tired of all of it! I’m tired of just... wanting. Like you, Havoc!” she shouted, aiming her hoof in her elder sister.

Havocwing took a step back. “Er...”

“You’re angry right now, right? But you said you didn’t want to be angry before, when Starlight brought you here after you got hurt. Well, you’re angry now! You’re still a really mean, super-angry pony.”

“Thanks a shit-ton, sis, “ Havocwing muttered, eyes half-lidded.

“But you don’t want to hurt anypony anymore, right? Not Curie, not Jitterbug-”

“Fluttershy.”

“Whatever. You don’t want to hurt them, right?”

Havocwing blinked, and scratched her head. “Well... no, not really, but what does that-”

“If Curie hadn’t done what she’d done, we’d all just want things, just like me. You can call it different things, but like, it was wanting bad stuff really bad! Wanting it so bad you would…” She frowned, lost in thought. “You would-”

“Blow up the world?” Grayscale suggested, a guilty frown on her face.

Insipid brightened. “Yeah! Blow up the world! So how could she talk about it with us, huh? You all just got scared of me because I just, like, wanted a hat. Gray wanted to blow up the world. Velvet wanted to eat Slinky Spy.”

Velvet gagged, and held her hooves in front of her face. “Let’s... uh, focus on, uh, Star next, Insipid. Yeah. Do me later, please.”

Insipid tilted her head in confusion, then smiled. “Yeah, okay! Star!” She turned to her youngest sister, all smiles. “You were all ‘Litebrite’-”

“Twilight,” Starlight corrected.

“-‘isn’t cool at all! She’s a total’… what did you call her?”

“As I recall, I declared her to be a great many things, all of them exemplifying her inferiority to myself. A particular favorite was ‘fatuous sycophant’.”

“Right, fatass cyclone-pants. Good one.”

Starlight barely stifled a laugh.

“See, and now, you don’t, like, have to beat that fatty up to feel good about yourself anymore, right?”

Starlight urge to laugh vanished, and she appeared to ponder Insipid’s words—a first—for a moment. “No... no, your observation is legitimate. I surmise that disposing of Twilight Sparkle is an endeavor I no longer have any desire to pursue...”

“And that’s because Curie, like, saw whatever was inside us making us want all those awful things, and she didn’t like what it was doing to us. She wanted something better for us.”

“Non,” Curaçao muttered.

Insipid balked. “Wait, what? What did I say wrong? I was, like, sure of it this time.”

Curaçao didn’t dare look Insipid in the eye. “Non, ma bête chérie... it wasn’t because I wanted anyzing to be better.”

Insipid made to speak, but decided against it. She held her head and groaned, pulling her hat over her eyes. “No... no, you did. You were doing a good thing! You were looking out for us.”

“Zat is what I told myself, chérie, but I knew it was not true... I knew it wasn’t.”

Insipid looked as though she would start crying again. “I was wrong, Curie. When I was... like, you really aren’t... perfect, I was just being dumb and mean. You don’t have to lie-”

“I am not perfect!” Curaçao snapped, rising back to her hooves. “I wanted to lie! I wanted to manipulate you all! I wanted it, because it is my nature! Our nature! Our nature... is to want destruction!” She turned to Havocwing first, and molded her face and voice to mimic hers. “Kindness seared to ash by fury-”

Havocwing looked down at the burnt grass beneath her hooves, though her scowl did not falter.

“Screams killing and devouring laughter-”

Velvet closed her eyes and shook her head violently.

“Indifference crushing loyalty-”

Grayscale looked off into the distance, avoiding the others’ gazes.

“Greed consuming generosity-”

Insipid groaned and tugged her hat further over her face.

“The magic of the void overwhelming the magic of the world-”

Starlight steeled her gaze at Curaçao, gritting her teeth.

Curaçao returned her form to normal, and spat on the ground. “Et moi: deception distorting honnêteté. I deceived you all, and myself. I told myself it was for good, but la vérité is, I could not fight my nature. I could not fight zee impulse to conceal, mislead, and influence zee facts, to subvert and manipulate even you, mes sœurs. True, zee goal was to free you, but only via my ‘orrible love of lies. You were right, Starlight. Je suis un serpent, et ma langue, c'est bifurqué.” 

She sighed and sat down on the cool grass. “I was suspicious of our origins when Papa and zat alicorn spoke to one anozer. And so, I asked ‘im, and zen I knew la vérité. But even zough a part of me knew zat it was wrong, zee first zing to come to my mind was, ‘‘ow can I use zis to mon avantage’. I knew I could use it against anyone, même vous. Même vous...” she whispered.

Starlight paced back and forth in a rapid line, an intense scowl upon her face, clearly in deep thought. This only lasted but a moment, before she stopped and turned to Curaçao again. “Wait… I believe I am beginning to comprehend your intent. Permit me to brainstorm.” She turned to the others. “I cannot have been the only individual amongst us that underwent an experience involving a pleasant light and a soothing voice. You all sustained a similar encounter, did you not?”

Curaçao and the others exchanged curious glances with one another.

“Well, now that you bring it up… yeah, I remember it,” Havocwing said, scratching her chin. “It’s weird though, because until you said something, I didn’t even think about it… but now, I remember it clear as day.”

“It was like a little warm memory in the back of my brain,” Grayscale added. She shook her head, confused more than ever. “It felt… nice.”

Curaçao stood back up and nodded. “Oui, it felt ‘nice’, and it felt safe, zis warm light.”

“Something seems off, though,” Grayscale said. She tapped her temple in thought. “It felt really familiar, but… not familiar at the same time. Like, I recognized the feeling, but it felt like the complete opposite from what I was used to.”

“I know what you mean, Gray,” Velvet interjected. “I know exactly what it felt like. You all do, too, but I don’t think any of you know what that old feeling really was, do you? Or why this new one completely replaced it?” She turned to Curaçao and frowned. “I remember what you said before we all blacked out. I may have been in shock, but I could still hear you. Do you remember what you said?”

Curaçao eyed Velvet with uncertainty. Did she really know? “Dites-moi. What did I say?”

“You mentioned something about mom- er, Nihila. About her resisting when our Originals tried to talk us out of our goals.” Velvet hung her head. “I experienced first-hoof what sort of ‘resistance’ she was willing to give to us having any second-thoughts about what we wanted to do: it was her that nearly killed me by detonating my blood. And after hearing what happened to the rest of you, I’m certain that you all know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Insipid perked up. “You mean, like when I started puking my guts out and junk?”

“And when all my body heat just… disappeared?” Havocwing added.

Starlight put a hoof to her temple. “Or when my cranium experienced such intense agony that I was certain it would split in twain?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Velvet said. “All those things happened to you, just like losing almost all my blood happened to me. Nihila did it to me; she did it to all of you, too. Remember what you were thinking and talking about with your Originals when it happened? I was talking with Pinkie about how genuine, happy laughing felt… kinda good. It felt weird, yes, and I was kinda scared at first, but… it felt good. Nihila didn’t like that. Hence, blood go boom.”

“I was thinking about what Fluttershy was saying, about me not being just a total rage monster,” Havocwing muttered. She shook her head. “She was telling me how no matter how filled with rage I was, I didn’t hate everything. I don’t hate any of you”—she turned to Curaçao and frowned—”no matter how mad I might get. Then I felt… cold.”

“Rarity was telling me how, like, only caring about getting what I want can hurt the things I already totally have.” Insipid hugged Curaçao tight. “And, how I need to give in order to, like, feel really happy. So I thought about apologizing to Curie for what I said and did… and that’s when I started getting all pukey and junk.”

“You see? So the thing that made us all really hurt wasn’t Curaçao, but Nihila,” Velvet concluded. She turned to Curaçao and scowled. “And you knew that was going to happen, didn’t you?”

Curaçao nodded. “Oui, c’est vrai. I knew what Nihila wanted us to do, and I knew it was wrong. But, I knew zat she would fight me zee ‘ole way, and zat she would attempt to stop all of you from realizing what was ‘appening.”

Havocwing snarled. “So you steered us into these little match-ups to try and weed out Nihila’s influence on us, is that it? Knowing full well that it could kill us?” She spit fire on the ground. “Why? What was so wrong with letting us kill our Originals and being done with it, huh? If you care that much about us-”

“I did it because I care, ‘avoc. I knew zat what made moi heureuse was all of you. Togezer, wiz me. No killing, no chasing after our Originals. Just us, togezer, as une familie.” Curaçao sighed and shook her head. “I knew zat Nihila would resist. I knew zat she would not let us control our own lives; she wanted control, because we are nozing more zan tools to ‘er. She is zee one zat made us zink zat zee best zing to do was to kill our Originals. She wanted zem dead more zan we did; you wanting to kill zem was ‘er influence, and ‘as been from zee moment we were born. And when we were done wiz zem, zen we would move on to killing more ponies, until zee ‘ole world would submit to our—’er—power.”

“So you did all this bucking crap… because you wanted us to all just be happy together?”

“Curaçao, if that was the intention of your scheme from the outset, why did you not elucidate?” Starlight asked. “Your claim that we would not believe your words seems ill-founded; you are our eldest sister, and we all consider the weight of your words to hold great value.”

“J’ai dit: il est dans ma nature. The nature given to us by Nihila. My nature is to subvert zee vérité and twist it to mon avantage. When I discovered zat we were under ‘er control, I subverted it like I would do wiz any ozer menace I encountered. And while it caused me pain to do so, I did it anyway.”

Havocwing held up a hoof. “Hold on now, this whole idea doesn’t make any sense. If Nihila wanted us to destroy the Elements of Harmony from the very beginning, then why did we spend all that time being useless and making friends with them, trying to corrupt them to her service, and then trying to capture then when that didn’t work out? Why not just let us kill them right from the get-go?” 

Starlight frowned. “Yes, that does pose an interesting conundrum. The only ponies that would hold any knowledge of the answer are Nihila herself… or father. I know not where father has journeyed to so that we may inquire as to the nature of this situation, nor do I have any shadow of doubt that Nihila would not deign to indulge our curiosity.”

“Speaking of which,” Velvet interjected, “if Nihila went all ‘resistance is futile’ on us and tried to kill us… then why isn’t she doing that… now?”

The group looked about themselves nervously for a moment.

“The benevolent aura that visited us in a dream… mayhap that is the source of our lack of pain at present?” Starlight suggested. “But if so… what was it? How can it counteract Nihila’s overwhelming might?” She turned to Curaçao. “Is that why you ushered us here, to Utopia, before we confronted our Originals? Were you aware of this ‘light’ and its ability to negate whatever resistance Nihila offered to your scheme?”

“Non,” Curaçao muttered, shaking her head. “I did not plan on any of zis. Une coïncidence chanceuse.”.

“I’m so confused,” Velvet grunted, head in her hooves. “So, let me get this all straight: you brought us all here to fight our Originals in hopes of ridding us of Nihila’s influence, knowing full well that it might kill us to try. Nihila was the one who really wanted the Elements of Harmony dead. She implanted those thoughts in our minds and was intending to use us to conquer the world. So, she would resist any attempt to get out from under her. You had no idea that there was some sort of force down here that could help us against Nihila at all, but there was and it did. And, you did all of this because you wanted us to be a happy little family that lived life together without any need for killing or destroying anypony or anything. Did I get all that right?”

Curaçao took a deep breath. “Oui,” she said. She turned to Insipid, and her mouth curled in just a little smile. “I did it because I love you all… and I wanted us to be happy togezer. Nihila’s influence on moi made me do what I did in zee most manipulative way possible… but my intentions were good…”

“How can we believe you?” Havocwing huffed. “You lied to us all this time, so why should we think you’re telling the truth now, huh?” She turned to the others. “What do you guys think? What should we do about this?”

“You should, like, believe her because she’s your sister and she loves you!” Insipid said, hugging Curaçao tight. “She did what she did because she didn’t want us to do bad things anymore. And we don’t, right? Well, like, abandoning her and mistrusting her and trying to blame her for everything is totally. Major. Unfresh.”

“If anypony wants to do anything to Curaçao for what she did, then you’re going to have to do the same to me,” Grayscale said with a great beat of her wings. “I tried to blow everything up because of what was going on inside me. I believe her when she says she was trying to stop that from happening.”

Velvet grumbled and shook her head. “I saw firsthoof what mom… Nihila was willing to do to me to get what she wanted out of us. She didn’t care about us one bit; she just wanted to use us to get revenge on daddy and then take over the world. I’m with Grayscale: Curaçao was trying to stop that from happening. I know she went about it in her typical underhoofed way, but… at least she did it because she didn’t want anything bad to happen to us.”

Havocwing groaned and rolled her eyes, then turned to Starlight. “You hearing this, Star?”

“Barring auditory injury, I usually do hear things, yes.”

“Okay, so, are you buying this crap? I don’t care what reason she had for doing it; the fact of the matter is, she lied to us!”

Starlight tilted her head, and her eyes turned upward in thought.. “I... I would certainly agree that this act on Curaçao’s part is deplorable in most senses of the word: she betrayed our trust, schemed without making us aware, and the results of these actions inflicted heavy injuries upon many of our number. Some manner of disciplinary action should be taken, and would be were we on assignment.” She paused a moment, then shook her head. “But we are not. Father ordered us to cease and desist with our assignment, and advised us to do as we pleased. It brings me no pleasure to punish Curaçao for what she did. The knowledge of how close we came to being destroyed is punishment enough, I believe.”

“No. No, it bucking isn’t, Star.” Havocwing’s eyes glowered, and she turned her back on her sisters. “No… it isn’t…”

“‘avoc, please, forgive me,” Curaçao pleaded. She took a step forward and reached out a hoof.

“Stay away from me!” Havocwing snapped, swatting the hoof away, her voice cracking. “You... you traitor!”

Starlight balked. “Are you... are you actually crying, Havocwing? You?”

“N-no! Shut up! Go away!”

Grayscale turned her head from Havoc, and met the others’ eyes in turn, her face deathly serious. Starlight was confused, and Insipid merely hugged Curaçao tighter and shook her head, but Velvet gave her a wry grin. Together, they walked over to Havocwing, approaching her from both sides. By now, Havocwing was awkwardly fighting back sniffles. She saw their hooves next to her, snuffled back her tears, and looked to each of them with a scowl.

“What the buck do you want?” she growled. “Leave me alone- oof!”

Together, they grabbed Havocwing in their hooves and lifted her off the ground.

“What the hell?! Dammit, let me go, assholes!” Havocwing fumed as Grayscale and Velvet carried her back to the others.

Velvet squeezed Havocwing’s cheek. “Come on now, dummy,” she cooed, “you listen to your big sister’s apology!”

“What the buck is wrong with you? How can you forgive her? Why am I the bad guy here?” Havocwing shouted, flailing about.

Grayscale grimaced as Havocwing’s flailing limbs kicked her in the side. “You’re not. You’re not the bad guy, sis. She did—stop squirming!—she did do something wrong, but… you trying to stay hurt all by yourself isn’t going to fix it! Now... Insipid, you bring, uh, Curie over here, and she’s going to say it... right to Havoc’s face.”

Insipid beamed. “Like, totally.”

Curaçao felt her body stiffen up with sudden anxiety, and she turned to Starlight, nervous and confused.

Starlight shook her head. “I cannot proclaim to understand most of these proceedings.”

Curaçao felt Insipid gently push her forward to stand before Havocwing, who still squirmed and struggled within Grayscale and Velvet’s grasp. Havocwing’s eyes were red, not from anger, but from tears. She bared her fangs and snorted smoke at Curaçao, but Velvet quickly fanned it away, and bopped Havoc lightly on the nose. 

“None of that. You play nice,” Velvet tutted.

Curaçao swallowed. “Oh, ‘avoc. Je suis désolé, truly... I cannot return what I ‘ave taken from you. But... mes pleurs, zey are real. I do regret zat zings ‘ad to come to zis. If zere was anyzing I could ‘ave done to rid us of Nihila’s influence wizout ‘er resistance, I would ‘ave done it. I am so sorry.”

Havocwing grit her teeth. “How could I possibly bucking believe you, huh?!”

“Because we believe her?” Insipid said immediately. “Like, all of us?” She looked to the others, desperate for validation. Starlight calmly walked over and took a seat before them, offering nothing more than a half-hearted shrug. Grayscale and Velvet each nodded.

Grayscale eased her grip slightly, shifting her hold into a hug. “We have to, moron,” she said, ruffling Havocwing’s mane. “We’re family. Family sticks together.”

Velvet smiled and joined in the hug. “We can choose to trust her now, Havoc. Whatever things she did in the past, she did for the same reasons we did things we know now were wrong. It’s not fair to put all the blame on her.”

“Great,” Havocwing huffed. “So you’re all on board with not punishing Curaçao, then?” She snarled at Curaçao, then shrugged. “Fine. Whatever. But”—she pointed her hoof at Curaçao—“I’m still seriously pissed at you. The rest of these chucklebucks might be willing to give you a break, but I’m sure as hell not going to just up and forgive you.”

“I do not ‘forgive’ her, per se, Havoc,” Starlight interjected, giving Curaçao a long, hard look. “I still hold an exorbitant amount of disappointment in our sister for her performance. Whatever wounds Nihila’s resistance inflicted upon us are no longer of our concern; however, the wounds of Curaçao’s actions will take a longer time for some of us than others.”

“I suppose… I can live wiz zat,” Curaçao said with a nod. She wiped a tear from her eye, and gave her sisters a light smile. “I deserve less, for what I did… and… I zank you for giving me a chance.”

Starlight nodded back, then turned to Velvet. “I have one inquiry, though, one that requires further explanation from you, sister.”

“Me?” Velvet asked. “What do I have to explain?”

“Prior to this, you mentioned that Nihila was attempted to utilize our talents to not only conquer the world, but was seeking revenge against our father, is that correct?”

Velvet nodded. “Yeah… I remember something like that coming up. I was kinda out of it at the time, what with her possessing my body and all, but I could hear her talking to Pinkie Pie. She was using me out of necessity, and hid out inside me as Clottles to sneak under daddy’s radar, I guess. Who she really wanted was you, Star. I guess she thinks you’re strong enough to take him on.”

“The question I have is, then, where is our father?”

Velvet paused. “I… I don’t know. She didn’t say where he was, if she even knew.”

Starlight grunted. “Most displeasing.”

“Why do you want to find dad, Star?” Havocwing asked.

“Because, Havoc, he possesses more knowledge of this situation than we do. What Curaçao and Velvet were able to surmise is only a piece of the puzzle; there is something else at work here, and I do not dare believe that Nihila has truly been completely eradicated from the world. And then, there was that aura in the dream. Father is wise beyond reckoning; perhaps he can offer explanation as to what it was, and what exactly it did.”

“Or, our Originals might know,” Grayscale suggested. “The voice said it knew them.”

Starlight brightened. “You are correct, Grayscale. The voice did make mention of our Originals. Perhaps they possess knowledge that may prove of value to us.”

Havocwing held up her hooves. “So wait, we just got finished fighting against these mares and trying to kill them, and now you want us to find them again so we can… what, talk?” She burst into the air, billowing smoke. “Are you nuts?! What makes you guys think they’re going to want to help us after what we tried to do? The second we show up, they’re gonna be ready for a fight again, because that’s all we ever do.”

“If they’re as ‘good’ as they say they are, then I don’t see why they wouldn’t forgive us if we explain the situation to them,” Velvet said.

“What makes you think they’ll believe us? They’ll just think we’re trying to trick them again like we did the first time.”

Curaçao smirked. “Now zis, zis is where I ‘ave been of ‘elp.”

“Eh?”

“I told Applejack about everyzing. She knows ze whole plan.”

“Wait, you told Applejack but not us?!” Havocwing snarled. “What the buck-”

Curaçao held up a hoof. “I told ‘er because I needed to manipulate myself, ‘avoc. If I told Applejack zee ‘ole plan, zen she would try to convince moi to be honnête wiz you all… which I did. Somezing about zem and zeir words… it resonated wiz us. Grayscale et Starlight are correct: I zink zere is some connection wiz zem and zis ‘aura’.”

“So you think that since AJ knows the whole deal, she’ll trust us, or at least give us a chance?” Velvet grunted. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“We ‘ave no choice but to try,” Curaçao insisted. “If zey do not trust us, zen we leave and we try to find zee answers ourselves.”

Starlight nodded. “I am in agreement with this plan. And, as luck would have it, we are in possession of knowledge as to their location at present.” She lit up her horn. “The nearest proximity I can transport us to is a paltry stroll away from the city wherein they are located. We shall be within the Zeb’ra’den city limits by morning.”

“I sure hope you all know what you’re doing,” Havocwing grumbled.

The mares gathered around Starlight, and with a flash and a pop, they disappeared.

***

Tick Tock finished snapping the final portal piece into place, then took a few steps back to admire her craftsmanship. “Mmm hmm… jolly good show!” she said, wiping her forehead clean of sweat. “Finished in under the predicted time, too.”

The portal structure stood four ponies tall and three ponies wide, perfectly large enough for Twilight and her friends to travel through, while small enough to prevent the portal itself from going out of control. Each ring of the structure was composed of pure obidium, which would contain the portal within its confines for the short while before the portal collapsed in on itself. The focusing iris, a single Eternal Eye, would serve to keep the portal open long enough for the small group to pass through. 

Tick Tock didn’t want to brag—no, scratch that, she absolutely wanted to brag. It was her pride and joy, why wouldn’t she want to show it off? This portal was an impressive sight worthy of praise and astonishment, the finest thing she’d ever built; it was a great accomplishment that nopony else could have done, not without intricate knowledge of portal manufacture. It wasn’t optimum—she needed her Timekeeper for that—but it would suffice. She knew she had to thank many other ponies for getting the pieces together, but she was the only one that knew how to jerry-rig all the parts together so they’d work properly. It was hard not to feel incredibly proud of herself for the first time in ages; it certainly beat teleporting half an inch forward or not getting killed by a psycho assassin.

Still, it would have been nice to have somepony—hell, even somezebra—here to show off the portal to. Twilight and the others were likely still asleep, resting up before making the journey between worlds at long last, and were not scheduled to depart for at least another three hours. Harmonia’s Warden wouldn’t be arriving for another thirty-five minutes and fifteen seconds, if his promised arrival time was exact, and she did hold Mémoire to his word. The only thing she had for company was the absolutely massive tower that made up the southern Beacon, and that certainly wasn’t about to start talking and praising her work.

Without anypony to talk to until Harmonia’s Warden arrived, Tick Tock decided to get a good look around the Beacon courtyard. It wasn’t every day that somepony was able to get this close to a Beacon foundation, and there was no better time to study it than the present. The southern Beacon was as tall as its northern counterpart, and Tick Tock assumed it was just as wide around, which really wasn’t very wide at all, maybe ten yards on each side. Clearly, Pandora Tower was merely built around the northern Beacon, rather than serving as the majority of its structure as was the common theory.

The rest of the court was bare, save for the surrounding wall, a few decorative columns, and a single statue of a unicorn stallion—curious, as the zebras were a xenophobic lot—centered in the court just beside the Beacon structure. Tick Tock approached the statue and gave it a thorough examination. The stallion’s proportions were somewhat larger than most unicorn stallions she’d known; his horn and limbs were slightly elongated and his stature was more broad. He had a long, flowing mane and tail, wore a monocle over one eye, and wore a military dress uniform that, even as marble, looked silky smooth to the touch. He was poised in such a fashion that he carried an air of regality and power, not unlike a king or general. Strapped to his side was a long sword in a decorative sheath; while the sheath was made of marble, the sword itself was almost certainly real metal, though she couldn’t tell what kind without drawing it.

Tick Tock glanced down at the plaque adorning the statue’s base. “‘Sir Silvertongue, Bringer of Dawn’,” she read. She shook her head. “Hmph, even the bloody zebras liked this guy, and they don’t seem to like the Wardens very much. I’m starting to wonder if Twilight’s gryphon friend was telling the truth about what happened back then, or maybe if he was mistaken. Could somepony so revered for his goodness fall that hard?”

A chill in the air sent a shiver down her spine. “Bloody weather,” she murmured as she scrunched up her nose. The air in this part of the world was too crisp and cold; her nose had been stuffy since the moment she’d set hoof here. “I’d better not catch a cold from all this. That’d be just my luck, wouldn’t it? Trapese all across this rotten globe, survive more near-death experiences than I can count, then catch a stupid cold at the end.” 

She turned towards the portal structure, where she’d set down her equipment and supplies, hoping to grab her thermoses of piping hot tea and soup.

Her jaw clenched in terror when she saw who was behind her. 

“Hello again… Chronomancer,” growled the assassin.

“No… n-no, you can’t be here…” Tick Tock whispered, backpedaling into the portal structure. “You can’t be here! H-how can you survive being around this much pure Light magic? The barrier around the Beacon should have vaporized you the instant you crossed it.”

“I’m still in one piece. Well, mostly,” the assassin snickered. “Oh, it wasn’t easy, believe me. My employer went to great lengths to get me here. I won’t bore you with the details; you’ll be dead soon, anyway. I know I say that a lot, but this time, things are different.” He spread his bladed wings; they glinted in the light of the Beacon. “This time, there’s nopony to help you, and no place for you to run. You’re alone, and at my mercy, and I’m going to savor every. Single. Second.”

He lunged. Tick Tock rolled to her left under his bladed wing; to her relief, the assassin did not hit the portal structure, and even seemed to pull his attack back to avoid striking it. She backed away as quickly as she could, firing a few short bursts from her horn, and backed into a pillar. The assassin swept his wing in a wide arc, deflecting the bolts off in random directions.

He lunged again; this time, Tick Tock raised a shield to defend herself. As had happened last time she’d tried, the assassin did not bounce back; his wing impacted the barrier and remained locked firmly in place, pressing against the edge of the bubble.

“Why do you keep trying to bloody kill me, you corpse-stinking freak?” she demanded, keeping as much focus as she could on maintaining her shield. The assassin’s wing was still somehow able to resist the shield’s pushback effect and started to pierce through the layers of magic.

“Always with the ‘why’, aren’t you? ‘Oh please, tell me why you want to kill me’.” The assassin laughed, showing off his long rows of sharpened, rotten teeth. “If I were you, I’d be more concerned with the ‘how’, as in, ‘how many different ways can I kill you’. I’ve given each and every one a great deal of thought, but I finally settled on my favorite.” His eyes flashed. “Wanna know what it is?”

She snorted and pushed more magic into her barrier. “That’s quite alright, but I’ll pass.”

“Oh, no, I insist. You see, slitting your throat would be too quick,” he said, flexing the feathers of his other wing. “No… I want you to die slowly. Painfully. I want you to pay for all the pain I’ve endured because of you.” He pressed his face up against the edge of her shield so she could see just how completely disfigured his face was. “I want to take you apart. Piece. By. Piece. I want to explore every inch of your body… and cut it apart.” He crushed his other wing against the opposite end of the bubble, squeezing it like a grape between scissors. “I will dissect you; you will be nothing more than a science experiment when I am done.”

She grit her teeth; the assassin’s wings were tearing through her shield faster than she could replenish it. 

She released her shield in a burst of energy, knocking the assassin back; she flared her horn, too, blinding him with a flash of light so that she could get away.

She backed up into a pillar beside the statue of Silvertongue; there wasn’t anywhere to hide in this wide open space, and the assassin was effectively guarding the only exit. Her eyes fell upon the statue’s sword. Seeing an opportunity, she latched her magic around the handle and yanked it out of the sheath just in time to see the assassin barreling towards her. Without thinking, she raised her newfound weapon up to defend against his strike.

His wing clashed against the blade with a loud clang.

“What?” they said in unison, dumbfounded.

The sword isn’t just real, it’s made of Obidium?

“Impossible,” he growled.

She smirked. “My thoughts exactly. Looks like my luck’s back on the rise.”

“No matter.” The assassin drew his wing back and slammed it against her sword again, crushing it against the statue’s base and trapping it between his feathers.

He swung his other wing at her. Tick Tock feinted to the right, but rolled under his wing to the left. The assassin, however, didn’t fall for it; he slammed his hoof into her stomach as she moved under him, knocking the wind out of her. She came to a stop, clutching her gut in pain. He was upon her immediately, pinning her on her back on the floor.

“Now, this is familiar,” he breathed, bringing his face close to hers and breathing his foul stench straight into her nostrils. He pressed his hooves against her throat; their sharpened tips drew blood.

Tick Tock struggled as hard as she could, but the assassin had thoroughly encompassed her whole body beneath his own; she couldn’t roll out from under him, and his hooves were pushing her head up such that she couldn’t aim her horn towards him to attack. She was trapped. There was no way out.

“You’re not getting away this time, Chronomancer,” he chuckled. “Time’s up.”

He raised one spiked hoof above her heart, and drew it back, intending to plunge it through her chest.

Tick Tock drew a deep breath, and with all her effort, she concentrated on one thought and one thought only: being just a few yards to her left. She lit her horn and funneled all her energy through it.

She vanished with a flash and a pop, and reappeared just a few yards to her left.

“What?!” the assassin blurted.

Tick Tock reacted as quickly as she was able, managing to dislodge her sword from the assassin’s feathers.In one swift swing, she swung the blade upwards. It slid right through through his neck; she felt the blade melt through flesh and bone like a hot knife through butter, offering almost no resistance, only just enough to let her know it was happening.

Tick Tock took a long moment of pause, then slumped to the floor, her breathing coming in hot bursts. 

It was done.

“I… I did it..” she breathed. “I killed him. He’s dead...”

She turned to look at the assassin’s body. It was like something out of a surreal art piece. The assassin’s half-rotten, half-eaten, headless body stood just a yard or so away, frozen in its last position: half-crouched over somepony that wasn’t there. The wings remained stiff and spread to the sides to prevent escape. Every inch of the motionless body was focused on keeping its captive prey pinned beneath it.

She rolled over onto her back, and hit something small and solid. When she glanced at what it was, she saw the assassin’s head, staring back at her with its blank, dead eyes. She jerked away and scrambled to her hooves.

“You… you son of a bitch!” she snapped at the motionless head. She stomped over to the head and spat on it. “Even when you’re bloody dead, you still scare the shit out of me! I’m going to have nightmares for years because of you! I hope you rot in Hell, you miserable bastard!”

With all the strength she could muster, she punted his head away; it crashed into a nearby column.

“Hey, watch it!” the assassin’s head snarled as it fell back to the floor. “Just because I don’t feel pain doesn’t mean I enjoy being kicked around.”

Tick Tock froze, pale as the snow outside. “Y-you… no...”

The assassin’s head rolled upright, his eyes returning to focus. “Hmph. Well, this is quite a pickle you’ve put me in, Chronomancer,” he chuckled. “Good on you, though. After all the times we’ve met, I got the impression you didn’t know how to teleport. I completely discounted that idea, and you caught me off guard. So yes, good on you.”

“How… how are you still talking?!” she shouted.

“Hello? Undead? I make a… well, I would say, ‘living’, but that wouldn’t be exactly accurate, would it? Let’s just say that being very hard to kill is something of a speciality of mine.” He laughed. “I suppose you and I are a lot alike in that regard, aren’t we? Even when I’m cursing you for living, I admire your burning desire to live. It’s kind of a turn-on, actually. Makes me regret having to kill you.”

Tick Tock sneered and readied her sword. “I guess I didn’t cut you through the right spot, then.”

“Mmm hmm hmm, I love it when you get angry,” he chortled. “You can taunt and poise all you want, Chronomancer, but face it, both you and I know that teleport trick was the ace up your sleeve. Now that I know about it, what can you do to stop me from having my way with your corpse?”

Tick Tock froze, and attempted to put on her best poker face.

At his mirthful laughter, she knew she’d failed. “Anyway, enough flirting, let’s see here…”

A sound behind Tick Tock made her turn her head. Her jaw dropped, and she rapidly backpedaled away. The assassin’s body had stood back up, tall and proud, its wings cupping naturally at its sides. She readied her sword, and waited for the body to make its move. But, ten seconds later, it still hadn’t budged an inch; she dared not lower her guard, but she found it hard to focus when nothing was happening.

“Hmm… this should get it to work,” the assassin muttered. “This is my first time trying this, so forgive me if I’m a little sloppy. I’ll have round two ready to go in just a minute.” His body shifted its weight, and turned towards Tick Tock. “Ah, there we go.”

Tick Tock watched, confused, as the assassin’s body abruptly turned around and started walking towards the statue instead. “Er… yeah, there it goes?”

“What? H-hey! Wait a second, not that way!” the assassin snapped. “The target’s the other way. Stop! Turn back! Grrr… what’s wrong with this thing?!”

The body stepped up alongside the statue, between it and the pillar opposite Tick Tock, and lingered there a long while, ignoring the shouted commands of its severed head. A moment later, it struck one wing into a portion of the Beacon exterior, embedding it deep into the structure without resistance. To Tick Tock’s surprise, the wall of the Beacon opened up to reveal a large, glowing energy sphere suspended within a small containment field; the sphere gave off powerful magic unlike anything Tick Tock had sensed before. The assassin’s body then proceeded to rapidly slice its wings through the sphere, tearing it into tiny shreds that evaporated into the air.

The humming of the Beacon subsided, and within seconds, the Beacon’s brilliant white light drained completely into nothing. The air grew quiet and still, and the courtyard grew dark, lit only by the light of the moon high above.

“Uh, what just happened? What did your body just do?” Tick Tock muttered.

“I’m… not quite sure,” the assassin muttered.

Then, a bright flash of brilliant white light erupted out of the center of the courtyard; Tick Tock shielded her eyes, lest she be blinded by the blast. When the light had cleared, she opened her eyes.

A silver-coated pony had joined them in the courtyard. A stallion, to be precise, with slightly elongated limbs, and a broad, authoritative stature. He wore a lavishly-decorated military uniform, all white with rich golden trims and covered with medals and ribbons. His left eye was abnormal, colored completely gold and pulsing with light and a dangerous, familiar energy. His silky, sparkly, golden blond mane and tail flowed behind, waving about as though caught in an unfelt breeze. He had large, powerful wings, bigger than any pegasus she knew, and a long, thin horn that would be the envy of unicorns everywhere; Tick Tock had never seen a pony with both before, but knew what such a pony was called: an alicorn, the peak of pony perfection and unity. But alicorns weren’t supposed to have a physical form in her world, and the only two alicorns around were most definitely identified as female, so what was she seeing here?

The mysterious stallion cracked his neck and let out a heavy breath. In total silence, he glanced about the courtyard, taking in its features as one would take in a mug of hot cocoa: slowly, carefully, enjoying every second. He glanced towards the statue—which Tick Tock noted looked suspiciously similar—and to the assassin’s body beside it, then to the damage done to the side of the Beacon. He then turned to face Tick Tock, and his gaze lingered upon her for more than a little while. She felt her heart leap into her throat as the corner of his mouth curled into a grin.

Last, he turned his gaze to the sky, took a deep breath, and smiled. “After all these years… it is good to be home.”


	37. Implementation

Flathoof snapped awake for what was probably the third time in the past hour. The bed in his chamber wasn't exactly uncomfortable, just different; he was used to an uncomfortable bed, but that wasn't the problem. He actually had to admit that the zebras, at least the ones living in and near the palace, knew what comfort was. He’d never slept in such a comfortable bed in his entire life. It was just unfamiliar.

"Ugh... maybe I just need some air," he muttered, rising from the bed.

He donned the fur coat the zebras had provided for him and headed out into the hall, making for the veranda on the northern side of the palace; they’d visited it earlier that evening when Sir Zircon gave them a tour, and he had to admit the view was breathtaking. He’d never seen the moons of Equestria before, and from what Zircon said, they were their brightest and loveliest here in Zeb’ra’den. He was careful to take quiet, planned steps, as he was still getting used to walking with a new limb and the metal made awfully loud thunks every time it hit the floor.

After a short walk through the halls, he reached the entrance to the veranda, but as he stepped through the marbled archway out into the open, he noticed that he wasn’t alone. Briarthorn, to his surprise, seemed to be having similar trouble sleeping, and practically draped himself over the railing as he looked up into the night sky, with all its infinite stars. At first, Flathoof thought it better to just leave Briarthorn be, but the pegasus had already noticed him.

“Hey, there, Captain Flathoof,” Briarthorn said, dipping his head and giving him a small smile.

“Captain Briarthorn,” Flathoof replied, finding a strange comfort in being addressed by his title—former title, at any rate—again. He approached the pegasus and situated himself at his side, though he did keep just out of wing’s reach; he wasn’t in the mood for Briarthorn’s touchy-feelyness right now.

They stood in silence for a moment until Briarthorn clicked his tongue. “So, what’s keeping you up, beefcake?”

Flathoof shrugged. “Nothing special, really. This place is just so… different, and unfamiliar. I dunno…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Briarthorn said with a frown. “But there has to be more than that for you to abandon your beauty sleep. Heh, not that you need it much,” he added with a wink.

Flathoof grunted. “No, that’s pretty much it. Had the same problem back in Hope’s Point, and at the checkpoint back in the Wastelands. I guess I just don’t feel comfortable when I’m not sleeping in my own bed.”

Briarthorn paused for a moment, itching his ear with a wingtip, then sighed. “All joking aside, I appreciate what you did. If I haven’t said ‘thanks’ enough, just let me say it again: thank you. My baby was everything to me, and losing her, well… thank you for being there when I needed somepony there with me.” He eyed Flathoof’s leg and shook his head. “I just wish we could find out how we made it out of that. I was all ready to go down with the ship, like a good Captain should. I was hoping Twily might have had something to do with it.”

Flathoof shrugged. “All we need to know is that we did. We’re alive, and we’ve reunited with all of our friends; I may be down a leg, and you may be out a ship, but we’re alive. All things considered, we’ve got it pretty good, wouldn’t you say?”

Briarthorn frowned. “I suppose. But then why can’t we sleep, huh?”

“Like I said: I’m not comfortable unless I’m sleeping in my own bed.”

“I’m the opposite: I’m more than comfortable sleeping in somepony else’s bed.”

“Yes, I noticed. I don’t think the doctors appreciated that very much. And since I know you’re going to ask,” Flathoof added, cutting Briarthorn off before he could speak, “no, that does not mean that maybe I should try sleeping in your bed instead.”

Briarthorn pursed his lips. “Am I really that predictable?”

“Yes.”

Briarthorn huffed, and reached into his pocket for the bottle of pills the Newhaven doctors had given him, as well as a tiny flask. He popped one in his mouth and took a small swig from the flask to wash the pill down, letting out a deep breath as he did so. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry I keep trying to mack on you, beefcake. I know that it probably annoys you. You wouldn’t be the first.”

Flathoof rubbed the back of his head. “Hey now, listen, I’m not annoyed by it… er, not anymore, at least,” he said. “At first, yeah, I was a little offput by how… forward you could be. But you know what, we’ve been through enough that I can look past it and see that as much of a horndog you are, you’re not a bad pony. Even if you are a shameless horndog with an alcohol problem.”

“Heh, I appreciate that.” Briarthorn sighed. “I promise not to mack on you anymore, though. Not too much, at least, ‘cause hey, I can’t help myself sometimes, and you’re primetime, y’know what I mean? But I have a little rule that I keep for myself, which is not to do that—much—with ponies I consider to be my honest-to-goodness friends. So the question is: can I call you my friend?”

Flathoof smiled, and offered Briarthorn his hoof—his real hoof, not the metal one. “I’d be proud to be called your friend, Captain.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Briarthorn smiled and accepted the hoofshake. “Besides, my other rule that I try to keep for myself is not to do that with somepony that’s clearly interested in somepony else.” He paused and shook his head. “Well, that’s not precisely true, let me rephrase that: I won’t do that to somepony that’s clearly interested in some other pony, but I have no qualms about pursuing both ponies for a little ménage à trois. So anyway, that’s why I won’t try to mack on you… not unless a certain other somepony is also present and able to be macked upon. After all, you two are an item now, right?”

Flathoof stayed quiet for a minute, then sighed. “It’s just… the big day is here. The whole purpose for me coming on this little ‘vacation’ in the first place is about to be fulfilled. Just a few hours away until… until it’s all over.”

“And you’re upset because you only just now got things all sorted with her, is that it?”

“Well… yeah… something like that.” Flathoof slumped against the railing and took a deep breath. “It’s just… I think this might be it. She might just be the mare, the one. But then… she’s from another world entirely. Not just another social class or some other culture, but from an actual other planet. And she’s leaving for home in a few hours. I want to be with her, I really do, but… but in order for me to do that, I’d have to leave my world. All my friends and family.” He grunted. “Stars, my family. If I leave, I won’t even be able to give most of them a proper goodbye. Lockwood’s the only one here… and I don’t feel right leaving him, either. I’d have to leave all that behind to go with her, and… I just don’t know if I can…”

He sighed and stood up straight again. “Sorry if I went off on a ramble, there. I don’t usually… talk about these sorts of things.”

Briarthorn sniffed, and rubbed an eye with his wing. “We’re taking hits from the same bottle, bud. And you know what? You just helped me make up my mind about something.” He, too, stood up straight and turned his full attention to Flathoof. “Mind if I ask you for a favor?”

Flathoof raised an eyebrow. “Uh… sure?”

“Good, because I’m gonna need some serious moral support for this.” His mouth twisted into a tight scowl as he turned towards the exit to the veranda. “I’m gonna do something I should’ve done a long time ago, and I’m gonna need you there to make sure I survive this little ordeal.”

“Survive? Uh… wh-what exactly am I helping you do? This isn’t anything dangerous, is it?”

“Could be. Depends,” Briarthorn replied with a shrug. “I’m gonna give Her Majesty a little piece of my mind.”

Flathoof's eyes widened. "Really now? This, I gotta see."

Flathoof followed Briarthorn back into the palace halls, making their way towards the guest chambers at a quick pace. They came to the door for the Dignitary Suite, which was all by itself on this particular hall. 

Briarthorn took a deep breath, and knocked. "Here goes..."

The door opened only a moment later, but to their surprise, it was Twilight who opened it. Briarthorn opened his mouth to speak, but she quickly gestured for him to stay quiet before letting them enter. Briarthorn shook his head, bewildered, but followed after her; Flathoof did the same. As they came into the room proper, they saw Blackburn laying astride a sleeping Lockwood on a luxurious bed big enough to hold ten ponies, running a hoof through his mane and preening the feathers on his good wing. She looked happy. 

Blackburn raised her head to look at her visitors, casting her gaze primarily at Briarthorn, and when she did, her happiness seemed to melt away into sorrow. She silently arose from her spot, kissing Lockwood's ear as she did, and approached the two stallions. She gave Flathoof a cursory glance, but did not seem surprised to see him. She gestured for the trio to follow her, and they made for the eastern veranda, which overlooked the majority of the city and gave a clear view of the Beacon. Everypony took a seat on the benches near the fountain, arranged such that Briarthorn and Blackburn faced one another. He stared at her with an uncomfortable intensity. Flathoof and Twilight exchanged a nervous look, waiting for the two pegasi to speak.

After a solid minute of silence, Blackburn finally spoke up. “Well, Briar?” she asked, her voice quiet.

The reaction was instant. “Oh, am I allowed to speak?” Briarthorn said through clenched teeth.

Blackburn stared at the floor. “Of course.”

“Your subject thanks you,” Briarthorn growled.

Blackburn winced. “Not ‘friend’ anymore, Briar?”

"You tell me.”

“You... you are my friend."

Briarthorn sneered, and repeated himself. “Your subject thanks you.”

Twilight glanced nervously between the two of them. “Uh... your Majesty, I don’t understand. Why did you come to get me?”

Blackburn continued to look at Briarthorn plaintively, but answered nonetheless. Her voice was strained. “Twilight Sparkle, please remain where you are. Events will become clear.”

“Will they? Forgive us if we’re not you, Blackburn.” Briarthorn spat. “Forgive us for wanting to make our decisions ourselves, for wanting to know the truth, for wanting to know what schemes you've got cooked up.”

Blackburn closed her eyes and put her hooves to her head. “Deserve this. Can’t avoid it, so must endure it,” she muttered to herself.

Flathoof put his hoof on Briarthorn's shoulder. "Briarthorn, I know you asked me here for support, but all I'm seeing is you getting snippy with Her Majesty here, and frankly I'm still not sure exactly why."

Briarthorn sighed. “You remember the medical exam we had after we made it to Newhaven? Remember how they treated me compared to you?”

Flathoof nodded. “Yeah, a little. The doctors put you on way more stuff than me, and I had to have a limb amputated and replaced. They said you were sick.”

"Well, that's one way of putting it. 'Sick.' Yes, sick, let's go with that."

Twilight swallowed uncomfortably and tapped her hooves together. “About that, Briarthorn, um... it’s an issue of your body’s reaction to the Diffusion-”

Briarthorn scowled; Twilight stopped mid-sentence, taken aback by the look. “I know all that, Twily. Everypony knows about Diffusion Sickness. Me more than most. I am sorry if I seem a bit upset, but you see, before the doctors told me, I had no idea it was life-threatening.”

Twilight stared at the floor. “I know. You collapsed on the Thunder, and Blackburn said not to tell you...” She deflated at Briarthorn's sudden look of dismay. "I’m so sorry," she said, barely above a whisper.

Flathoof looked at Blackburn, shaking his head in disbelief. “How could you do something like that? How could you decide that Briarthorn shouldn't be in charge of his own medical issues?”

Blackburn gave Flathoof a short glance before turning back to the floor. “Just... didn’t want it to hurt.”

“Me, or you?” Briarthorn grunted.

“Both. But... always knew it would be... inevitable."

Flathoof balked. “Inevitable?”

Blackburn gave him an appraising look through her guilt. “Was initially confused, seeing you with Briar at doorway. Understandable now: he sees you as trustworthy. Likely bonding experience from surviving the crash of the Thunder. Would not be surprised if he even agreed to stop coital requests. Personally, am forever grateful to you. Seeing resolve of future brother-in-law is heartening.”

Briarthorn leaned his head back, earning a look of worry from Twilight. He gave a weak laugh. “Nice deflecting. Masterful. You always understand everything, Blackburn. You always did. Your whole family was always good when it came to plans. Maybe that’s why your line went the royalty route.” 

He turned his head in Twilight’s direction, bringing their faces close as he stage-whispered to her: “Yet, my family was just as important. We had just as much clout in getting Hope’s Point going, way back then. We mentioned that, right? It was my grandfather that helped work out the shield technology for the Diffusion systems and the city-wide force field. When they figured out the one, they figured out the others. With that kind of influence, I could’ve been ‘King Briarthorn’, were my relatives so inclined." He gave Blackburn a coy grin. "Hell, for a while, I thought I was on my way to the throne, anyway.”

Flathoof's jaw dropped, and he shot Blackburn a look. “You and... him?”

Blackburn frowned and looked away. “That was a long time ago. Different ponies, then, both of us. Maybe things would be different...”

Briarthorn rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m not mad about that, not really, because it was a lie." He waved a hoof in Flathoof's direction. "I wasn’t ever really on my way to the throne, because she never really thought it would work." He turned back to Blackburn. "She never did, because I guess she always assumed I was doomed. Doomed like my father and his father before him. I’ve never been anything but a tool. A pathetic, pain-crazed drunk with a useful family legacy,” 

Blackburn sighed. “Briar... I did truly treasure our time. You made being the princess of Hope’s Point tolerable. You were daring, fast, fun... but, when you got your cutie mark, and the Diffusion tests confirmed it..." She gulped. “I remembered the stories. Your grandfather died a lunatic, rambling about beauty and wonder: his brain, completely deteriorated. Your father died standing up in the hangar: his heart just stopped. What could I-”

“You could respect me.”

“I did. You were the only one who stayed with me through the years, aside from Gadget and Crossfire. You were the only pilot I let work alone. The only one who I let get away with the worst of the worst-”

“Because you resigned me to my 'fate'!” Briarthorn snapped. She fell silent. "You, with all your plans, resigned me to my death, so you gave me every vice I could imagine, and got me hooked on so much toxicity that it wasn’t a matter of my willpower, anymore, Blackburn. You drank with me. You competed with me! You wanted me to drink. So, I drank. You drew a happy, ignorant cloud over me so that you wouldn’t feel bad when I died. You wanted to make sure that I indulged in excess so it would be my own fault. So nopony would feel bad. So you wouldn’t feel bad.”

“But... then Blackburn was wrong?" Twilight asked. "She said it would make you upset that your lifestyle would have to change.”

Briarthorn laughed, though it was cold. “Of course I would be, at first! No one wants to go through rehab. At first. No, that was a lie by omission. I know it’s a lie, because Blackburn really is that smart. She is smart enough to find a way to let me die and her suffer the least amount of guilt. No, Twily, see: it wouldn’t be me that would be upset that my lifestyle changed. It would be her.

"You planned all of this," he said, addressing Blackburn directly. "You saw what you thought was the future, and in your infinite wisdom, you decided that I would suffer more if I knew just how bad my future was getting. How fast I was dying. You took away my choice in the matter. You wanted me an addict, so you made me an addict. To drink; to sex; to Hope’s Point; to you.”

Blackburn stared at him, her lip quivering. “You are still my friend, Briarthorn, and I still care for you.”

Briarthorn turned to Flathoof and Twilight. “Do you see her denying anything?”

They shook their heads.

“I still care for you,” Blackburn whispered. " You are... a dear friend. A brother. And I love you as such."

“Interesting phrasing, like I’d still be hopeful to tap that.” Briarthorn sighed, and turned back to Blackburn. “You still love me, huh? Well, sure, I love you too, but you’re marrying Lockwood, and I’m happy for you. I know you’re happier that way. Your love for him runs way stronger than your love for me... it's a different kind of love. Lockwood challenged you from the start, made you think, made you work. I learned way too late that that was what you wanted. I'm not jealous, mind, just... disappointed. You never really let me have a chance.

"But now our past is ultimately irrelevant! Your scheme fell through when the Thunder exploded. But... and here's what bothers me: you know you were wrong, and you obviously regret what happened, but... you don't seem upset. You were already prepared. You already knew that I was going to do this thing I’m doing. You know I want one last answer.”

Blackburn nodded and took a deep breath, and her voice recovered its typical assuredness. “Expected you to approach. Last night before new friends leave. Insomnia mounting, coupled with pain from injuries. Would consider this last real opportunity to talk with me before my duties kept you from me. I would be too busy.”

Briarthorn clicked his tongue. "It’s almost unfair, y'know. You still have all the answers. So, let's hear it: what are you going to do to fix this? ‘Cause this little problem we have here has been going on for a while, and nothing’s really… changed…”

Blackburn's mouth curled in a small smile, and she glanced at Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle is my answer.”

Twilight turned red as the two stallions shifted their gazes to her. "Wh-what?!” she yelped. “What do I have to do with this?”

Blackburn stood and spoke to Twilight, he voice and poise as regal as possible, even dropping her terseness: “As Queen of Hope's Point, I have but one humble request for you, Twilight Sparkle: when you and your friends depart, please, take my dearest Captain Briarthorn with you. Allow him to live the rest of his days in the peace and tranquility of your world, where nopony can hurt him... least of all, me.”

Briarthorn arched an eyebrow. “Are you for real, Queenie? Pushing your problem onto somepony else like that?”

“If that is how you interpret the gesture, then yes. Her world is more peaceful than ours. More pleasant. Your life there would be far less taxing. Maybe their healers would even be able to cure you.” Blackburn sighed. “But if you do not wish to-”

Briarthorn raised a hoof, drawing her silence, but then was still for a long moment, staring at Blackburn until even she looked uncomfortable. Finally, he blinked, and shook his head. “No, no... I see it. It’s.. this… this is a good plan. I wish I’d thought of it.” Briarthorn turned to Twilight. “Well? Her Majesty asked you a question, Twily.”

Twilight paused in thought for a long moment, biting her lip and pressing her hooves together nervously. When she came to her decision, she stood and bowed her head. “I would be honored to accept your envoy, Your Majesty.”

Briarthorn blinked, a small grin slowly crawling across his face. “You're sure about this, Twily? Think about what you’re doing: hosting an exchange student for life. I’m not exactly easy to handle, either. Lots of responsibility.”

Twilight’s pose faltered, and she tilted her head at Briarthorn to give him an incredulous look. “What am I supposed to say? 'No, Briarthorn, you're gonna stay here, tough luck’?”

Briarthorn laughed, and turned to Blackburn. He knelt, bowing his head low as he took the queen’s hoof, and kissed it. “I humbly request to resign from your service, my Queen.”

Blackburn’s voice remained distant, and her face was sad. “Your service is recognized, Captain Briarthorn of Hope’s Point, and you are hereby honorably discharged.”

Briarthorn turned, bowing before Twilight and taking her hoof, and he kissed it with gusto. "As for you, my Lady Twily, I am in your service until the end of my days, however long that may be." He kissed her hoof a few more times, moving up her pastern to her fetlock. 

Twilight turned red. "Ah... o-of course. Er-"

Suddenly, the sky grew dark.

"Eh? What happened to the light?" Flathoof murmured.

"The Beacon," Blackburn said, pointing in the tower's direction. The Beacon had lost all of its light, standing now as just a tall, silver tower with only the light of the moon to reveal it.

Twilight gasped. "Oh no! Tick Tock!"

As she rushed for the door, Blackburn reached out a hoof to stop her. "Hold, Twilight Sparkle. This is Zebra territory. Their traditions and rules must be observed. Would be best to inform Sir Zircon."

Twilight frowned. "B-but... oh, alright. I'm sure he'd let us come along, anyway. His room is this way," she said, heading left down the hallway.

Briarthorn coughed. "Call it a hunch, but... I think, perhaps, maybe, it might be quicker to head for dear Lady Rarity's chambers instead."

"What? Rarity? Why?"

He grinned. "Oh... no reason. Just a hunch. So come on, we've gotta help ol' Tickity out, what're we all standing around for?" He cantered off to the right down the hallway.

Flathoof waited until Briarthorn was out of earshot, then shook his head. "Are you two sure you're doing the right thing, sending him off to another world like this?"

"Our world can't give him what he needs. Even in Utopia, he would not be happy," Blackburn said.

Twilight nodded. "And if it makes him happy coming with us, I'd be happy to have him along. Now come on, we've gotta find Sir Zircon."

Flathoof hummed, then sighed and followed after the others, though his thoughts weren't entirely focused on finding Sir Zircon or Tick Tock's wellbeing. He was thinking about somepony, though; the question was, was she thinking about him? Would she be as accepting of him if he said he wanted to do what Briarthorn was doing? Was that even something to consider? It was a lot to take in; too much for now, in fact. He pushed those thoughts aside. They could wait until later.

***

Tick Tock eyed the alicorn stallion with a sense of dread, mystified by his identity and intention. He carried himself with an abundance of pride, and his very form permeated the courtyard with an aura of pure power. He inspected the statue of the former Warden Silvertongue with great interest, studying its features like one looking in a mirror; Tick Tock couldn’t deny the astounding similarity between them, but was certain they couldn’t be the same pony. The only difference was that the statue wore a simple monocle over his left eye, while the alicorn’s left eye had been replaced with a glowing orb of an unidentifiable substance. She wasn’t sure what, exactly, the substance was, but the magical energy flowing from it felt distinctly familiar, even without her Timekeeper. She shifted her gaze back and forth between him and the body of the assassin, which stood stiff at attention by his side; without a head, the body looked awkward posing in such a fashion. Still, she could not let her guard down, lest the assassin, or this new visitor, get the better of her.

“The zebras possess a fine grasp of the classical arts, do they not?” the alicorn asked. He turned his head slightly to glance at Tick Tock, and gave her a small smile as he gestured to her portal structure. “I must commend you, too, Miss Tock, for your own talent. I am impressed by your craftwork; it displays an incredible grasp for the art of constructing a functional portal focal point. I would expect nothing less from a Chronomancer of such stature.”

Tick Tock froze. “Y-you know my name?”

The alicorn’s smile widened, his unnaturally perfect teeth gleaming like the sun. “Of course I do. I make it a habit to discern everything I can about individuals of a certain interest to me, and you Chronomancers are always of great interest. I have personally known two of your predecessors, as a point of fact, though that was in days long past; regretfully, I’ve known none in more recent years, but there was a time where I had more ample opportunity to pursue such interests.”

“Milord, if I may ask… what are you doing here?” the assassin’s head said. Tick Tock jumped at the voice; she had forgotten he was right there next to her. “Not that I do not appreciate your company, but you can understand my confusion. How did you even-”

The alicorn scowled and turned his gaze upon the assassin. “That information is not relevant to you, Shadowstep. I would appreciate you not interrupting my conversation with Miss Tock, if you would be so kind.”

Shadowstep? Well, at least I finally know the bloody maniac’s name.

“But milord, I don’t understand what’s going on. Why can’t I control my body? You said-”

“I did make claim that such a thing would be within your power, correct, but I am afraid that my wishes take precedence over yours in this situation, otherwise you would very much be able to manipulate your body. You see, it is my magicks that allow your body to function in the first place; your body obeys me, for now, and will until I otherwise see fit. I repeat myself: stay silent, that I may converse with Miss Tock in peace. It is well within my power to force you, so be glad I am simply requesting this of you.”

“I don’t really see how you and I can have any sort of peaceful conversation,” Tick Tock said, carefully inching her way towards the nearest pillar so she had something to hide behind in case things went south, “seeing as you sent this bleedin’ psycho to murder me. Multiple times, I might add. On that matter, I don’t even know your name, while you seem to be fully aware of mine. I didn’t think you would, since your pet assassin never used it; he just called me by my title and that’s it. I try to make it a habit to know the ponies I’m talking to.”

“What good is his name to you, Chronomancer, when you’re just going to be dead soon?” Shadowstep snarled. He glanced over at the alicorn. “Please, milord, let me finish my work here and murder this little miscreant. I promise I won’t get sidetracked or distracted this time; I’ll just slit her throat and be done with it.”

“It confounds me, Shadowstep, that you are displaying an astounding lack of professionalism at present. I thought I had taught you better,” the alicorn snorted. He turned his attention back to Tick Tock and nodded politely. “I am certain I require no proper introduction, at any rate, Miss Tock. I have seen you comparing myself to this statue,” he added, patting the statue’s shoulder. “You are no slouch in your observations, and as such you can surely discern the resemblance.”

Tick Tock gulped. “So it’s true, then? You’re this... SIlvertongue? The former Warden of Harmonia, current Warden of Nihila?”

He bowed. “One and the same. Though there are a number of inaccuracies in that statement, due to some recent changes in circumstances.”

“But… that would make you-”

“One thousand years old as of today, correct.” Silvertongue smiled and brushed his jacket, adjusted his medals, and straightened his tie. “Truth be told, I feel much younger than that. It is a fine birthday gift I have received, to be able to return to lands in which I was born and raised. I have missed the southern world deeply; the joy I feel in my heart shines like the sun. And oh, how I have missed the sun and its warm embrace. I rather wish I had the time to wait for sunrise.” He coughed. “But I digress. Where were we?”

“We weren’t anywhere,” Tick Tock said, raising her sword. “You can talk as flowery as you like, but it’s all rubbish to me. I know what you’ve done in the past, and I know what you’ve been trying to do to me lately. If you think I trust anything you say while you’ve still got this bloody assassin trying to kill me-”

“I am wounded by your harsh words, Miss Tock,” Silvertongue said with a frown. “Here I would have thought you more astute than some paranoid conspiracy theorist. If your termination was my intent, my dear, your death would have long since passed and been forgotten. That you still draw breath to this moment should show a great deal of restraint in that regard.”

The assassin hemmed and hawed. “M-milord! What are you saying? You specifically sent me to kill her-”

Silvertongue scowled at the assassin, silencing him. “Shadowstep’s initial assignment was to terminate you, Miss Tock, I will not deny that, and if that is the source of your distrust then I cannot blame you. After your initial meeting with him, however… the situation became altered in such a fashion that your death was no longer a priority; had he succeeded in his subsequent attempt, it might not have been a positive outcome. I came into some knowledge that I found quite interesting indeed, and I simply needed the time to put all the pieces into place. Shadowstep’s encounters with you motivated you to usher the Elements of Harmony from my city with all due haste, and to elect traveling upon a quicker, more dangerous route, which would allow me the time I required.”

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t understand a bloody thing you just said,” Tick Tock grunted. “Besides, how would taking a faster route give you more time? You’ve it backwards, mate.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, for you lack context and hard data. As to your question, you forget that, as Nihila’s Warden, my dominion over the lands of north is absolute; I merely needed to initiate a minor earthquake spell in the general vicinity of the Redblade Mountains to trigger a catastrophic event and that your group would survive. I ensured that you followed the course of my choosing in the manner of my choosing; every choice you made was one I’d already made for you.”

Tick Tock sneered. “Well that explains my calculations being totally broken.”

“Quite. You will also note that once my dear assassin was afflicted with this garish curse of undeath, his subsequent encounters with you turned out in your favor, despite him having numerous additional advantages over you. Were it not for me, you would have a met a bloody end many times over.” Silvertongue turned to Shadowstep and cracked a small grin. “Had I left him in complete control of his body when he first reawakened, it would have happened in the Blood Mire. Had I not ordered him to withdraw for but a moment after pursuing your party for days, it would have happened at the elevator leading to Hope’s Point. Had I not given him specific directives to disable Hope’s Point’s shield, board your royal friend’s airship, and disable it, it would have happened at any point during your stay in the city; granted, his technique in disabling the shield and your ship were a mite excessive, but no harm done.”

Tick Tock scowled. “Tell that to the ponies that died in that attack on Hope’s Point.”

“Regrettable, yes, but necessary to ensure the success of my endeavors. Every death wrought by my hooves is calculated, and the weight of my sins is a mountain upon my shoulders.” Silvertongue shook his head. “Every action Shadowstep took presented the illusion that you and your friends were in some mortal peril. You never really were. I required you to remain alive, such that you may construct this portal for me. Granted, I could have managed the task myself at some point in the future—my patience is limitless—but why delay for tomorrow what can be accomplished today?”

Shadowstep balked. “Wh-what?! Milord, why? Why would you assign me a task specifically to fail?”

“Shadowstep, you did not fail in your task in the slightest. In fact, you accomplished it with astounding success. I am here, and the portal has been constructed, has it not? Your task from the outset of granting you your curse was to infiltrate the Elements of Harmony and disable the Beacon, that I may safely enter the southern realm without incident, for you see, the Beacon would reject my presence what with my ascension. Your attack aboard their ship was merely to delay them long enough for me to complete the research and development of my new powers.”

“Well… well surely, now that I’ve completed that task, I can kill the Chronomancer, right? Please, milord… please, grant me this wish…”

Tick Tock put her guard up and readied herself.

Silvertongue glanced in her direction. “Miss Tock, you may lower your weapon- rather, my weapon. Your usage of my old sword, while admirable, is no longer necessary.” With a brief flash of his horn, the sword in Tick Tock’s magical hold disintegrated. “I will repeat, hopefully for the last time: I wish no ill-tidings upon you. It is true that I only required you remain alive long enough to construct this portal for me, but if I intended to kill you now, you would exist in the same state as that blade is.”

“R-right,” Tick Tock gulped. “Still, forgive me if I don’t feel safe with your pet around, especially since he wants me dead, even if you claim you don’t.”

“You’re damn right I want you dead!” Shadowstep snapped. “If I’d killed you in the first place, none of this ever would’ve happened to me! I might not feel pain or exhaustion, but every fiber of my being feels wrong. It feels wrong to be a rotting, trotting corpse, to have an insatiable hunger for flesh that eats at the back of my mind like a festering parasite. I am an abomination because of you! You deserve nothing less than the same fate!”

“You deserve every damn bloody bit of suffering you get for what you tried to do to me, and for what you did to Flathhoof’s friend, and for causing the deaths of Gadget and Crossfire!” Tick Tock snapped back. “I’m sure we’re not the only victims, either, so you deserve what you’ve got for what you’ve done to everypony you’ve ever killed in cold blood. Now you’re just as much of a monster on the outside as the inside.”

Silvertongue sighed. “Miss Tock, if my assassin’s continued existence troubles you such that you and I cannot have a cordial conversation, allow me to provide a solution.” He turned to Shadowstep and frowned. “Shadowstep, my loyal servant, you have served your purpose, but now I have no further use for you.”

Shadowstep’s eyes widened. “What? W-wait, milord-”

“Ah, but I promised you a reward, did I not? I claimed I would remove the curse of undeath from you. My word is my bond, Shadowstep, and so I shall cleanse you of this curse… and grant you the sweet release of true death at last. Your suffering is at an end, and you may rest in piece.”

“No!”

A bright blast of red light vaporized Shadowstep’s head. His body remained at attention, completely dominated not at all affected by its owner’s destruction.

Tick Tock stared at the scorched marble where the assassin’s head had once been, bewildered, terrified, and relieved. “You… you killed him? Just like that?”

“I released him,” Silvertongue corrected. “His description of his condition was not an exaggeration, and your belief that he deserved the suffering he experienced is not misplaced. However, he was my servant, and he performed his task admirably. Death for him releases him from his suffering, and should, I hope, provide you with the sense of security you so require. A positive outcome for all involved.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “I… I don’t… I’m so confused right now.” She stared at Silvertongue, desperately trying to understand what was happening, but nothing made any sense. “You say you still want me alive… why? You have the power the destroy me utterly, and you know that it is my job to prevent you from doing whatever you’re planning on doing with that portal. So why let me live?”

Silvertongue smirked. “So eager for death, are you, that you would question my generosity? I am well aware of your bravado, Miss Tock, but this seems misplaced.”

“Eager for answers. If your word is your bond and you say you want to keep me alive, then I’ll hold you to it for now. So, what are you planning?”

“You’ll understand in due time, Miss Tock. For now, I have business to attend to, though such a task is trivial for the power I now possess.” He turned his back to Tick Tock, and commanded Shadowstep’s body to stand before him. With a flourish of magic, he shredded the assassin’s body into a shower of gore, then arranged the visceral remains into a circular pattern on the floor; Tick Tock had to hold her nose to prevent heaving at the sudden influx of the putrid stench of rotting flesh and bile. “Thus, I would enjoy a conversation partner in the meantime, and I have some specific questions I wish to ask you. Seeing as I have not had the pleasure of a Chronomancer for company in many ages, this should prove enlightening.” 

Tick Tock did not recognize the pattern he had created with Shadowstep’s blood in the least, though some of the runic markings along the edges looked familiar, almost gryphon-like. “Do you really think I’d even consider telling you anything useful?” she asked. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to help you-"

“I do not require your assistance, Miss Tock,” he said with a grin. “I am well aware of all the mechanics of every task I have set before me. I merely wish for… a chat, if you will. It has been centuries since I have been able to partake in idle conversation with another individual. Nothing so droll as, ‘how do you like the weather?’, for we are in Zeb’ra’den and any creature would gladly go on at length about the bone-chilling cold, save perhaps the zebras themselves. However, what if I were to ask what your view of perfection is? What is ‘perfect’, to you?”

She raised an eyebrow. In all her wildest imaginings, she never thought she’d be invited to partake in a philosophical discussion with an alicorn, or with a Warden—former Warden, to be exact—of Harmonia. While part of her brain wanted her to answer and cater to his whim, to partake in this discussion, the other, more job-oriented part told her that this “idle conversation” was a distraction. He was up to something.

She’d humor him, though, in her own way, to try and figure out what he was doing. “Perfection is the highest degree of excellence. That is its very definition.”

He smiled. “And a dismally sterile definition it is,” he said, shaking his head. He paced about the courtyard, flexing his wings every few steps. “It looks at the ideal with such a positive spin that one cannot help but see the flaw in it; ironic, in that the definition of perfection is in itself imperfect. Perfection can be more succinctly defined as ‘without flaw’, for even if something is at the highest degree of excellence, is it not possible for it to still retain some manner of flaw in it? A perfect spell still drains its user of some magic and is therefore limited by its user; were it perfect, it would be limitless regardless of who casts the spell.

“In addition, by its current definition, perfection can easily be tainted by the misinformed opinions of others. What I might consider to be the perfect meal might to another be an affront upon their tongue, akin to poison. Considering my healthy diet of magmaberries, I hold no doubt that I am not mistaken in having such a belief.

“If something, be it an object or an idea, is perfect, then no single creature should be able to claim it has any possible flaw in it, regardless of their mental state, their religious or philosophical beliefs, their upbringing, their morals and values, their gender, race, or creed, or any other such factor. Would you not agree?”

Tick Tock snorted. “When you put it that way, I suppose you have a point.”

Silvertongue smiled. "Ah! It feels good to partake in such conversation again. Not since the gryphon's have I been able to debate and discuss the complexities of our universe."

Tick Tock scrunched up her nose. “Now, fair’s fair: I answered your question, so perhaps you can answer one of mine? If you wish to have a conversation and not just bloody talk at me.”

“Certainly, my dear. ‘Fair’s fair’, as you put it.”

“How did you become an alicorn?”

He laughed, but did not cease his activities; his magic seemed to be carrying on completely of its own accord, despite him not even paying any mind to it, as he was entirely focused on Tick Tock and had been for the last several minutes. “Ah, I do suppose that bears explanation, doesn’t it? Well, you’ll discover the secret soon enough as to how I managed such a feat, but that wasn’t really-”

There came a loud commotion from the courtyard gate. A cadre of zebra soldiers had arrived, and they streamed into the courtyard like a swarm of bees, weapons at the ready. Not a one looked anything but perplexed at the situation that lay before them: an alicorn—to the zebras, a god—that bore a striking resemblance to the statue of the revered former Warden of Harmonia; their sacred Beacon, once a pillar of light that could be seen for miles around, now dimmed and dull; and the Chronomancer, a respected figure in their culture, in a state of curious duress and irritation.

“Ah, it would seem we have company,” Silvertongue said. He glanced about the crowd of zebras, humming to himself in thought. “The common zebra soldier is not granted right to speak in rhyming meter, if I am not mistaken, only in plain rhyme. Is any amongst you of noble standing? As a proper showing of respect, I must address he who has the highest rank in his meter.”

One soldier stepped forward, and the others around him cleared out to give him room to stand and speak. He displayed his grand runesword with an intimidating flourish. Tick Tock recognized Sir Zircon immediately once the surrounding soldiers had moved out of his way, though she noted that he didn’t look like he’d been on duty before arriving: his armor was missing, leaving him in only regular clothes, and his mane was disheveled and out of place. He looked utterly displeased to be here, as though he'd been interrupted from something important.

“T’would be me, curious stranger,” said Zircon.  
“Dost thou mean us any danger?  
For if thou dost, then guard thyself,  
lest thee find thyself in poor health.”

Silvertongue smiled, though he seemed more amused than gratified. “Ah, eight syllables in no particular sort of true poetic meter, though I did notice an attempt. It would seem as though centuries of interaction with ponies has dulled the zebras’ art for poetry. In my time, zebras holding your rank—minor Lords—spoke in perfect iambic tetrameter. Like so.” He cleared his throat.   
“My good Sir knight, thy fear can rest.  
My goals are pure; be not distressed.  
If thou hast doubt, let me be clear:  
I mean no harm or danger here,  
for under this, thy Light of Morn,  
an oath by me to all was sworn,  
and so all know my name, I trust,  
for here, it lies, upon my bust.”  
And with a small grin, he added, “I might be mildly rusty, what with the lack of practice.”

Zircon gawked at him, mouth slightly agape, his eyes shifting back and forth between Silvertongue and the statue beside him. The other soldiers murmured and rumbled amongst themselves, putting the same pieces together that Tick Tock had. After a moment, Zircon lifted a hoof, and the whispers stopped. He stepped forward several steps, until he was a mere runesword’s length away. 

Then, to Tick Tock’s surprise, he bowed down, sword at his side; the other soldiers followed suit in unison. “Methinks ‘tis some fantastic dream  
to meet one of such high esteem.  
And though I know not why or how,  
it pleases me to see you now.”

Silvertongue bowed his head in respect. “Forgive me, good Sir knight, if I do not continue in meter, for as mentioned I am out of practice, and in mixed company it is only polite to address all parties as clearly and concisely as possible. As holder of the superior social standing, I feel I must make things comfortable for my honored associate, Miss Tock, who has no knowledge of poetry as far as I am aware.”

“I’ll recite a bloody poem for you, if you’d like. I’m just having trouble finding a fitting rhyme for ‘wanker’,” Tick Tock grunted.

Zircon made to speak, rising to his hooves, but Silvertongue eased him off with a small gesture of his hoof. “Worry not, Sir knight, for Miss Tock has every right to speak with me in such a crude manner. I am afraid I’ve made her life a living Hell for these past few weeks, and hold no grudge against any disrespect she shows.”

Zircon nodded, and returned to the formation of soldiers to stand at attention.

Tick Tock watched the display with disgust and curiosity. “How is it that you have such pull with the zebras, eh? Last I read, you’re the one that proper well crushed them before the civil war down here.”

“And if there’s one thing the zebras respect, it is a capable, superior warrior. That’s why they aligned themselves with Utopia during the civil war, not with the renegades that went off to form Pandemonium,” Silvertongue said, sneering a little at the last words. “I did not truly appreciate the rewards of such treatment until I required construction of the southern Beacon on the south pole, right here in this spot. It pleases me to see that even after centuries, the zebras still hold true to their reverence, not for my own sake but because I appreciate that sort of honest commitment.”

“What would happen then, I wonder, if they found out what really happened up north, hmm?”

Silvertongue laughed. “If you refer to the gryphons, I daresay they might decide I deserve a medal and a parade. The zebras celebrated for days when the gryphons departed to the northern lands; they’ve always been at odds with one another due to their beliefs, which take like fire takes to water. At any rate,” he continued, “my first task is complete, so if you would all permit me a moment, I have something… wondrous to show you.” 

He lit his horn brightly again, and a ring of flames sprung up around the blood-drenched runic circle. Tick Tock could feel a powerful energy flow forth from the ring, accompanied by a strong gravitational pull. It was not unlike the effects of a Void portal, but she knew it wasn’t Void magic; she could recognize that, but this felt alien to her. His magic covered the circle with a dome-shaped barrier that reinforced itself with layer after layer of energy. When at last this was done, he cleared his throat.

“Le sang est l'essence de notre vie  
La magie, notre raison d'exister  
Leur réunion libérera des conflits  
Notre monde qui en a tant enduré  
Par la Lumière, nous aidons ceux que nous aimons  
Par les Ténèbres, nous vainquons toute appréhension  
Ensemble, elles sont un pouvoir sans fin  
Qui changera un mal en un bien!  
Apparais, Alicorne, et réponds de tes péchés!”

An incredible explosive force rang out from within the barrier, still loud and powerful enough to shake the earth and deafen the ears of all around the courtyard, cracking pillars, knocking some of the zebra soldiers off-balance, and completely shattering the statue of Silvertongue. Tick Tock remained upright, but only just, and she was glad that Silvertongue had put a barrier in place; had he not, the blast might have been lethal. A cloud of glittering golden smoke was left in the wake of the explosion, shining like diamonds in sand catching a glimpse of the sun. When the smoke cleared and the barrier was lowered, the zebras and Tick Tock let out a collective gasp.

Another alicorn now stood at the center of where the runic circle had been. She was slightly shorter than Silvertongue himself, and much less robust; thin and elegant, a swan in both figure and color, for her coat was of the purest white Tick Tock had ever seen, with a sheen so bright that it resembled the light of the moon. Her mane and tail gleamed with golden, starry luster, and they flowed and wreathed around her, a gorgeous, silken gown fit for a queen. A small tiara made of pure crystal rested upon her head, adorned with an extravagant collection of gems that changed color as they caught the light—Prism Stars, so rounded and pure that they could not be natural. A matching necklace hung from her neck, with matching bracelets on each leg just above the hoof. She was otherwise nude, allowing her graceful, luxurious figure to be on full display, an object of purity and innocence. Her horn was long and had a rounded tip, worthy of the envy of any unicorn; her wingspan was considerable, easily outstripping even the most well endowed pegasus. Upon her flank, her cutie mark: a golden halo bound by elongated silver wings, each shining with the brightness of a star.

This new alicorn stood and stared at Silvertongue with a sullen frown, and as Tick Tock watched her she could not help but feel as miserable and confused as the alicorn looked.

“My Lady Harmonia,” Silvertongue said, bowing his head low to the floor and spreading his wings in salute. “Words cannot express the elation I feel in seeing you again. Forgive me for extracting you from the Dreaming so abruptly; were there another method, I would have utilized it, but this is the only manner in which you and I may converse, sad to say.” When he rose and looked into her eyes, he, too, grew sad, his smile melting into a frown. “Are you not pleased to see me?”

“I know not if I should be... my dearest Warden,” Harmonia said, turning from him to look up at the dimmed Beacon. “I had thought thee lost to me for a great many years, and I yearned to see thee again, for thou art a treasure within my soul. Thine actions in days long past brought elation and unity to many a pony who needed guidance and love, and with thee at my side, I was able to watch the ponies in my care know peace and hope. I could not bear to part with thee, but I knew thou wouldst serve the greater good of ponies everywhere if I did. While I could not support thy war efforts, I trusted thee to go forth with good cause.

“But after thy return and second departure… you constructed a veil beyond which I could not see for all my trying. For ages, I knew not of thy fate, and feared thee perished or worse, but… I have heard tale of thine actions beyond the veil.” She turned back to Silvertongue, her eyes dark with anguish. “I sent thee beyond the veil, and my belief was that thou wouldst bring the same joy and laughter to the ponies of the north that thou didst here. But thou didst not… thou didst not…”

Silvertongue’s frown only deepened, and his golden eye dimmed to a subtle, sorrowful flicker. “My Lady, surely you can see that every action I have taken, I have taken in the name of balance and perfection. It is your ideal that the ponies of the world be able to live in harmony with one another… and that was the task I set out to accomplish. And I succeeded. The ponies of this land live together as one, and they know no sickness, or war, or hunger, or sorrow. Death is treated as another part of life, and the ponies here fear it not. While the zebras and ponies have occasional disputes, they are able to put aside their differences and live together in peace.

“Up north, it is quite the opposite. The ponies there are well acquainted with all of these ‘negative’ concepts, and they have come to accept them as a normal part of their everyday lives. They do not fear death, for they are prepared to face it every day. They know corruption, and hatred, and destruction, but they do not falter before them, no matter how they disapprove. They survive, and they survive together. And while it took time for the technology to develop, eventually, they sought out the ponies of your realm, not to make war, but to interact together and enjoy their bounty. But they still returned home, after a time, because despite all the terrible things there, it was still home.”

Harmonia paused, and shook her head. “Thy words… holdeth some truth, I must admit. I have witnessed many a visitor to these lands from the north, and while the taint of foul magicks lingered upon their souls, they did not seem to be in anguish; while those held within my bounty are ignorant of the horrors of life, those from the north seemed to be emboldened by those same horrors. But, I know not the fate of the surely countless ponies that do not visit these lands, and from the information I have been granted, I fear for their lives and their souls. I hear tales that foals perish in the streets, hungry and alone; that mothers and fathers draw their last breaths in their sleep, their lives taken by force; that young colts and fillies venture out to visit my realm, but never arrive, having been devoured by the terrors wrought by the Dark magicks of the very land around them.

“Even if thy words, sweet as ever, hold some truth to them, I fear that thou art neglecting to reveal information that may sully thy words and tarnish their delicious fragrance into some foul odor. It brings me comfort to hear thy voice and taste thy words upon the air again, but I fear their intent.” Harmonia frowned, her sorrow and regret palpable in the air. “I have learned of… a great atrocity thou hast committed, that because of thine actions, the gryphon's are no more, wiped clean from this earth like a stain. Please, my Warden, tell me that these words are untrue.” 

Harmonia’s words made Silvertongue’s entire posture slip, and for the brief moment before he recovered, he appeared as a young colt being scolded by his mother. “My Lady, do you imply that I am… lying to you? To you, my Lady, the one who groomed me into the stallion I am today, who taught me everything I know about benevolence? While I anticipated these inquiries, I did not expect them to be posed in such a... wounding fashion.”

He stood for a long moment, then took a deep breath and sighed. “A sacrifice was required to appease Nihila, lest she oppose my construction of the Beacons and seek vengeance against you, my Lady. If I allowed her to continue, this entire continent would be bathed in blood; I convinced her to pursue a different target. As the gryphons had been opposed to her attempts to conquer the north by allying with me against her, she sought vengeance against them, instead, and crafted a lethal plague with which to efficiently carry out her genocide. As I was ‘serving’ as her Warden at the time, it was my task to ensure her plan’s success, and thus I am directly responsible.”

Harmonia's dismay wafted through the air, drowning the rest of the courtyard in a dim fog. “No… my Warden, no…”

Several of the zebras began to whisper and rumble amongst themselves.  
“Did he say ‘Nihila’?”  
“He can’t have served under her.”  
“Nihila asked him to destroy the gryphons?”  
“Are they truly gone?”  
“Why would he answer to Nihila?”  
Only Zircon remained silent, watching events unfold with profound interest.

“Be that as it may,” Silvertongue continued, “said sacrifice took many generations to bear fruit, and for many a year I had thought it to be in vain; none regret that choice more than I, and it weighs heavy upon my heart. But after many centuries of ‘service’, I have accomplished the task I set out to do long, long ago: I have extinguished Nihila’s essence. She lives no more.”

This time, it was Harmonia’s turn to be shocked; the sorrow washed from her eyes, replaced by a bright lucidity. “Thou hast… destroyed my counterpart?”

“Do not act so surprised, my Lady. You can clearly see that I have… changed, since we last spoke. I destroyed her and took her essence for myself, that her power may be used in a manner which I see more fitting. You knew from the very beginning that the entire reason I left for the north was to unseat Nihila from her position of power; this just happens to be the method I chose.”

Harmonia shook her head in disbelief at first, then seemed to accept it, hanging her head in despair. “Yes… of course. Thou hast ascended, that much is plain for all to see. Thine aura glows with an inverse power rivaling mine own. But I do not believe that thou hast truly destroyed her… not completely.”

Silvertongue smiled. “True. Her ‘life’ may have ended, and the majority of her essence may now reside within me, but I know that alicorns cannot truly be destroyed. Even now, she waits within the Dreaming, biding her time before she regenerates enough strength to make some feeble attempt at reclaiming her essence from me.” He shook his head. “I do not plan on allowing that to occur.”

“Why hast thou done this, my Warden? No… my Warden no longer, thou hast made that apparent. Why hast thou ascended and become opposed to me… Silvertongue?”

Silvertongue smirked. “Opposed? My Lady, I do not wish to oppose you. I wish for us to unite as one, to bring balance and perfection the likes of which have never been seen before. No more conflict, no more hatred, no more disease or famine, no more suffering, no more death. Just bliss, peace, life, and love. That… is all that I desire. For our world. For every creature. For us.” He reached out his hoof and grasped hers, bringing it to rest upon his heart. “We need not be opposed to maintain our world’s balance between the forces of magic. We can coexist together. Our bond shall forge a new era in this world, and all we need to do is build it.”

Harmonia stared into his eyes. “Such a world… t’would be a wonderful place. One where all the little creatures, big and small, could live in harmony. Such a world I have seen in my dreams.” She frowned and shook her head. “But… such a world is a fantasy, Silvertongue. We both know that no matter how peaceful and bright a pony’s life might be, even the brightest star contains but a speck of darkness. Should that darkness fester and grow, even within the heart of one, this blissful world would come to an end, and I would have little in ways to counteract it.”

Silvertongue drew her closer, until their lips were but a hair’s breadth apart. “That is where I come in, my Lady. With Nihila’s essence at my beck and call, I have complete and utter control over the darkness within the hearts of mortals. Nihila twisted and cultivated that darkness to grow so that she may oppose you. I will syphon it: take it from them and absorb it into myself, that I may maintain my essence and maintain the harmonious world these creatures live in.”

“Thy wish is to… drain the darkness from the hearts of mortals… that they may all live in peace…” Harmonia remained silent for a long while, then drew her hoof away, letting it fall like a leaf, and pulled away from him entirely. “I… cannot agree to such an arrangement.”

Silvertongue stood in shock and fumbled for words. “What? But… it is in your nature to embrace the peace and bliss I propose. Why… why would you oppose it?”

“Whilst mine essence urges me to seek and nurture harmony amongst ponies, my counterpart included, it is not in my nature to directly influence others, only to guide and to advise. Thy proposal is that we make our world into one of pure harmony and bliss… but that would require that we force ponies, against their will, to submit to our… thy whims.”

“You would need not do any such thing. The responsibility would be my own, and as the representative of darkness, it would be within my nature to do so.” He reached for her hoof. “My Lady, please-”

Harmonia flinched away. “Even if the darkness within these mortals is so terrible, I would rather they live as they are, than to force them to live as I’d prefer. I cannot agree to such an arrangement. 'Tis my nature.”

Silvertongue frowned, and his lip quivered. “My Lady… you do not approve? I have spent centuries culturing this plan, to forge an ideal world by your side not as opposed counterparts, but as bonded partners. We would build our world together so that all would live in perfect harmony and peace, the ideal world you strive for, and… you do not approve?”

“No. I do not.”

Silvertongue remained silent for a long, long moment, his mouth curled in a pained frown, his eyes squeezed shut. When his eyes opened , his golden one flashed, bright as the sun, and he scowled and lit up his horn. “I see now that my own bias has blinded me, my Lady. I had hoped you would join me at my side and make our world the one we both desire… but if you wish to oppose me, so be it.”

Another loud noise interrupted him, a loud whoosh like a small jet flying by. Instead of a jet, however, a pegasus landed in the courtyard right next to Tick Tock. She recognized his silky purple cloak and hood immediately by the markings on it, those of the Harmony Guard, specifically that of the Warden to Harmonia himself. Mémoire had arrived, on schedule to the second; Tick Tock was glad that for once, somepony knew how to be punctual.

“You will stop zis at once!” Mémoire shouted, brandishing a rapier upon his hoof and pointing it at Silvertongue. “I know what is going on ‘ere, and you will go no furzer!”

Tick Tock couldn’t help but feel less than impressed, or safe for that matter, considering that he was threatening Silvertongue, an alicorn, with a puny weapon that looked positively flaccid compared to all the hefty weapons that the zebra soldiers were carrying and pointing at him. In the back of her mind, he couldn’t help but think that everypony—and everyzebra—present was just a few words away from getting into a sword-swinging contest, in all aspects of the idea.

Zircon was the first to speak, quickly bringing his runesword to bear to face the newcomer to the congregation. “Hold, knave! Let me make one thing clear:  
thy presence is not welcome here!  
Thou shalt leave this place with due haste,  
lest my blade make thee into paste.”

Mémoire sneered in Zircon’s direction. “Fool, I ‘ave no quarrel wiz you or your soldiers. Zis stallion before you, ‘e is not to be trusted. I am ‘ere to stop ‘im from doing somezing terrible. I must protect Lady ‘armonia!”

“Ah, I see!” Silvertongue laughed, though he did not dim his horn. “You must be Lady Harmonia’s new ‘Warden’. I recognize the Harmony Guard crest upon your cloak, now. It would certainly explain how you are aware of the situation at hoof.”

“Oui, I ‘ave been privvy to zee entire conversation. I ‘eard everyzing, saw everyzing. I will not allow zis to continue. You will not imperil Lady ‘armonia, zis I swear!”

“A charming fellow, that you are, and were I of the jealous sort, I would be quite envious that my Lady has chosen such a young, virile colt to serve in my place. I know you are not my first replacement, though.” He turned to Harmonia, a cruel smirk across his lips. “How many Wardens have you appointed since me, my Lady? How many have enjoyed your warm embrace? Four? Ten? Twenty? Even Nihila knew I was a paragon of a stallion; she leapt at the opportunity to claim me for her own.”

“You are no longer ‘armonia’s Warden, Silvertongue,” Mémoire snapped. “She ‘as said it ‘erself.”

Silvertongue scowled. “Lady Harmonia, if you would. You can posture yourself as unprofessionally as you please in referring to me without any sort of proper title, but do not disrespect your ‘station’, as it were. Not in my presence, not ever. If you wish to pretend to be a true Warden, then act as such, otherwise cease this farce and fly elsewhere. We have no need of a foolish colt here, deluded by sweet nothings in his ear that truly meant nothing.”

“This colt hath no respect to share,  
for Harmonia, Goddess fair,” Zircon said.   
He hoisted his sword up in his tail, looking all but ready to use it as intended on Mémoire.  
“‘Tis why our kind holds no concern  
for his role, which he did not earn.”

“Foolish zebra!” Mémoire shouted. “Do you not know what ‘e is going to do? Can you not see what ‘e is planning? We are on zee same side, ‘ere! We must protect Lady ‘armonia!”

Tick Tock flustered. “Sir Zircon, really, are you so blinded by idolization that you can’t see that your bloody ‘hero’ here is not what he seems to be? You heard Harmonia say that she doesn’t approve of what he’s doing, and you’re really going to side with him?” 

Zircon paused, his sword lowering just a little, and glanced sideways at Silvertongue.  
“‘Tis true, his words hath worried me,  
but his plan, I cannot foresee.”

“What more of his plan do you need to hear? He’s planning on destroying the world as we know it and remaking it the way he thinks is best.”

“And ‘e is planning to do to Lady 'armonia what ‘e did to Nihila!” Mémoire said. “We cannot allow zis!”

“Enough of this prattling,” Silvertongue huffed. He turned to Tick Tock, his face contorted in such anger that she feared for her life. “Miss Tock, I never had a chance to answer your question properly. While you are certainly aware by now that I destroyed Nihila’s body and ascended by absorbing her essence, you are not aware of how such a feat was accomplished. Allow me to demonstrate!” He lit up his horn a bright red.

“Non!” Mémoire shouted. He bolted at Silvertongue, rapier at ready, with such speed that Tick Tock barely saw him move.

But Silvertongue, without even turning to look or aim, fired a fearsome blast of magic at the Warden to Harmonia. There was a split second of light and the sound of burning and screaming; then, there was nothing. Where Mémoire had once been, now there was just a pile of ash and a wisp of smoke; what was left of his rapier fell with a clang to the cobblestone exposed under the melted snow.

“Holy shite!” Tick Tock blurted. 

“My Warden!” Harmonia shrieked. She turned to Silvertongue in horror. “What hast thou done?!”

“My Lady Harmonia fair,  
please, feeleth not any despair.”  
Zircon said, hefting his massive runesword in Silvertongue’s direction and bringing it up to guard himself.  
“I am Zircon, Knight of Black Flame,  
and-”

Silvertongue blasted him with the same burst of magic he’d used on Mémoire. Zircon’s blade absorbed almost the entirety of the blast, and was disintegrated for its troubles; the explosive force of his runesword’s destruction sent Zircon himself flying all the way into the outer courtyard wall, where he crumbled in a heap with a barely audible grunt.

“Sir Zircon has fallen!” The other zebras drew their weapons in response. “Charge! For Zeb’ra’den!” shouted a number of them.

And charge they did, though they did not make it far before a wall of light washed over the lot of them. Where once were dozens of zebra soldiers, now there was nothing more than scorched stone, melted snow, and charred bits of metal that had escaped the blast.

Tick Tock slowly backed away; SIlvertongue did not look in her direction, but merely continued with his work, lighting his horn a bright red. She wasn’t sure if she should be thankful or terrified that he did not consider a threat. Probably both.

“Silvertongue… why?” Harmonia murmured. Tears welled in her eyes, her lip quivered, and her voice caught in the back of her throat. “Why art thou-”

Silvertongue snorted. “You claim to uphold the ideals of harmony and balance, to desire nothing more than for all ponies under your veil to be happy and carefree. That cannot happen if you lack the ambition to ensure it. Ponies are by their very nature unable to live in total bliss and peace. There will always be conflict. Even in the Utopia I built from nothing for you, ponies only achieved near-perfection; they still bicker and argue; they still grow older and die. If you want ponies everywhere to live in blissful ignorance of the evils of life, you must make them. Not through war or by law, but by molding their very essence, removing their ability to comprehend such things. Only then can life be perfect, for only then are no flaws that can be perceived. You lack that conviction, and you always have. So now, I will take your power, and I will accomplish with it what you refuse to do yourself.

“Alicorne, voici ton heure dernière,” he said, his voice loud and booming,  
“Face à ma force, tu finiras par fléchir  
J'entends à présent l'ultime Lumière  
Dans les Ténèbres, je t'enverrai dépérir  
Ton enveloppe physique, pour l'éternité  
De sang et de magie sera dépossédée!”

The moment he completed his incantation—for that was the only thing Tick Tock could call it—Silvertongue’s horn’s glow shifted from a dark, menacing red to a brilliant, pure gold, and a lance of shining magic struck Harmonia in the chest. She screamed, her voice like that of a million foals writhing in agony. Though she struggled and writhed under the assault, eventually she succumbed and collapsed to her knees. The conflicting scent of sulfur and sugar filled the air. The air throughout the courtyard crackled with energy, shattering marble columns and tearing the foundation of defunct Beacon to shreds. All the snow in the courtyard melted, and within seconds, thousands upon thousands of flowers sprouted, bloomed, and died. Equestria’s two moons dimmed, as though their light had been syphoned away, and storm clouds blanketed the sky, blotting out the rapidly diminishing stars. A glow surrounded Harmonia’s body, and the light from it flowed freely into Silvertongue’s horn.

With a loud bang, the glow surrounding Harmonia vanished. Purple smoke, remnants of a magical blast, smouldered upon the side of Silvertongue’s neck, and he turned to face the source, his good eye alight with anger, his golden eye shining brighter than the sun, illuminating the courtyard in place of the vanishing moonlight. “It would seem as though I have more guests of honor,” he said with a scowl. “Uninvited guests, to be sure.”

“Whatever you’re doing, whoever-you-are, it’s going to stop right now,” said Twilight Sparkle. She and the other Elements of Harmony had arrived in the courtyard, standing tall and ready within Twilight’s protective barrier; Tick Tock had never seen the six of them looking quite so impressive, and marveled at what a little rest and food could do. Behind them, Flathoof, Lockwood, Queen Blackburn, Briarthorn, and Shroud had also come along, but they kept their distance.

“Twilight!” Tick Tock shouted, scrambling to close the distance between herself and the only thing in the entire courtyard that might be able to protect her. “About bloody time you showed up! What took you? Did I need to send a written invitation?”

“Sir Zircon told us to wait in our chambers and let him and his squad handle the disturbance here,” Twilight explained. “We got tired of waiting. We were worried about you, and it’s been a while since Sir Zircon and the others left.” She looked around the courtyard, puzzled. “What’s going on here? Where are all the zebras? Who is this-”

A groan nearby drew their attention.

“Sir Zircon!” Rarity shouted. She hurried from the barrier to the wall where Zircon had collapsed, and knelt at his side, hoisting the bloodied zebra’s head into her lap. “Oh, darling, speak to me! Please!”

Zircon could only cough, but he smiled at Rarity and took her hoof in his. Twilight, in the meantime, extended her shield to encompass them as well.

Rarity scowled, and turned to face Silvertongue. “What have you done to him you-” She paused a moment, flustered. “You… monster? Everypony else is seeing what I am seeing, yes? Is that an alicorn stallion there? He looks... familiar.”

“And well he should, because he’s not just any alicorn stallion, Rarity,” Tick Tock grunted. She turned to the Silvertongue and sneered. “This here is that bloody Silvertongue fellow you lot tried to warn Harmonia and her Warden about. The same one from that memory vision the old gryphon showed you.”

“What? Impossible,” Twilight said. “That would make him centuries old. Probably close to a full thousand, if all the dates are correct.”

“One thousand years old today, as a point of fact,” Silvertongue said, turning his attention fully upon them. He lit up his horn, placing a barrier around himself and the portal structure. “I take it that you have studied a great deal about my exploits, Miss Sparkle. I should feel flattered, but your tone certainly doesn’t not inspire such a feeling.”

“You certainly don’t look that old,” Rarity said. “If anything, you’re dreamier now than you were in the visions we saw.” She saw Applejack and Rainbow give her disapproving glances. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“It would seem that nopony here is aware that one of the perks of being a Warden is exceedingly unnatural longevity, should the alicorn in question desire to keep you as their Warden for an extended period.” Silvertongue smiled. “It amuses me that, even though he possesses not my gift, Elder Gilderoy has managed to extend his life as well. Likely through gryphon-made bionics. A pity he must rely on such outdated technomagicks. How is that old bird?”

“Y’all got a lot o’ nerve,” Applejack spat, “askin’ how he is after y’all betrayed ‘n’ killed off his entire race just ‘cause somepony told ya to. Don’t you act like you care one bit about him.”

“On the contrary, I care very much for Elder Gilderoy. He and were close acquaintances, you know? Were I able to access his sanctuary I would gladly pay him a visit, maybe update his technomagicks. I assure you, you are mistaken about the complex inner workings of events depicted in Elder Gilderoy’s memories, which were surely tainted by his unfortunate and misinformed bias, but I don’t suppose you have any interest in listening to my side of the story.” Silvertongue shrugged and brushed off his dress suit. “At any rate, this certainly has been the most eventful birthday I’ve partaken in in centuries. Hence, I do not appreciate a congregation of ‘party crashers’, as one would say.”

“Ooh, it’s your birthday?” Pinkie gasped. She took a deep breath. “♫Happy Birthday to-”

“Pinkie,” Rainbow interrupted. “Bad guy. Remember?”

Pinkie blushed. “Oh. Right.” She shook her head, and her expression whiplashed from excited to stern. “You! You didn’t invite us to your party! Also, you killed a bunch of innocent gryphons, and probably a bunch of ponies, too! Those are way more important! That makes you a bad guy, and in case you don’t know who we are, we don’t like bad guys! We kick bad guys’ butts!”

“Yeah! I don’t know if you know this, but where we’re from, we’ve stopped all sorts of world-conquering nutjobs just like you.” Rainbow boxed her hooves as they crackled with lightning. “Bring it on, chump. This may not be our planet, but you’re crazy if you think we’re gonna just let you take it over.”

“I’m pretty sure he bloody well knows who you lot are,” Tick Tock said. “He knows who I am, because that assassin that’s been after me was working for him. It doesn’t take a genius to know that everything that psycho knew, so does he.”

“Even without Shadowstep’s involvement, I would have been made well aware of the true identities of Miss Dash and her associates in due time,” Silvertongue said. “He merely hastened the process in which I was able to acquire it, and most of the credit for the research belongs to you, Miss Tock. Don’t sell yourself short, my dear.”

“What have you done to Harmonia?” Twilight demanded, increasing her horn’s glow and reinforcing her barrier, ready for Silvertongue’s attack. “Where are the other zebras? Where’s Warden Mémoire?”

“As to the latter, that fool is dead, and deservedly so for his attempts to assault a being with power that surpasses his at such an exponential level. As are the other zebras, for much the same reasons; only that one, over there”—he pointed at Zircon—“survived, due to his runesword absorbing the majority of the blast. A lucky one, in that his respect towards myself and Harmonia was such that I felt no need exert further effort and end his life. As for Harmonia, I had been in the process of absorbing her essence, much as I had done with Nihila’s, until you lot so rudely interrupted.”

Pinkie gasped. “Wait… you’re the one Nihila is seeking revenge on? You’re why she tried to take over Red?”

Silvertongue looked genuinely puzzled. “I beg your pardon? Your words themselves do not confuse me, so much as the fact that you are somehow aware-” He paused, and smiled. “Ah. I see. A cunning plan, indeed. Subtle. Creative. I am flattered that her attempt at vengeance utilized a scheme with so many layers. Clever mare. A pity it fell apart.”

“Okay, now I’m the one that’s confused,” Rainbow said. “How do you know what we’re talking about?”

“I think it’s pretty obvious now,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes. Again, she brightened her horn’s glow and reinforced her barrier; everything Silvertongue said made her more hesitant to let down her guard. “Listen to the way he talks, Rainbow. Remind you of anypony?”

Rainbow paused, then brightened in realization. “Wait… wait, no, that… that can’t be right. Can it? I mean, how? Why? What does that have anything to do with him taking over the world?”

“Your head is a flurry of questions, Miss Dash, and you think too small,” Silvertongue said. He chuckled. “I believe you will receive your answers in due time. However, I must regretfully inform everypony that I have new matters to attend to. If you’ll give me but a moment.”

“Not so fast!” Twilight shouted. “You think we’re going to just let you do whatever it is you think you’re doing?”

Silvertongue smiled. “Yes, I do believe you will. If not by polite tact, then by force.”

He ignited his horn and dropped his shield, firing a blast of glowing red magic directly at Twilight’s barrier. The blast struck with such explosive force that it flattened several of the courtyard’s decorative columns and shook the very foundation of the Beacon, causing it to shudder and groan. The first layer of Twilight’s protective shield shattered like glass, bits of magical energy falling to the floor and evaporating into mist.

“Hmm… it would seem as though you are well-versed in protective shielding,” Silvertongue said with a cheeky grin. “Impressive.”

“Get him, girls!” Twilight shouted.

Rainbow rocketed out of the protective bubble, pulling a large chunk with her that surrounded her in a miniature shield of her own. Applejack followed suit, protected now by a thick layer of marble and a magical shield; Pinkie did so as well, now clad in her tight blue spandex with gold trim and a bright red helmet.

“Most impressive,” Silvertongue commented as the trio approached him.

He lit up his horn and blasted all three at once with beams of light. All three were knocked flying back into Twilight’s barrier, cracking through the second layer of protection and shattering their own individual shields as well. In a panic, the three of them hurried back into the relative safety of Twilight’s barrier.

"Okay, uh... change of plans," Rainbow muttered. "Goldilocks here packs a punch."

Silvertongue adjusted his tie. "If we're quite through with these time-wasting shenanigans, I have important work to do." 

He ignited his horn, and with a simple, disinterested look, he fired a burst of energy at the Eternal Eye resting within Tick Tock’s portal construct. The light from the blast spread out across the structure’s frame, reaching out and grasping onto the edges bit by bit, like a spider web. As the last streams of light filled the structure, a fierce rumble shook the courtyard, and an honest-to-goodness portal opened within the confines of the construct, granting a view of the endless, enigmatic, and beautiful abyss beyond.

Tick Tock gasped. “Wh-what?" she sputtered. "Y-you just opened a-a-a bloody portal, mate! You c-can’t do that, not.... not without p-p-proper knowledge of how they work. How did you-” Silvertongue turned, and pulled from his pocket a tiny silver pocket watch; Tick Tock paled. “M-my Timekeeper! You- how- but-”

“There is an astounding amount of information within this little device, far more than anypony could hope to grasp in a lifetime,” Silvertongue said, opening the watch and twisting the dial. “Luckily, my ascended state of being gives me a certain level of omnipotence, and I was able to divulge all I needed. Its capabilities are seemingly endless, and they reflect the power and creativity of the wielder to such a degree that in my hooves there is no limit to what I can accomplish.” 

He stepped towards the portal, adjusting dials as he went, then turned back to Tick Tock. “Now then, Miss Tock, I believe you wanted an answer for why I left you alive, correct? It’s because only a Chronomancer can truly appreciate the magnitude of what I am setting out to do. I know you will want to stop me, and I eagerly await your attempt, for all it will do is confirm my theories. So, before I depart, I wish to say that I have taken a certain interest in what this device calls… ‘Equestria Prime’.”

“No! No no no! You psycho, you can’t-” She turned to Twilight and the others. “Quick, we have to stop him!”

Twilight nodded and lit up her horn. “On it.”

Silvertongue tapped his head. “Oh, and because I must ensure I have time to to prepare myself for the inevitable pursuit—again, you appreciate my actions and would naturally oppose them—I require a certain amount of distraction, such that my pursuers are not nipping at my hooves, so to speak.” He tilted his head just slightly, and smiled. “Though I did not expect the opportunity that has presented itself to do so. This will do nicely, a much better solution than I'd anticipated. Hello, Shroud.”

Shroud jumped, and pointed at herself. “Are… are you talking to me?”

“That I am, and it brings me great delight to be in your presence again. Welcome back.”

Shroud froze up, and her eyes shined with a bright green glow. She lit her horn and fired at Twilight; Blackburn moved and took the blast in the chest. Though it left no physical marks, Blackburn still reeled from the blast and tumbled to the floor. Flathoof and Briarthorn quickly flanked Shroud and brought her to the ground before she could fire another blast at anypony else. She went down without much struggle.

“BB!” Lockwood shouted, at her side before she could hit the ground. “BB! Are you okay?”

She gurgled in response, blood trickling from her mouth.

While the others frantically tried to see to Blackburn and ensure that Shroud was subdued, Tick Tock bolted after SIlvertongue as he entered the portal. As soon as he disappeared through to the other side, though, the portal shrunk. “No!” Tick Tock exclaimed, leaping through the air in an attempt to reach the closing tear. It snapped shut just as she reached it, and she slammed into the surrounding construct instead. She let loose a string of obscenities so vulgar, so vile, that everypony present was rendered speechless, and silence hung in the air of the courtyard like a thick mist.

The silence broke with a flash and a pop as six more mares joined the congregation. "Ah, it appears as though we have arrived with some degree of punctuality," Starlight said, elated. "They have not yet departed for their homeworld. Most splendid timing."

"Great, now what?" Rainbow grunted. She and Applejack took point in front of the others. "Who invited these jerks?"

"Haven't y'all had your fill yet?" Applejack huffed. "We've got enough to deal with, here. We don't need more o' this evil clone horseapples."

The six new arrivals glanced about at the scene, curious and confused. "Uh... what happened here? Look like a warzone," Havocwing murmured.

"Your father happened," Twilight said, stepping alongside Rainbow and Applejack. "Kinda convenient that you bunch show up just now."

"F-father?! He was here?!" Starlight exclaimed. "Where is he?"

"He vanished through a portal just a minute ago, after killing dozens of zebras, Harmonia's Warden, Harmonia herself, nearly killing our friends Blackburn and Zircon, and he certainly would have tried to kill us if he hasn't been in such a hurry."

"Yeah, so forgive us if we ain't too glad ta see y'all," Applejack added. 

"Zircon? That sounds-" Insipid gasped, then effectively destroyed what was left of the silence with a high-pitched wail. “Zirky! Oh no! My boyfriend!” she shouted. In a blur of silver, gold, and black, she was at Zircon’s side, embracing him with such fervor that she knocked Rarity aside. “You’re hurt! Somepony, like, help! Red! Get over here!”

“Boyfriend?” Velvet said, quirking an eyebrow. “Wait, what? You have a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, and he’s totally hurt! Please, you gotta help!”

Rarity grunted, but kept her distance. “He is not her boyfriend. He would say so himself if he were not injured, and I am certain that she isn’t helping his condition any by being in such close proximity. He needs help.”

“So does my BB!” Lockwood shouted, his face contorted in pain as he tried to absorb her own. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her!”

"His what?" Havocwing asked. She frowned when she saw him crouched over another mare. "Oh..."

“Nopony here knows any proper Restomancy,” Twilight said. “We need to get them to the zebra healers immediately. Come on-"

“There’s no time!” Tick Tock snapped. “We need to reopen this portal immediately! Everything else can wait-"

"Tick Tock, whatever it is Silvertongue is up to, it can wait until we make sure our friends are alive and well." She turned to Harmonia and frowned. "But without Harmonia..." She turned to Briarthorn. "Briarthorn, you're the fastest flier here other than Rainbow. Can you go let the healers know what's going on while we try to settle things out here?"

"Of course! I'll be back in two shakes of my tail," Briarthorn said with a salute before rocketing off.

“Red, you can help them both, at least until some real healers get herr,” Grayscale suggested, nudging her sister forward. "Might help our cause, too."

"Yeah, good idea, Gray," Havocwing agreed. She slapped Velvet on the shoulder. "Go on, use that... thing you do. Just try not to gross anypony out this time."

"Why should we trust that you're going to help, hmm?" Rarity asked. "This could be a trick."

"If it's a trick, he's not going to last long anyway, not looking like that. What have you got to lose by letting us help?"

“Okay, look,” Velvet huffed, “I’m all for trying to get all buddy-buddy with everypony now, but seriously, somepony needs to explain to me what the buck is going on that Insipid has a boyfriend while I can’t even find a guy just for some casual, raunchy-”

Grayscaled grunted. “Red, help first, ask questions later.”

Velvet rolled her eyes and trotted over. “Fine, fine. Move over everypony, the doctor is in.” She grumbled to herself as she approached Zircon , and slid her blood tendrils along his wounds, which began healing rapidly. She clicked her tongue. “Dammit, figures that Insipid snagged a total hottie, too. And a zebra. Hey, is what they say about zebras true?” she asked, looking at Rarity. "I hear they've got huge-"

Rarity turned red and coughed. “I… I h-haven’t the foggiest what you mean. Shouldn't you be focused on helping?”

Applejack gasped, jabbing a hoof in Insipid’s direction. “Wait a sec- that hat! That’s my hat!”

Insipid paused to glance upward at the hat on her head. “Oh. Right, it is.” With a casual effort, she tossed the hat back to Applejack; it landed in the melted snow at her hooves. “Here you go. Now, I have to get back to, like, panicking over my dying boyfriend.” And she did just that.

Applejack took her hat up in her hooves and checked it all over for damage. Satisfied, she replaced it on her head, then grunted. “What gives? What’re y’all doin’ here, anyhow? And actin' all... helpful.”

"Yeah, last time they were acting all buddy-buddy like this they were just trying to butter us up for... whatever it was they had planned," Rainbow added.

Tick Tock spat in the snow. “You bloody well know why they’re here. They’re in cahoots with that rotten Silvertongue fellow, and have been all along. They’re here to distract us from chasing after him, and they're doing a bang up job right now.”

“I would advise you to cease the utilization of derogatory language directed at our father,” Starlight said. “Our intended purpose here is amicable and we bear none of you any ill will, but invectives visited upon our father will be met with harsh response.”

“And threatening our friend will be met with equally harsh response, Starlight,” Twilight said. “Why are you all here, if not to antagonize us?”

Starlight and her sisters shared brief glances with one another. “We are here to… well, we had hoped you and your companions could assist us in ameliorating some concerns of ours. However, in light of recent events, I have doubt that any of you would be willing to offer assistance.”

“Wait, you want our help?” Rainbow asked. “After all you’ve done to us?”

“That is correct, Rainbow Dash,” Starlight said with a bow. “Though considering that our father’s relation to us seems to be an unfortunate additional blemish upon our trustworthiness, I express little hope that you would deign to grant us that assistance. Seeing as he, too, would also hold the information we seek, that he has departed brings us no joy.”

A groan from the body of Harmonia drew the attention of the collective group. “Now I see… the connection. Thou art… Silvertongue’s progeny…”

“Harmonia!” Twilight shouted, rushing to the fallen alicorn’s side. “Thank goodness you’re still alive.”

“I am... not long for this... mortal realm, my dear,” Harmonia breathed. “My former Warden’s... incantation was too great... for this body to bear. He hath stolen... most of my essence... and with it... my power.” 

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "That voice... were you the one that communicated with us in that dream state?"

Harmonia nodded. "That I am. It pleases me... to see that my words... have inspired thee... to change thy ways..."

"What are you two talking about?" Twilight asked.

"After our prior encounter, Sparkle, my sisters and I underwent an... ordeal," Starlight said. "Harmonia has just confirmed her involvement, though I know not the capacity."

Twilight rubbed her chin. "She... helped you?"

"Yeah, seems that way," Grayscale said. "Don't know why or how, though."

"Thy souls were tainted... tainted by the essence of my counterpart, Nihila," Harmonia explained. "When her essence rebelled... against thy rejection of her philosophy... I stepped in to... protect thee. In doing so... Nihila's essence... no longer shall... influence thy thoughts."

Tick Tock trotted over. “Forgive me if I sound brash, my Lady Harmonia, but we must hurry after your former Warden. We need to catch him before he arrives at his intended destination. This is a lot to ask, but we need that portal opened.”

“I am afraid… I can no longer… assist thee in thy task… Chronomancer.” Harmonia coughed. “This mortal body… lacks the strength…”

Twilight shook her head. “That's alright, it can wait. Our priority should be to help you and our friends-”

“You don’t get it, Twilight!” Tick Tock snapped. “Silvertongue said he left me alive because he knew I would appreciate his words. I know where he is headed, and whatever his plan is, nothing good can come of his arrival there. Chronomancer guidelines assert that the protection of Equestria Prime comes at the highest possible priority, absolutely no exceptions. Whatever is happening here and now can wait, because then and there is more important.”

“What could possible be more important than our friends living or dying?”

“The entirety of reality living or dying.”

A silence filled the courtyard. 

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“It would take too long to explain, but if Silvertongue reaches Equestria Prime, anything he does there could have drastic effects on any and all Equestrias everywhere. Mine, yours, every single Equestria is in danger. We have to go after him, and we have to do it now.” Tick Tock took a deep breath. “Luckily, I am well versed in how to open the portal, I was only lacking in the power capacity to open one.”

“All the more reason to help Harmonia, then. She was our only source of the kind of power you need-”

“Not anymore. I certainly hoped I could still count on her assistance, but another option has presented itself.” Tick Tock turned to Starlight. “Your presence may or may not have been intended as a distraction, Starlight, but you seem to insist you have good intentions. So, time to prove it: you have the power and the ability to do the same as your father, to open a portal. Your magical strength alone isn’t enough, but your control over Void magicks will give us some leeway. Prove you can be trusted, if you're so keen on that idea."

“Hold on, you’re asking her to help you chase down and stop her father?”

Starlight quirked an eyebrow. “What portion of her proposal perplexed you, Sparkle? It sounded perfectly coherent to me.”

“So are you in, or not?” Tick Tock asked.

Starlight turned to her sisters, and nodded. “There is no discernable reason for why I would not acquiesce to your request, Chronomancer. My sisters and I have already come to an agreement amongst ourselves that, in our seeking of answers to our questions about our existence, we would see to it that the Elements of Harmony would not view us as adversaries. Thus, assisting you in this endeavor should endear us to them. And, should it not, our father, too, would surely possess the answers we seek, and this would allow us to seek him out in pursuit of these answers. It is truly of no benefit to us in any manner of speaking to deny you your request for assistance.”

“A simple ‘yes’ would have sufficed.” Tick Tock shook her head. “Now, opening the portal is easy, if one knows how to do so. You don’t, I do, so I’m going to direct your magical flow with my own.” She stood behind Starlight, and pointed the other unicorn towards the portal. “Whenever you’re ready-”

“Hold on, you’re going to trust them, just like that?” Rainbow interjected.

Tick Tock glared at Rainbow. “As I said, my priority right now is catching Silvertongue before he reaches Equestria Prime. As I cannot relay a message to any of my counterparts in the Equestrias further down the line he must travel, I need to pursue him myself, at any cost. If Starlight chooses to betray me now or later, it is of no consequence; she is my only source of transportation at present, so loathe though I am to trust her after our history, I have no choice. Besides, she benefits from catching her father, too, so all the more reason for her to assist me.”

“But-”

“If you do not wish to assist me, Rainbow Dash, then sit down and keep your bloody trap shut,” Tick Tock grunted. “You’d be a fool not to go along with this, as Starlight’s power is now your only source of transportation home. We have to burrow through the Void to reach your realm first, anyway, as that is the route Silvertongue must take-”

“Wait, Silvertongue is heading to our world?” Twilight interjected.

“It will be his first stop on the route through the Equestrias between this world and Equestria Prime, yes. He started in Equestria-V, and so must burrow through the Void to reach Equestria-IV—your world—followed by Equestria-III and so forth until he reaches Equestria Prime. Now, if nopony has anything to add, Starlight and I need to get to work.”

Twilight turned to her friends, then back to Tick Tock. “How can we help?”

Tick Tock turned her attention back to Starlight. “I’ll let you know if we need any, Twilight. Now then, Starlight? Channel your magic at full force directly at the Eternal Eye at the center of the construct,” she said, pointing at the portal structure. "No holding back."

“Affirmative,” Starlight said. She lit up her horn and, with a mighty roar, fired a stream of magic at the gemstone. The energy wave spasmed, pulsing and vibrating in the air, until at last it steadied itself and sustained the form of a continuous, focused beam of light.

Tick Tock lit up her own horn and channeled her magic through Starlight's beam. The gemstone at the construct's center flashed and rippled outwards with energy, but the light did not quite reach the structure's outer ring. The energy feedback was such that her head felt like it was on fire; was this how it felt to be as strong as Twilight was? 

She grumbled to herself, despite the headache. “Blast it all.”

“What manner of conundrum has beset you, Chronomancer?”

“Suffice to say, even a unicorn of your stature and control over the Void doesn't possess enough magic to open a portal alone. While normally I’d enjoy saying you’re not as powerful as you think you are… this is not one of those times I wish you were just a showboating braggart. Bloody brilliant.”

Starlight grunted. “Impossible. My power is insurmountable-”

“Maybe for a unicorn, but I guess we need the strength of an alicorn after all. Dammit!”

“Hold on!” Havocwing interjected. “Sis, remember when we helped pops resist Nihila’s magic way back? Together, we were able to hold up against the exact thing we need here: the power of an alicorn. Right? I’m right, aren’t I?”

Starlight beamed. “I do recall this event. Come then, join me sisters!”

Red Velvet grunted and stood from her spot near Lockwood and Blackburn. "Sorry, kiddo, I gotta go help over there, now. I don't think I'm helping much over here anyway. Whatever got your mare here, got her but good."

Lockwood shook his head. "You did what you could... but I suppose the zebra healers will have to help, now..."

Tick Tock watched as Starlight’s sisters congregated around Starlight, embracing her tightly. She wasn't sure how, but this made Starlight’s magic more potent, nearly doubling in power, as though supercharged by an extra source. The beam expanded and rippled through the air, generating waves of heat and air and turning the cold courtyard into a blistering summer's day. The strain on her own horn and head increased with it, tenfold if not more, until it felt like somepony was drilling a spike into her skull.

Still, though, she had no choice but to slump in defeat; the rippling light still didn't quite reach the edges. “While that was a substantial increase, we’re still only about sixty percent there. We need more power.”

“This sounds like a job for us, then,” Twilight said with a smile. She lit up her horn.

“Hold on, Twilight!” Tick Tock flustered. “This is pure Void energy we’re working with, here. Remember?”

“Which is why I’m going to redirect my magic through you, first, so that you can transfer it safely to Starlight. Like a chain, of sorts.” Twilight turned to her friends, and beckoned them over. “Come on, everypony. We may not have the actual Elements with us, but we sure and heck can show these ponies that what really makes up their power is what’s inside of us. Let’s go!”

“Right behind ya, Twilight,” Applejack said, locking hooves with her friend.

“Yeah, okay… if we’re all gonna jump on this train, might as well be at full speed,” Rainbow agreed, doing the same.

Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy joined in as well, and with them at her side, Twilight channeled a powerful beam of magic that joined with Tick Tock’s horn, igniting it in a beacon of light.

“B-bloody hell. This... this might just do the trick.” She transferred the magic directly into Starlight, and the energy beam being fired at the Eternal Eye nearly tripled in size. A moment later, she cried out in pain, and the beam spasmed about, scorching the ground and tearing apart the marble columns nearby. Every fiber of her being felt like it was being torn apart. "I... I can't hold this much power in check! There's too much for me to control!"

"What can we do?" Twilight asked, ducking as an errant stream of magic whizzed by her head.

"I need... I need some sort of grounding mechanism." Tick Tock turned to Flathoof. "Oy! Flathoof! I've got a job for you!"

Flathoof glanced down at the unconscious figure of Shroud beneath him. "Well, okay, I suppose. What can I do, though?" he asked as he approached, dodging stray bolts of magic.

"Alicorns control their power by balancing it through the powers of all three pony races: unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi. I'm just a unicorn, but if I use an earth pony and a pegasus as grounds, I can safely channel the energy." She grabbed his good hoof in hers; instantly, the strain on her body decreased immensely. "You're the only other earth pony here."

Flathoof took a deep breath as the surge of magic filled him. "Whoa, uh... okay, that feels weird."

"Bear with it, mate. Now, I just need a-"

"Pegasus?" Lockwood grunted as he sidled up alongside Tick Tock, offering his hoof. "I don't think anything I'm doing is helping Blackburn... so I may as well see this through."

"Right." She took his hoof in hers, and the strain on her body vanished completely. “Yes! Ha ha! That’s more than enough! Okay, now I just need to make some quick adjustments…”

The beam distended, expanded, mutated, shrunk, dimmed, changed color, and all around transmogrified itself until, with a loud crack, it struck just the right frequency and a portal opened. The beam dissipated immediately after, leaving everypony to stand, exhausted and awestruck at the results of their work.

“We… we did it!” Twilight exclaimed. “We opened the portal!”

“Outstanding,” Starlight agreed. She turned to her sisters, then to Twilight and the others. “Well then, shall we depart?”

"Yes, we shall," Tick Tock agreed. She turned to Flathoof and Lockwood. "You two should do what you can to help the others. We've got this covered from here on out."

"Good idea," Flathoof agreed. "You be careful, okay? All of you... be careful," he added, giving a long look at Applejack.

The remaining mares—Twilight and her friends, Starlight and her sisters, and Tick Tock—charged forward and entered the portal, disappearing into the abyss beyond. The portal snapped shut behind them.


	38. Incarceration

It was a beautiful day in Canterlot. The sun was shining a glorious blue, the birds were singing showtunes, and the air smelled of warm, buttered popcorn. A line was forming at the palace gates as ponies from all over the city and beyond came to petition the princesses for aid. Two ponies on the royal palace lawn disputed which sort of shampoo would work now that the entire lawn had been turned into hair. A royal guard’s sword turned into a tuna fish and escaped from its sheath. 

Princess Cadence stared blankly out the window of her room at the royal palace. “It’s getting worse,” she muttered. Cadence looked exhausted, at the end of her rope. Weeks of holding court in Celestia and Luna’s stead was, to be blunt, draining her of every ounce of energy she had. She rubbed the bags under her eyes and turned from the window. “Well, at least the sun isn’t screaming today.”

She went into the bathroom to get cleaned up before heading into court. Shining Armor was already there, brushing his teeth. She came up behind him and set her head against his. “Morning, honey.”

Shining spit toothpaste into the sink. He looked just as bad as she did, maybe worse - he knew more about Canterlot politics than her and stayed by her side every moment he could to help her with her duties, but despite his own soldierly endurance, he lacked her supernatural alicorn hardiness. “Morning. I don’t hear the sun today, is that a good thing?”

“Yes and no. It’s blue this time.”

“Ah. And the sky?”

“Surprisingly unchanged, but I don’t think that means things are improving.”

Cadence went through her brief morning routine as Shining finished with his. Teeth, brushed; mane and tail, combed; coat, cleaned; makeup, applied. By the time she was done, Cadence looked almost as good as her normally bright-eyed, bushy-tailed self would before all this stress. It helped put the ponies of Equestria at ease if she gave the impression that she was handling this crisis without worry.

She and Shining were ready to face the day. So, they made their way from their chambers to the royal court. A few guards were present, alert and astute. Cadence envied them. They could do their duties in shifts, but even they were beginning to look haggard. She worried for her husband’s health, as he did not afford himself the same courtesy despite being well within his rights to do so. It did make her love and appreciate him all the more. When all this was over, she’d already decided they were going on vacation; rather, a second honeymoon.

As Cadence sat on the royal throne, one guard pony, a brown pegasus with a red mane, came to speak to her. “Princess Cadence, good morning.”

Cadence smiled. “Good morning, Sturdy Oak. Any news from the Crystal Empire?”

“Nothing new, Princess. The Empire is still mostly unaffected by the current crisis, but border reports indicate that it won’t be long until that happens.”

“And Sir Spike?”

“His latest correspondence suggests that he’s stressed, but handling it, and again repeats his thanks for trusting him to handle things there.”

“I could think of no one better to hold court in my stead than the Dragon Hero himself,” Cadence said with a smile. “To Canterlot business, then. How many petitioners this morning?”

“There are approximately two dozen waiting for an audience already.”

“Ah, a slow morning today. Very well, show the first pony in, please.”

Sturdy Oak paused as he looked at Cadence’s face. He could recognize exhaustion well enough. “Princess, we could certainly wait a few minutes if you’d like. Take some time to eat a small breakfast, perhaps?”

“You ask that every morning, Sturdy Oak. And while I appreciate the concern--” Cadence shook her head. “It won’t do to keep them waiting. Show the first pony--”

There was a sound like cracking thunder, and suddenly the room went dark as night. The guard ponies all immediately drew weapons and poised themselves for combat. Shining Armor put himself in front of Cadence. Then, as soon as it came, the darkness abated, replaced with an odd, hazy purple glow that pulsed throughout the room. The thunder crackled again, and with it, the air in the center of the court started to churn.

“Sir?” one of the guards asked, looking to Shining Armor. “What is this? Changelings?”

“I don’t know,” Shining replied, eyes darting around the room. “Stay alert.”

After a moment, a hole tore itself in the air, a swirling vortex of darkness that exhaled a great wind with it. The guards found themselves pushed back from the sheer force. Shining Armor lit up his horn to form a shield and prepared for the worst.

To everypony’s surprise, a pony stepped out of the vortex. A tall, lean, silver stallion with a long horn and great wings, his mane a stunning gold. He was impeccably dressed and groomed, the picture of pristine perfection. One of his eyes glowed a bright gold while the other was fairly normal. He planted his hooves firmly on the floor of the court, and the vortex behind him vanished with another thunderous boom. The room otherwise returned to normal.

The guard ponies regained their composure and surrounded the stranger. The stranger looked among them without fear, or even curiosity, just an unnerving, penetrating stare, as if their presence was beneath his notice. He seemed more interested in taking in the room’s decor and layout.

Shining took a step forward, shield raised. “Halt! Identify yourself!”

The silver stallion turned to Shining and spoke. “I assume this is Canterlot Palace?” He observed the royal decor and the guards around. “It certainly has a ‘royal’ ambiance: exquisite decorations, armed guards, a throne. Though perhaps it is just a finely-crafted set piece - the scent of popcorn is out of place. I don’t suppose--”

“I asked you to identify yourself,” Shining asserted, taking another step forward. His guards followed suit, weapons raised.

“Forgive me, I get caught up in my observations at times. Also, I find it poor etiquette to demand identification from anypony without stating their own, at least in the context of our current situation. You seem like you’re in some place of diplomatic authority, and you’re addressing a stranger here on clearly diplomatic terms.”

Shining chanced a look back to Cadence, who remained calm and collected, staring straight at the mysterious stranger. He then faced the stranger again, shield still raised. “I am Shining Armor, and I lead the royal guards you see here. You are indeed in Canterlot Palace, however, as you are a stranger to us, that means you’re trespassing. Identify yourself and state your business.”

“A pleasure, Shining Armor,” the stranger said, dipping his head slightly. “Forgive my curtness, I’m just accustomed to being greeted and addressed in a certain manner befitting my station. My name is Lord Silvertongue, and I have traveled far to come here.”

“Lord of where, exactly?”

Silvertongue pondered this for a brief second. “I suppose as of now, Lord of Equestria.”

“You can’t be ‘Lord of Equestria’, the kingdom is ruled by the princesses, Celestia and Luna,” Shining stated. He glanced to his guards around the room, giving them a silent signal to prepare to attack this apparently hostile stranger. “Explain yourself.”

The signal was not missed by Silvertongue. “Oh no no, you misunderstand. Please, tell your guards to stand down, I mean you no harm,” he said with a smile.

Shining stood firm. “You have ten seconds to explain yourself--”

“I am Lord of Equestria, as I stated, but not of this Equestria. I am Lord of my own Equestria, a world far different from this one, though we seem to share a name.” He glanced out the window. “Our sun isn’t blue, for one thing. Nor does our air smell of--” He sniffed. “Popcorn? Ah, freshly buttered as well, not an unpleasant aroma.”

Shining let his shield relax for a brief instant. “You’re… from another world?”

“Yes, quite. And I’m here to help solve a problem I understand you’re having with yours at the behest of some acquaintances. If I might hazard a guess, that sun out there isn’t supposed to be blue, is it?”

Cadence spoke. “It is not.”

“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.” Silvertongue turned his attention to her. “You seem to be in a position of higher authority than Shining Armor here. Are you Princess Celestia, or Princess Luna? I’m afraid I was never given a physical description.”

“I am neither. I am Princess Cadence, a friend and companion of theirs, attending to courtly matters while they attend to… other matters.”

“I see. Where might I find them then? I have urgent business that requires their immediate attention, and I don’t wish to speak further of it unless in proper company.”

Cadence, while not used to dissidence in the court as of late, knew enough about Canterlot politics to play this game if this visitor wanted to play. “As acting head of this court, I would consider myself proper company to address matters of importance. Wouldn’t you?”

Silvertongue smirked. “I would. Forgive me if I seemed rude, only you weren’t mentioned in any capacity as a ruler of this world. I was under the impression it was only Celestia and Luna, the latter only fairly recently if I understand correctly?”

“That is normally the case, yes, but it isn’t now. I typically hold court in my own kingdom, but have stepped in to relieve Celestia and Luna at their request.”

“Fascinating. I had not expected a third alicorn in this world. If I may, which field or concept do you hold as your domain? By which I mean, Princess Celestia and Luna hold dominion over the sun and moon, respectively, so surely you have your own dominion over some such concept.”

“If it satisfies your curiosity, I am the Princess of Love,” Cadence replied. 

“Ah, and here I had chanced a guess at Princess of Beauty,” Silvertongue said with a coy grin. Shining Armor snorted, and SIlvertongue chanced a glance towards him briefly. “Ah… you two are a couple. It would explain your protectiveness thus far. Forgive me if I seemed forward, I am merely accustomed to complimenting other parties in these sorts of ‘highbrow’ conversations.”

Cadence gave her husband a small smile, then turned her attention back to their visitor. “Your compliment is noted, sir. Now, if I may, you appear to be an alicorn as well. Might I inquire as to your own domain?”

Silvertongue smiled. “Technically speaking, I am both Lord of Light and Lord of Darkness; Lord of Chaos and Lord of Harmony. I prefer Lord of Balance, myself.”

“And here I had chanced a guess at Lord of Speech,” quipped Cadence.

“Though your compliment has a twinge of mockery to it, I believe that might also be within my purview,” Silvertongue said with a smug grin. “Now, if we are done sharing pleasantries and satiating curiosities, I believe noted that I have urgent business to attend to. I have kept you far too long--”

“And I believe I have proven myself worthy of being informed of the matter at hoof, so you can tell me whatever it is that brings you here from your world. What might that be?”

“Very well, since you wish to continue your inquiry.” Silvertongue glanced out the window. “I am here to address a problem your world is experiencing, as it is my understanding that you lack the means to effectively stop it on your own. I believe you call him ‘Discord’?”

A murmur swept through the room. Shining and Cadence shared curious glances at each other. “You’re here… to stop Discord?” Cadence asked.

“I am here to address the problem, yes.”

“Why?” Shining asked. “How do you even know about him?”

Silvertongue smiled. “A small number of visitors from your world visited mine some time ago. They performed a series of favors for me and, in exchange, I am here to deal with this ‘Discord’ as it were. My understanding is that these visitors would normally be responsible for this task?”

Shining quirked an eyebrow. “These visitors would normally--” Then, realization struck. “Twilight?”

“Ah, then you know them?”

“Twilight Sparkle is my sister,” Shining said, lowering his shield and stepping closer. “Is she okay? Where is she?”

“They will be here soon enough, my good fellow, I assure you. They worried that it might be too late for them to arrive and stop this ‘Discord’, so I’m here to deal with the problem. It’s the least I could do for their assistance with my own matters.”

Cadence narrowed her eyes. “If you’re powerful enough to bring yourself here, why didn’t you bring them with you?”

“My method of travel is unsafe for those unaccustomed to and unprotected from the Void between our worlds, so I made this journey alone. Rest assured, methods are being taken care of back on my world to bring them home.” Silvertongue cleared his throat. “I am afraid, however, that in the midst of our conversation your sun seems to have turned into… a waffle. I assume that’s an ill omen?”

Cadence and Shining looked out the window. The sun was, indeed, a glowing golden waffle in the sky, dripping with butter and syrup. Literally, as the hills on the horizon were covered with the stuff.

“Thus,” Silvertongue continued, “it is of utmost importance that I see Princess Celestia and Luna, as I understand they are trying to keep him at bay. I merely come to offer my assistance, my dear ponies.”

Shining and Cadence shared a long look together, before Cadence nodded and Shining turned back to Silvertongue. “Follow me,” he said, as he started off for the hall.

***

Discord’s statue stood firm as ever, though covered in thousands of cracks, in the small room that Celestia and Luna had temporarily confined him too. The rest of the room, however, was less still - the ceiling and walls glowed with multicolored lights; the floor shifted to and fro like a conveyor belt. A resounding reverberation pounded against the walls at a constant beat from some unseen source.

Celestia and Luna were not as stable as the statue of Discord, shifting about as the floor carried them wherever it wanted, though they still maintained a rigid focus on their magic. Despite this, Discord’s influence was visibly wearing them down; their coats had lost nearly all of their luster, their glorious manes now dulled and messy.

Discord’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. “I was thinking just the other night, ‘Discord, you old rascal, since it’s so close to your day of days, shouldn’t we do something special?’ And I told myself, ‘Discord, that sounds like a marvelous idea!’ You know what I was thinking we should do? Have an old-fashioned shindig out in the middle of Canterlot Square, invite everypony in Equestria to come visit.”

Celestia and Luna did not respond.

“Oh, there’d be pie and punch, of course, but I can’t decide on a flavor. How does blurpleberry sound to you?”

No response.

“No? Maybe snozzberry?”

Still nothing.

“Oh you two are so boring. I really must do something about that when I get out of here. Liven things up. Maybe you two need a vacation. Luna, you’ve been to the moon before. I hear the Sea of Tranquility is lovely this time of year.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Ooh, guests! Come in, come in!”

The door unzipped open with a comically loud zipper sound. Shining Armor and Silvertongue entered the room.

“I do love having guests. Dealing with Princess Stuffypants and Princess Humdrum these past few weeks-- Oh look, it’s Shining Armor the Unfaithful. How’s the wife, Shiny? And who’s your friend?”

Silvertongue eyed the statue with interest. “A draconequus. Truly an ancient creature. Most fascinating.”

“Yes, fascinating,” Shining muttered. He turned to the princesses, who raised their attention to him and his visitor, giving the latter odd, scrutinous glances. “Forgive the intrusion, Princesses, but this is urgent. Presenting Lord Silvertongue,” he added, giving a proper dignitary gesture with his hoof.

Silvertongue bowed. “Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. A pleasure, and a shame we could not meet under more fortuitous circumstances.”

Discord snorted. “Pfft. Get a load of this guy. Is the Ren Faire in town, or are you trying to interview for Medieval Times? Does that costume come with a free face-painting or a complimentary goblet?”

“Lord Silvertongue.” Celestia tilted her head just slightly in acknowledgement. “You say this is urgent? Pardon me if I seem curt, but I certainly hope it is.”

Silvertongue nodded. “I assure you, your grace, it is.”

Luna huffed. “Then please, presenteth thy case. My sister and I hath crucial duties to returneth to, as thou canst surely see.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I’m here to address the problems you’ve been having with this Discord fellow.”

Discord guffawed. “Ooh hoo hoo, this oughta be rich.”

“You say you’re here to help?” Celestia questioned. “Forgive us if that sounds impossible, given our experience with the ‘problem’. Discord has been quite troublesome, but there is little any single pony could do about it. Even both my sister and I, with all our power, have only been able to keep him subdued.”

“Although, thou art not just any pony, art thou? Thy form doth appear much like our own,” Luna observed. “Art thou an alicorn?”

Silvertongue nodded. “I am.”

Celestia eyed Silvertongue cautiously. “Most curious. I thought that the only alicorns were myself, my sister, and Cadence. How is it that another of our kind has come here, and to be of assistance no less?”

“The truth of the matter is, your highness, I’m not from your world. My world--”

“Oh geez, an alien? Ha ha ha!” Discord chortled. “Hoo boy, I guess there must be another Trek convention in town. How’s Picard doing, by the way? Or Janeway, for that matter? Y’know, I--”

Silvertongue’s horn flashed, and in an instant the room returned to normal and Discord’s voice faded out.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You silenced him. How?”

“I believe you’ll find it is well within my power to do so,” Silvertongue replied. “This is just a temporary measure, however, that we may discuss matters in peace. I come from a world far different from your own and have come to deal with the problem you’re having in yours, as the ones normally responsible for fixing such a problem are in my world.”

“He knows Twilight,” Shining interjected. This drew interested looks from Celestia and Luna.

“Indeed. During their time in my world they assisted me with an endeavor of great importance, and I have come to repay them by dealing with this Discord problem you’re having.”

“If you have the power to come here, why not bring them with you?” Celestia asked. “They could certainly solve this issue themselves, and there would be no need for you to trouble yourself coming here on your own.”

“As I explained to Princess Cadence, the process could be dangerous for those unaccustomed to the Void between our worlds. Work is being done as we speak to bring them home, but until then I am here to ensure things go as planned.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Forgive me if I seem ungrateful, Lord Silvertongue, but with this one--” she gestured to Discord “--making mischief, I’ve become quite paranoid as of late. Do you offer any proof of these claims?”

Silvertongue smiled. “I have met Twilight Sparkle and her friends Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and gotten to know them enough that I hope I can prove my trustworthiness. I know that they serve as what your world calls ‘Elements of Harmony’, and that in their capacity as such they are responsible with putting a stop to threats such as Discord here.”

Luna glanced at her sister, then nodded. “Their status as the Elements is not common knowledge, t’is true. Thy claims seemeth genuine thus far, but--”

“What endeavor did they assist you with, if I might ask?” Celestia interjected.

“As an alicorn, my domain in my world is that of Balance, and as such my world is one where balance is paramount. There was a creature in my world, not too dissimilar from your own Discord, who sought to disrupt that balance. We called her Nihila. Thanks to the efforts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, I was able to develop a means to banish Nihila to a state of being where she could no longer be a threat to my world’s denizens.”

“That sounds like Twilight,” Shining agreed.

Discord’s statue shook violently for half an instant. “Holy moley, kids, will you all just stop? Look, pal, I get that you might be kind of a big deal back where you come from, but this is my turf. I’m gonna be out of this stone prison within the hour, and you already see that it takes two alicorns to keep me in check without the Elements in their possession. Now, that was a fancy little display you had there, but listen buster, you’re messing with forces you can’t possibly deal with. You’re nothing, you hear me? Nothing!” He then laughed a wonderfully maniacal laugh.

Silvertongue paused, and stared at the statue. “Are you finished?”

“Yeah, thanks, I needed to get that out of my system. Villains gotta monologue, you understand?”

“Quite. At any rate.” Silvertongue turned back to the princesses. “I can see that your wards on his statue to keep him sealed are quite powerful, but they are waning fast. He’s not lying when he says he’ll escape within the hour. Will you allow me to relieve you?”

Luna and Celestia shared a look, then nodded. They let the glow of their horns subside, and for the first time in weeks they looked relieved.

Silvertongue smiled. “Splendid.” With a flare of his horn, Discord’s statue vanished.

Celestia and Luna stood in shock. “What… what didst thou do?” Luna asked, igniting her horn. “Where is Discord?”

“I transported his statue to the center of Canterlot. He’ll serve as an excellent distraction when Twilight and company arrive.” Silvertongue pulled Tick Tock’s Timekeeper from his pocket and glanced at the time. “And they should be arriving any minute now. Perfect - Discord’s seal will be broken by then and they can ‘have it out’ however they wish, it matters not.”

Celestia lit her horn as well, as did Shining Armor. “You tricked us!” Shining blurted. “You lied!”

“Tricked you, yes. Lied, no,” Silvertongue stated, putting away the pocket watch. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends did indeed help me accomplish a great endeavor - destroying the alicorns of my world so that I could absorb their power. And, because they insist on stopping me from continuing with my own goals, I ‘dealt with’ your Discord problem by ensuring he will meet the Elements of Harmony as soon as possible. If that fails to defeat him then, well, I suppose your Elements of Harmony were a failure, and that is no fault of mine.”

“You will not find us so willing to stand by while you ruin our kingdom,” Celestia stated. “If Twilight Sparkle considered you an enemy--”

“Please, dim your horns, all of you - I assure you, in your weakened states you will be no threat to me. I bear within me the magical aptitude of two alicorns - a simple matter of mathematical superiority. If that doesn’t convince you, know that Twilight and her friends posed no threat either, and they’re more powerful in my world than in yours by orders of magnitude.”

“What have you done with Twilight?!” Shining demanded. “If you hurt her, I swear---

“Nothing, my good fellow, nothing. Your sister and her friends are alive and well, and most definitely in hot pursuit. That’s why I needed Discord - as a distraction. He’ll buy enough time for me to continue forward unimpeded. I will say again, dim your horns. I do not intend on killing anypony here, as that defeats the purpose of my plans, but you would be surprised what you can live through.”

Shining grit his teeth. “We’ll see about--”

Silvertongue rolled his eyes, flared his horn, and a bright flash filled the room. When the light died down, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna were on the floor, writhing in pain. “If I were so inclined, I would absorb the two of you and perhaps your associate Cadence as well, but in your current state it would be akin to eating out of the garbage after finishing a four course meal at a fine restaurant. Forgive me if that sounds crass, but facts are facts.”

He turned to Shining. “Your sister is alive and well, Shining Armor and will be arriving in Canterlot Square within the next five minutes, where she’ll have Discord to contend with. Count yourself lucky that I let you live to perhaps see her again, assuming she, too, survives the coming conflicts.”

Shing grit his teeth and glared at Silvertongue. “You… you’ll pay for this…”

“I doubt it.” Silvertongue turned to leave, then stopped. “Ah, and when you do see your Princess Cadence again, tell her that she did a superb job at delaying me, even if she did so unintentionally. If not for her I would have left several minutes ago, hence the need to accelerate my actions here. It is rare for somepony to cause me such a thorough inconvenience - you should be proud.”

With that, he turned from the room and headed out the door. Seconds later, the sound of thunder rippled throughout the palace, and SIlvertongue was gone.

***

A portal tore itself open with the sound of a thousand crashing waves, letting loose a torrent of mares to fall to the ground beneath in a groaning heap.

Rainbow was the first to speak. “That… was a lot different than the last time. I feel funny, anyone else feel funny?”

Havocwing spoke up from beneath her. “I feel funny that you’ve got your fat ass in my face! Get off!”

“Who’re you calling ‘fat’, chump?!”

“I think I landed on somepony’s horn!” Velvet declared.

“Yes, that’s mine, dear,” Rarity replied.

“Cool, hey, can you move like two inches down--”

“Ugh!”

The thirteen mares quickly gathered themselves up and observed their surroundings. It was, at one point, the most beautiful city in Equestria: Canterlot. With its gleaming white buildings and tall spires, the city was supposed to be a beacon to all pony kind, a symbol of the elite, of royalty, and of elegance.

Now, it was… not. The gleaming white spires were slowly melting candles that smelled vaguely of vanilla. The well-paved streets were made of rubber, and ponies nearby bounced along the streets rather than walked, and were none too happy about it. The sky was neon green, the sun was no longer a waffle but a soccer ball that rolled along the horizon - it was currently stuck in between two hills.

“Great, Star botched the portal and we got whisked away to Wacky Land,” Velvet grumbled.

Starlight stared at the scene, her eye twitching. “The spell was executed without error of any kind, Velvet. This… this is our destination, Sparkle? This is your world?”

Twilight shook her head. “It is… but we’re too late. Discord’s loose.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Tick Tock hummed. “According to Time Turner’s estimates we should have significantly more time, nearly an hour by my recollection. Hmmm… it’s possible that this is Silvertongue’s doing. His mere presence may have altered the itinerary, or he may have even purposefully released Discord.”

“So, Discord is a distraction,” Rarity muttered. “What a loathsome, despicable fellow. I can’t believe I ever considered him handsome.”

“Who’s Discord, anyhow?” asked Grayscale.

“The local manifestation of chaos,” Twilight answered. “Basically, a god, not unlike your world’s Nihila. We need to stop him, and quick, before things get any worse.”

“We also have more pressing matters in play here, Twilight,” Tick Tock reminded her. “Silvertongue is likely already en route to his next destination between here and Equestria Prime. Granted, Discord running loose could have drastic negative consequences here, but time is of the essence.”

“We can’t just let him ruin everything, Tick Tock. Even if--”

Tick Tock held up a hoof to stop Twilight from continuing. “No, it’s a necessary distraction, unfortunately. Discord going wild here throws off the entire balance of your world’s constitution, and it could very well have an impact on our attempts to pursue Silvertongue anyway. We mustn’t tarry.”

“No problem,” Pinkie boasted. “One blast from the Elements of Harmony and he’ll back to just a lawn decoration. Piece of cake, easy as pie.”

“Can’t we just blast him with our new powers?” Rainbow asked. To demonstrate, she jabbed a hoof in air in an attempt to fire off a bolt of lightning. Nothing happened. “Hey… what gives?”

“Gilderoy and Harmonia said our powers are supposed to wane when we’re back in our world, remember?” Twilight reminded her. “I didn’t think it would be such an instant effect, though…”

“Could be a side effect of Discord’s influence weakening your connection to the Elements,” Tick Tock suggested. “Your powers manifested the way they did because you drew them from Harmonia, after all, so perhaps you simply lack a… ‘battery’, I suppose.”

“Perhaps we can be of some assistance?” Starlight suggested. “If the swift elimination of the threat of this ‘Discord’ is of critical importance to hastening our rendezvous with our father, then my sisters and I can certainly bolster your numbers.” She turned to Havocwing and Curaçao. “If that is acceptable?”

Curaçao nodded. “I see no reason why we wouldn’t ‘elp zem.”

Havocwing rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever. We’ll make it quick. Just point him out and I’ll kick his ass.” She pounded a hoof in the air, expecting to launch a fireball. Only the tiniest of embers burst forth, not even enough to start a fire. “What? Where’s the ‘kaboom’?”

Grayscale flicked her wings. Nothing happened other than a normal, though strong, gust of wind. “Our powers aren’t working either?”

Insipid poked Curaçao in the side several times. “Like, feel anything Curie? I’m not feeling anything.”

Curaçao grunted. “Just you poking me, Insipid. Arrête s'il-te-plaît.”

Velvet strained herself to try and manifest some of her blood outside her body, but all she managed to do was sweat.

“Hey, don’t pop a gasket there, Red,” Havocwing said, concerned.

“Phew!” Velvet breathed after giving up. “No go, girls. No blood, no fear powers, no nothing. Lame-o.” She turned to Twilight and the others. “How ‘bout you guys?”

Applejack tapped the ground with her hoof. “Naw, nothin’s workin’. That don’t make sense, didn’t Harmonia say that us losin’ them powers would be like a… gradual thing?”

“Perhaps there’s something wrong with the Elements of Harmony?” Rarity suggested.

Twilight nodded. “That sounds likely. Harmonia said that you all drew your abilities from her while in her Equestria, because we normally have a connection to the Elements here. It would be Discord’s doing to mess with the Elements to put us at a disadvantage.”

“That doesn’t explain us, though,” Velvet said. “We don’t draw power from your Element whozits or whatzits. We were born with our gifts.”

“It would seem this world imposes a great limit on what feats of splendor certain ponies are capable of, perhaps relegating it to particularly poignant situations?” Starlight suggested. “I feel no decrease in my own capabilities. Sparkle?”

“No, I still feel like me,” Twilight added. 

Havocwing snarled. “Bullshit! Why do you two get to keep your super magic?!”

“Because Twilight was already powerful in this world,” Grayscale noted. “Makes sense that Star would follow suit, right?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “We can discuss how fair it is later, we need to get moving. C’mon!”

Havocwing seethed through her teeth. “This world sucks.”

The mares all set off for Canterlot Square.

***

Discord swam through the air with brisk breaststroke motions. A dogfish passed him by, barking as it went. The rest of Canterlot Square was in varying states of bizarre: The central fountain was pouring up into the sky instead of down into the pool of water, and the liquid was white and gooey - liquid marshmallow; the surrounding builds were colored like tye-dye shirts; the street was made of cheese - muenster, if anyone was curious. Ponies had long since cleared out, so all that was left was Discord and his fun.

Thirteen mares came running down the street into the Square. “Discord!” shouted one. Discord recognized it as Twilight Sparkle.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Discord gloated as he sunk down to street level. He snapped his fingers. A golden throne appeared, and he took a seat before eyeing the group. “And you brought new friends. Wonderful. This should be entertaining.”

“Stop this. Now,” Twilight demanded, stomping her hoof into the cheese.

“Or what? You’ll use your ‘Elements of Harmony’?” Discord snickered. “Go ahead, try.” He stood tall and painted a bullseye on his chest.

Twilight and her friends gathered in formation and focused themselves on thinking of the Elements. And they focused, and thought, and concentrated with all their might on manifesting the Elements and using their power. And yet, nothing happened - the Elements did not appear, there was no rainbow-colored stream of harmonious energy.

“Is… is something supposed to be happening?” Havocwing asked.

“You guys, like, look weird standing there all, like, scrunchy-faced and junk?” Insipid noted. “I look like that when I’m, like, thinking hard.”

Rainbow huffed. “First no powers, now no Elements? Lame!”

“What’s wrong? Why can’t we summon the Elements, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“You were right earlier, Rarity,” Twilight said, glaring at Discord. “Discord, what did you do to the Elements of Harmony? Why can’t we call them to us?”

Discord guffawed. “You can’t call them because I’ve already dealt with that little problem. It seems that somepony was trying to find some replacement users of the Elements, a little backup plan I guess? Clever, if you ask me. Risky, but clever.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Replacements? For us?”

Tick Tock interjected. “Looks like Time Turner figured out our idea on his own after all. I wish I’d known, we might’ve been able to avoid all this.” She turned to Discord. “And what’s become of these ‘replacements’ then? Did he find them?”

“Yes, he did!” Discord said with a smile. “Pleasant bunch, all of them. But, the thing with those Elements of Harmony is, they need to work, well, in Harmony. Silly, right? I mean, it’s right there in the name. Well, you all remember how easy it was to turn that concept around on you, don’t you Twilight?”

Applejack sneered. “You rotten, no good snake! What did you do?!”

Discord crossed his arms and gave Applejack a scathing look. “First of all, rude. I’m a draconequus. Big difference - I’m only part snake. Second--”

He snapped his fingers and six cages appeared out of thin air. There were mares in each, and Twilight and her friends recognized each of them. In one cage was the mailmare from Ponyville, Derpy Hooves; in another was the carrot farmer that lived outside of town, Carrot Top; another was the mint green unicorn that had a strange sitting posture, Lyra Heartstrings; another was a yellow-coated pegasus on the weather patrol, Raindrops; another they all knew personally as Cherilee, the schoolteacher; and the last, a familiar blue unicorn with a purple cape and hat covered with stars, who they knew as Trixie. They were all sufficiently dimmed in color, as were the Elements of Harmony they wore.

“The thing with you lot,” Discord continued, addressing Twilight’s crew, “was that you’ve all been the closest of friends for a very long time. Breaking you all up and making the Elements inert was difficult, as if even one of you kept your Element’s power in your heart, you might just be able to restore the others. As you well know,” he added, looking at Twilight.

“Let them go, Discord,” Twilight demanded. “Your fight is with us.”

“On the contrary! Since your friend found these six here to ‘take over’ your jobs, they’re the Elements of Harmony now unless I decide otherwise. You guys are fired, got it? Time to get your pink slips and head home. Ta ta!”

“What did you do with Time Turner?” Tick Tock asked.

“Time Turner… oh! The stallion? Oh, he’s somewhere. I dunno.” Discord shrugged. “I think maybe I sent him through a montage of song-and-dance numbers as part of a monologue and he got stuck in a loop. I figured he wasn’t too important to the narrative so I just let it keep running. I might take him out of it later. Maybe. Anyway, since their bond wasn’t as strong as yours yet, I beat the six of these new Element bearers quite easily - only took me a few minutes. We didn’t even need to go to commercial! The six of you are just, well, has-beens. Not a threat.”

“So… why wait here for us, then?” Fluttershy asked.

“Just to gloat, I bet,” Rainbow scoffed.

“Correct!” Discord exclaimed. Confetti sprayed all over Rainbow Dash, and Discord vigorously shook her hooves. “That is the correct answer, Rainbow Dash, fantastically done, congratulations! Show her what she’s won, Discord!”

Another Discord appeared at the fountain and opened the air like it was a door. Behind the door was a pedestal. On the pedestal was a can of soup. “She’s won a lifetime supply of soup!”

The other Discord applauded. “Soup! Wonderful! What kind of soup?”

“Split Pea.”

“Terrific, truly.”

“Congratulations, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie cheered.

“Pinkie!” Rainbow hissed.

Discord popped back to his original position. “So, now that that’s out of the way, you has-beens can buzz off. Scram. Vamoose.” Twilight and her friends didn’t move an inch. Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t give me that look of defiance. Fine, if you’re so keen on being sticks in the mud, here, deal with a maze for a while, tell everypony you tried your best if that makes you feel better about yourselves.” He turned to Tick Tock. “Oh, and I might as well send you to meet your friend, too. Seems appropriate.”

Tick Tock’s eyes widened. “Oh bugger--”

“Wait!” Twilight exclaimed.

Discord snapped his fingers, and Twilight and her friends vanished. Only Starlight and her sisters remained. “Well, I’m off to sow chaos throughout the rest of Equestria. Ta ta!” A cane appeared from the left of him, snagged him, and pulled him away.

“Hold it!” Havocwing shouted.

Discord reappeared. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry, I got so caught up in my gloating, I never asked who you all are. Rude. Very rude. My apologies. Although I believe the responsibility of introducing new faces would have fallen to Twilight and her friends. Tsk, tsk. I thought she knew some manners.”

He floated over to the mares and vigorously shook the hooves of Starlight, Havocwing, Grayscale, Velvet, Insipid, and Curaçao, all at the same time. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Discord, and you are?”

“We’re not here to make introductions,” Havocwing snarled. “We’re--”

“Hi! I’m Insipid!” Insipid interjected.

“You certainly are,” Discord replied.

Havocwing put a hoof to the bridge of her nose and sighed. “This is Twilight’s world, and you’re screwing it up. They’re helping us with something important, so we decided, as a favor, we’d help them with something important, which it stopping you.”

Discord gave her an incredulous look. “This is unexpected. And interesting. Let me guess - you six met Twilight and her friends and they taught you the maaaagic of friendship?” He shook his head and yawned. “How droll. Really, did they think just adding six more mares would make a difference? You don’t have the Elements of Harmony, and you certainly don’t have Twilight Sparkle anymore, so just pack it up, gang.”

Starlight’s face lit up with a confident smile. “You are quick to fall into overconfidence, Discord. While you are correct that we do not possess these Elements of Harmony, nor is Twilight Sparkle present, these factors actually hold little regard in our immediate circumstances.” She lit up her horn. “You will, of course, soon regret that you are involved in said circumstances.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

Grayscale rolled her shoulders and settled into a combat stance. “Those guys are a little too nicey-nice. We’re not like that.”

“That’s putting it mildly. You’re in for a world of hurt, pal,” Havocwing threatened with a sinister grin.

Starlight’s horn flared, blasting Discord in the face with a burst of powerful Void magic. Discord staggered back and stumbled over to the fountain. The upwards flow of marshmallow goo suddenly returned to its normal direction, covering Discord with the stuff as it fell back to earth. 

Discord stared at Starlight for a moment, then shook off the disorientation. “What in the name of Chaos was that?”

“That is the sensation of pure, unadulterated power,” Starlight boasted. “You are quite astute to consider Twilight Sparkle a credible threat, but you’ll find my power equally menacing, and that I lack her misgivings towards direct applications of said power.”

“Yeah, and that was just a sample of what she’s got in store for you!” Velvet cheered. 

Insipid clapped her hooves. “Like, let him have it, sis!”

Starlight grinned and flared up her horn again. “With pleasure.”

Discord snorted and snapped his fingers, and Starlight suddenly had an overly-large pair of extra-thick sunglasses over her eyes. Starlight gasped, no longer able to see clearly as she fired, and her blast missed Discord entirely, disappearing off into the horizon where it struck the soccer ball sun and deflated it with a loud hiss. The world went dark.

“Whoops! Who turned out the lights?” Discord laughed. “And so sayeth me: let there be light!”

Now it was nighttime, and the moon - which was overly large and had Discord’s grinning face plastered on it - rose high in the sky accompanied by the sound of a slide whistle. The stars flickered on and off in bizarre patterns and had rearranged themselves in the sky to spell “Discord Rulez!”

“Cheap trick,” Grayscale said as she barreled forward, having moved behind Discord while it was dark. She kicked him hard in the side of the head, knocking him reeling; the entire sky shook at the impact, sending the moon sailing and causing the stars to rearrange themselves to spell “Ow!”

Grayscale rose up again, attempting to crash down on him. Discord pointed at her, and Grayscale suddenly shrunk to the size of a grape. When she hit Discord, it was with all the force of, well, a grape being dropped from a height of about ten feet. He rose upright and lifted Grayscale up in his paw. 

“You think I’m cheap, little miss suckerpunch?” Discord paused, and chuckled. “Little. Heh. I didn’t even mean to do that one.”

“You’ve got something on your face,” the little Grayscale squeaked.

Discord pulled a hand mirror from thin air and held it up in his other paw, looking at his face. The spot where Grayscale had kicked him was starting to bruise already. “Oh my goodness, look at what you did you little ruffian.” He glared at her and tightened his grip.

Starlight had regained enough composure to remove the sunglasses. “Remove your paws from my sister!” She lit up her horn and made to fire another blast.

Discord flipped the mirror around. Starlight’s blast hit the mirror, bounced off, and blasted herself instead, turning her into a frog. 

“Star! Sis!” Velvet cried, picking up her now-frog sister. “Speak to me!” 

Frog Starlight let out a loud, annoyed croak.

Velvet lifted Frog Starlight into the air over her head. “Noooo! She’s croaked!”

“Star’s down! Oh my stars!” Insipid nervously pattered in place. “Oh no, Curie, what do we do whatdowedo?! We can’t beat him without Star!”

Curaçao pat Insipid on the shoulder. “Worry not, Insipid. Ze battle is not yet over.” She pointed over towards Havocwing, who was seething with so much anger that thin plumes of smoke rose from her wings. “And we ‘ave anozer player, non?”

“Why’s she all smoky, Curie? I thought our powers--”

“Only work in ‘particularly poignant’ situations, as Starlight put it, oui.” Curaçao grinned. “Zis seems poignant enough.”

Havocwing roared and charged Discord. “You’re gonna pay for that, Dicklord! I’m gonna kick your ass straight into next Sunday!”

“Gasp! Language!” Discord looked simply scandalized. “Twilight certainly made rude friends on vacation. My oh my, first roughhousing then not-approved-by-the-censors dialogue? What’s the world coming to?”

“Eat shit!” Havocwing swung a hoof at him, but struck nothing but Discord-shaped marshmallow, which of course toasted instantly, filling the air with the appropriate delightful scent. “Huh? Hey! Don’t you pull that shit on me, bucko! Get out here and take your beating! Your ass is mine! You hear me?!”

“Oh no no no, I simply cannot allow this to continue.” Discord appeared again, right in front of her. “Look, little miss potty mouth, this is a kids’ show - for little girls despite what the periphery demographic thinks - and we can’t have you swearing like a sailor.” He snapped his fingers, and a bar of soap appeared in Havocwing’s mouth. “There, that’s better.”

The little Grayscale chuckled. “Oh, you’re in for a bad time now,” she squeaked, fluttering away as quickly as she could. “Later.”

Discord watched as Grayscale fled the scene. “What’s got you so nervous, pintsize?” He turned back to Havocwing and leaned down so they were face to face. “Now, have we learned a lesson? Hmm?” Havocwig started breathing heavily and biting into the soap, turning it into a frothy, foamy mess. “Um… are you o--”

Havocwing spit out the soap, screamed like a madmare, and leapt on him with all the ferocity of a wild, rabid animal, punching and pounding her hooves into Discord’s face. Despite her weakened pyromantic magic, she still had all the fury of a raging inferno pouring through every strike. And, with every strike, Discord’s focus on his chaotic mayhem diminished.

Over only a few seconds, Grayscale returned to normal size; Starlight returned to her normal form and collapsed on top of Velvet; Tick Tock, Twilight, and her friends reappeared, none the worse for wear, though they were very much confused and disoriented; the sky above slowly started returning to normal, as did Canterlot Square, giving everything the surreal look of being halfway between normal and chaos-affected.

“Um… what the hay just happened?” Rainbow said, looking around. “Weren’t we just in a hedge maze? Is this more of dopey ol’ Discord’s tricks?”

“You were in a hedge maze?” Tick Tock asked. “Bloody hell, I was stuck in some kind of song-and-dance number about a glass of water.” She glanced down at herself. “At least I’m back in my regular clothes again.”

“What’s that screaming?” Fluttershy asked. She turned and saw Havocwing pummeling Discord into the still-cheesy-enough-to-melt ground. She gasped. “Oh m-m-my!”

“Good heavens!” Rarity exclaimed. “What on earth happened while we were gone?”

“Huh. Ya don’t see that everyday,” Applejack added, shaking her head.

“You do if you ♪recooord iiit♪” Pinkie said in sing-song, casually adjusting a video camera she’d pulled from her mane.

“Aw man, I wanted to wail on him,” Rainbow huffed, crossing her forelegs over her chest. She turned to Velvet. “No fair, you guys get all the fun.”

“Let him have it, Havoc!” called Velvet from under Starlight. “Show that jerkwad who’s the boss around here!”

Starlight got off Velvet with a huff and turned to Twilight, ignoring the display of violence. “Well then, I believe when Havoc has completed her thrashing, we can proceed as planned? Your Discord ‘problem’ seems to have been accordingly solved.”

Twilight just stared at Havocwing wailing on Discord, like watching a rabid dog tear into a chew toy. “Um… sure, yeah… I think he’ll be subdued until we finish up. We can deal with Silvertongue, come back, and make sure things are dealt with for good… I hope.”

“I don’t know how draconequus anatomy works,” Velvet noted to Grayscale, “but something tells me that he’s not supposed to bend that way.”

“Serves him right,” Applejack snorted.

“Y’know, I was honestly expecting Discord to put up more of a fight against you guys,” Pinkie mused. “Almost a little anticlimactic. Just a little.”

“He polymorphed me into a frog,” Starlight noted, eye twitching.

“Pinkie, don’t complain about us saving time,” Rainbow replied. “Complain about us not getting to teach that jerk a lesson ourselves.”

“Oh I’m not, I just kind of expected like, scene transitions and everything to set things up. Make the battle seem multi-tiered.”

“Oh please, this guy just screams ‘third-tier villain’,” Velvet said, rolling her eyes. “We were a bigger threat to you guys than he ever was.”

“Fair. I mean, Silvertongue’s the real bad guy, after all.”

Tick Tock cleared her throat, turning the attention from the big ball of violence to herself. “Speaking of which, it’s time we get going. Luckily, opening a portal to Equestria-III will be much easier than it was for Equestria-IV and it will be easier to then move on to Equestria-II, then Equestria-I, then Equestria Prime.”

“How so?” asked Twilight. “Wouldn’t Prime be particularly hard to enter into?”

“Seems a logical conclusion,” Starlight agreed.

“Ironically, no. You see, the Void grows in thickness between Equestria-IV and V - and all other Equestrias down the line - compared to III and IV. The exact reasons for this are difficult to understand, but the best explanation I can give is that Equestrias I, II, and III have become ‘stable’ - the Void can no longer impact them.”

“Well that’s not fair,” Rainbow complained.

“All Equestrias will eventually achieve stability, Rainbow, that’s a matter of fact. It’s just a matter of time before your own is.”

“What does this ‘stability’ entail?” Twilight asked.

“Laypony’s terms, it means the Void cannot affect it anymore because it has reached the final stage of its development and no longer interacts with Void energies. Your world is still finishing it’s development, hence why the Void threatens it and it requires a Chronomancer. Same with mine, and all the others further down the line.”

“And that makes it easier for us to get there?”

“In a manner of speaking - because the Void is so thin between those worlds, moving between them is almost effortless, and in fact so quick that you probably won’t even register them as existing. We can reach Equestria-III with as much effort as the use of a teleportation spell, then follow the stream all the way through to Equestria Prime.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Then why can’t just anyone reach Equestria Prime and threaten it? Seems like a big oversight.”

“Three reasons. One: nopony knows about Prime except Chronomancers. Two: the barrier between worlds still requires Void energy to open - without it, the magic needed exponentially increases to about what your Celestia or Luna could produce. Three: You still need proper coordinates, or else you just end up in empty Void instead of on Equestria-III. Which of course, means an eternity of cold, lonely suffering with no escape.”

“Sounds fun,” Grayscale mused.

“Huh… well… that makes sense, I suppose,” Twilight admitted. “I guess there’s no need to delay this any further then. Let’s get going. Starlight?”

“Affirmative,” Starlight replied. She turned to Tick Tock. “If you would?” Tick Tock lit her horn and touched it to Starlight’s, delivering the coordinates. Starlight then lit her horn, and without much effort, tore open another portal. “Fascinating. Your claims ring true, Chronomancer.”

“I know my Void interactions, okay?” Tick Tock gloated. “Silvertongue still has a good lead on us, but hopefully not enough to accomplish anything. Equestria Prime is a… complicated entity.”

“Come on, Havoc!” Velvet yelled as the mares started hopping into the portal. “We’re leaving!”

Havocwing punched Discord again in the jaw. “Some god you are. Punk.” She scuffed her hooves on his chest, then fluttered over to the others to join them.

Discord remained motionless on the melted cheesy ground, which was slowly returning to normal. He stared up at the sky as it began to turn a regular afternoon blue, complete with fluffy white clouds instead of mashed potatoes. The sun very suddenly reappeared as normal in its proper position in the sky. 

He could only let out a pained groan.


	39. Infinity

When the final portal silently opened, the gaggle of mares tumbled quietly and softly out into a vast, empty expanse of white. The portal closed behind them as soon as it had appeared without even a hint of sound.

Tick Tock was the first to rise to her hooves. She took a deep breath and turned to the others. “Well, everypony, let me be the first Chronomancer to welcome anypony not in our organization to Equestria Prime. Very much against protocol, very likely going to go very badly, but hey, you all should be bloody excited that you’re here, the first non-Chronomancers ever apart from our target.”

The other mares stood and looked around. There was nothing to see anywhere except for themselves and an endless expanse of featureless white. There was no clear indication of whatever surface they were somehow walking on, no way of telling how far the horizon was because there was no horizon, and no source for the light that allowed them all to see but somehow did not cast their shadows. Just white.

“This is Equestria Prime?” Twilight muttered. “It’s so empty.”

“Lonely,” murmured Fluttershy.

“Neat,” said Pinkie, taking out a camera and snapping a picture. “It’s like being on one of those blank storyboards they use to plan out a scene in a movie. Except we’re all in color!”

“What is all this, Tick Tock?” Twilight asked. “I was expecting, I dunno… a world? Like with grass and a sky and everything?”

“As was I,” interjected Starlight. “This monotonous, alabaster plane is an unsatisfactory representation of my initial predictions. Even failing some manner of planetary representation I at least expected some sort of magical phenomena to manifest themselves, similar to the Void’s terrifying rivulets of energy.”

Tick Tock stared at the two in disbelief. “You lot are in the presence of a realm of endless possibilities and knowledge, and all you can think about is that it does look enough like a place you can imagine? This is the heart of reality here, ladies. This is pure creative thought in physical form. Show some bloody excitement.”

“Yawn,” yawned Havocwing and Rainbow in unison. They shot one another terse glances, then smirked at one another.

“Not the response I was hoping for at all,” Tick Tock sighed. 

“Forgive me for saying this, but getting here seemed too easy,” Rarity noted. “I don’t even recall passing through these other Equestrias you mentioned, Tick Tock darling. III through I?”

Tick Tock took a deep breath. “As I said: the Void between stable worlds is so thin that you can ride the stream straight through them without so much as a sensation of even visiting them. Those worlds are effectively so dissonant from yours and mine and beyond that we can’t even comprehend their appearance. They have no bearing on our travels, and passing through them would feel practically instantaneous.”

“So as far as you’re concerned, they don’t even exist? Kind of a gip, don’t you think?” Pinkie noted.

“They basically don’t. They don’t even have Chronomancers since they’re unthreatened by Void energies.” Tick Tock shook her head. “But enough banter. We need to find Silvertongue and put an end to this.”

“‘ow do we find ‘im?” Curaçao asked. “Zere is nozing ‘ere to ‘find’, as it were. Ce n'est que du blanc.”

“Yeah, if there was anything to find, we should be able to see it, right?” Havocwing asked. “I mean, we can see to every horizon, and I see nothing but horizon. Actually, I don’t even see the horizon. How far out does this go?”

“I’ll see if I can spot him,” Rainbow offered. She shot up into the air, racing skyward like a lightning bolt. But, she only seemed to move about twenty feet off the ground before she stopped moving entirely. Rainbow didn’t seem to notice, but the others did.

“Well at least it looks like our powers work here,” Havocwing noted, igniting a hoof to double-check. “Weird. How come?”

“This realm is one of limitless possibilities, and thus imposes no limits on what you’re capable of beyond your own self-imposed ones,” Tick Tock explained. “Basically, this world allows you to be your peak self. Unfortunately, that applies to more than just us. Silvertongue will also be at his peak.”

“Quit messin’ around, Rainbow,” Applejack chided.

“Huh?” Rainbow glanced around and saw that she hadn’t moved far. “What? How come I’m not moving?”

“This place doesn’t operate on the same physics as you’re used to. Space is limited and yet infinite at the same time,” Tick Tock noted. “Finding Silvertongue won’t be hard, though. It’s a matter of thinking about it.” She started off into the distance and focused her gaze on nothing in particular, since there was nothing to focus on anyway.

The rest of them stared at her staring at nothing.

“Is… is she okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“I think all the stress is finally getting to her,” Pinkie observed. “She needs a break.”

“I can hear you,” Tick Tock called back. She kept focusing her gaze forward. “This is part of the movement process here. Just a matter of concentration.”

A few more seconds passed. Havocwing threw her hooves in the air. “For buck’s sake! What’re we waiting--”

In an instant, Silvertongue was just a few dozen feet in front of them.

“--for? Uh…” Havocwing nervously shuffled her hooves. “Well. Okay then. Hey, pops.”

Silvertongue turned his attention away from a ball of black, inky substance that he was examining to face the mares. “Ah, there you all are. A few minutes earlier than expected, bravo. I take it Discord wasn’t as much of a distraction as I hoped?”

“Not even close,” Twilight stated, stepping forward. “We’re putting a stop to whatever it is you’re doing, and--” She suddenly bumped into a solid, invisible wall. “Oof!”

The other mares moved forward to find the wall blocked their movement closer to Silvertongue, keeping them a fair distance away. “What’s the big idea, daddy?” Velvet blurted. “I wanted a hug!”

“Hugs can come later, Velvet dear. I simply wish to finish my observations here in peace,” Silvertongue stated cooly. “You’ll find my barrier quite impenetrable at the moment. When I’m ready to deal with you all, then we can ‘have it out’ as they say, whatever that means to each of you. Combat, conversation, or perhaps a little of both.”

“Pops, c’mon, this isn’t right!” Havocwing shouted, banging her hoof on the invisible wall. “We’re lost here, okay? A lot of stuff has happened, and… we need to talk! Please!”

“We got messed up real bad!” Insipid added. “I think we, like, almost died, or whatever? We just wanna, like, figure out what’s going on with us and junk.”

Starlight stepped forward. “Father, I beg you, do not postpone this. I… I fear that whatever happened to us, whatever made us, it has affected us too deeply. Some developments have arisen and we are mentally and emotionally taxed due to the experience. We require your guidance. Please.”

Silvertongue paid them little mind. “Peace, daughters. We shall talk shortly. I am nearly--”

“Y’know, you’ve got an awful lot of nerve,” Applejack stated, pressing up against the wall. “These here girls look to you like a father! I’ve heard ‘em talk about y’all before. They’ve lived their whole lives trying to do right by you, to make you happy, to make you proud. And you’ve just used ‘em. They’re just tools to you!”

“Don’t talk about our pops like that, cowgirl,” Havocwing snarled. “We might be in a truce right now but that doesn't mean I won’t smack the teeth right outta your mouth.”

“Back off, punk,” Rainbow shot back. “I’ll throw down if you want, and we’ve seen how that goes, plenty of times.”

“If you must interrupt my train of thought,” Silvertongue interjected. “I see no reason why you assert that just because of how you think I’ve treated or am treating my girls means I don’t care for them. I feel pride in their accomplishments and disappointment in their failures, just as any father would of their progeny.”

“You’re not even their real father!” Applejack snapped. “You made ‘em! In a lab! It’s messed up, what you did. Ya took us, and made other ponies outta us, then made ‘em all twisted! There ain’t no love there!”

Rarity nervously put her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Applejack, darling, perhaps antagonizing him isn’t--”

“He needs ta hear it, Rarity. Y’all know I don’t much like ponies that don’t treat their kids right.”

“You’d best take your marshmallow friend’s advice,” Velvet threatened, brandishing a tendril of blood. “Or else you’re gonna have a bad time.”

“No no, daughters, let her speak,” Silvertongue interjected. “An interesting theory, Applejack. A question for you, then, since you’re a farmer: do you not take pride in the work you do on your farm?”

Applejack blinked. “Sure, but--”

“When you grow a fresh batch of your namesake apples, for example, and send them off to market, are you not proud of your creation when ponies consume them? Do you not feel a sense of elation when other ponies speak enthusiastically about your passion? Those apples are your children, in a sense. It’s perfectly natural to feel a sense of love in such circumstances.”

“That ain’t the same thing and y’all know it! These girls ain’t just apples, they’re livin’, breathin’ ponies!”

“Isn’t it? When the author writes his novel, does he not consider that work his creation? Does he not consider that creation like an extension of himself? I may not have sired my daughters through the traditional means, but they are still my creations all the same, and I love them, despite their faults.”

“But they ain’t like that! They love ya back, and ya don’t even acknowledge it!”

“Don’t I?” Silvertongue shook his head. “When they helped me destroy Nihila, I gave them the freedom to do whatever it is they wished to do with their lives. I had intended to complete my own goals, first, then I could return to them and be the loving, doting father you seem to imply that I’m not.”

“Horseapples. They did a job for ya, and when y’all were done ya just cast ‘em aside.” She turned to Curaçao. “Ain’t that right?” Curaçao remained silent, merely staring at Silvertongue with a keen interest. “If y’all call that ‘love’ then I can see why Harmonia turned down yer offer.”

Silvertongue shrugged. “I can see that arguing with you over the semantics of sentiment is a waste of time. A pity.”

“Father, ignore her!” Starlight called. “Whatever your intentions are with this… this Prime place, please, we must converse with you first! It is imperative to us!”

Twilight nudged Starlight. “Starlight, your dad’s trying to destroy reality or something, I think conversations are off the table at the moment. You know we have to stop him, right?”

“I… I realize the situation is not ideal, but… I...”

Silvertongue turned his attention full on Tick Tock. “Is that what you told them, Chronomancer? That I wish to destroy reality?”

“Something to that effect,” Tick Tock snarled. She stared at the inky ball he was holding aloft in his magic. “Why don’t you put that down and we can all have a nice chat over some tea, maybe not do anything drastic here.”

“Whatever it is you’re up to, we’re gonna put a stop to it!” Rainbow declared.

“Oh? Do any of you have any idea what, exactly, it is I’m ‘up to’ in the first place? Besides whatever speil the Chronomancer gave you, of course.”

“Well… no, but… it can’t be good! You’re a total bad guy!”

Silvertongue grunted, and turned his attention back to the inky ball. “Your Chronomancer knows what this is that I have here. But she’s so dedicated to her ‘duty’ that she’ll tell you whatever she needs to in order to put an end to my work, even if it’s inaccurate. Why don’t I give you all a little idea what exactly it is you’re dealing with here, so that you can appreciate the scope of the matter.”

“Great, here comes the villain monologue,” Pinkie muttered. She reached into her mane and pulled out a small box of popcorn. “Take a seat, girls, we’ll be here a while.”

Silvertongue spun the swirling ball of ink in the air, and in an instant the vast expanse of white turned completely black, filled with countless, endless stars. Everypony, save for Tick Tock, marveled at the sudden sight. “This is reality, in a crude representation that anypony could understand,” Silvertongue stated. “Each of those lights is a world, just like yours and mine. They each have their own ponies, their own fields of grass, their own stars and moons, their own trees, everything. And they’re all connected here, to Equestria Prime.”

“So… those are Equestrias-I through… however many there are?” Twilight asked.

“In a way, though the nomenclature of ‘Equestria-I’ and the like is a bit of a misnomer. There is no such thing, truly, not within the greater representation of worlds - only five worlds actually share that manner of label, and Equestria III, II, and I are what the Chronomancers call ‘stable’ but what I consider ‘sterile’. That means they have no real essence to speak of, merely serving as a device to excuse the name your world and mine have been given within reality. You don’t even remember passing through them, do you?”

“We already noticed that,” Rarity noted. “Tick Tock gave us a reasonable explanation.”

“Within her terms, I’m sure she did. Truthfully, Equestria-III through I are no more important to the greater multiverse than a speed bump on some desert highway. At any rate, the number of worlds is endless, but the Chronomancers’ concept of designations is just one of many for how these worlds are categorized.” Silvertongue blinked once, and suddenly all of the stars were connected to one another by various threads of light. “It’s more complicated than that. Far more complicated. And disturbing. Do any of you know what Equestria Prime truly is?”

“The Chronomancer claimed it to be the ‘heart of reality’, father,” Starlight chimed in. “The center of the multitude of universes, I suspect?”

“That much is true, but do any of you know what it really is? The answer is surprisingly existential.” Silvertongue flicked his hoof, and the stars all vanished, except for one, which was connected to the floor. “This ball is your world.” He flicked his hoof again, and another ball of light appeared, also connected to the floor. “This isn’t your world, but it is incredibly similar to it. The difference in this world is that each pony in existence has the opposite gender and, in many cases, different-yet-similar names. I believe the male Twilight Sparkle is named ‘Dusk Shine’, for example.”

He flicked his hoof again and again, generating more balls of light, each connected to the floor as he listed off trivia about them. 

“In this world, your Princess Celestia was the one who went mad, taking the moniker ‘Corona’ and being banished to the sun, leaving Luna as the princess in charge to nominate an entirely different six mares as the Elements of Harmony when Corona one day returned, much as Celestia had done for you.

“In this one, your world has fallen into a wasteland of radioactive fallout. The violence and horror there is comparable to some of the worst of my world’s northern continent, but is mostly all-encompassing. Their technological advances also took on a different spin entirely - it is mostly similar, but has a distinctly ‘dated’ or ‘scavenged’ aesthetic.

“In this one, Rainbow Dash never activated her ‘Sonic Rainboom’ when you were all young, leading to your talents being discovered differently and thus, you all adopting different Elements of Harmony when the time came. Applejack, for example, remained in Manehatten and became a comedian, and eventually adopted the Element of Laughter. It’s all very fascinating.”

“I’m not following any of this, are you?” Rainbow asked Applejack.

“Not one bit,” Applejack replied.

“Alternate universes,” Twilight explained. “It is a popular theory in some academic circles that our universe is just one of many, and considering what we’ve been through it seems like the theories are true.” She turned back to Silvertongue. “I’m just waiting to hear where you’re going with all this. I’ve heard enough villainous talk to know when somepony’s getting to the real nuts and bolts of their diabolical plan.”

“Astutely observed. The crux of all this is that despite all their similarities, there’s only one thing they all have in common: their connection to the Prime. Even my world shares a connection: Harmonia and Nihila are just alternate versions of Celestia and Luna, after all. The Prime represents the concept of what the Chronomancers call ‘Canon’ - it is fundamentally self-realized, and it is, itself, immalleable. The Prime Canon moves forward regardless of anything that happens to any of the infinite worlds connected to it, uncaring, unfeeling, unmoving.”

Twilight then glanced at Tick Tock. “Is that true? Then what’s the threat here?”

Tick Tock sneered. “He’s getting to it.”

“That I am. You see, while Prime Canon is unchanging from our perspective, the Prime itself is changing constantly, though it is approaching a point in time where even it will no longer change. Until then, every single change, no matter how small, no matter how insignificant, has effects on all of the worlds connected to it.” 

He drew up another ball of light. “An example: this is my world. And, according to my own memories and those of the ponies who live there, there are two alicorn goddesses that once ruled it: Harmonia and Nihila. But this was not always the case. I’ve had the time to analyze the very building blocks of my world, and I discovered a fact that is both significant and trivial all the same: Nihila’s name was once Discordia. Isn’t that right, Chronomancer?”

Tick Tock snorted. “What of it?”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Twilight said.

“You could never hope to understand, and neither could the other countless creatures that live there, because you’ve never had the ability to see beyond the false appearances that reality has created to shield us from the truth of Prime’s influence over us all.” Silvertongue sneered. “Her name was once Discordia, that much is fact. I didn’t believe it myself, but the evidence is there, hidden deep, deep beneath endless layers of inscrutable energies created when our world was born. The Chronomancer’s confirmation is merely for your own benefit.”

“So what’s the big deal?” Havocwing asked. “Her name changed, so what?”

“Exactly: it is an insignificant change on the surface, but at its heart, the change fundamentally altered the essence of what is supposed to be one of the most powerful entities in existence, and she doesn’t even realize it. And the reason for this change was simple: in the Prime Canon, the creature you--” He pointed at Twilight “--call Discord came into being. His very existence in the Prime fundamentally changed the laws of my entire world in such an insignificant way that it’s almost insulting.”

“That sounds like something Discord would do,” Twilight noted.

“But he didn’t do anything,” Silvertongue retorted. “The chains that bind my world to the Prime unraveled and rewrote themselves to accommodate his existence for seemingly superficial reasons. And that’s not all.” He pointed to Twilight’s world. “In your world, Discord didn’t even exist until he did in the Prime Canon. And when he did, suddenly your entire reality rewrote itself, just like mine did, to make room for him. I’ve seen the inner essence of your reality, and know that when you originally came to my world, the ‘ticking clock’ that motivated your journey home was more relaxed from your perspective. Discord provided a more tangible threat for you and your friends to understand and compel you to hurry along.”

“That’s impossible. Discord’s an ancient being, he can’t have existed after us.”

“In the Prime, he did, for there was no inkling to his existence in the First Age of the Prime timeline. But his sudden appearance in the Prime Canon at the beginning of its Second Age had an effect on your world, as it did on mine, as it likely did on countless others. His very existence likely created entire new worlds, maybe destroyed others. And that’s just a significant change to the Prime.” 

Silvertongue sneered as he drew other balls of light towards him. “Other, more minor events in Prime Canon had far-reaching impacts of sometimes drastic scales. Several worlds have been created, or altered, or even destroyed because of something as trifling or inane as a facial expression or an outfit.”

“That’s insane,” Twilight snorted. “You’re suggesting that reality changes because of every little thing that happens in Prime Canon, no matter how small?”

“That is precisely what I’m suggesting, and it is insane, is it not?” Silvertongue laughed. “Imagine a reality where the fundamental part of your character, your very essence, can change on the whim of something out of your control. I suppose you need concrete examples? Here’s one.” He pointed to Pinkie and Rainbow. “In Prime Canon, you two aren’t a romantic pair. You’re not even interested in one another in that fashion, and in fact there’s no concrete evidence that either of you have actual romantic interests in anypony at all.”

Pinkie and Rainbow glanced at one another. “What?” Rainbow asked.

“But… we’ve been together forever!” Pinkie said. “Ever since my birthday that I thought you all forgot…”

“Correct,” Silvertongue agreed. “But in Prime Canon, that was merely a solid instance of close friendship between two mares. Your version of reality interpreted it as a romantic gesture, and so wrote itself that way. You had no say in it, but your reality decided that that’s what was true, no matter how far-reaching, unbelievable, or unnecessary it was. And that’s, again, a rather significant example. There are other changes made with less significant justification. There exists a world where a pony known as ‘Lyra Heartstrings’ is obsessed with creatures called ‘humans’ because of the way she was sitting on a bench. It is ridiculous. It is insane. It is imperfect.”

“So you want to put a stop to it?” Twilight asked. “Let me guess, by destroying the Prime and making a new one?”

Tick Tock scoffed. “That’s all well and good, but you couldn’t do that even if you tried. Despite all your power, and even with my Timekeeper, you can’t affect Equestria Prime in any way. Just give it up, and go home. Nopony ever needs to know what happened here.”

Silvertongue smiled. “You’re correct, such a plan would be impossible. As I said, the Prime is immutable to creatures on this side of its reality, and even with all my power I have no possible way of affecting it, or crossing over into it that I might do so. Even altering all these other realities would take an infinite amount of time and power to change. For now, I will just begin adjusting the fundamentals of my own world before moving on to others. However, I must have a proof of concept before I attempt anything, so I’ll use your world,” he said looking back to Twilight, “to test my theories.”

He drew close the string that connected their world to the Prime, and it appeared as if the string was actually thousands of tiny strands woven together. “Each strand in the link represents an idea - be it a pony, a place, an object, an event, anything - from the Prime that connects to a counterpart concept in your world. The power it takes just to sever one strand is immense, certainly, but more than manageable for me. Let’s see what happens when we alter one, hmm? Let’s see, where to begin...”

Tick Tock’s eyes widened. “No!” She turned to the others. “Stop him, quick!”

Twilight and her friends nodded as one, and did everything they could to force their way through the wall - kicking it, blasting it with magic, and everything in between - and yet nothing worked. The wall seemed to shudder and shake, but it held true even under their assault.

Tick Tock turned to Starlight. “Why are you standing there like daft idiots?! Help!”

Starlight rubbed her chin. “At present, Chronomancer, I cannot discern any purpose for participating in attempts to stymie our father’s plan.”

Tick Tock blinked. “What?!”

“He’s trying to destroy our reality!” Rainbow snarled, getting in Starlight’s face. “Then he’s gonna do the same to yours!”

“He wants to make things better for you guys, though,” Havocwing said. “I mean… what’s wrong with what he’s doing? Making everything perfect sounds like a good thing, right?”

“Everything!” Tick Tock snapped. “Everything’s wrong with it! His idea of ‘perfect’ robs you of your free will, of your ability to feel, to choose! And he’s going to completely unravel and destroy countless lives to make it happen!”

Silvertongue smirked as he drew one strand out of the chain - an orange-and-gold line. “There we are, a sample that will be noticeable in immediate company. This strand here represents ‘Applejack’. Not just the mare, but the very idea of Applejack.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “Stop! Don’t do it!”

“Let’s see what happens when we disconnect it from the Prime.”

With a tug from his horn, he snapped the single strand on the link. Everypony braced themselves, especially Applejack.

For a moment, nothing happened. 

Then...

“Uh… girls?” Applejack muttered. “I don’t feel so good…”

Everypony’s attention was drawn to her. Applejack was slowly fading away into nothingness.

“Applejack?!” Twilight gasped.

And Applejack was gone.

Rarity fainted.

“No…” Fluttershy gulped. “No no no…”

“Bring her back!” Rainbow shouted, bashing her hooves against the invisible wall. “BRING HER BACK!”

“Alas,” Silvertongue said with a shrug, “she is no longer connected between your world and the Prime, and so by extension doesn’t exist in your reality, nor does anything connected or related directly to her. Sweet Apple Acres, gone. Her brother, gone. Sister, gone. Parents, grandparents, cousins, everything - gone. If it relied on her existence for its own existence, it has been effectively erased from reality.”

“Liar!” Twilight shouted. “You can bring her back!”

“That I can, but I have no reason to at the moment. Your own emotional outburst, incidentally, only exists because you still remember her. An effect of being here at the Prime during this exchange. Were you at home in your own world you wouldn’t have even noticed the change, because to you, nothing has changed, and you’ll forget her as soon as you return home. As you can see, even a minor alteration to the connections between the Prime and your world is far-reaching and dramatic.”

“No!” Twilight grit her teeth and blasted the wall with all her might she could muster. A tiny, tiny crack finally manifested itself. She tried another blast, and the crack got larger. “You monster!”

Tick Tock turned to Starlight’s sisters. “Do any of you have one shred of decency?! He just murdered Applejack in front of your eyes! He’s evil!”

“‘Murder’ isn’t strictly accurate,” Silvertongue huffed. “I again note that I did not kill Applejack, because your Applejack simply doesn’t exist. Your anger might seem justified now but when you return home you will have no reason to be angry.”

Starlight looked to Twilight’s frantic attempts to break Silvertongue’s barrier; she was losing energy, fast, and yet the wall was still standing firm. The cracks stopped getting larger. “I… but…”

“You are daft, aren’t you?” Tick Tock snarled. “You heard what he said: everything connected to Applejack is going to vanish. Everything.” She stared at Curaçao. “You had a chance to stop it. Applejack even told you all: he doesn’t care about you. You’re just a bloody tool to him. A way to prove his theory.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Curaçao asked. Tick Tock noticed that she was sweating.

“You’ve caught on, Chronomancer,” Silvertongue interjected. “Unless, of course, I was wrong in my assessment of how these connections functioned. It would be a shame if I was. All this wasted time, such a shame indeed.”

Grayscale interjected. “Wait… Curaçao is a clone of that Applejack. So… if Applejack never existed--”

“Then… then Curaçao would disappear too?” Havocwing finished. “No, pops wouldn’t--”

“What?! No! Not Curie!” insipid whined, grabbing Curaçao tight.

“Well, clearly papa’s theory isn’t working, oui?” Curaçao noted. She was breathing heavily and gritting her teeth, enough that the other mares could notice.

“Curaçao…” Velvet murmured. “You’re okay, right?”

“Je vais bien - perfectly fine,” Curaçao replied. Her eye twitched. “See, papa? Zis plan of yours… will not work…”

“Clearly,” Silvertongue hummed. “Unfortunate. My entire plan hinged on the fact that, since my daughters are intimately connected to Twilight and her friends despite being from entirely different worlds, that whatever affected Equestria-IV’s Applejack would affect Curaçao as well. I suppose this expedition was a ‘bust’, as they say.” He grinned. “Then again…”

“Pops, come on, bring Applejack back,” Havocwing interjected. “We don’t need to fight anypony, we can just go home.”

“If you want to make our world perfect, dad, we can help,” Grayscale interjected.

“Yeah, daddy!” Insipid squealed as she hugged Curaçao tight. She didn’t notice, but her hooves were slowly going through Curaçao’s body. “This isn’t working!”

Silvertongue smirked. “Are you so sure?”

Curaçao stared her father straight in the eyes. “Why… would you… do zis… to--”

She couldn’t fight it anymore, and vanished without a trace.

Insipid fell to the ground where Curaçao had been. She frantically looked about. “Curie? Curie?! Where are you?!”

“Curaçao?” Starlight murmured, also glancing about. “Sister?”

Tick Tock grunted. “Do you see, now?” She looked to the remaining five clones. “We tried to warn you.”

Havocwing started shaking violently in place, gritting her teeth so hard they threatened to crack in her mouth. She didn’t even raise her voice when she turned and addressed Silvertongue. “Why?”

“To achieve perfection, daughter, what else?” Silvertongue said, though he was not smiling. “I regret that I was correct, truly I do. I didn’t want to end her existence. But sacrifices must be made--”

“Shut up.” Havocwing came right up to the wall, her whole body trembling with rage. “I hate you. I hate you, so much. And I’m going to kill you.”

Silvertongue raised an eyebrow. “Are you now? A sudden jump to patricidal thoughts is quite interesting. It would seem as if I was correct in my assumption that your sisterly bond was growing beyond your attachment to me, your father. An unfortunate--”

Havocwing’s body started to heat up immensely, until she was white-hot with fury. She punched a flaming hoof against the barrier as hard as she could - a crack appeared. Another punch, another crack. She kept going, and going, and going.

Grayscale joined her, beating her wings to create a burst of gravitational force. The wall, though invisible, groaned as if bending. Velvet, too, rushed it, lashing at the wall with all the bloody spikes she could manage. The wall still held firm, but was slowly straining under the pressure.

“Hmm. Impressive.” Silvertongue filtered through the strands on the chain, pulling out another, this one a pale yellow tinged with pink. “Of course, Curaçao can turn invisible and is a talented actress, so it is possible she is attempting a bluff to get me to let down my guard, and to motivate you lot into helping your counterparts. She seemed to have become disillusioned with her role in my plan long before any of you even realized what it was.”

“Shut up!” Rainbow yelled, sweeping in beside Havocwing to blast the wall with lightning. “When we break through this wall, you’re going down!”

Fluttershy, seeing the familiar-looking strand, looked to her friends. “Oh no… girls, he--”

“Don’t worry, Flutershy, we won’t let him!” Pinkie shouted, pulling a cannon from thin air and blasting the cracked wall with explosive fireworks.

“It’s a trivial matter to continue stacking the deck in my favor,” Silvertongue said with a smile. “Curaçao, if she’s really gone, had a tremendous spirit and sense of self-worth, enough that she clearly resisted the effects. Lying to herself to prevent her own elimination is quite a utilization of talent, I must say. I doubt anypony else here has that kind of resolve, so let’s test this hypothesis further. It does no good to base a theory’s proof on only a single example.”

With another tilt of his horn, the strand snapped clean.

Fluttershy curled up on the ground. “Oh no--” 

And she was gone.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight screamed.

Havocwing reared back for another blast, but midway through her charge, she vanished. The residual flames sizzled out before they even struck the wall.

Havocwing’s sisters cried in unison. “Havoc!”

“And there it is: solid evidence.” Silvertongue gave a triumphant laugh. “Proof! Proof that reality can be made into whatever I wish it to be! Perfection is now nothing more than a matter of patience and dedication. So, with that out of the way, it’s time I dealt with the rest of--”

Starlight Shadow let out a scream of pained anger. Her eyes flared a brilliant white. “No more!” With a flare of her horn, she blasted the wall with a tremendous bolt of energy. “You are no father of mine!” 

The beam of inky black magical energy rippled against the wall, filling the cracks and dents with its essence. 

“I trusted you! I loved you! And you used me! Used us!” The black energy strengthened. The cracks expanded outwards across the wall, and in greater force than ever. “I will destroy you!”

Silvertongue gave a light “hmph” and turned his attention back to the strands. “That barrier will hold long enough for me to eliminate additional threats. I wish it hadn’t come to this, daughter, I truly do, but--”

“Shut up!” Insipid spat. “You killed Curie!”

“And Havoc!” added Velvet.

“And Applejack!” Rainbow chimed in.

“And Fluttershy!” added Pinkie.

“We’re putting an end to this, right now!” Twilight shouted, standing beside Starlight and igniting her own horn. 

She blasted the wall in the exact spot Starlight was, and the cataclysmic energies of their combined magic ripped a hole straight through it. Silvertongue calmly stepped aside to avoid the blast as it careened off into white nothingness.

Nopony needed to be told what to do next, racing through the hole as quickly as they were able. Silvertongue merely smiled. “Very well. Meet death face-first.”

“Meet this!” Rainbow shouted, swinging around him to kick him with a lightning-coated hoof. She moved faster than the sound of her own voice, already next to him before he even finished his sentence.

Silvertongue caught the kick with a tiny ounce of magic and, with a small tug on his horn, smashed Rainbow into the ground hard enough that everypony present heard the bones in her leg crack. Rainbow fell unconscious immediately from the pain.

“Dashie!” Pinkie cried.

“Impossible…” Tick Tock breathed as she watched. “How could he react so… fast…” She stared at Silvertongue’s chest - her Timekeeper was tucked neatly in his pocket, and it was glowing. 

Velvet and Insipid were next through, the former lashing out with bloody tendrils while the later fired a beam of sickly green energy at Silvertongue. Silvertongue’s horn flashed, and Insipid’s burst ricocheted just inches from his face and blasted Velvet between the eyes. Velvet screamed in pain as the bolt drained her energy; her blood splattered on the floor without her to control it.

“Velvet!” Insipid gasped. “I’m sor--”

Silvertongue blasted her full force with a beam of magical energy. Twilight was barely able to reach her in time with a shield of her own energy, which shattered on impact and filled the area with a plume of electrical smoke.

Tick Tock shook her head. “They can’t beat him, not while he has--” She turned to Pinkie, who was just charging through. “Pinkie! My Timekeeper! Grab it!”

Pinkie turned, nodded, and zipped off into the fray, where she just seemed to disappear into the smokescreen.

Starlight and Grayscale passed through the hole in the barrier next, and directed everything they had at Silvertongue. He effortlessly resisted Grayscale’s attempts to crush him under his own weight while blocking Starlight’s blast with a shield of energy.

“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done!” Grayscale spat.

“So emotional, Grayscale,” Silvertongue chided. “You forget that you are at your strongest when you are calm and collected. I thought you all better than this. Perhaps my pride in you and your sisters was misplaced--”

“Keep silent!” snapped Starlight, channeling more energy into her blast.

Silvertongue slid half an inch backwards. He smiled. “Impressive.”

“I said--” Starlight unleashed the beam in an explosive force powerful enough to clear the smoke surrounding them. “--be silent!”

Silvertongue skidded several feet back this time. “Most impressive. A true force to be reckoned with. The power of a goddess in the body of a mare. Almost.” He dusted off his jacket with a wing. “I regret that I have to destroy you all to proceed with my plan, but I do not consider this sacrifice to be the end of our relationship, daughters. When I rebuild our world, there will be a place for you. With my power--”

“I have heard enough--” Starlight started.

Silvertongue flashed his horn briefly, striking Starlight with enough force to send her careening into the broken wall. She hit the floor, and did not get back up.

“If that’s all from the lot of you,” he continued with a smile, “then we can be done with these dull proceedings.” He reached into his pocket. His smile faltered, and he glanced at where the Timekeeper had been hanging. It was gone.

“Yoohoo!” Pinkie called, waving from the other side of the wall, where she’d delivered the watch to Tick Tock. “Looking for some--”

Silvertongue blasted Pinkie with a bolt of magic. She fell limp beside Tick Tock, breathing, but only just.

“Pinkie!” Twilight called.

“Hmm. No matter, I do not need it at this precise moment. I had only hoped to use it to hasten the process.” He ignited his horn, filling the air with bright, hot light. “I will take it back from your smoldering corpses, however, as it is essential to my handling of the Prime bindings.”

Tick Tock frantically popped the Timekeeper open. “Twilight! Keep me covered while I get this working!”

“On it!” Twilight called. She rushed over to Tick Tock and erected a barrier. Grayscale and Insipid grabbed Velvet, Rainbow, Rarity, and Starlight to get behind her. The latter four were unconscious, but still breathing. Barely.

As the energy reached the edge of Twilight’s force field, Twilight hissed in pain; steam issued from where the light touched the barrier, driving it back. “Hurry, Tick Tock!” she shouted. “I can’t hold this for long!”

“Working as fast as I can!” Tick Tock replied as she fiddled with knobs and gears. “The emergency protocols are under multiple protective failsafes to prevent--”

“We don’t need an explanation!” Grayscale snapped. “Is it going to help us get our sisters back?”

Tick Tock looked at Grayscale, dead serious. “If I can get it off, it will. I promise.”

“Good.” Grayscale stood tall. “I’ll help buy you time.”

Grayscale flared her wings, generating a wall of gravitational force in front of her. She strode out in front of Twilight. Twilight noticed. “Grayscale? Get behind me, this isn’t--”

“Keep your shield up, Twilight,” Grayscale said. “I’ll give you some breathing room to regenerate it. All of you--” She turned to the ponies behind Twilight. “--stay back.”

“What are you-- no, wait!”

Grayscale stepped through Twilight’s force field, and the gravitational force repelled the light of Silvertongue’s spell. She moved towards him, step by step, inch by inch, pushing the light back.

“Grayscale, this is a surprise. Calmed down, have we?” Silvertongue chided. “Come to accept your death, then? You know you’re not going to survive this.”

“Yes. But it doesn’t matter. As long as we win, nothing else matters.” Grayscale continued forward. The light grew stronger, pushing back against her. “Nothing. Else. Matters.”

“No. I suppose it doesn’t.”

Silvertongue flourished his wings, and intensified the light. Within seconds, it was crushing down on Grayscale and pushing through the gravity well she’d created. She did not react as the light pushed through and seared the tips of her wings and burned her mane.

“Grayscale!” Insipid called. “Come back!”

Grayscale ignored her and kept pushing forward.

Twilight stared as Grayscale slowly lost the battle. “Insipid,” she murmured, “I need your help. My barrier can’t repel him on its own. Can you help me?”

Insipid looked to Twilight, then to Grayscale. “But… I have to help--”

“Grayscale knows what she’s doing. You have to help me with my barrier, or your other sisters are in danger. Can you help me?”

Insipid looked to Twilight, then back to Grayscale. She gulped, and nodded, a tear in her eye. “For sure…” 

She touched Rarity’s unconscious body and absorbed her power, then channeled it into Twilight. She closed her eyes as Grayscale pushed forward. She did not watch as Grayscale was consumed by the light. Grayscale gave no cries of agony, or fear. She faced her death with dignity.

The light now pressed against Twilight’s shield again, stronger than before. But, with Insipid’s help, she was able to push back enough to keep it stable. “How’s it coming, Tick Tock?!”

Tick Tock huffed. “Almost there. Just a few more seconds.”

“We don’t have--”

Silvertongue flared more power through the spell. The shield cracked, and Twilight hissed again as the pain flowed into her own body; Insipid followed suit, connected to Twilight’s spell and therefore to the effects Silvertongue’s magic was having on it.

“Tick Tock!”

The shield sputtered and faltered. Twilight and Insipid lost several feet of ground. The searing light was inches from their faces.

“This is it,” Tick Tock muttered as she twisted one last knob. “Here we go.” 

“Tick Tock! Do some--” The light enveloped Twilight and Insipid fully. Death was instantaneous.

Tick Tock clicked the Timekeeper’s button just as the light was reaching her. It glowed bright green for a split second, then--

***

A portal tore itself open with the sound of a thousand crashing waves, letting loose a torrent of mares to fall to the ground beneath in a groaning heap.

Rainbow was the first to speak. “That… was a lot different than the last time. I feel funny, anyone else feel funny?”

Havocwing spoke up from beneath her. “I feel funny that you’ve got your fat ass in my face! Get off!”

“Who’re you calling ‘fat’, chump?!”

“I think I landed on somepony’s horn!” Velvet declared.

“Yes, that’s mine, dear,” Rarity replied.

“Cool, hey, can you move like two inches down--”

“Ugh!”

The thirteen mares quickly gathered themselves up and observed their surroundings. It was, at one point, the most beautiful city in Equestria: Canterlot. With its gleaming white buildings and tall spires, the city was supposed to be a beacon to all pony kind, a symbol of the elite, of royalty, and of elegance.

Now, it was… not. The gleaming white spires were slowly melting candles that smelled vaguely of vanilla. The well-paved streets were made of rubber, and ponies nearby bounced along the streets rather than walked, and were none too happy about it. The sky was neon green, the sun was no longer a waffle but a soccer ball that rolled along the horizon - it was currently stuck in between two hills.

“Great, Star botched the portal and we got whisked away to Wacky Land,” Velvet grumbled.

Starlight stared at the scene, her eye twitching. “The spell was executed without error of any kind, Velvet. This… this is our destination, Sparkle? This is your world?”

Twilight shook her head. “It is… but we’re too late. Discord’s loose.”

“So, Discord is a distraction,” Rarity muttered. “What a despicable fellow.”

“Who’s Discord, anyhow?” asked Grayscale.

“The local manifestation of chaos,” Twilight answered. “Basically, a god, not unlike your world’s Nihila. We need to stop him, and quick, before--” She turned to Tick Tock, and gasped. Tick Tock’s mane had grown several inches, and Twilight was certain that she was just a fraction of an inch taller. “Tick Tock? What happened to you?”

Tick Tock stepped away from the others and cracked her neck. “Okay everypony, gather around. I’ll make this brief, since I’ve had this conversation with you all fifty-two thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine times already, and I’ve gotten bloody well used to it by now, so this’ll be quick, I promise.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What the hay are you talking--”

“Let me speak, Twilight, please. I’ll explain everything.” Tick Tock cleared her throat. “So! Here’s the breakdown, everypony: in the next ten or twenty minutes, we are going to follow after Silvertongue to Equestria Prime, and we are going to lose. I know this because we’ve lost every single bloody time we’ve faced him so far, so I’m hoping that this time is the one where we win. I say that every time, but I still maintain hope.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Rainbow interjected. “You--”

Tick Tock continued talking over Rainbow. “During the coming fight, several of you are killed. I’ve tried literally tens of thousands of different plans of attack, but each of them fails. Silvertongue is too powerful, too careful, he has my Timekeeper to his advantage at first, and he’s planned for too many scenarios for us to win in a direct assault, so--”

“Back up!” Havocwing snapped. “You’re going too fast. Some of us die? Who? What? Why?”

“Also, huh?” added Velvet. “You lost me, greenie.”

“You’ve lost all of us at this point,” Twilight agreed. “Am I understanding that you’ve seen the future?”

“Technically, but that’s not important at the moment,” Tick Tock answered. “Every scenario I’ve attempted has been different, but I have personally witnessed the deaths and total existence erasures of each and every one of you thousands of times over. He’s predicted every possible avenue of attack from every angle and every combination of factors. The only, and I repeat only reason we’re having this conversation is by a sheer factor of luck: Silvertongue considers me such an insignificant threat that he never targets me.”

“Okay, hold on. How do you know all this?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, since when could you see into the future?” Havocwing added.

“My Timekeeper has a failsafe protocol in it in the case of reality-threatening emergencies,” Tick Tock explained. “It reverses time by exactly one hour for the entirety of reality, except for my awareness of events and my physical aging process, and thus I can attempt to alter the outcome. The latter is an unfortunate side effect of the spell with no practical applications in this context.”

“Whoa, cool, like time travel?” Rainbow asked.

“See, I told you this story involved time travel, Dashie,” Pinkie scoffed. “Alllll the way back in Chapter One, even. Did we make a bet on it? ‘Cause if we did, somepony owes me some bits.”

“No, it’s not time travel, time travel is impossible.” As Pinkie made to interrupt, Tick Tock took a deep breath. “Time works like an analog clock - it winds forward and backward, you can’t just jump to a certain point in time. So - and I stress that I’ve answered this question over fifty thousand times - I am not traveling back in time, I am winding time back one hour and reliving it, over and over.”

“Hold on, that can’t be right. I’ve used time travel spells before,” Twilight noted. “I met my future self and everything, even tried to pass along a warning.”

Tick Tock nodded. “Not time travel. Timeline travel - you merely traveled to an earlier point in a timeline separate from your own. Not the same thing. Think about it logically: if you travel to the past, that past becomes your future, and your former present becomes the past, which can't be changed by your new future.”

“You just said a whole lotta words that made no sense,” Rainbow muttered.

“That’s time travel for you.” Tick Tock pointed to Twilight. “Essentially, the reason your ‘time travel’ attempt failed was because you didn’t actually warn yourself about the future, you warned a Twilight from an alternate timeline, who simply performed the same actions because a Twilight from another timeline warned you, and so on.”

“Huh. Well, you’re the expert on Chronomancy, I’ll defer to your knowledge on the matter. So, you say that you’ve relived the last hour fifty-two thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine times?” Twilight asked. She calculated it in her head. “That’s--”

“Precisely six years, give or take a few minutes.” She pointed at Pinkie, who raised her hoof. “Yes, that means I’m six years older than when we started, hence the longer mane. Haven’t bothered to cut it, it’s not important.” She then pointed to Velvet. “And no, thankfully sleeping and eating and other biological needs aren’t carried over, thank goodness. Can you imagine if I had to take a nap?”

Starlight cleared her throat. “This elucidation on the mechanics of manipulating chronological functions, while fascinating, is irrelevant. You will pardon me if I have doubts about the validity of these claims of yours--”

Tick Tock turned to Curaçao instantly. “You believe me. You always do.”

Curaçao narrowed her eyes for a brief second, then nodded. “Oui. I believe you.”

“Huh? Curaçao?” Havocwing questioned. “What are you talking about? You believe all that horseshit?”

“I can tell when a pony is lying, being manipulative, or ozerwise ‘iding zee truz from me,” Curaçao explained. “She is not as skilled as papa at ze are. Elle est honnête.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Grayscale said. “What’s the plan this time then?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, back up,” Havocwing interjected. “You guys are gonna believe that pops is just gonna go all murder-happy on us? Just like that, sis? What if--”

“No ‘what if’, ‘avoc,” Curaçao said. “She is being truzful. I ‘ave no reason to doubt ‘er… and I am not surprised by zis information eizer. C'est le seul résultat logique - ze only logical outcome of papa’s plans....”

“I cannot comprehend any rational reason for our father to commit filicide,” Starlight said, leveling a glare at Curaçao. “You will explain how you reached this outcome.”

“C’est simple: papa wants to build un monde parfait - a perfect world. ‘Oo is more imperfect zan us?”

“We are his children, sister--”

“And ‘e ‘as devoted ‘is life to zee goal of perfection for ‘undreds of years. ‘E will not abandon it just because we consider ‘im our papa. Il est regrettable, but it is ze truz of ze matter.”

“You have to admit, Star, dad did kind of toss us aside as soon as we helped him absorb Nihila,” Grayscale added. “Once he had that power, what use for us does he have? Does he even seem like the ‘doting father’ type?”

Havocwing tapped her chin. “Well, I mean… I wouldn’t get him like a ‘#1 Dad’ mug for his birthday or anything…”

Velvet was quick to agree: “Yeah, I mean… remember back when we came back after our first big fight with these guys? He kinda went all trigger happy on me. I mean, I understand that sometimes parents punish their kids but like… not fry them with electricity.”

Starlight hummed. “I want to argue that your assertion is merely the beginning of a slippery slope fallacy, but… it possesses merit. I myself believed it within my authority to inflict punishments upon you, but after father revealed our nature to us, that impulse vanished.” She shook her head. “But what circumstances would compel father to resort to such actions?”

Applejack stepped forward. “‘Cause he ain’t really yer father, and y’all know that. Don’t ya? He made you, but y’all’re just tools ta him. Whatever feelin’ he might say he has for all o’ ya ain’t real love. After everythin’ I’ve learned from bein’ with y’all, knowin’ that Silvertongue’s the ‘father’ ya kept goin’ on about, I’ve been lookin’ forward ta givin’ him a piece o’ my mind.”

Curaçao nodded. “We might be ‘is creations, sister… but we are not ‘is children. Not really.”

Starlight pondered this, then sighed and nodded her head. “I am unsure if this is the proper course of action, but… I suppose if you believe this story, Curaçao, I will follow your judgement. You have always been more capable than I in understanding father’s motivations.”

“So, we’re all the same page then, everypony?” Tick Tock asked. The mares looked to one another and muttered among themselves, then gave Tick Tock nods of agreement. “Good. Here’s the plan: Discord.”

Twilight gasped. “That’s right! We have to stop Discord! He’s--”

“--our best chance to stop Silvertongue,” Tick Tock completed.

Twilight and her friends all looked at Tick Tock like she’d just said something offensive, insane, or possibly both. “Huh?” they said in unison.

“The past four hundred and seventy-one attempts have all been made using Discord as a linchpin, as it were. I began to notice a pattern, or rather a lack of one, in dealing with him every time we arrive in your world: as a being of pure Chaos, he is, to put it simply, unpredictable. Silvertongue easily won every encounter before I began attempting to recruit Discord, and I figured it was because he had planned for every possible outcome.”

“Then how is Discord going to help?” asked Twilight.

“As I said: he is unpredictable. To my consternation, Silvertongue bloody well anticipated that we’d recruit Discord, too - something about how ‘the magic of friendship’ is such a defining feature of your world. But, each and every time Discord has helped us, Silvertongue was unable to anticipate our every action, and that allowed some maneuvers to slip through.”

“And yet here we are,” Havocwing noted.

“True, it hasn’t won us a fight yet, but there have been a few close attempts…” Tick Tock sighed. “I consider any attempt made where one of you dies to be a failed attempt, so I don’t know if Discord’s help would result in a true ‘win’ yet, but I’ve kept trying, and I’ve been getting closer every time.”

Rainbow stomped her hoof. “Okay, so we recruit dopy ol’ Discord to our side. How?”

“That’s actually the hardest part. Again, he’s unpredictable. Sometimes he agrees, sometimes he doesn’t, even if all of the circumstances are exactly the same down to the second, down to every last word, down to where everypony is standing. He chooses completely at random. We always get him to ally with us in the end, sometimes via force--” Tick Tock gave Havocwing a lingering look “--but Discord as an ally is preferable to Discord as an enemy, regardless of the circumstances.”

“Well that’s just great. Some reliable plan that is!”

“It’s better than just fighting him, then going up against Silvertongue and watching everypony die,” Tick Tock added bluntly. “If I had any other options, I’d take them, but this is it. Believe me, I’ve tried the alternative many, many times.”

Everypony remained silent in thought for a moment. Then Twilight spoke: “Well then, let’s get going. If we’re going to recruit Discord, we’d best not keep him waiting.”

Everypony nodded in agreement, and they set off for Canterlot Square.

***

Discord skated along the chalkboard-like material that the ground of Canterlot Square now consisted of, using a pair of sizeable pieces of chalk to do so. The rest of Canterlot Square was in varying states of bizarre: The central fountain was pouring liquid cheese into the pool below - Discord skated by to dip a hunk of bread into it; the surrounding buildings were drawn with thick crayon lines and basic primary colors. Ponies had long since cleared out, so all that was left was Discord and his fun.

Thirteen mares came running down the street into the Square. “Discord!” shouted one. Discord recognized it as Twilight Sparkle.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Discord gloated as he skidded to a stop. He snapped his fingers. A golden throne appeared, and he took a seat before eyeing the group. “And you brought new friends. Wonderful. This should be entertaining.”

Twilight stepped aside and gestured to Starlight and her sisters. “These are our new… uh--” She turned to Tick Tock. “Did we ever become friends with Starlight and her sisters in any attempt?”

Tick Tock smirked. “Most of them, actually.”

“Our new friends!”

Havocwing, ever the attempted leader, stepped forward. “Okay, so, I’m--”

Discord was suddenly right next to her, sizing her up. “Hmmm. No. Don’t like the whole ‘red and black OC’ look. Too edgy for me.” He snapped his fingers, and Havocwing was now dressed in a frilly pink tutu and ballerina shoes. “Hmmm… better. Better. Continue.”

Havocwing’s sisters winced. “That’s not good,” Velvet muttered to Grayscale. “Havoc hates pink. And dresses. Especially pink dresses.”

“Guess we beat Discord into helping us this time around,” Grayscale whispered back. “You ready?”

Havocwing took several deep, long breaths, trembling with anger. She grit her teeth and seethed, her raging anger searing the tutu and shoes right off her body.

Discord took a hasty step back, not from fear but mere surprise. “Ooh, that’s one spicy meat-a-ball. Not bad, kiddo, not bad. You’re just an angry little rage-filled firecracker, aren’t you? Intense. Go on, continue with the introductions.”

Havocwing, to the surprise of everypony present, kept her cool enough not to leap up and lay into Discord. She spoke through gritted teeth, clearly barely constraining herself. “I’m Havocwing. And these are my sisters--”

“Sisters? I love family get-togethers!” Discord quickly duplicated into five of himself to hold separate conversations with the other five mares.

“Oh I just love your mane,” one Discord said to Insipid, batting Insipid’s gaudy blonde curls. “You absolutely must give me your stylist’s name. I could use a new coat of paint for the palace when I’m done with it, and this color of yours just inspires me.”

“Thanks!” Insipid chirped. “I’m Insipid by the way!”

“Oh, you most certainly are.”

“I’m digging the glam rock look,” another Discord said to Grayscale. “Do you sing? Dance? Play an instrument?”

“I don’t do… singing and dancing, and I don’t play any instruments,” Grayscale muttered, eyes narrowed. “I’m Grayscale Force.”

“Anypony ever tell you you’re built like a small house? You’ve got that whole ‘amazon’ thing going for ya. I hear some stallions are really into that, if you care.”

“Y’know, you remind me of somepony,” a third Discord said to Velvet.

“Yeah, that’d be her.” Velvet pointed to Pinkie, who gave a little wave. “I’m Red Velvet.”

“Hmm. Cupcakes reference? Kind of roundabout, though. Also a little dated even when this story was new, don’t you think? Did anyone actually enjoy that story? I mean, outside of some sort of morbid curiosity, like walking past a train wreck.”

“Your name is ‘Starlight Shadow’?” the fourth Discord said to Starlight. “You know that’s kind of derivative, right?”

“I’m afraid I do not comprehend your implication,” Starlight stated. “Elucidate.”

“Well I mean, we meet Sarlight Glimmer in a couple of seasons, and before that there’s Sunset Shimmer in the spinoff. I think Trixie over there counts on a technicality, too. How many anti-Twilights-that-redeem-themselves are there, do you think? I mean, they don’t sound like you though. Was your mother a thesaurus?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak whatever that was,” the fifth Discord stated matter-of-factly to Curaçao. “Do. You. Speak. English? Or… Equine, or whatever we’re calling this language we’re speaking.”

Curaçao just stared at Discord. She glanced at her sisters, then back to him. “Merveilleux.”

“Wunderbar to you too.”

Tick Tock interjected. “And I’m Tick Tock. A pleasure.”

Discord’s copies all merged together to give her a good look-over. He offered her his paw. She took it, and they shook. “Charmed. I--” He stopped, withdrew his paw and stared at it, then shook his head to rearrange his thoughts. “Wait, sorry. Forgot, you’re all supposed to be trying to stop me. Well, let’s cut to the chase--”

“We’re not here to stop you Discord,” Twilight stated.

Discord gave her a long, confused look. “You’re... not? Why?”

“We’re here to ask for your help, actually.”

“Now you’re just pulling my leg,” Discord scoffed, yanking off a leg and handing it over to Twilight. Twilight balked at it and dropped it to the ground, disgusted.

“Did you meet an alicorn stallion named Silvertongue recently?” Grayscale asked. “Tall, silver coat, gold mane, one eye glowing like the sun? Probably wearing really nice clothes.”

Discord stroked his beard, then snapped his fingers. “Ah, right, the Trekkie. I’m surprised he didn’t ask for an autograph. I usually have to fight off the fans with a stick. This must be what Seven-of-Nine felt like. Though I guess I get that more these days going to other conventions. The periphery demographic is pretty big”

“Here’s the deal, Discord,” Tick Tock continued. “We’re more concerned with him than we are with you, and you’re the only creature powerful enough to help us stop him. Hence this ceasefire proposal.”

“Now why would I do something like that?”

“Because if you don’t, he’s planning to rewrite reality so that it’s perfectly ordered and peaceful because he doesn’t like Chaos.”

Discord gasped, paw to his heart. “No! Say it ain’t so!”

“I’m completely serious. If he succeeds, you can be sure that you’re one of the first things he’s getting rid of.”

Discord tapped his chin. “So how, exactly, do you propose I help? I’m no fool - I could feel the magic that guy radiated just by being in the same room as him. Puts Celestia to shame. Now, granted, if I wanted to, I could take Celestia on head-to-head if she didn’t have the Elements of Harmony, but he doesn’t seem the sort to need them. I feel sheepish admitting he feels out of my league.”

“It’s because he’s filled to the brim with alicorn magic from both sides of the spectrum - Good and Evil, Law and Chaos, Light and Dark, whatever duality you believe is dominant. He’s powerful enough to handle us even at our best, I’m afraid.”

“That’s the gist of why we need you,” Twilight added. “We need the Elements of Harmony back to rise up to him, and your Chaos too. Together, we stand a chance!”

Discord twiddled his thumbs. “Hmmm... let’s say I were to give you back the Elements of Harmony. When we’re done, do I have your assurance that you won’t use them on me?”

Twilight was about to speak, when Tick Tock interrupted. “Twilight and her friends will absolutely use them to reseal you when we return.” At everypony’s shocked, indignant looks, she added. “However, if you can help us, then perhaps when we return you might decide not to act in such a way that that such an action would even be necessary. Catch my drift?”

Discord stared long and hard at Tick Tock, then chuckled. “You. I like you. Blunt, to the point, a real straight shooter.”

“I’ve dealt with situations just like this enough times to have a pretty good idea how to handle them,” she replied with a grin.

“Very well. Deal.” Discord snapped his fingers, and six cages carrying the current bearers of the Elements of Harmony - Trixie, Lyra, Raindrops, Carrot Top, Cheerilee, and Derpy - appeared. The cages dumped the captive mares to the ground, and Discord snapped his fingers again - the Elements of Harmony disappeared from the six mares and reappeared on Twilight and her friends. As soon as they did, the other mares’ colors returned to normal and they started to stir. 

“Your replacements didn’t put up the same fight you all did the first time we met, by the way,” Discord noted. “They just weren’t as fun to break. Kind of boring, actually. ”

“Our… replacements?” Rainbow asked.

“Long story, doesn’t matter now,” Tick Tock interjected. She turned to Discord. “And…?” 

“‘And’ what?” Discord asked.

“I believe you’re forgetting somepony.”

Discord paused, then nodded. “Right, of course! Silly me.” He snapped his fingers again. Time Turner fell into the mustard fountain. He turned to Tick Tock. “How’d you know about that guy?”

“He’s a friend of mine, and it was his idea to find those replacements in the first place.”

“What the hay is goin’ on here?” Applejack asked, pointing at the stirring new mares. “I know ya said it don’t matter, but I’d really like ta know--”

“Time Turner found six ponies that under different circumstances could fill in as the Elements of Harmony. Discord beat them easily, because they lacked your cohesion as a unit due to your strong friendship,” Tick Tock explained.

“You know an awful lot for somepony I’ve just met, Miss Tock,” Discord noted with a curious glance. “Should I be worried you know too much?”

“About that? No, I’m no threat to you in any capacity. About our mission, though? Yes, absolutely, if you’re going to help us deal with Silvertongue. He’s exceedingly dangerous.”

Discord held up both paws. “Hold your horses now, I never said I’m going with you.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow. “Huh? You agreed--”

“To help, yes, that I did. But I’m not going to get myself killed trying to make this plan of yours work, oh no. I know a suicide run if I’ve ever seen one before.” He drew his finger along his neck, and his head fell to the ground. “And your plan reeks of suicide, so, no thanks.”

“You coward!” Rainbow snorted. “You said you’d help! Don’t be such a baby - we’re all ready to go into this!”

Fluttershy, of all ponies, nodded in agreement. “We have to do this, Discord. Please don’t back out on us now…”

Discord laughed as his body picked up his head and reattached it. “Don’t worry, everypony, don’t worry, I’m still going to help.” He turned to Starlight and her sisters with a grin. “I can smell chaos a mile away, and your new friends are just loaded with the stuff. I could smell it a mile away.”

Havocwing puffed out her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Insipid lifted her foreleg up to smell underneath. “Cha. I, like, don’t smell anything?”

“Well, if Twilight and company think the Elements of Harmony are enough to help stand up to this Silvertongue fellow, then why not double dip and hit him with some Elements of… hmmm....” He pondered it for a moment. “Disharmony… nah, sounds forced. Chaos… no, too easy. Discord… eh, too narcissistic on my part. Anarchy? Disorder? Madness?”

Starlight cleared her throat. “If I may offer a suggestion?”

“Shoot.”

“How about the ‘Elements of Pandemonium’.”

Havocwing brightened. “Pandemonium? Like our hometown?”

“The name is a fairly accurate synonym for ‘chaos’ or ‘disorder’, hence the city’s appalation, being the foremost point of power for Nihila.”

Discord’s eyes widened with glee. “Elements of Pandemonium, perfect! Just perfect. Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but has a lovely ring to it. Completely original too, might I add, at least as far as I can tell - I’m not going to read every fanfic. Most opt for something simpler.” He snapped his fingers. “Done.”

Nothing seemed to happen.

“What gives?” Grayscale said.

“Oh, what, you expect them to just ‘appear’ on you?” He pointed at Twilight and her friends. “They had to go through a spirit quest of sorts to get those things figured out, took most of the latter half of a two-parter episode to do it. Figure it yourself. I’m a god of chaos, not a self-help seminar.” He turned to some unseen audience. “How’s that for a Trek reference?”

Tick Tock sighed. “We don’t have time-- Fine. Fine! We’ll figure it out as we go, not like we’re not used to doing that every bloody time.” She turned to the others. “If it doesn’t work… well, I’ll try again.”

“Wow. Great motivational speech there, Tick Tock,” Rainbow scoffed.

“Eh. Kinda got tired of doing them after a few dozen times.” Tick Tock shrugged and turned to Starlight. “Ready to go, everypony?”

Starlight nodded. “Affirmative.” She lit up her horn, and the thirteen mares disappeared into a portal of swirling, inky darkness.

Discord tapped his chin. “Y’know, I got the strangest feeling of déjà vu when talking with those ponies.” He turned to the mares that were just now waking up. “So. It’s early, and I’m hungry. Anypony up for breakfast?”

***

When the final portal opened, the gaggle of mares tumbled quietly and softly out into a vast, empty expanse of white. The portal closed behind them as soon as it had appeared.

Tick Tock was the first to rise to her hooves. She took a deep breath and turned to the others. “Welcome to Equestria Prime, everypony. Yes, it’s lonely, and white, and no it’s not what you expected, but here we are.”

Twilight looked around. “Where’s Silvertongue?”

“It won’t take long to find him, trust me.” Tick Tock turned to Starlight and her sisters. “Think you lot got those Elements figured out? We’ve probably only got one shot at this attempt.”

Starlight turned to her sisters, and they all nodded. “We possess some inkling of what might be appropriate, based on our knowledge of the Elements of Harmony. If we are as antithetical as we believe… well, we’ll make an attempt, at any rate. Though the mechanics of their use still confounds me.”

“Good enough.” Tick Tock closed her eyes, worked out a kink in her neck and took a deep breath. 

In an instant, Silvertongue was just a few dozen feet in front of them.

Silvertongue turned his attention away from a ball of black, inky substance he was examining to face the mares. “Ah, there you are. A few minutes later than expected, however. I take it Discord was more of a distraction than I had hoped?”

“Indeed he was,” Tick Tock noted. “Though not to a point I think you’d find beneficial to you.”

Silvertongue eyed the Elements of Harmony decorating Twilight and her friends. “I see you recovered your Elements of Harmony. An interesting turn of events, but not otherwise unaccounted for.” He turned to Starlight and her sisters. “Daughters.”

“Father,” Starlight said, unemotional.

“We’re putting a stop to this plan of yours right now, Silvertongue,” Twilight said. She looked to her friends. “Ready girls?”

“Ready!” the others replied in unison. 

“Ah, cutting right to the chase,” Silvertongue mused. “Interesting. I suppose the Chronomancer figured out the plan and ‘spilled the beans’, robbing me of my triumphant explanation. No matter--”

“Shut up!” Rainbow spat. 

“We’re doing this so you don’t get to monologue!” Pinkie added.

“Y’all’re goin’ down,” Applejack added.

The Elements of Harmony glowed bright, and with a great burst of force, a rainbow-colored cascade of light fired forth at Silvertongue. First, it impacted the barrier he had erected, but the barrier did not last more than a few seconds before the blast pierced through. Silvertongue didn’t even bother moving, letting the blast strike him straight on. He was engulfed in prismatic light, and for a moment everypony was blinded by the radiance.

Seconds passed, and the blindness wore off. Silvertongue still stood where he had before, looking hale and hearty as ever. The only difference was that his coat and mane were brighter, and his attire had become glorious and white, devoid of any hint of darkness.

“Oh no…” Fluttershy peeped.

Rarity stepped back. “Twilight, did we do something wrong? He’s, um… he’s still standing, dear.”

Twilight gawked. “How is this possible? Nothing’s ever stood up against the Elements before.”

“I had the powers of two omnipotent alicorns flowing through me, Twilight Sparkle,” Silvertongue gloated. He flared his horn a brilliant white, and Twilight and her friends were knocked aside by unseen magical energy, alive but weakened. “One of pure darkness, the other of pure light. Your Elements of Harmony only weakened me by half at best by neutralizing Nihila’s essence, but I still have Harmonia’s power as well as my own. Certainly more than enough to deal with you.”

He pulled a single ball of light from the inky darkness he’d been examining, then turned to look at Tick Tock. “Now, Chronomancer, since you so rudely interrupted me, perhaps you’d be so kind as to sit still and allow for a demonstration of my grand plan? I assure you, you’ll find it quite enthralling. You’re the only one that can truly appreciate it..”

“No, father,” Starlight declared, stomping her hoof. “There will be no demonstrations today.”

Silvertongue eyed Starlight curiously. “Daughter? Why do you protest? Surely you--” He stopped, and turned towards Tick Tock with an appreciative smirk. “I see you figured out that much of the plan as well. You are an astute one, Chronomancer, I will give you that. But this, too, not an unexpected turn of events. I know all about Twilight and her friends and their ‘magic of friendship’.” He turned back to Starlight and her sisters. “Dearest daughters--”

“Cut the crap, pops,” Havocwing spat. “We know what your demonstration’s gonna do, and we’re not having any of that shit. You want to go through with all this? You’re gonna have to go through us.”

“Yeah!” Velvet added.

“Totally!” Insipid chimed in.

“Oui,” Curaçao said.

“Indeed,” added Starlight.

Grayscale merely nodded.

Silvertongue paused. “So, you all wish to stand against me? I gave you life, I gave you power, and this is how you repay me for my generosity? Betrayal? Siding with your originals out of some misguided attempt to connect with them?”

“You created us in a laboratory,” Starlight replied. “You did so entirely with the intention of utilizing our abilities and essences to accomplish your own goals, with no concern for our own individuality and livelihood. We are no more than implements to you in your grand scheme of perfection.”

“Is that truly what you believe, Starlight? My favorite daughter?” Silvertongue gave her a disappointed scowl. “I had such high hopes for you, my dear. It would be a pity to see that potential go to waste. If you stand against me, you can never have what you truly desire: a place by my side, to be loved and adored in every definition those words entail.”

Starlight grit her teeth. “Those feelings I once had… they were the fantastical daydreams of a filly whose only concerns were with herself and her own egotistical desires.” She turned to her sisters. “I have grown beyond such frivolous, base emotions. You have no control over me anymore, Silvertongue. Nor do you over my sisters.”

“Yeah!” Havocwing exclaimed. “We’re our own mares!”

“With our own, like, wants and junk!” Insipid added.

“Our lives belong to us,” Grayscale siad. “Not to you.”

“I see. Hmmm, this poses an interesting situation. Since the Chronomancer was so keen to inform you of the plan, I will assume that no demonstrations are necessary - my theories are correct, and thus my plan will work.” He stood up straight and look over the six of them with a stern gaze. “If you stand down now, you will be unharmed. Allow me to continue my work, and you will have a place on my new, perfect world. I do not wish to harm you, daughters. Listen to your father.”

“You are not our father,” Starlight snorted. “Not anymore.”

“I am gravely disappointed in you all. I hadn’t wished to harm any of you,” Silvertongue sighed. “So be it. Unfortunately for you, my disobedient progeny, I accounted for this eventuality. It is why Harmonia’s essence, whether with her as an ally or without, was so essential. Without my spell of binding, even you, Starlight, do not have enough power to match me.”

“Shut up already!” Havocwing snapped. She turned to the others. “Ready girls?”

The others replied, “Ready!” And they got in formation, as Twilight and friends had done.

They focused all of their might on calling the Elements of Pandemonium to them.

Nothing happened.

Silvertongue stared in wonder. “What, exactly, are you all attempting to accomplish? Is this an attempt to intimidate me? Your performance leaves much to be desired. Though that formation seems familiar...”

Insipid looked to her sisters. “Like, they’re not working!”

“No duh!” Velvet chided. “We didn’t figure them out yet!”

“This was a bad idea, Havoc,” Grayscale muttered.

Havocwing scoffed. “No way… we’ll… we’ll figure it out.”

“Well, figure it out fast!” Velvet blurted, pointing at Silvertongue, who was lighting his horn.

“Twilight and her friends are no longer a threat to me,” Silvertongue said. “Their Elements of Harmony will not affect Harmonia’s essence, and on their own or even together they cannot hope to match my power. But if you insist on joining them in objection to my plans, then you can join them in defeat.”

He fired a blast of magic energy at them, and Starlight barely raised a barrier in time to keep it at bay. Her sisters, and Tick Tock, remained behind her, readying themselves for whatever they would need to do next.

Tick Tock whispered to Curaçao, “Remember, if things start going sideways--”

“Ze Timekeeper, oui,” Curaçao whispered back.

Starlight slid back as the force of energy pushed against her barrier. “I require assistance!”

“We can’t use the Elements, though!” Insipid squealed. “This is, like, super bad!”

“We have to figure them out, and fast,” Havocwing stated. She tapped her temple. “Think think think.”

“Havoc! My barrier cannot withstand much more of this assault!” Starlight called.

Grayscale paused a long moment, then came up behind Starlight and put a hoof on her shoulder. “You can do it, sis.”

“Grayscale?”

“You’re the most powerful unicorn I know. If anypony can stand up to him, it’s you.” She gave Starlight a small grin. “No matter what happens, though, we’re all proud of you.”

Starlight stared for a second, then smiled back. “Thank you, sister. I… you’re correct, I can do this.” She turned her attention back to her shield. “I can accomplish any task set before me.” The shield gained in strength, and Starlight pressed forward. “There is no obstacle I cannot overcome!”

Silvertongue clicked his tongue as Starlight’s barrier managed to resist his light. “Impressive, daughter. Most Impressive.”

“I am aware of the quality of my feats, Silvertongue,” she replied with confidence. “But I no longer require your approval!” As she spoke, a glimmer of light sparkled around her brow. “My sisters rely upon my strength! They see me not as some tool to be utilized to fulfil some task, but as a trusted companion! I am proud to be their sister!”

The light upon her brow flashed, and a thin diadem with a gem shaped like Starlight’s cutie mark rest itself easy upon her - the Element of Pride.

“Hmm. Let us see if you are as powerful as you claim to be.” Silvertongue flared his horn brighter, spreading the beam out wider. Starlight had to focus more energy to keep the blast from enveloping the still-unconscious bearers of the Elements of Harmony. “Foolish, protecting them. You will need to exert significantly more strength to keep your shield extended in such a fashion.”

Starlight grit her teeth. “I possess more than enough power to maintain it! You will not harm anypony ever again!”

“Insipid,” Grayscale said, turning to her sister. “We need all the help we can get to beat him. Do you want to help?”

“Cha, yeah?” Insipid chirped. “But how can I help? I, like, always get in the way.”

“But you want to help, right?”

“More than anything!”

“Then do it.” Grayscale set her hoof on Insipid’s shoulder. “Be of help, if that’s what you want.”

Insipid tilted her head, then nodded. “Okay, so, like… how do I--”

“How do you want to help?”

Insipid tapped her chin, then raised a hoof. “Like, I know!” She bolted over the Curaçao and whispered in her ear. 

Curaçao listened attentively, got a surprised expression on her face, then nodded. “Oui, zat could work.”

Insipid squealed with excitement, touched Curaçao with her hoof, and they both turned invisible. As they did so, Insipid’s neck started to sparkle, just a little.

Havocwing nudged Grayscale. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

Grayscale turned to face Havocwing. “Of course I do. I pay attention. I’ve got this figured out.”

“You… you do?”

Grayscale put a hoof on Havocwing’s shoulder. “Star can barely keep up with what she’s doing, Havoc, so we’re gonna need a distraction if Insipid’s plan is going to work. A loud, obnoxious distraction. Can you do that?”

Havocwing nervously rubbed her neck. “Oh, yeah, totally. Uh… but I think he’s is gonna just blast me the second he sees me coming.”

“Then don’t engage him directly. Just keep him distracted, but be smart about it.” Grayscale gave a small smile. “You can do it.”

Havocwing stared at Grayscale, then nodded. “Gotcha.” She paused just before taking off. “Wait, why am I taking orders from you?”

Grayscale narrowed her eyes. “Do you have an idea other than ‘punch him in the face’?”

“Right. Yeah. Gotcha.” Havocwing zipped out over the shield, out of range of the energy blast, and threw a lazy fireball in Silvertongue’s direction. “Hey, Silverdouche! Heads up!”

Silvertongue glanced at the fireball, and casually moved aside to avoid it. “Havocwing, Is that earnestly your best attempt?” he replied, directing a bolt of energy her way. “Disappointing, as usual.”

“‘Is that your best blahblahblah?'” Havocwing mocked, zipping through the air to avoid his attack as she threw another lazy fireball just to keep his attention. “Great one, Silvershit, real zinger! With that kinda lightning wit I can see why Harmonia dumped your lame ass!”

Silvertongue turned to face her, moving the avoid her attack and directing more bolts in her direction. “I beg your pardon?”

Havocwing twirled over Silvertongue’s head, avoiding a blast and throwing another of her own. “Yeah, you heard me! You spend, what, hundreds of years planning to take over for Nihila just so you could bang Harmonia, and she totally rejected you! She was banging some younger guy the whole time! What a total loser you are!”

Silvertongue’s eye twitched. More bolts this time; the energy blast focused on Starlight weakened ever so slightly, giving Starlight time to refocus her energy. “You attempts at goading me--”

“So hey, since Harmonia dumped you, are you gonna crash on a friend’s couch drinking beer all the time now? I hear that’s what happens to deadbeat dads that get kicked out of the house.” Havocwing spun in the air, dancing between bolts with ease while lobbing her own. “Man, I can’t believe my dad’s a deadbeat. That could buck up my emotional growth something fierce!”

“If you’re so disappointed in me as a father, Havocwing, perhaps you should come down here and tell me how you really feel,” Silvertongue snarled, firing more bolts her way. “Where’s the angry little spitfire we all know so well? Where’s the fire and brimstone? Where’s the vim and vigor?”

Havocwing swung through another arc of Silvertongue’s magic. “Whoa, ease up there, Silvercuck, I wouldn’t want you to get cramps in your old age!” As she continued dashing about through the air, her neck began to sparkle.

Velvet watched from behind the shield. “Gray, how are you figuring all this out? You’ve got everypony pegged so far.”

Grayscale shrugged. “Comes with the territory of being the quiet one, I guess.” She turned to Velvet. “So, you wanna do this like the rest of them, or…?”

“Nah. I mean, I don’t even know if my fear powers work anymore and that doesn’t sound cohesive to what the others are getting so far, so I’ve gotta be something else. Just lay it on me.”

“Element of Passion.”

Velvet hummed and nodded. As she did, a necklace appeared around her neck with a gem bearing her cutie mark. “Yeah, okay, sounds legit. Had a tough time thinking of how to work that one in, huh?”

“Pretty much. What’re you gonna do, run in there and grab dad’s junk?” Grayscale said with a grin.

“Eww, gross. I’m not Star.”

“I can hear you,” Starlight snarled back.

Grayscale’s own neck sparkled, and a necklace appeared there as well. “Ah, there it is. Guess I had to complete the set.”

“And yours is…?”

“Element of Objectivity.”

Velvet nodded sagely. “Ah, yeah. Good one. Kind of a smarty-pants feel to it.”

Tick Tock shook her head. “So, what, you’ve got these all sorted then?”

Grayscale nodded. “Just gotta get everypony back and we can unite for one big blast. That’ll drain Harmonia’s essence right out of him, right?”

“And then he’s just a regular ol’ unicorn,” Velvet said with a sadistic grin. “Easy pickings.”

Silvertongue sneered at Havocwing, then noticed how much weaker his assault on Starlight had gotten. She was approaching him now, close enough that she posed a threat. So he redirected his efforts back to her. “Enough games, Havocwing!” he snapped, raising a barrier around himself to deflect Havocwing’s flames. Starlight buckled against his sudden onslaught. “Your attempts to distract me from your sister worked for a time, but no longer. She will run out of energy long before I do.”

Starlight grunted as she slid several feet back again. “Unfortunate. I had achieved a significant advantage.”

Havocwing sailed back behind the shield and landed. “He’s not gonna focus on me anymore, Star,” she said. “We need a new plan.”

Starlight glanced at Havocwing to nod, then stared at her neck. A necklace - the Element of Intensity - had appeared. “It would seem as if you have acquired your Element, sister.”

Havocwing glanced at her necklace, nudged it, and nodded appreciatively. “Neat. The Element of Smacktalk.”

“Uh… not quite,” Grayscale muttered.

Starlight turned to Grayscale. “Where are Insipid and Curaçao? Father’s magic has increased in amplitude, and I am unsure of how much longer I can stymie his efforts.”

“Give it a second.”

Silvertongue flared his horn brighter than before, supercharging his spell. Before long, Starlight would crack under the pressure. “I grow tired of this, daughter! I’ll give you one final attempt to redeem yourself in my eyes - lower your barrier and stand down, and I will allow you to leave this place in peace. Otherwise, you will surely--”

He stopped, and whipped around in time to grab Insipid just as she was leaping up from behind him, snatching her by the throat with his magic. She had no necklace there. “Insipid. Daughter. Why do you want to hurt me?”

“Like, cha? Because you’re being major unfresh?” Insipid choked as she dangled her hooves out to try and touch him. “And being so totally uncool means, like, you’re not perfect?”

Silvertongue smiled. “Well done, Curaçao. An excellent impression. Admirable. You captured your sister’s lack of charm and wit perfectly.”

Insipid’s form dissolved away to reveal Curaçao in her place. “Merci, papa.”

“And it was almost the perfect distraction.” Silvertongue stopped. He turned again in time to catch another Insipid that had attempted to quietly grab his leg, catching her by her tail and dragging her back. She had a necklace dangling from her neck with her cutie mark. “There you are.” He worked his magic to her neck and began to squeeze. “Insipid, though your lack of intelligence is often endearing, if aggravating, now it is just suicidal. Very well, since you and your sisters won’t stand down--”

While he was distracted, Curaçao was able to reach out and grab the back of his neck. “Like, gotcha!”

Silvertongue howled in pain, stopping his assault on Starlight and sharply jerking both Curaçao and Insipid away from him in shock. Curaçao dissolved back into Insipid - albeit with a shinier coat and mane - while Insipid dissolved back into Curaçao. While Silvertongue was reeling, they ran back behind Starlight’s barrier, necklaces dangling from their necks - the Elements of Trickery and Desire.

“Well done,” Grayscale said with a grin. “Your plan Curaçao?”

Curaçao smiled and shook her head. “Non. Insipid’s plan ze ‘ole way. I merely ‘elped ‘er wiz my accent.”

Insipid beamed. “I just wanted to help! So I thought, like, what’s the best way to help? Drain his power! Duh! So like, I told Curie to impersonate me, while I impersonated her impersonating me!”

“Ze classic ‘double bluff’, as zey say.”

Grayscale just blinked. “That’s… actually brilliant. You’re… sure that this was all Insipid’s plan?”

Curaçao smirked. “Does it matter? She just wanted to ‘elp, non?”

“Huh. Go figure.”

Starlight dropped her shield entirely. “Very well then, sisters. It would seem we are in unison as the Elements of Pandemonium. Shall we?”

Havocwing grinned. “Hell yeah.”

“Light him up, girls!” Velvet cheered.

The sisters gathered together in formation, and a fierce blast of multicolored energy - black, gray, and white - quickly enveloped Silvertongue as he was rising to his hooves. He grit his teeth as he, and the whiteness of Equestria Prime in its entirety, went dark for just an instant.

When the light returned, Silvertongue lay crumbled in a heap, battered and broken, his armor torn apart. He no longer had wings, and his horn was cracked. He was broken.

Tick Tock took a deep breath. “We did it. Bloody hell we actually did it.”

Curaçao passed Tick Tock her Timekeeper. “I got zis, just in case. I am glad we did not need it.”

“Of course,” Tick Tock replied. She glanced over at Twilight and her friends, who were finally starting to stir. “See to your counterparts, would you? I have business with Silvertongue to attend to.”

“What will you do with him?” Grayscale asked.

Tick Tock looked in Grayscale’s eyes. “I will give him what he deserves.” She turned to the others. “Any objections?” They all shook their heads, though Starlight took the longest to do so. “Good.”

She trotted over to SIlvertongue, who breathed heavily and tried to rise to his hooves, which was proving difficult.

“Ha… what a fascinating development.” Silvertongue glanced at her as she approached. “The Elements of Pandemonium, they said? Rather different from my original ‘Elements of Discord’ consideration. I did not anticipate this outcome. How are they able to wield counterpart Elements?”

“I couldn’t have predicted this either. Discord is as unpredictable as his name suggests, and gifted him those Elements to stand against you. Perhaps releasing him was a bad idea?”

Silvertongue laughed, though it clearly hurt to do so. “Perhaps.” He looked Tick Tock in the eyes. “I suppose you are going to arrest me, then? Chronomancer protocol dictates you deliver me to your headquarters to stand trial--”

Tick Tock eyed him warily. “You think you’re clever. Don’t you? The Chronomancers would lock you up, oh, that’s for certain. But no matter what I tell them about you, they’d never believe that you’re too bloody clever for them to figure out. So you’d scheme, and plan, and manipulate until you got another chance, this time without anypony to stop you. It might take you years, decades, centuries, even, but even without Nihila and Harmonia’s essences, you still possess an unnatural lifespan because Harmonia gifted it to you all those centuries ago. Right?”

Silvertongue’s smug grin faltered only slightly. “How could you possibly know that?”

It was Tick Tock’s turn to look smug. “Over the last six years I’ve had a lot of time to think in between attempts to win this fight. I got to thinking about our world’s history, and I remembered that not one single Warden in service to either Harmonia or Nihila had the same lifespan you did. Longer than average ponies, sure, but not like yours. Nihila would have no reason to give that to you, either, not with her reputation. So I put the pieces together.”

“So you did.” He narrowed his eyes. “Six years, you say… ah, I see. The Timekeeper must have some secret failsafe that only Chronomancers know about, one that’s not listed in its main functions. A precautionary measure in case the device is compromised.”

“Correct.”

“I anticipated some manner of emergency measure, of course… but this one is quite interesting. You could not accept your failure and so you spent six years worth of fruitless attempts to correct it before you finally succeeded. Bravo.”

“And you’re a sore loser,” Tick Tock fired back.

“Oh no, my compliment is legitimate, Chronomancer. I spent hundreds of years of dedicated, diligent work to bring balance to my world. Your tenacious pursuit of victory is commendable. So then, what are you going to do with me?” he asked. There was no fear in his voice. “Execute me? That goes against your organization’s protocol.”

“You’ll find that sometimes, Chronomancer protocol is more like ‘guidelines’ than actual rules. They can be bendt as necessary.”

“That’s all well and good, but I doubt Twilight Sparkle and her friends would allow murder, no matter how you try to claim it to be justice. Their world has no concept of capital punishment.”

“Twilight Sparkle has no say in this, regardless of her personal stakes. Neither do your ‘daughters’, for that matter. No, the only pony with jurisdiction here is me, and I’ve seen what you’re capable of. There’s no prison that would hold you forever, no creature capable of ‘redeeming’ you, and no place to banish you to that you would not eventually contort to your own whims. Death is too good for you, Silvertongue, but it is the only thing that will stop you.”

Silvertongue smirked. “So be it. Carry out your sentence then, Chronomancer. You know as well as I, in all those six years of history that you rewrote, I won.”

“And unfortunately for you, not in this one, mate.” Tick Tock wound her Timekeeper up, then ignited her horn. “By the authority vested in me by the Order of Chronomancers, I sentence you, Lord Silvertongue of Equestria-V, to death.”

A green glow formed around Silvertongue’s chest. He choked slightly, and grasped at his heart, though his smirk did not falter through the pain of his heart beating so fast that it burst. It took only seconds for the life to fade from his eyes. 

Tick Tock’s horn ceased glowing, and she stared at Silvertongue with contempt. She twisted a knob on her Timekeeper and opened a portal, dumping his body into it before sealing it again. With that, she turned, and trotted back towards the others. Twilight and her friends had woken up now, and though they were groggy, injured, and tired, they were, more importantly, alive.


	40. Inevitable

Discord sipped his cup of morning coffee - the cup itself, not the coffee - and let out an elated sigh. “The best part of waking up, wouldn’t you agree everypony?”

He sat at the head of a large dining table that floated several feet, upside down, above Canterlot Square. The table was piled high with all manners of breakfast foods: pancakes and waffles, donuts, hash browns, toast and jam, orange juice, coffee, milk, the works. None of it fell from the table to the ground. The rest of Canterlot Square was perfectly normal, minus the table of course. Ponies walked below it going about their daily routines, some ignoring Discord and some not.

Seated at the table with him were the six mares who’d been caged up just moments ago. They were in strangely high spirits, laughing and talking amongst themselves like old friends despite everything. At the other end of the table sat Time Turner, no longer trapped in whatever song-and-dance routine he’d been subjected to, though he was distant and quiet.

“I usually don’t get the time to have morning coffee, Mister Discord,” said Derpy Hooves, sipping from her own cup - the actual coffee, in her case. “Rain or shine, a mailpony’s job is never done.” She then took a bite of a rather large blueberry muffin.

“It’s a good blend,” added Cherilee, sniffing her cup. She took a sip, then licked her lips. “We have the cheap stuff at the schoolhouse, nothing like this. What brand is it?”

“One of those fancier blends from Marebucks, quite expensive,” Discord boasted, nose in the air.

Lyra Heartstrings, who sat in her chair in the most awkward sitting position a pony could possibly be sitting in, took another sip. She used her magic to handle the cup, the glow taking the odd shape of a hand, rather than a simple glow. She shrugged. “I mean, it’s okay. Bon Bon makes it the way I like it - extra sugar, plus her special flavored creamer. No offense, Discord.”

“None taken, everypony likes their coffee differently. Me, I like mine covered in bees,” Discord said with a grin, a distinct buzzing sound flowing from his coffee, which now was covered in dozens of bees. “Say, have you tried the blueberry pancakes yet? They’re simply divine.”

Carrot Top gave a loud “Mmmm” as she took a bite. “They really are, holy smokes. These blueberries are amazing, I’ve never had them this juicy before.” She offered some to Raindrops, sitting next to her. “Go on, try!”

Raindrops put up her hoof and pushed the plate back. “No thanks. Allergic.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie will gladly take some, Carrot Top,” said the Great and Powerful Trixie, passing her empty plate over. “With extra syrup, if you would, please.”

“Sure thing!” Carrot Top passed a few pancakes onto Trixie’s plate, carefully poured some extra syrup on top, and added a dollop of whipped cream. “Plus a little treat, for a friend.”

“Splendid, thank you.” Trixie took her plate and dug in. “Mmph, delicious. You’ve really outdone yourself, Discord.”

“Thank you, Trixie, always a pleasure to host a meal for close friends. I’m glad everypony was quick to believe me when I said I was sorry.” Discord glanced across the table at Time Turner, who sat with his head on the table buried in his hooves. “Everything okay over there, Mister Turner? You haven’t touched your hash browns.”

“Doctor Turner,” Time Turner mumbled, muffled by his hooves. “And I’m just going through a bit of a mental breakdown at the moment, if you’ll excuse me. Not quite existential, but it’s bloody well getting there.”

“Are you alright, Doc?” Derpy asked through a mouthful of waffle. “I thought you’d be happy things turned out the way they did. Discord said he was sorry, and now we’re all friends! Isn’t that great?!”

“Oh, I am. Just… having a difficult time adjusting to how it all happened, and how quickly it did. This was not at all how I expected this to go. Especially the whole ‘we’re all friends now’ angle, that was definitely not on my list of possibilities.”

“How exactly did you expect it to go?” Raindrops asked. “You never actually told us why were being asked to help, other than some generic ‘the world is ending and you’re the only ones that can stop it’ spiel. I mean, yeah, that got us all on board but--”

“It’s a… long story.”

Discord shrugged. “I think we’ve got… hee hee, time.” He snickered at his own pun, paw to mouth.

Time Turner groaned. “The puns just write themselves.” He took a deep breath. “Short version: there are multiple alternate versions of the Elements of Harmony out there, and you six filled the requirements as one of many possible complete sets. According to the rules of alternate selves, wielding the Elements of Harmony would be easy. It was getting you all together that was the difficult part, considering said history is, indeed, alternate, and thus in this version of history none of you really knew each other that well, Trixie most of all since the other five at least all lived in Ponyville.”

“Alternate selves? Trixie doesn’t understand what you mean,” said Trixie, taking a sip of coffee. “Trixie is Trixie - there are no ‘alternates’ out there. If there are, they are simply imposters. Charlatans. Why, the Great and Powerful Trixie should be honored that another pony would dare mimic her talents, but you’re suggesting they’d be copying… what? Trixie’s identity?”

Time Turner ran a hoof through his mane. “I’m breaking protocol just by saying anything more detailed, so let’s just say that… if our world’s history had been different, you six could have possibly been the original wielders of the Elements of Harmony, and that quality was enough of a link to make the transition work in our current history. It’s a complicated conundrum but it is, in all manner of speaking, the way it works.”

Carrot Top just stared at him. “I am so lost.”

“It’s not that complicated,” Discord said, wolfing down an entire stack of pancakes in one bite. “They dealt with that kind of talk on the Enterprise all the time. I think they visited an alternate dimension or got invaded by one at least once a season. Even the Original Series. Maybe your alternate selves have goatees? No, wait, that wouldn’t work either, the goatees were evil alternate selves.”

“Goatees? We’re all mares, here,” Raindrops noted.

“Or maybe this is just an alternate timeline, seeing how things would play out in some sort of ‘for want of a nail’ scenario? I mean, it’s no ‘Kerrigan died so the universe is going to end’ schtick, but hey, there aren’t many who thought the sequel’s writing ended up being that stellar. I was the best thing about it, no question.”

“Now I’m more lost!” Carrot Top blurted. “What are you talking about? Who’s Kerrigan? What sequel?”

“Well we were having a conversation about alternate selves, and I’ve got three well-known fan-favorite characters out there, and that’s not even getting into alternate versions of those characters. Fanfiction’s a thing no matter what piece of work you’re talking about.”

Time Turner pulled out his Timekeeper, which glowed a dim green. “Oh, thank goodness. Maybe now we’ll have some semblance of sense.”

The sound of thunder tore through the square, and a portal tore open just beneath the dining table. Thirteen mares strode out of it, confident and relaxed, twelve of whom were decked out with jewelry.

“Discord!” called Twilight, looking about. “We’re back! Are you behaving yourself?!”

“Yoohoo! Twilight!” Discord cooed from above.

The new arrivals turned to gawk at Discord and his guests. “Care to join us at my upside-down airborne breakfast buffet? It’s like a regular airborne breakfast buffet, but upside-down. I think it adds a touch of class.”

“Are those blueberry pancakes?!” Pinkie shouted.

“Yes!”

Pinkie turned upside-down and floated up into an empty seat, grabbing a plate. “Pancake me!”

Carrot Top was quick to serve Pinkie a plate. “Here you go!”

“Yay!” Pinkie devoured half the plate’s worth in seconds. “Oh woooow, these are sooo goood. Mmm mmm mmm!”

“Now that they’re all, uh… back ta normal,” Applejack interjected, nudging Twilight, “don’t them other mares look familiar?”

“They certainly do,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow. “I thought it was Discord playing a trick on us before, but I guess it wasn’t,” She stepped forward and called up, “Trixie? Is that really you? What are you doing here?”

Trixie glanced down from her plate at Twilight, and gave a little wave. “Twilight Sparkle, good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“Last time I saw you, you were leaving Ponyville after that whole Alicorn Amulet business, vowing to become a better mare. How’s that going?”

“Well, Trixie did agree to help save the world when it was believed that Discord was a danger.” She turned to Discord. “I’m glad that was not the case.”

“She only agreed after Doc told her that if she proved herself as Element of Magic, she’d be on par with you,” Raindrops noted.”

“Raindrops!” Trixie hissed.

“What? Element of Honesty,” Raindrops said with a shrug.

Twilight took a breath. “Well, whatever the circumstances, Trixie, I guess things have gotten kind of weird for you since then, what with all… this.”

Trixie scoffed. “That would be an understatement.” She gestured to the table. “Care to join the Great and Powerful Trixie and her friends for breakfast? You must try the blueberry pancakes.”

Twilight glanced nervously at Tick Tock. “Are… are you sure we’re in the right universe? I know we’ve been gone for a month but this is way too different.”

Tick Tock double-checked her Timekeeper. “That we are, Twilight. Looks like my colleague’s plan worked after all. Speaking of which.” She looked up at Time Turner and smiled. “Oy! Time Turner! You alright up there, mate?”

Time Turner grumbled and looked at his comrade in arms. “Please tell me this is all over, Tick Tock. I am in desperate need of a vacation.”

She scoffed. “You? Vacation? Mate, I’ve spent the last six years trying to save bleedin’ everything, you can stuff your vacation right up your--”

“Ah ah, kids’ show,” Discord chided. “I don’t want to have to wash your mouth out with… hmm. Why do I feel like I already did that joke?”

Time Turner raised an eyebrow. “Six years, Tick Tock? Oh no… Emergency Measure Zero?” Tick Tock nodded. He shook his head. “Six years? Wait, what reason would you have had to go through that many loops? The Discord ‘issue’ wasn’t that critical of a threat.”

Discord huffed. “Well, I could be if I wanted to.”

Tick Tock nodded. “Ah, that’s right, I never had the opportunity to update you on things since our last discussion. There was a Prime-level threat from my sector.”

Time Turner’s eyes widened. “Prime level? No way. How did that… no, we’ll discuss it later. The Magisters are going to want to hear this.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Well… you look good. Nice mane, it looks good longer.” He took a deep breath and buried his head in his hooves again. “This has been a really weird month...”

“So, uh… I guess you’re behaving yourself then, Discord?” Twilight asked cautiously.

“Absolutely. And why not?” Discord nodded sagely, gesturing to the mares originally seated with him. “I’ve made some good friends in the past hour, and they’re a lot more accepting of some fun and games that you lot were when we first met. Isn’t that right, girls?”

Derpy threw her hooves in the air. “New friends!”

Rarity tilted her head to speak to Starlight quietly. “Can you tell if they’re under some sort of spell? Discord’s done it before.”

Starlight shook her head. “There are no magical manipulation spells are present that I can detect.”

Twilight stared at Discord in disbelief. “But… I… you…”

“I think it’s best not to ask questions anymore, Twi,” Rainbow muttered. “I’m just as weirded out as you, but this is, like, a win, right? Discord’s not threatening Equestria, and that’s what we set out to stop. Mission complete, I say.”

“Right…” Twilight shook her head. “Let’s… let’s just back to Zeb’ra’den. We need to check on the others. Queen Blackburn and Sir Zircon were badly injured when we left.”

“I suppose if Discord’s turned over a new leaf then there’s less need to rush things there, hmm?” asked Rarity. “We can take our time making sure we leave things the best we can.

“What about Princess Celestia and Luna?” Fluttershy asked. “Um… shouldn’t we check if they’re okay?”

“That’s right, good idea Fluttershy,” Twilight agreed. “With all this insanity I kinda lost track of everything. I’m worried about Spike, too.”

Discord overheard. “Oh, no need to worry about them! I sent a nice fruit basket with an apology note while preparing breakfast, I’m sure they’ll be fine. Probably just trying to figure out what to make of all this. Doubt it was on Celestia’s list of outcomes. Never try to plan against chaos, kids, it just doesn’t work.”

“And Spike?”

Discord shrugged. “I have no idea idea how he’s doing, but last I heard he’s in the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. Cadence and my brother will make sure he’s taken care of.”

“Oh, Cadence and Shining Armor are here in Canterlot, actually,” Discord said matter-of-factly. “While Celestia and Luna tried to keep me sealed as long as possible, the two of them were holding court to keep the populace calm and quiet. Smart move, kept the chaos down to a minimum.”

Twilight balked. “Wait, my brother and Cadence are here? In Canterlot? Are they okay? Wait, Spike’s still in the Crystal Empire by himself?”

“They’re all fine, Twilight, just fine. Relax,” Discord said, waving a hoof. “I sent them a fruit basket too, just to let everypony know there’s no hard feelings. It’s only right, I gave your brother a pretty hard time while I was still sealed.”

“If I don’t get out of here right now so I can process all of this, I’m going to go crazy,” Twilight said matter-of-factly.

“A moment, Sparkle,” Starlight said. She called up to Discord, “Discord, your Elements of Pandemonium served their intended purpose splendidly. My sisters and I are immensely grateful. We have concluded that you should be made aware that we owe our triumph to you and your contribution.”

“Well, duh,” Discord scoffed. “If they hadn’t worked you wouldn’t all be here, would you? And look at you!” He beamed as he snapped himself down to gawk at the sisters. He fiddled with Starlight’s diadem. “Fancy schmancy stuff. Looks expensive. So, lay ‘em on me: what’d you all get? What do your Elements represent?”

“I represent ‘Pride’,” Starlight explained.

Her sisters all chimed in as well with theirs in turn.

Discord stroked his goat beard. “Yes, yes, an excellent selection, if I do say so myself. I’m sure it’s not what anypony expected, but that’s kind of the point of chaos and Pandemonium, isn’t it?”

“I still don’t get how those things represent chaos, or whatever,” Rainbow interjected. “I mean, the Elements of Harmony are all pretty clear, right? What gives with yours?”

“You want an explanation, do you?” Discord said, paws on hips. After a moment, he shrugged. “Well it worked in season one for yours, so why not?” He donned a pair of glasses and a lab coat, and snapped his fingers to make a chalkboard appear at his side. It already had drawings of the new Elements on it in colored chalk. “To be clear, these Elements of Pandemonium aren’t precisely representations of chaos, at least not from a strictly antithetical standpoint, and contrary to belief they’re not necessarily evil either. Follow along, please.”

“Ya just had ta open yer big mouth, Rainbow,” Applejack chided. “We were ‘bout ta get outta here.”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Rainbow defended. “It was a perfect innocent question.”

Discord sharply rapped a wooden stick that was suddenly in his paw onto the board to draw their attention, then pointed at the Element of Pride drawing. Starlight Shadow stood tall and proud. “Starlight Shadow’s Element is Pride because she relies on her confidence in herself to function at her best, much as Twilight Sparkle relies on her friends. Pride is a two-way street, though. ‘Good” pride is confidence, where ‘bad’ pride is egotism. That kind of mentality is the basis of all these Elements - a concept that could be either good or bad, depending on how you use it. With me so far?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Not really, but--”

“Good, moving on.” Next, the Element of Trickery. Curaçao smiled as her Element was displayed. “Curaçao’s Element is Trickery because she is a naturally tricky mare with a talent for performances and disguise. Trickery, when used for good, is like acting, or storytelling, or even pranks and mischief between friends. For bad, it’s used for deceit and manipulation of others for personal gain.”

Next, the Element of Desire. Insipid bounced in place. “Insipid’s Element is Desire, because her most outstanding quality is wanting for more in life. Desire, in good quantities, is simply a passionate enthusiasm for something, like a film buff for example, or a fan of a particular book series, or even a drive for self-improvement, while in bad quantities it manifests as greed or obsession.”

“Velvet’s primary quality is her vigorous Passion,” he continued as Velvet ogled a passing stallion. “Passion is similar the Desire in many ways - the good sort of passion represents enthusiasm and zeal for life and happiness, where the bad kind is vulgar and violent. The difference between love and lust, for example.”

Next, Objectivity. Grayscale yawned. “Grayscale is a naturally observant pony, and Objectivity is the ability to look at things from a neutral, unemotional standpoint - to be able to see all the angles of a given situation. When used for the purpose of being logical and cautious, it is a good quality, as opposed to the negativity of total apathy and non-committance.”

Last, Intensity. Havocwing struck a cool pose. “Havocwing’s entire personality is based on her Intensity - she does nothing in moderation. When somepony has an intense vigor and zeal for something no matter what happens, that is definitely a positive trait, as opposed to becoming violent and angry when things don’t go their way.”

“What does any o’ that have t’do wit’ ‘chaos’?” Applejack asked.

Discord pushed the chalkboard off to the side, where it sounded like it hit several trash cans and maybe a cat. He ditched the lab coat and glasses in the same instant. He shrugged. “Nothing. They weren’t meant to be opposites of the Elements of Harmony. They’re meant as opposites of you. I mean, that’s the point of this entire story, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“We were created as your antithesis, in every manner of speaking,” Starlight explained. “Thus, while our Elements are only tangentially related to your Elements, they are more appropriately related to what defines us, just as your Elements do for you. Intensity, for example, is not the antithesis to Kindness, but Havocwing is an intense pony and she is the antithesis to Fluttershy, who is characterized by her kindness.”

“In other words… you define the Elements, the Elements don’t define you?” Twilight asked. “Hmm… I suppose that makes some sense. I mean, as much sense as anything coming from Discord can make, anyway.”

“If you really think about it,” Discord added, tapping Twilight’s Element of Magic. “This baby here is what doesn’t make a lick of sense. How is ‘Magic’ an Element of ‘Harmony’? Right? I mean, I always figured the sixth Element of Harmony would be ‘Friendship’ seeing as that is a quintessential trait to harmonious interaction. ‘Magic’ sounds preposterous, but it defines you, Twilight Sparkle. Plus it makes the whole ‘Friendship is Magic’ title into a sort of mathematical equation.”

“But you said that they were filled with all manners of chaotic energy, didn’t you?” Rarity noted.

“And they were, and still are to a degree.” Discord pat Starlight’s head tenderly. “They’re very conflicted mares, aren’t they? Not quite sure what they are or where they belong, what their purpose is or what direction they should take in life. It’s all very sad and inspirational at the same time, considering all they’ve accomplished today.”

“I’m so lost,” Rainbow murmured, eyes glazed over. “Can we leave now?”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” added Twilight. “Come on, Pinkie! We’re going!”

Pinkie was already behind Twilight, her tongue stained blue. “Ready!”

“Yes, I think we should be going,” Tick Tock replied. She twisted some knobs on her Timekeeper and turned to Starlight. “Ready?”

“As ever,” Starlight answered. She lit her horn and a portal tore itself open behind them.

“Time Turner!” Tick Tock called. “I’ll bring your locals back in a moment. I think things have calmed down enough to let them say some goodbyes, eh? Oh, and I believe we are making arrangements for and Integration Procedure, if you want to get started on that process.”

Time Turner mumbled something into his hooves.

Tick Tock and the others walked through the portal, and it vanished with a pop.

Discord turned back to his breakfast companions as he retook his seat. “Fun bunch. Odd, but fun.”

There was a general murmur of agreement.

***

Flathoof paced back and forth in the snow of Zeb’ra’den’s Beacon Courtyard. A trench of white powder had formed beneath him; he’d been pacing for over an hour. Lockwood had long since stopped paying him much attention - he was a nervous wreck of no use to anypony, really - and instead kept his focus on Blackburn, who was being tended to by one of two zebra healers that had arrived. The other had already gotten Zircon to his hooves, though Zircon’s recovery did nothing to improve his mood.

Briarthorn came into the courtyard, followed by three zebra stewards that carried trays of zebra foods. “If anyone wants breakfast, I recommend the snowcakes,” he said as the stewards set up a makeshift picnic. Nobody replied. He came up to Lockwood, eyes on Blackburn. “How is she?”

“Still breathing, thank the stars,” Lockwood murmured. “Whatever that Shroud hit her with was pretty potent. Probably would’ve killed a lesser pony.”

“You know her better than anypony, and we all know there’s no way she would’ve let herself get killed that easy.”

“Hmm.” Lockwood turned to Briarthorn directly. “Has the prisoner said anything about why she did this? Why that Silvertongue guy seemed to know who she was?”

“She keeps telling us she has no idea what happened, or who that nut job was,” Briarthorn said with a shrug. “She says she came out here with you all and saw that silver guy, then blacked out for about a minute. When she came to, the Queen was injured, she was pinned in the snow, and Twilight and the others were gone.”

“Do you believe her?”

“Does it really matter what I think about it? Queenie here is gonna grill her when she recovers, so we’ll let her decide.”

“Still, what do you think of it?”

Briarthorn pondered it for a moment, then shook his head. “I hate to say it, but I believe her. That Silvertongue guy, he said something to her right before she attacked, even knew her name. Perhaps he’s put her under some kind of mind spell? Or maybe she was like a sleeper agent or something? I have no idea how or why.”

Lockwood nodded. “Maybe. Well, when she gets a chance, Blackburn will figure it out better than we ever could.”

Briarthorn glanced over at Flathoof. “Big guy hasn’t left that spot, has he?”

Lockwood glanced over too, then back to Blackburn. “I’d be doing the same in his place if Blackburn was with them. I’m just as nervous about Twilight and the others, don’t get me wrong, but at least Blackburn is still here for me to worry about. I know what it’s like to worry about the pony you love being far away, someplace completely beyond your help.”

“Makes sense.” Briarthorn nudged Lockwood, gesturing to the picnic. “You should eat something, pal. Queenie wouldn’t forgive me if I let you go hungry.”

“Thanks, Briarthorn, but it can wait. I’ll eat when I have some actual good news.”

Briarthorn sighed. “Well, hopefully--”

A clap of thunder resounded through the courtyard. With a fierce, stormlike force, a portal tore itself open at the base of the Beacon tower. From it stepped thirteen mares, alive and well, though no longer decked out with fancy jewelry. The portal closed behind them with a distant rumble.

“You’re back!” Flathoof exclaimed as he rushed to meet them. He was quick to embrace Applejack. “Thank the stars you’re back!”

Applejack turned beet red. “Whoa, sugar! Take it easy now. I’m alright.”

Lockwood and Briarthorn rushed forward as well. “You’re all okay!” Lockwood said with a bright smile.

“Twily!” Briarthorn cooed, coming up to Twilight and throwing himself at her hooves and kissing them with enthusiastic reverence. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you’re okay!”

“How about everypony here?” Twilight asked, red-faced, as she tried to ignore Briarthorn, which she found it difficult to do. “Is everything okay on this end? How’s Queen Blackburn?”

Lockwood glanced back at Blackburn. “She’s recovering, though it might be some time before she’s back at full strength. Knowing her… probably a few hours. She’s always been a tough cookie. It’ll take more than a little spell to take her down.”

Rarity searched the courtyard. “What about--” She spotted the injured zebra knight resting in the snow beneath one of the statues. “Sir Zircon!” She moved towards him quickly.

Zircon’s ears twitched at the sound of her voice.  
“That voice! Are things as they would seem,  
Or is this some nightmarish dream?”  
He glanced over in her direction, and his eyes brightened.  
“‘Tis not a dream! ‘Tis the white mare,  
Who blesseth me with beauty fair.”  
He weakly rose to his hooves as she approached.

“Sir Zircon, you’re okay! Thank the stars.” Rarity embraced him as Flathoof had done with Applejack, but took the next step beyond and locked lips with him, fiercely. Zircon, in his state, was practically bowled over by her enthusiasm.

“If anypony needed any clarification on how that relationship was going,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, “there you have it. A match made in heaven. Blech. Get a room, you two!”

Insipid teared up. “They’re so, like, beautiful together.” She wiped her eyes and nose. “Major fresh.”

“I thought he was your boyfriend, Insipid?” Velvet asked, giving Insipid an accusatory glance. “Don’t tell me you were lying.”

“Cha? Like, I mean, yeah, but, like, I’ll find another boyfriend. A better one, that’s like, super popular and handsome and junk?”

Velvet pulled Insipid close in a hug. “Don’t worry sis, you’ve got the number one wingmare at your side. You’re right, we’ll find you a new boyfriend, with big, hunky muscles, and a huge--”

Starlight coughed to pull them out of the conversation. “Not an appropriate moment for this conversation, Velvet.”

“Well don’t that beat all.” Applejack stared at Rarity as she and Zircon displayed their affection, then looked sideways at Flathoof. He looked back at her, and she quickly averted her gaze. “Kinda unnecessary, if’n ya ask me. Keep that kinda stuff private. Like Rainbow said: get a room.”

“The mission was a success, then?” Lockwood asked Tick Tock. “You defeated-- wait… you seem different… ah! Your mane is much longer than when you left.”

“And I am digging it, Tickity,” Briarthorn added, waggling his eyebrows. “The long mane, I mean. Very exotic. Makes you look mysterious. Sexy. More than usual, even!”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes. “Long story. Literally. But yes, we beat Silvertongue. He’s dead, and everything’s safe.”

Lockwood turned to Starlight and her sisters. “So you all were of some help after all. I had my doubts at first, but I guess I was wrong about you. I can’t say I’m not surprised, but I will say I’m glad I was wrong.”

Starlight smirked. “I would estimate we accounted for at least fifty percent of the endeavor’s success, so yes, we were of ‘help’. I appreciate your candor - we certainly deserve skepticism after all the grievances we’ve inflicted upon yourself and others.”

Lockwood nodded. “Well, far be it from me to deny you the thanks you also deserve. You kept my friends alive, and apparently saved the world if I understand this whole complicated situation correctly.”

“All the worlds, to be exact,” Havocwing chimed in, sliding up beside Starlight. “So yeah, you know, we’re a pretty big deal. So any sort of, y’know, reward there might be floating around that you wanna hand out, we’ll take it.” She winked at him. “Any reward.”

“Oh back off, Havoc, he’s so not into you,” Velvet chided.

Havocwing shot her sisters a glare and snorted smoke out of her nose. “Kiss my ass, Red.”

“Don’t get used to the high praise, though,” Lockwood continued. He turned back to Blackburn, who hadn’t risen yet but was clearly listening. “After what you six did in Hope’s Point, the Queen is going to want to see you punished, regardless of whatever good you’ve done elsewhere.”

“Punished?” Velvet blurted. “No way. We just saved all your sorry butts, and you’d want to punish us?”

“Just because you did what you did, and even if you seem repentant, you understand that you’ve killed dozens of ponies, right? Plus, you attempted to kill more - including me, her fiancé? Those actions don’t just disappear because you did some good someplace else, the world isn’t a balancing act.”

“Well… well yeah, but--”

Grayscale shoved her way to the front, towering over him. Lockwood, to his credit, didn’t back down. “When your Queen is ready to pass judgement, we’ll let her decide what she wants to do with us.”

“We will?” Havocwing asked, flaring up her wings. “Gray, since when were you the boss around here?”

“We don’t have a leader anymore, Havoc. Don’t need one,” Gray replied. “We’re all equal in this little band of ours now, and you know it. We did wrong, and we should answer for it.” She turned to Starlight and Curaçao. “Right, girls?”

Starlight nodded. “We arrived at a collective agreement that our goal should be to rediscover our purpose in the world, did we not? I would argue that being fugitives from justice is not a desirable inaugural event to our new lives.”

Curaçao gave a light smile. “I would argue ze same. It is ze only we can ‘ave a, ‘ow you say, ‘fresh slate’?”

Havocwing grumbled. “Yeah… yeah, okay.” She pointed a hoof at Lockwood. “But you put in a good word for us, yeah? I don’t want our heads on chopping blocks after we just saved all your asses.”

Twilight glanced about the courtyard, noticing something missing. “Wait, where’s Harmonia?”

“She was brought into the zebra healing center to recover. Her recovery was deemed most crucial, and I honestly couldn’t disagree,” Lockwood replied. “Last I heard she was stable, at least as much as they could tell was stable for the, uh… mortal form of a goddess. Weak, but stable. Drained immensely, too… though I don’t know by how much or what that might mean for all of us.”

Twilight let out a breath. “Well, that’s at least some relief. She should be able to help get your world back to normal, even if she’s not at full strength anymore.”

“As normal as it can get, anyway,” Rainbow added.

“According to our information, she’s your world’s equivalent to our Celestia, and she kept our world safe and stable for a thousand years after Luna became Nightmare Moon. I’ve got confidence Harmonia can do the same without Nihila to oppose her.”

“With the Beacons destroyed, that might become a complicated endeavor,” Starlight pointed out. “For what it is worth, my sisters and I would gladly offer our assistance in any matters that might arise due to this situation, particularly if it alleviates any doubt as to our intentions.”

“We’d love to help too, but… I don’t know how long that might take,” Twilight said somberly. “We have to get home. It’s been too long, and we have friends and family to get back to.”

“Well, how long can you stay?” Lockwood asked. “I know you all have to get back to your world proper, but we’d all like to say our goodbyes, seeing as that whole plan got rather rudely interrupted. And arrange some of the other agreements I understand were made,” he added, glancing at Briarthorn.

“Well, I think we have some time, right? For goodbyes, at least?” Twilight asked Tick Tock. Tick Tock nodded. “In that case, we’d love to stay for a little bit. Things seem to be… uh, ‘normal’ back at home, enough that we can spare a little time for the friends that helped us get back in the first place.”

Lockwood smiled. “Fantastic. I believe we can get some breakfast arranged for everyone, if you’d like?”

“That sounds… nice,” Fluttershy said.

Lockwood gave her a little smile, then turned to Briarthorn. “Briarthorn, be a pal and let the embassy know to get something prepared for a farewell celebration.”

Briarthorn leapt to his hooves and saluted. “Can do, King-to-be!” And he was off like a rocket.

Lockwood trotted over to Blackburn and knelt down at her side. “Hon? Did you catch everything?”

Blackburn, though barely conscious, was lucid enough to nod, and to speak. “Yes. Breakfast… sounds nice…”

***

The Utopian embassy in Zeb’ra’den had spared no expense in setting up a grand gesture of a breakfast for a large gathering, perfect for a celebration. The dining table was big enough to seat eighteen, nine to a side, and was laden with delicious breakfast foods from both pony and zebra cuisines: Zeb’ra’den coffee, Utopian orange juice, various fruits as veggies, and patented zebra “snowcakes” - pancakes made using snow instead of batter, served chilled with maple syrup and honey.

The collection of ponies - and one zebra - sat and ate with a relaxed yet distinctly somber atmosphere hanging in the air. Everyone present knew this was the last time that Twilight and her friends would be in their company; they knew that Queen Blackburn had arranged Briarthorn’s retirement to their world as well. Soon, everything was supposed to go back to normal, or whatever counted as normal now that their entire world order had been shattered.

The Beacons were inactive, so while the hemispheres were once again connected with no Belt of Tranquility to divide them, the balance they imposed was gone. Nihila was essentially powerless, stuck in the Dreaming forever. Harmonia was reduced to a mortal form without a Warden, and nopony knew what power she might still possess. Hope’s Point was mostly ruined, and though its populace had survived, its fleet and military had not. Harmonia’s Warden was dead and several zebra warriors had been killed due to the schemes of one who was once a trusted hero, so political turmoil was surely coming to the south for the first time in centuries.

And yet, there was hope. Hope that things could be rebuilt, hope that the world was better off now that Silvertongue’s artificial balance was no more.

“A toast!” Briarthorn suddenly called out, a glass of orange juice - plain orange juice - held aloft. “To the fallen! To the souls that we lost and that got us to where we are today!” He tilted his glass up, and the rest of the table followed suit. “May they all rest in peace!”

Everypony drank from their glasses.

As Briarthorn took his seat, Lockwood gave him a small round of applause. “That was beautiful. You beat me to the punch, color me surprised.”

Briarthorn smirked. “This is my last day with you and Queenie. Figured I’d give you two something good to remember me by, instead of just being my usual drunken mania. I’ve got time to get drunk and crazy after I move.”

“Will always have something good to remember,” Blackburn said as she carefully set her glass down. She looked him straight in the eye. “You are… a good friend, Briar. Will miss you dearly. Things will be different without your company.”

Briarthorn smiled back. “I’ll miss you too… Blackburn. I’ll have to get used to thinking for myself for a while. Might have to get a job as a weather pony. They said they don’t have pilots in their world.”

“Beneath you, but could be relaxing. Alternative: organization that Rainbow Dash refers to as ‘Wonderbolts’. Descriptions match semblance of entertainment troupe, focus on flight maneuvers. Similar to stunt pilot. Could prove better fit, though more taxing. Again: your choice, merely suggestion.”

“I’ll take it under consideration,” Briarthorn agreed. “Than again, I could always become a gigolo…”

Flathoof leaned over to Lockwood. “Hey,” he whispered. “Can I pull you aside? Just for a minute?”

Lockwood scrutinized him for half a second, then smiled and nodded. “Sure. I think I know what this is about.” He turned to Blackburn. “BB--”

“Take your time,” Blackburn responded, patting his hoof. “Important conversation. Already considering options.”

“No surprise there.” Lockwood rose from his seat, and Flathoof did the same. They left the table and headed out the door.

Applejack, who’d been sitting near Flathoof but not close enough to hear the conversation, watched them go. She turned to Twilight. “What d'ya think that’s about?”

Twilight watched the two stallions leave, and shrugged. “I don’t know. Why? Do you think there’s something wrong?”

“I mean, I think it’s obvious,” Rainbow said, leaning back confidently in her seat. “Flathoof’s gonna ask--” Rarity nudged Rainbow in the ribs. “Hey! What gives, Rares?”

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Rarity, with her eyes, discreetly indicated to Rainbow to keep quiet.

Rainbow glanced between Rarity and Applejack, then shrugged. “I mean, I dunno.”

Applejack stared at Rainbow. “You were just about ta say--”

“Nothing. Nope, I have no idea. I mean, I thought I did, but then, nope, I didn’t. Lost it. Gone.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She turned her attention to Rarity and Zircon, who were practically inseparable. “So… uh, I don’t mean ta pry, Rarity, but… how in the hay are you two gonna work this out?”

Rarity and Zircon shared a loving look, then Rarity looked Applejack straight in the eyes. “My dear Applejack, there is nothing to ‘work out’. Sir Zircon is staying here, naturally, and I am going home with all of you.”

“But… ain’t you two…?”

Rarity looked longingly into Zircon’s eyes, stroking his hoof. “Oh, darling, it would never work out permanently, and we knew that going into this. I need to return home, and Sir Zircon here has important duties ahead of him if he is to help his world recover. This was a brief moment of love and happiness between us, that’s all.” She smiled brightly. “It’s quite tragically romantic. We’re just a couple of star-crossed lovers, no matter how much we wish otherwise. Not everypony here gets to have a fairytale romance.”

Applejack snorted. “Ain’t nothin’ romantic about it.” As Rarity and Zircon bumped noses together, Applejack had to turn away to keep her stomach to herself. She saw Flathoof and Lockwood come back in and retake their seats. She turned to Flathoof. “What was that about? Everythin’ okay?”

Flathoof smiled and put his hoof on hers. “Absolutely.”

***

Back in the Beacon courtyard, the portal back to Equestria-IV was opened and stable. Everypony - and Zircon - had gathered to say final farewells.

Twilight and her friends said goodbye first to Starlight and her sisters - not as opposites, but as friends.

“This was… an interesting experience,” Twilight said to Starlight. “I wish circumstances could’ve been different.”

“As do I… Twilight,” Starlight replied with a slight smile. “We owe you our very existence, and yet… I feel as though, in some alternate world… we might have never needed to subject you through all the negativity that we did. Perhaps we could have actually achieved true friendship status. I hope you can forgive us.”

“Y’know, once we got to know you guys a little, you’re not really all that bad,” Rainbow said to Havocwing. With a grin, she added, “I mean, you’re still a scrawny punk, but nopony’s perfect.”

Havocwing smirked. “Whatever, dingus.” She held out her hoof. Rainbow met it with a hoofbump.

“With all the talk about alternate worlds and stuff, I’m sure there’s a world out there where we - or somepony like us - never had to be born the way we were,” Grayscale mused. “Instead of just antithetical creations, we’d be our own ponies.”

“And if that world doesn’t exist, then you’re going to find a way to achieve that for yourselves,” Twilight said. “After everything that’s happened, you all deserve it.”

“And hey, if we ever meet again, I’ll throw you guys a party!” Pinkie said, wrapping up Velvet in a hug. “I’ll make it the best party ever, you can count on it!”

“Will there be cupcakes?” Velvet asked.

“And how!”

Rarity approached Zircon. He took her hoof in his hand and kissed it tenderly. “Sir Zircon… I will miss you dearly.”

“And I, thee, my fair mare of white,  
My heart acheth to see thy flight.  
These past days hath been a great boon,  
Pity that they must end so soon.  
Mine eyes shalt gaze to stars above,  
In remembrance of our deep love.”

Rarity melted. “Oh… I wish I didn’t have to go…”

Briarthorn gave Blackburn a big hug. “So long, Queenie. I promise I won’t get into any trouble. Much trouble. I’ll try not to break anything.”

“Don’t believe you,” Blackburn said as she returned it. “But wouldn’t have it another way. Goodbye, Briar…”

Briarthorn released the hug, then gave one to Lockwood. “You too, King-to-be. It’s been a wild ride.”

Lockwood returned it. “It has been, hasn’t it?”

“Never thought I’d see the day where anypony could make ol’ Queenie smile, but I’m glad somepony managed it, more glad that it was you.”

“Take care of yourself over there, Briarthorn.”

“You too, amigo, you too. And hey,” Briarthorn grabbed the side of Lockwood’s face and looked him dead in the eyes. “You get to work right away on making the next Prince or Princess, got it? Everything below the belt still works after your accident, right?”

Lockwood turned red. “Yes… everything still works.”

“Tactless, as usual,” Blackburn muttered, shaking her head.

Briarthorn released the hug and trotted over to Twilight and slid up alongside her. “I’m ready when you are, Twily.”

Applejack came over to Flathoof, removing her hat. “So, I guess this is it, huh? Time fer us ta go back ta our lives.”

Flathoof smirked. He looked to Lockwood, who gave him a small nod. “It doesn’t have to be the end of it, if you don’t want it to be.”

Applejack blinked. “Beg pardon?”

Flathoof took her hoof in his. “Applejack… I’ve never met any mare like you before, and I don’t think I will again. I can’t lose you, Applejack… and I’ve come so close to losing you on this journey that I’d be stupid to just let you go.”

“Flathoof, y’know I can’t stay…”

“I know. That’s why… I’m asking if I can go with you.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Ya… ya are? B-but… but yer family--”

Flathoof tilted his head towards Lockwood. “Lockwood’s already started arranging for my family to be moved out of Pandemonium to Hope’s Point. It might take some time, but they’re going to be living better than I could’ve ever provided for them in the city. I wish I could say goodbye… but there’s no time for that. You’re leaving now, and… I can’t just let you go. Ma would understand.”

“Flathoof, listen, ya don’t need ta abandon everythin’ just fer me. Ya have a life here. Friends, family, all o’ that.”

“And it wouldn’t be the same without you in it, Applejack.”

“Just say it already!” Rainbow shouted.

“Rainbow!” hushed Rarity and Pinkie.

Rainbow gave an unapologetic shrug. “Oh, what? Like you all don’t want them to just get on with it.”

Flathoof smirked, then looked at Applejack. “She’s right.”

Applejack turned red. “R-right about--”

“I love you, Applejack. If you’ll have me, I’d like to come with you. To your world. I’d like it very, very much.”

“If that’s what ya want…” Applejack hid her face behind her hat to keep everypony from seeing just how red she was getting. “That… that’d be mighty nice, sugar…”

Velvet rolled her eyes. “Well, another one down. Pretty soon there won’t be any eligible stallions left around here.” She glanced at Insipid. “You and me are gonna have our work cut out for us, sis.”

“Pshaw, we’ll find somepony,” Insipid said, waving her hoof. “I’ve got, like, the number one wingmare with me!”

Flathoof stepped over to Lockwood and clapped him on the shoulder. “I know we already said our goodbyes, but… thanks again for making this happen, little brother.”

Lockwood pulled Flathoof in for a hug. “You’re welcome, big brother. I’m going to miss you… but I’m glad you’re going to be somewhere with somepony that will make you happy. It’s been my honor to call you family.”

Flathoof hugged him tighter. “You too, little guy.” He broke the hug and turned to Blackburn next, offering his hoof. “Your Majesty.”

Blackburn smiled and without warning pulled him in for a hug. “No need for that. ‘Blackburn’ will do. Took care of Lockwood for me… can never repay you. Wish I’d gotten to know you better ‘brother-in-law’.”

Flathoof chuckled. “Well dang, never figured I’d have royalty for an in-law.”

“Take care of Briar for me.” She turned to Briarthorn. “And you, Briar. Take care of my brother-in-law.”

Briarthorn brushed her off with his wing. “Pshaw, Queenie, I don’t have to take orders from you anymore.” He winked. “But y’know what, just this once, just for you, I’ll be sure to keep an eye or two on ol’ Buff Drinks-none over here. I promise.”

“Okay everypony!” Tick Tock called, glancing at her Timekeeper. “Time to move out! I’ve kept you all long enough, we’ve got to get things back to normal.”

Twilight turned to Tick Tock. “Before we go… thank you, Tick Tock. For everything.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “Just doing my job, Twilight. All in a day’s work for a Chronomancer.”

“No, Tick Tock… you did more than that,” Twilight stepped forward and gave her a hug. “You were a good friend to me and my friends. I’m going to miss you…”

Tick Tock blushed. “Heh, well… I mean, okay. I guess, uh… I’ll… I’ll miss you too…”

“Group hug!” Pinkie shouted. “Big group hug!”

She, and the other Equestria-IV natives, rushed to get around Tick Tock and hugged her as one. When they were done, they let her down easy. Tick Tock tried her best to hide the huge smile on her face, but wasn’t doing a great job.

“Just… just get through the portal before you make me cry, you bloody weirdos,” Tick Tock muttered, already losing that battle.

Twilight and her friends, and Flathoof and Briarthorn as well, waved their goodbyes to those who remained behind. Then, they stepped through the portal, one by one. When they were all through, Tick Tock twisted a knob on her Timekeeper and closed it behind them. She then turned to those who remained, wiping a tear from her eye.

“All in a day’s work…”

Starlight turned to Blackburn. “So then, I believe we have matters of our possible punishment to discuss?”

Blackburn didn’t even look at Starlight, keeping her eyes on Tick Tock. “Have nothing to discuss. Your family - father included - destroyed home. Ruined world, put everypony in danger, made it possible to disrupt natural order of entire multiverse.”

“C’mon, that’s not fair!” Havocwing interjected. “We… we were different ponies then. We’re trying to--”

“Make amends, yes, have heard.” Blackburn turned away from the courtyard. “Make them someplace else. Not Zeb’ra’den, not Utopia, not Hope’s Point, not Pandemonium. Leave this world, never come back.”

Havocwing made to argue, but Grayscale put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her head. Grayscale spoke instead. “That’s your judgement then. Exile.”

“Do not care to repeat self. If ever seen again, will find out about it, will not be so forgiving second time.” She turned to look at Tick Tock. “Argument, Chronomancer?”

Tick Tock looked to Starlight, then back to Blackburn. “I… was about to say that it’s not really your place to decide--”

“Unique situation. Mares are from our world, correct. However, based on genetic and psychological templates of those from another world. Do not belong here in first place. Anomalies. Abominations,” she added with a sneer.

Tick Tock wrinkled her nose at Blackburn’s use of terminology. “Technically. But still--”

“Have made judgement. Want them gone. You have the ability to make it happen - do so. Refusal not wise. Not threat,” she added when Tick Tock made to interrupt, “just statement. Would have to seek alternate solution, but would ensure justice is delivered. Your refusal merely ensure lack of assistance to you in further meetings.”

Tick Tock looked to Lockwood. “Do you agree with this decision, Lockwood? You don’t seem the type.”

Lockwood looked to Blackburn, then to Starlight and her sisters, then to Tick Tock. He sighed. “We… have discussed it. Blackburn wants them executed, naturally. I argued for leniency on account of the whole ‘saved everyone’s lives’ thing. Not forgiveness, of course… I can forgive them for putting my own life in danger, but not those of Twilight and her friends, and certainly not for the lives they did end.”

“Reports indicate slaughter,” Blackburn spat. “Ninety-seven dead, eighty-two injured.”

“I understand that what they did is… terrible, but they’re making an attempt to redeem themselves for that,” Tick Tock argued. “They saved the bloody multiverse.”

“I repeat: they can do that elsewhere.”

Lockwood sighed. “This is a... compromise. I even talked her down from lifelong imprisonment. And it’s not just me and Blackburn discussing this either. Sir Zircon agreed with the decision as well. His home has been ruined by Silvertongue’s actions, and most of his success was due to Starlight and her sisters’ contributions.”

Zircon cleared his throat.   
“Discussed it with her majesty,  
On these terms do we both agree.  
Zeb’ra’den will be no haven,  
For these six mares, who hath been craven.”

“But--” Havocwing started, but Grayscale put a hoof over her mouth.

“Done arguing.” Blackburn stated. She walked, weakly, out of the courtyard. “If judgement is ignored, so be it. Will make preparations to carry out punishment. Come, Lockwood, have city to rebuild, wedding to arrange, friends to mourn.”

“Right behind you, BB.” Lockwood watched her go, then turned back to Tick Tock. “I wish I could do more, Tick Tock. I do. But you understand--”

“We do,” Starlight interjected. “We are responsible for a multitude of deaths. We were misguided, and though we acted in self-defense at first… we went unnecessarily beyond that in our brazen attempt to take revenge on ponies that had never wronged us. And even prior, we attempted to murder or maim you and your companions a copious number of times. If this is to be our punishment, we accept it.” She turned to her sisters. “Are we in agreement, sisters?”

“No arguments here. Perfectly logical decision,” Grayscale added.

Havocwing snorted. “I guess not. Better than getting the firing squad, I suppose.”

Velvet shrugged. “I don’t have any real attachment to this place, do you? The stallions here suck anyway. And not in the good way.”

Curaçao nodded. “If we are to go on zis journey of self-discovery, zen per’aps ze best place to start would be a new landscape, non?”

All eyes turned to Insipid, who started to tear up. “B-but… I wanted to find a new boyfriend…” She saw the cross look Starlight was giving her, then wiped her nose. “Cha, yeah, whatever. Like, I’ll find a new boyfriend, like I said, but somewhere else. One that’s a major hottie and rich and--”

“Well, best of luck to you all, I suppose,” Lockwood interrupted. He gave Tick Tock a nod. “Come see us when you’re done here, Tick Tock.” Without another word, he left.

“So, Chronomancer? We accept this decision,” Starlight concluded. “If you would be courteous and provide a destination where we may begin anew? Preferably a world where we might ‘fit in’ more easily in our present states, that we might ease our way into the process.”

Tick Tock sighed and wound up her Timekeeper. “This is so against protocol…” With Starlight’s help, she opened a portal to another world. “I’m trusting you, Starlight, against my better judgement. Don’t make me regret this.”

“Thank you… Tick Tock,” Starlight said with a nod. “Come along, sisters. A new beginning awaits us.”

One by one, Starlight and her sisters entered the portal. Once they were all through, Tick Tock wound her Timekeeper again and closed it behind them. She let out a heavy sigh. “I need a bloody vacation…”


	41. Epilogue: Inauguration

Pewter stirred a large wooden spoon through the thick, creamy soup that sat in a pot over his kitchen stove. He did it with slow, deliberate movements to mix the ingredients but not lose the soup’s rich texture. Potatoes - real potatoes - floated through the mixture, along with real onions, real garlic, and honest-to-goodness herbs and spices. Pewter had gotten the recipe from a southern cookbook that he’d acquired recently, and he was hoping it was as good as he’d heard.

After a moment, he brought the spoon to his lips and gave his concoction a taste. “Mmm, perfect,” he said wistfully. The cookbook was a good investment after all.

With care, he moved the pot away from the fire so it would stay warm but not overcook while he waited to serve it. He then ducked into cabients and drawers to fetch utensils and accoutrements before heading into the dining room with two bowls and two spoons. Another trip brought a full kettle of tea and two empty cups, and another brought napkins and a tiny jar of honey - real honey - for the tea.

The door from the den opened with a loud creek. Pewter acknowledged it, calling out, “Dinner’s ready!”

Hoofsteps approached the dining room, and Tick Tock opened the door. Her mane was back to the length it had been before the “Incident”, though she now kept it tied in a ponytail. She wore a new vest, the same as her old one but fresh and clean.

Tick Tock sniffed the air, and a smile crept onto her face. “Cream of potato? Lovely. You used the cookbook I got you?” She eyed the teapot on the table. “And we have tea tonight? Oh, Pewter, you’re magnificent.” She trotted up to him and pecked him on the cheek. “Truly magnificent. I’ve been craving a cup for weeks.”

“The crops are growing pretty well so far,” Pewter said with a smile. “At this rate, I think we can start growing a full field within the next few months. Start slow with hardier crops, move on to the more delicate ones. Ordered a few farming books from Utopia, should help us get started on even the complicated stuff. Been thinking about if it might be feasible to start raising animals too so we don’t have to use imitation milk and eggs.”

“Life coming back to the north… never thought I’d live to see the day. Never thought anypony would live to see the day.” Tick Tock sighed wistfully. “Silver lining to all that happened, I suppose.”

Tick Tock took a seat while Pewter went to fetch the soup. He returned, served them both, and took his own seat. They began eating, sharing long looks across the table at one another as they ate. Eventually Tick Tock put her hoof on the table, and Pewter put her hoof on hers. 

“I’m glad I have you, Pewter,” she said. “I still think about all that happened… and I know I never would’ve made it as far as I did without your help.”

“Oh, I was just doing my job as host of the checkpoint,” he said with a sly grin. “There was nothing special about what happened. I help anypony and everypony that comes through here, you know that.”

She gave him a sly grin back. “Really? Well… do you do this with everypony that comes through here?” She leaned up and kissed him full on the lips.

Pewter pulled away after a few seconds. “Well, there was this one mare, green coat, sexy voice, body like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Mhmm, you think my voice is sexy?”

“Oh, definitely. I could listen to it all night.”

“That can be arranged.”

The moment was interrupted when Tick Tock’s Timekeeper gave a loud beep. She narrowed her eyes and groaned. “Every bloody time.” She took it from her pocket, gave it a quick glance, and rolled her eyes. She gave Pewter an apologetic look. “Keep the soup warm, luv, I’ll be back in two shakes.”

“Two shakes? Not a very precise unit of measurement coming from you,” Pewter laughed.

“Yes, well, these new check-ins aren’t exactly like clockwork, ironic as that sounds, so precision’s not worth attempting. Wish me luck.”

Tick Tock left the dining room and headed back to the main den. A beaten-up old grandfather clock sat in the corner near the stairs, the clock itself no longer working. The resources she’d put together to get that out of New Pandemonium and into Pewter’s house were considerable, but at times like these it did well to be on good terms with the King and Queen of Hope’s Point. She opened the door and headed inside, where it opened up into its usual bigger-than-the-outside office space.

She took a seat in front of a computer screen, tapped a few buttons, and the device came to life. On it was a split-screen image - about half of the screen was taken up by a grumpy old unicorn stallion with a gray coat, mane, and beard but striking purple eyes. The other half was divided into two further halves, the top of which was taken up by Tick Tock’s own face that moved in time with her own movements, the bottom of which was taken up by the face of Time Turner.

“Tick Tock. Time Turner. Good to see you two still being punctual,” said the older stallion. “It’s time for your routine check-in. Let’s start off with-- Yes, Time Turner?”

Time Turner, whose hoof was raised to get attention, looked straight into the camera with conviction. “Sir, with all due respect, protocol dictates that in the event of anomalous events and possible catastrophic scenarios, the Chronomancers assigned to the event only have to report in for these check-ins for one year to monitor their progress in the follow-up process.”

“That is correct. And your concern is?”

“I do believe we have gone over the year mark by now, sir.”

The old stallion pulled up his own Timekeeper, looked it over, and shook his head. “Just slightly off the mark, my boy, by about one hour. You may want to have your Timekeeper recalibrated. This is our last check-in for the year - however, we are accounting for slight issues of time dilation as a result of a portal storm between Equestria-Lunaverse and Equestria-Turnabout. It’s affected a number of Timekeepers across the organization.”

Tick Tock checked her Timekeeper to see that hers had not been affected. Lucky - recalibrations were a pain in the neck.

“So, let’s begin then, shall we? Since you’re so eager to be done, Time Turner, let’s start with you. What is the final report on Equestria-IV’s progress following the Incident?”

Time Turner sighed. “All things considered, things are going quite well. After the Prime Incident, Equestria-IV began to accumulate more of the Prime essence into its foundation, faster than our original itinerary suggested. My final estimated growth rate projects a 300% increase in adaptation, though with the natural alterations and inaccuracies on account of non-Prime events.”

“An example, if you would?”

Time Turner shifted through some papers. “Let’s see… well, the most obvious one on record is in the ‘redemption arc’ of Discord. Prime data suggests that Equestria-IV encountered this event sooner and through significantly different circumstances, and, unlike the Prime, our Discord stayed true to his word with no regressions into villainous behavior at a later date. This is likely on account of my attempted rectification of the situation in the beginning stages of the Prime Incident. ”

“You mean those ‘replacements’ for the Elements of Harmony?” Tick Tock asked, familiar with the situation.

“Correct.” Time Turner lifted up a photo he’d taken of Discord on a rollercoaster. In the other seats were Trixie, Carrot Top, Cheerilee, Raindrops, Lyra Heartstrings, Derpy Hooves, and Derpy’s daughter Dinky. “Prime data suggests this result is categorically beneficial to our world’s security - for instance, the threat of Tirek in our world was dealt with in a matter of hours rather than over several days, as he did not have Discord as a temporary ally. The results of that incident otherwise proceeded as planned and we’re moving on to the next series of issues as they arrive.

“In addition, following the Incident, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor went on a much-deserved vacation - a second honeymoon according to those who know them best - and significantly moved up the timeline on the birth of Flurry Heart, who was born about two weeks ago. I don’t know how much of an effect this will have on things until we adapt Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst, though.”

The old unicorn nodded. “According to your projections, what are your next Prime adaptations scheduled?”

“We have just entered into the lull period appropriate for between-Age hiatus, and I’m expecting to begin adapting Fifth Age material within the coming year. Given the ordeals that our Twilight Sparkle and her friends went through, however, I am most eager to observe the next stage of adaptations and study the differences.”

“Any negative fallout from the Prime Incident as of yet?”

“None to report, sir. All evidence suggests a complete success in the clean-up as our world adjusts to the changes needed to adapt to Prime data. As an addendum to your previous question, as it is related, Equestria-IV did not develop a ‘highschool sub dimension’ during the lull between the Third and Forth Ages as Prime did. By all accounts, Equestria-IV will not integrate ‘Sunset Shimmer’ or her sub-dimension into its continuity, at least not in that context.”

“And why is that?”

“To be perfectly honest I have no real idea, but my best guess is that our Equestria became so alienated by dimensional travel that it rejected the entire concept of a sub-dimension within its own borders. Whether Sunset Shimmer is integrated or not, time will tell.”

“Interesting. Excellent news, Time Turner.” The old unicorn cleared his throat. “Tick Tock, your final report, if you would.”

Tick Tock pulled a huge binder out from under her desk and dropped it onto the desk with a loud thump. “Since the Prime Incident, Equestria-V has had some drastic changes to both its political and geographical landscapes, mostly reversals of former changes made to its foundation by the instigator of the Prime Incident, Silvertongue.” 

She filtered through some papers, then pulled out a photograph she had taken near the Redridge Mountains. The volcanic activity had almost completely died down. “As an example, these mountains were once a range of perpetually-active volcanoes fueled by the magicks of Nihila and the northern Beacon. With neither of those fueling them unnaturally, they have died down. They’re possibly still active and dangerous, but certainly no longer a death trap.”

The old unicorn nodded. “Has your world integrated any new Prime continuities as a result of the Prime Incident?”

“We have yet to experience too many new adjustments to fit Prime data, but Equestria-V has always been only tangentially connected anyway. Our only major acceptances of Prime data this past year have been the very sudden emergence of the ‘seaponies’ from the deepest reaches of the central oceans, and ‘hippogriffs’ from the mountains near Zeb’ra’den. Unlike the Prime, they are separate races, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“Oh, you got those integrations already?” Time Turner said with a grin. “I’m not expecting them to arrive for another few years. Are they as interesting as they look?”

“I have an entire bleedin’ binder here that details the changes I’ve witnessed this year,” she said, indicating said binder, “and three-fourths of it are based on the ramifications of two new, as-yet-undiscovered kingdoms entering into my world’s political landscape so suddenly and at the same bloody time. Needless to say, it’s been a very interesting year.”

Time Turner hummed. “Any other Prime race additions? Yaks? Changelings?”

“As of yet, very little. No yaks or donkeys, and no signs of gryphons or dragons returning. As for changelings, I have no proof yet but my current data suggests that the rapid changes to the Gargantuan strain as a result of the northern Beacon’s deactivation may lead to them evolving into our world’s version of changelings. Just a theory, I’m afraid, and it’s become rather difficult to observe them in the wild anymore to try and further that idea. They’ve taken to hiding underground.”

“Has your world’s repairs been proceeding well?” asked the old stallion. “I understand that the Prime Incident laid waste to several key societies and individuals.”

“Like I said sir, it’s been a very interesting year. Harmonia has recovered, but nopony had seen her since the Prime Incident - the prevailing theory by those in power here is that she is overseeing the rebirth of life in the north. Repairs otherwise seem to be going smoothly, enough that I can resume my normal duties at least - Hope’s Point is emerging as a superpower on the world scene thanks to its location and they’ve been helpful in bringing things up to speed. I’ll need more time to assess that sort of data, though, since we’re talking hundreds of years of development that have been effectively destroyed. If you need me to continue reports--”

“No no, that won’t be necessary, Tick Tock. Complete your final report and send it in.” The old unicorn stroked his beard. “Keep up the good work, both of you. Though the Prime Incident certainly proved a disastrous affair, the two of you managed to keep things contained and did so without disrupting protocols too dramatically. As protocol dictates, both of you are entitled to one month’s all-expenses-paid leave, effectively immediately. Headquarters will monitor Void storms in your jurisdiction and assign agents to take over your duties in the meantime. If there’s nothing else?”

Time Turner and Tick Tock shook their heads and spoke in unison. “No sir.”

“Good. Enjoy your vacation, both of you. From what I’ve seen and heard, you’ve both earned it.” 

With that, the old unicorn’s face vanished from the screen, which shifted to adjust; on Tick Tock’s end, only Time Turner was visible.

They both waited a moment, then let out sighs of relief. “Bloody hell, I thought we’d never get done,” Tick Tock groaned. “A vacation! Thank the stars, a vacation.”

“Don’t tell me you weren’t expecting it, Tick Tock,” Time Turner said with a grin. “You heard the Magister - it’s protocol.”

“Following protocol’s what made this whole mess so difficult to work with, so protocol can bite my arse,” Tick Tock huffed. “But yes, I was expecting it. I’ve already made plans for my vacation, as a matter of fact. How ‘bout you?”

Time Turner smiled and pulled out a ticket from his drawer. “Booked a cruise. VIP suite, full accomodations, all the extra activities, unlimited buffet, the works. My train to San Franciscolt leaves in the morning, and I’m already packed. We’re cruising through southern Equestria - tropical seas, lush beaches, beautiful mares: everything a stallion with the need to unwind could want. Some quality alone time at last, no mailponies around to hound me about bloody muffins.”

Tick Tock pursed her lips and nodded, impressed. “Very nice. Fancy.”

“You?”

Tick Tock picked out two tickets from her own drawer. “It’s no cruise, but Pewter and I are taking the New World Tour experience with all the trimmings. First through Hope’s Point to meet with the King and Queen, then to the southern continent to see the beaches, tour the countryside, and finish it off with a trip to Zeb’ra’den in time for the Winter Festival. Should be fun.”

“You and Pewter huh?” Time Turner gave her a coy grin. “I’m happy for you, Tick Tock. You should’ve done that a long time ago, I always said.”

“Better late than never. I can’t wait to show him the swimsuit I bought.”

“Have fun.”

“You too.”

Tick Tock flicked the screen and turned the picture off, then leaned back in her seat and sighed contentedly. She’d earned it.

***

Hope’s Point had changed dramatically in the past year, expanding far down the nearby cliffs to include an actual harbor at sea level. Accommodations were made for boats from the southern continent as they had never advanced to airship travel; the underwater deployment center had been repurposed as submersible access for visitors to the seapony city of Subnautica; the cliffside had been reconstructed from scratch for the new airship deployment ports and to accommodate hippogriffs visitors.

The city itself was still in the midst of repair, but progress was going smoothly, a benefit to most of the infrastructure being below ground. Helping the construction effort was the massive influx of new arrivals from New Pandemonium, as the overland trip to Hope’s Point had become more feasible than ever before. Not to mention aid from Utopia. The protective barrier had not been reconstructed - with New Pandemonium’s Air Force effectively crippled during their attack on Hope’s Point the year before, and with no voice of leadership in their military to hasten efforts to rebuild, Pandemonium was, essentially, powerless beyond its own borders. 

King Lockwood scrutinized a row of screens from the royal throne room. There was no need to do it from a security perspective anymore, but it was still useful to monitor the comings-and-goings of the city ports if only to be aware of new situations. He wasn’t as intuitive as Blackburn was, but in the current political environment there wasn’t really any fear of danger anymore. Luckily, he wasn’t alone in his work - dozens of technicians sat before the screens as well, each with their own station, assisting their King and Queen in keeping the city running smoothly. Before long, Lockwood knew there would be no need to keep such a close eye on things at all.

Lockwood’s wounded eye had never recovered, but he kept the eyepatch as a matter of pride, refusing an implant. His status as King required a certain level of authority, and the eyepatches he wore nowadays certainly evoked it; the current patch was a roguish affair, black leather with silver trim and gold studs. His wing had also never healed, but he kept it wrapped under his royal attire, a black and blue silk jacket. The so-called “Flightless King” didn’t let these things bother him. 

A unicorn mare entered the room and rushed straight up to Lockwood, a tablet held aloft in her magic. It was Shroud. “Your grace,” she said, “her royal highness is requesting that you come to your chambers. Urgently.”

Lockwood nodded. “Thank you, Shroud. Hold the fort for me while I’m gone, and keep me informed if anything happens.”

Shroud bowed. “Of course, your grace.”

As Lockwood left the throne room out into the palace proper, his personal bodyguard, an earth pony stallion with a black coat and gray mane, escorted him. Lockwood and his guard wound their way through the palace halls to the royal bedchambers. 

One of the Queen’s personal guards, a zebra with her mane styled in braided locks, stood outside, and acknowledged Lockwood’s approach with a bow. “Your grace,” she said. Outside of Zeb’ra’den, and in the employ of Queen Blackburn, the zebra had no need for the cultural posturing of poetic meter.

Lockwood nodded in return. “Zyra. How are you this fine morning?”

“I am well, your grace.” She glanced at Lockwood’s bodyguard and nodded. “Gunpowder.”

The other guard nodded and smiled. “Zyra. You’re looking lovely as usual today.” Zyra didn’t seem to pay the compliment any heed.

Lockwood knocked on the door, a personal knock that was known only to the King, Queen, and their personal guards - a security measure, but not a serious one. 

“Enter!” called Blackburn from the other side. Gunpowder opened the door for him and then remained outside.

The royal bedchambers were, in plain terms, fancy, lavishly decorated with purples, golds, and blues. The bed was large enough for ten ponies, but never held more than three at a time. Queen Blackburn rested on the bed dressed in elegant nightwear, having not changed out of it since the night before. 

Blackburn’s other personal guard, a pegasus mare with red coat and silver mane, stood inside the chambers at attention. She saluted. “Your grace!”

“At ease, Firebug,” Lockwood said with a nod. “May I have a moment with my wife, please?”

“At once, your grace,” Firebug said with a bow. She left the room and closed the door behind her.

Also in the bed with Blackburn was a young foal, a pegasus filly with ash-gray coat and curly blue mane. The foal cooed and played with a toy airship that rattled as it shook. Lockwood smiled as Blackburn gave the foal some loving nuzzles. The filly noticed Lockwood standing there at the entrance to the room and smiled wide and squeaked happily.

“You called, hon?” Lockwood said. “Said it was urgent?”

Blackburn did not look at Lockwood when she spoke. “Wanted you to take a break. Come.” She tapped her wing on the bed next to her.

Lockwood climbed into bed beside Blackburn to coo at the little filly. “How’re my girls doing today?” he asked them both, giving the little foal a kiss on the forehead.

“Tired. Bluebolt fussy today.” She ran her hoof through the foal’s mane. “Dealt with it. New toy.”

“You spoil her.”

“As do you.” Blackburn gave Lockwood a kind look. “Deserves it. World brighter, will grow up never knowing pain we felt. Will lead city, no, world into better future.”

Lockwood nuzzled close to Blackburn. “The family wants to have a get-together this weekend, if you’re up for it. Shortcake would love to see Bluebolt again. She adores her new ‘granddaughter’.”

“Will make arrangements. Bluebolt enjoys attention.” She rose from the bed, wrapping the gown around her. “Take a break. Will oversee arrivals for three, no, four hours. Will break for lunch at noon. You and Bluebolt will join me.” She headed into the private washroom to clean up and get dressed.

“Of course.” The filly, Bluebolt, reached up and grasped Lockwood’s eyepatch, yanking it back and snapping it against his face. He winced; she laughed. “Why do I have the feeling I’m coming up on the wrong end of this deal?”

“Bright side,” Blackburn called from the washroom. “Could be raining.”

***

Snow swirled outside Zeb’ra’den as the fierce blizzard raged through the southern tundra. A rough winter loomed on the horizon for the zebras, the roughest they’d faced in hundreds of years. The outer walls of the city had been opened up to the lower castes to allow them shelter, but at the rate the snow was falling and looked to continue, there was already talk of possible food shortages and civil unrest. Utopia and Hope’s Point had offered aid, but the zebras’ pride only allowed them to accept so much.

More pressing than that was that the zebras had new neighbors: hippogriffs. Zebrakind had always had rocky relations with gryphons before this, and given their similarity it was a hot topic of debate on whether these new arrivals were to be trusted. The hippogriffs, to their benefit, did not share the lofty pretentiousness that gryphons had, so a possible alliance was starting to look possible. However, given the state of things in the capital after the fall of the Beacon, those talks were being pushed aside for the time being. Most talks thus far were of trade and diplomatic relations, little more than prodding curiosities.

None of that bothered Sir Zircon at the moment. He sat alone in the highest tower of the city, staring out into the snowstorm with a wistful, almost hopeful expression. He delicately worked a chisel across a small block of white crystal on the windowsill, carving out smooth shapes with practiced ease. The shape was undeniably equine, and with every cut he made, it gained more and more detail until it was not just equine, but shaped like a unicorn. It took some effort to chisel out the mane and tail, but he did so with expert precision until the glorious curls took shape.

When he was done, he lifted the little sculpture up and carried it over to an ornate display case. When he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of dozens more identically sculpted statues of different materials - marble, stone, wood, and more. He placed this newest one beside the others with a smile, then took a moment to admire his work. He then shut the case, grabbed his new sword - a smaller, more elegant blade than he’d once wielded - and donned his fur coat, then headed out the door. There was work to be done.

Zircon was greeted almost immediately by a younger zebra colt dressed in a heavy coat for too large for him. The colt carried no weapon, and his mane was tied back in a long tail that hung around his neck. He spoke with all the eagerness of a curious youth.  
“Good morning, mine uncle.  
How farest thee this day?”

Zircon gave his nephew a small, polite smile.  
“Nephew Zomith, not much to say.”  
He walked past his nephew and began down the stairs of the tower. Zomith followed behind.  
“My dear nephew, I am surprised,  
to see thee soon after sunrise.  
What reason hast thee to come by?  
On me, Zora wisheth to spy?”

Zomith paused for an instant, freezing in place, then returned to following Zircon.  
“My mother only wishes,  
To see if thou art well.  
Few hath seenest thy face,  
In quite a lengthy spell.  
A month it has been, yes,  
since mother saw you last.  
But you hath taken meals,  
so it cannot be a fast.”

Zircon snorted as he reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the door. They were in the city proper now, and dozens of other zebras wandered to and fro as they went about their days.  
“My dearest nephew, I’m no fool.  
Your purpose is more than a tool.  
My sister wisheth thee to see,  
If I still possess sanity.”

Zomith followed Zircon as his uncle made his way towards the city gates.  
“No, mine uncle, not so,  
It is not so dire.”

Zircon wheeled on his nephew, eyes narrowed.  
“Then what plot doth she conspire?”

Zomith froze again, so Zircon continued.  
“I knowest what my sister wants:  
A bride for me, a wife to flaunt.  
Dear nephew, tell your mother this:  
Her fool ‘concern’, I do dismiss.  
There cannot be a bride as right,  
As the unicorn mare of white.”

“But uncle, ‘tisn’t right,  
to remaineth alone,  
To giveth all thy love,  
And hath none of thine own.”

“Her heart is mine, as mine is hers,  
Thing canst not be as they once were.  
It is true, alone I must be,  
But no zebra compares to she.”  
Zircon huffed and turned back towards the city gates.  
“I hath business to attend to,  
Thou wilt leave now, dear nephew.”

Zomith made to interject, but Zircon had already started walking away. He shook his head and made back towards the city center.

***

Rainbow Dash glided slowly over Ponyville Square, overseeing the last preparations by the weather patrol before the beginning of the farmers’ market. Pegasi darted to and fro moving white clouds into aesthetically-pleasing positions, while breaking up darker clouds to eliminate any chance of rain. It was a brisk autumn day in Ponyville, so the air was crisp and cool, and Rainbow’s teams made sure there was a healthy breeze.

She swooped over town hall, noticing a large bunching of white clouds that hadn’t yet been distributed. She fluttered over to it and knocked her hoof on the side like a door. “Hello? Anypony in there?”

There was a sudden sound of surprise from inside, and seconds later, a pegasus mare opened the side of the cloud - also like a door. She was strawberry pink with a lime green mane, and she looked nervous as all get-out the moment she saw Rainbow glaring at her. “Oh! Rainbow Dash, hey, uh… what’s up? Can I help you with something?”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Strawberry Swirl. Mind telling me what you’re doing here by town hall?”

“Oh, um… n-nothing, why?”

Rainbow gestured to the cloud formation. “You haven’t finished distributing your cloud pile yet. We’ve got less than thirty minutes before the farmers’ market gets into full swing.” Rainbow crossed her forelegs over her chest. “So, what’s the holdup?”

“Ah… er… I was just… waiting to make sure the rest of the black clouds were cleared out before I started moving these out, boss. Yep. Just being cautious.” She looked behind Rainbow to see that the sky was clear of said black clouds. “And look at that, they got it all done. I’d better get started on moving these clouds. Yup. As soon as you head off, I’ll get right on it.”

“Uh huh.” Rainbow tried to get a good look behind Strawberry, but the other mare shifted her weight to block Rainbow’s view. “Well, don’t take too long to get things situated. We’re shorthoofed already since Briarthorn took the day off again, so I don’t need the crew I do have slacking off. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am! Right away ma’am!” Strawberry said with a salute.

Rainbow gave Strawberry a skeptical glance, then flew off. Strawberry watched Rainbow leave, then let out a breath of relief.

“Is she gone?” asked Briarthorn, poking his head out the side of the cloud.

Strawberry rolled her eyes. “She’s gone. We’d, uh… better finish this after work. I don’t want either of us to get fired.”

Briarthorn shrugged and lazily slid out of the cloud, landing on the nearby roof with a dramatic flair. “Sure thing, berrybottom. Your place or mine?”

***

Applejack bucked her legs against an apple tree, knocking a full crop of apples into a ring of baskets at the base. A good crop this year, which Applejack was thankful for, as last year’s crop was not only smaller than usual but also of mixed quality - Discord’s magic may have ended eventually, but he’s still managed to ruin some of the earlier batches before things got fixed, and Applejack was absent for the majority of Applebuck Season. This tree was the last in this harvest, and Applejack hoped it would be enough to meet the quota.

Once the last of the apples had fallen, Applejack grabbed the baskets, slid them onto the long pole she’d brought along, and carried them back towards the farmhouse. Outside, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom were setting up a batch of baskets into a large cart to take into town. Applejack set the last load down beside them, took off her hat, wiped her brow, and took a deep breath.

“And Applebuck Season is officially over!” she announced. “Soon as we get all this ta market, we’ll be set for winter.”

“Eyyup,” said Big Mac, loading another few bushels on the cart. “Good haul, too.”

Apple Bloom popped over to Applejack, bouncing excitedly. “Big sis! Can I go now? Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are waitin’ fer me at the clubhouse--”

“Settle down, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said. She gave Apple Bloom a terse look. “Ya finish all yer chores?”

“Yep!”

“Finished all yer homework?”

“Yep!”

Applejack smiled. “Well, alright then, go on.”

“Yay!” Apple Bloom cheered as she bolted into the house, grabbed her backpack, and ran off towards town. She ran right past Flathoof as he was walking onto the farm from the same path. “HiFlathoofbyeFlathoof!”

Flathoof watched Apple Bloom practically fly down the road. “She’s excited today,” he said. He wore a simple red plaid vest.

Applejack turned to face him, gave him a smile. “Everythin’ all set fer the market festival?”

“Yup, got the permit cleared, stall’s all set up, signs posted. Just need some apples to sell and we’re good to go.” He walked past the cart, tipping his head to Big Macintosh. “Big Mac.”

“Flathoof,” Big Mac replied.

Applejack smirked as the two stood side-by-side for a brief moment. They really did look exactly alike - if you were a hundred yards away and forgot your glasses. Up close, right next to one another, they were similar, sure, but not exactly alike. Their coats were different shades of red, the manes different shades of yellow, and Big Mac was a good few inches taller and much more muscular. Applejack wondered why she’d ever thought otherwise.

Flathoof approached Applejack, gave her a small grin. “Glad to be part of this Applebuck Season. Y’know, I never pictured myself helping out on a farm. I know I say that a lot, but… I’m glad I can be of help.”

“And I’m glad ya could be here, Flathoof. Never would’ve expected a city boy to be so good at all this, but then, we never would’ve expected somepony like y’all ta come along. We got finished with this crop in record time, an’ we even got the stand set up on time for once.” She came up to him and helped straighten his vest. “An’ wit’ two good-lookin’ stallions helpin’ out wit’ sales, we’ll be sold out by sundown.”

“Ooh, trying to get home early?” Flathoof said with a sly smile. “What for?

Applejack slapped his chest teasingly. “Not in front of Big Mac, sugar.”

“I ain’t listenin’,” Big Mac said as he loaded the cart up onto his shoulders. “Ready to go?”

Applejack was about to speak when without warning, the wind picked up something fierce, shaking every last tree in Sweet Apple Acres, knocking Applejack’s hat clean off, and sending the farmhouse’s weathervane into a frenzy. The wind was soon accompanied by the sound of distant thunder and waves crashing on the beach.

Then, just as soon as it had come, the wind died down, and the distant thunder quietly petered out. The air went still again.

“The heck was that?” Flathoof asked, looking around to make sure nothing was damaged.

Applejack stared off into the distance where the wind had come from. She narrowed her eyes. “I know that sound.” She grabbed her hat from where it had rolled, then turned to Flathoof and Big Mac. “C’mon, we’re gonna go check it out.”

Flathoof nodded. “Roger that.”

“Eyyup,” Flathoof agreed.

***

As Applejack, Flathoof, and Big Macintosh followed the source of the wind, they arrived in a clearing just outside of Ponyville. Nopony else had arrived yet, as they were the closest to it and probably the only ones to notice. Applejack hadn’t known what to expect, but she certainly hadn’t been expecting to see six familiar faces approaching her.

“Well I’ll be…” Applejack muttered, removing her hat.

Starlight Shadow was the first to greet her. “Applejack! Excellent, my aim was accurate. I had hoped to arrive in close proximity to Sweet Apple Acres without disrupting anything. I do believe you are in the midst of ‘Applekicking Season’ or some such affair? Are we interrupting?”

Applejack noticed that Starlight and her sisters had changed since she’d seen them last. Notably, none of them wore clothes. It didn’t bother Applejack at all, and wouldn’t bother anypony else around here for that matter, but it was just odd to see since she’d never seen them without clothes on before. It was an odd observation.

Starlight hadn’t changed much, just tied her mane up into a neat bun. She hadn’t retaken a central position within the group, so things were still as they were before it seemed, with her not retaking a leadership role. She also seemed more relaxed and cordial than Applejack ever remembered her being.

Curaçao still had her graceful poise, and had traded in her old headband for a small black beret, which reminded Applejack of something Rarity wore when trying to be “classy”. She was also much more relaxed, even happy; it was surreal to Applejack, who only ever remembered her counterpart being dead serious nearly all the time.

Insipid, to Applejack’s surprise, had utterly destroyed her old look; she wore her mane and tail straight now, not in a poorly-done rip-off of Rarity’s style, and the color was now a neat platinum blonde. She apparently had been bathing regularly too, so her coat was a sleek charcoal gray.

Havocwing strayed further along the butch style than even Rainbow ever dared to tread, keeping her mane and tail very short. She’d also filed down her fang-like tooth to a normal appearance, giving her a surprisingly charming smile.

Grayscale had barely changed a bit, though her mane looked wilder than ever. She’d also ditched the metal boots that she used to wear, probably because without her powers they served no practical purpose. Applejack was sure she spotted a small smile on her face, too, though it was brief.

Red Velvet had let her mane grow out longer, but otherwise kept it in the same straight, parted style, looking like Pinkie Pie straight out of the pool. She’d also clearly put on a few pounds in her rear, not exactly in a bad way, but Applejack wasn’t one to judge if it was a good or bad thing.

“Good to see you, AJ,” Havocwing said, strutting up first and offering a hoof.

Applejack stared at Havocwing’s hoof for a second, then took it and shook with a smile. “Good ta see y’all too. What’re y’all doin’ here?”

“We’ve hit a breakthrough on our journey of self-discovery,” Grayscale replied. “Figured we’d drop by, let you guys know how it’s going since you’re the only ponies we can visit that would care about us.”

“It’s our whole ‘new life’ anniversary, y’know, and Pinkie promised us a party,” Velvet added, coming up beside Havocwing. Her eyes were positively glued to Big Mac. “Hey, stud. You must be Big Macintosh. AJ’s told us all about you.” She bit her lip and bat her eyelashes at him. “Big in all the right places, I hope--”

Curaçao coughed into her hoof. “Velvet, zis isn’t ze time for zat.”

“If it’s not any trouble, could we request that you escort us around Ponyville?” Starlight asked. “We wish to rendezvous with all of you, plan out the reunion ‘party’ as it were. There are many developments to discuss. Not just from us, I assume: we’d also like to hear how events have transpired here this past year.”

“It’ll be fun. Get to know each other better after all that’s happened. A little… private time?” Velvet added, waggling her eyebrows at Big Mac. The stallion was completely unfazed.

Applejack smirked, and shook her head in disbelief. “Y’know, I think we can arrange somethin’.” She turned to Big Mac and Flathoof. “Boys, you think y’all can handle the stand for the day while I show them ‘round?”

Flathoof nodded. “Sure thing, AJ.” He tapped Big Mac on the shoulder. “C’mon, big guy, we’ve got bits to make.”

“Eyyup,” Big Mac agreed. He nodded politely to the new arrivals. “Nice meetin’ ya.”

Velvet tilted her head in Big Mac’s direction as he walked off. “Later handsome!” She turned to Insipid. “Pinch me, sis, I’m in love.”

Insipid rolled her eyes. “Cha, only for, like, the fifth time this week? Keep a lid on it, huh?”

“I can’t help it! No matter what world we visit, AJ’s brother is always a total hunk.”

“Yeah, well, just try ‘n’ keep yerself under control, huh? Ya know that kinda behavior’s a lil’ off ‘round these parts.” Applejack took a breath. “Well, let’s get going’, then. Lots ta catch up on, I s’pose.” She gestured for them to follow and headed off towards town.

***

It was an hour or so before sundown, and eleven mares now walked through the streets of Ponyville, chatting excitedly among themselves about the prospects of a party, and of learning all about everything that had happened in the past year. Some stories here and there were shared while they walked and talked: 

Applejack and Pinkie Pie had found out they were possibly cousins, though they had no confirmation as of yet; Rarity had participated in a fashion contest in Manehatten, though she forfeited after an act of sabotage from an opponent, though she’d made a new friend in the process; Rainbow had met the author of her favorite book series, Daring Do, and even appeared on the latest book’s cover when she helped said author - the real deal - in an adventure; Fluttershy had met a race of fairy-like ponies called Breezies and befriended their leader, even had the opportunity to briefly turn into one with Twilight’s help.

Starlight and her sisters, on the other hand, had decided to save the sharing of most - not all - of the details of their journey for the “party” they’d been promised by Pinkie, however, as they didn’t want to have to explain it again to Twilight Sparkle.

Speaking of which.

“Is… is this where Twilight lives?” Starlight asked as they approached the tree-shaped castle just outside of Ponyville. “I was under the impression that she made her abode in a tree that served a double-purpose as a library?”

“She does!” Pinkie said. “Look, see? It’s totally a tree! There’s the trunk, and the branches, and everything! And it’s got loads and loads of books inside, so technically it’s library! Sure, it’s not Ponyville library or anything - they’re rebuilding that - but Twilight’s happy to help when she can.”

“It’s a castle. Shaped like tree,” Havocwing said in disbelief. “Talk about a humble explanation. If I lived here you’d never hear me shut up about living in a freaking castle. Is she like a duchess or something?”

“With all the different worlds we’ve seen though, this still isn’t that surprising, not really. You’d be surprised what kind of little things are different here and there,” Grayscale noted. She turned to Starlight. “Remember that one world where Rarity and Applejack were dating?”

Applejack and Rarity froze in place, sharing awkward looks with another. “We were what?” they said in unison.

“Yeah, something about falling in love while traveling through the mountains to collect berries.” Grayscale shrugged. “I thought it was cute.”

Insipid sighed wistfully. “Like, major cute. And there was the one where, like, Rarity was dating Fluttershy, or something?”

Rarity’s eye twitched. “What?”

Fluttershy turned beat red. “Oh… um… b-but I--”

“Oh yeah, they said they started dating after Fluttershy accidentally became a supermodel or something?” Havocwing added. “Yeah, that one made me feel kinda uncomfortable. Too frilly, blech. Oh hey, how about the one where Rainbow was dating Applejack?”

Rainbow scoffed. “As if!” She looked at Applejack quickly. “No offense, AJ. You’re just not my type.”

“And you ain’t mine either, sugarcube,” Applejack scoffed. “Even if were inta mares, y’all’re too lazy ta get my heart all aflutter. I like myself a hard workin’ pony, like Flathoof.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“If you think that’s weird, there’s one where you and Twilight are shacked up because you both like books or something,” Havocwing said with a smug grin. “I never knew you were an egghead, Rainbow Dork.”

“Bite me, shrimp,” Rainbow fired back.

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “What in the hay kinda places’re y’all visitin’? 

“Indeed, are all the worlds you visited ones where we were dating each other?” Rarity asked incredulously. “The six of us are just friends, nothing more… excepting Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, obviously.”

“Well, yeah, and even that isn’t canon,” Pinkie noted. “Remember? None of us are even supposed to be dating each other. I mean sure, that’s not gonna come between me and Dashie, no way no how, but you’re right in thinking it’s a little weird.” She turned to Starlight. “So spill: are we all dating one another in these alternate worlds, or what?”

“Not exactly, but that did seem to make up a disproportionate number of them,” Starlight said with confidence. “Given the Prime’s staggering ratio of mares to stallions it is only natural that it would be assumed there would also exist a higher ratio of lesbian relationships amongst the population. It’s simply a logical assumption.”

Rarity mulled it over, then nodded. “Hmm… I suppose so…”

“Hold on a minute,” Rainbow said, hooves in the air. “What about you guys? Did you visit any places where you’re all dating each other or something?” 

“There truly are a myriad number of worlds out there, friends, and yet, in not a single other world did we visit where there were alternate versions of myself or my sisters,” Starlight noted. “I cannot decide if such a fact is concerning or not, though. So, suffice to say, no, we did visit any worlds where we witnessed alternate versions of ourselves ‘dating’.”

Curaçao held up a hoof. “Oh la la, non, zere is nozing like zat going on between us. We are sisters, non? It would be, ‘ow you say, ‘taboo’?”

“Yeah, Dash, I mean, like, duh,” Insipid snorted. “Cha. As if I would be into any of my sisters that way? Major. Unfresh. I’m not, like, a freak or something? I’m not even into mares and junk. For. Sure.”

Rainbow deflated. “Right. Right, yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean--”

“It is quite alright,” Curaçao said. “I do understand zee intent of your question zough: did we find amour in our travels? Well, n--”

“Yes! All of the yes! We totally visited the one were you were all dudes,” Velvet said with an ecstatic grin. “And yes, I absolutely did not want to leave. Man meat as far as the eye could see, like a veritable buffet of beefcake. AJ, don’t take this wrong, but you’re a total stud as a stallion.”

“I have no idea how to take that but wrong,” Applejack muttered. She turned to Rainbow. “Dangit, Rainbow, why’d ya have ta go ‘n’ ask that question for?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno, I just thought it wasn’t fair that they know about all our love lives but we don’t know squat about theirs.”

“If you think that’s bad, Havoc was practically drooling all over Elusive the whole-- ow!” Velvet yelped as Havocwing smacked her in the back of the head. “Havoc!”

“Shut up, sis, geez!” Havocwing spat, embarrassed.

“Which one’s… Elusive?” Rarity asked.

Velvet chortled. “You, duh. Rarity and Elusive? Pretty obvious I think.”

Rarity stared at Havocwing for a good, long moment, while Havocwing tried not to meet her gaze and turned redder than usual. “This is… most odd. Let’s change the subject, shall we?”

“Sure. There was one where you were dating Prince Blueblood,” Grayscale added, pointing to Rarity. “He seemed like a decent guy. Got involved in all sorts of weird political games, though, dragged all of you through it. I think at one point you tried to solve the problem by having him marry Twilight because she was a noble or something?”

Rarity’s eye twitched. “I was… with Prince Blueblood? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Not at all. Apparently he went through some sort of time loop kinda like Tick Tock did, and he became a better stallion out of the whole ordeal. Kinda neat, actually.”

“I, like, couldn’t follow a thing,” Insipid muttered. “Curie had it all figured out, though. She’s super smart.”

“Oui, and in anozer, everypony was bipedal,” Curaçao added. “Très étrange, zat one.”

“At any rate, we are getting ahead of ourselves,” Starlight said as she approached the door to Twilight’s tree castle and gave it a light knock. “At our current progression through various eventualities and odd circumstances, nothing could possibly surprise us.”

A moment later, the door creaked open. Princess Twilight, the alicorn Princess of Friendship, had answered it herself. “Yes? How can I-- oh! Well, this is a surprise, Starlight.”

“Indeed it is, Twilight. We hope we’re not barging--” Starlight finally got a good look at Twilight. She noticed the wings, it was hard not to. “--in.”

Twilight glanced down at the wings Starlight was staring at. “Oh! Those. Recent development. I became the Princess of Friendship a few months ago, a couple weeks after we came back actually, and--”

Starlight fainted.


End file.
